Printmaking Workshop Holiday In Portugal

“Overall…I was simply in blissful happiness from start to end! The location is … well … paradise! The landscape, the gardens, the wonderful spotless quirky rooms, amazing food and lovely hosts. But then to add to that, relaxed days of creativity without distraction in a perfect setting with Lucy patiently and happily making sure everyone was comfortable and happy and knew what they were doing…that’s no mean feat with a group of mixed abilities and requirements. I’ve looked forward to this holiday for months and it surpassed all expectations. I’m leaving (sadly) but with a head full of happy memories, new ideas and techniques to try and a bag full of the week’s creations. It’s been an absolute privilege. Thank you x

Miriam – October 2022

“A tremendous delight and unforgettable experience. Thank you for all the work in the background arranging and liasing with Frank and Daniella. The location is perfect and what a wonderful group we made! Such superb accommodation! I’ve enjoyed the laid back feeling of being welcomed into a family home, the flexibility built into all the arrangements and the total care and considerationyou have given to everything and everybody. You are a gifted professional with an endless capacity for coaxing, reassuringly positive encouragement and the art of gentle persuasion. I am very happy with all my prints and experiments. The birdwatching with Frank was extraordinary. The high standards of both the food and the beautiful environment have been quite awesome! The owners share your attention to ‘Lucy Detail’ which pays off in worthwhile creativity. I’ve loved sharing space with the swallows – what a delight to witness their fledging. I’ve renewed my interest in monoprinting, intaglio, lino-cutting (2 plates was new to me). The cyanotype activity was fun and engaging. You did everything you could to allow the smooth running of every day and my hat is off to you for managing it all so thoughtfully. It’s been great to meet new people and share something so special – its a very special repeatable event providing F+D stay!”

Wendy – May 2022

“I had the most wonderful week, it totally surpassed my expectations. The location is just stunning, there couldn’t be a more perfect spot to try and get the creative juices going (even though it still took me a while!). I feel that you must have handpicked the group of ladies as everyone “Gelled” (ha ha) really well and I have made many new friends that I hope to keep and see again in the future.

I don’t think anyone could come on the holiday and be disappointed. The hard work, knowledge and enthusiasm, and most importantly love and care you put into making it such a memorable experience is amazing and I thank you very much for that. Thank you again.”

Maggie – May 2022

“My overall experience of the holiday was very positive. The location ambience, landscape and natural beauty of the Quinta more than lived up to my expectations as did the hospitality of Frank and Daniella. Frank is a very entertaining, welcoming host and Daniella’s culinary skills and the variety of meals she provided were superb but I think we were all aware of the sheer amount of effort and labour she has to maintain to achieve this.

I loved the ‘family’ atmosphere of lunch and dinner with both staff and guests and the relaxed ambience. Excellent accommodation and unexpectedly brilliant WiFi!

I really appreciate the effort, hard work and planning that has gone into organising this holiday and the stress it can cause. I enjoyed the relaxed start to the week before the printmaking just familiarising ourselves with the environment. I thought the sequence of types of printmaking worked well in terms of easiest to more complex so that initially we were able to work more independantly. Doing the lino prints later and over 2 days meant that some confidence had been built up and that we had time to overcome initial difficulties.”

Suzanne – May 2022

“If I had expectations of what my forthcoming printing holiday in Portugal would provide me with, the reality when I arrived was surpassed over and over again. I had already met, albeit briefly, our delightful tutor for the week, Lucy Gell (pronounced Jell!) at a craft fair; liked her work and really liked her. I wasn’t to be disappointed Lucy is professional, cheerful and a joy to be around. Her choice of venue – well what can one say, except that it was easy to see why Lucy fell in love with Paradise in Portugal, it is truly captivating.

A beautiful setting, no traffic or aircraft noise, no light pollution, just lovely gardens, flowers, bird song and a beautiful spot for a daily swim, and the most hospitable hosts I have encountered at any ‘hotel’ I have stayed at thus far. The printing course was well planned and resourced, and Lucy was patient and dedicated to the ‘enth’ degree. I was a complete novice, but I came away with some printing I was happy with (with a little extra help and encouragement from Lucy) and a very good feeling about the whole experience. Thank you Lucy”

Pat – Sept 2019

“I had a lovely time on the printmaking holiday and am proud if what I managed to achieve there thanks to your patience ! I think I am hooked on lino cuts now and have already sent off one of the cards I made for a friends birthday. The atmosphere at the Quinta is just right for relaxing and getting inspired and of course the gorgeous weather helps.I really enjoyed the birdwatching with Frank and feel very lucky that you have found such a great place to host your holidays; the whole team there from Frank and Daniela to the pets are second to none!”

Jane – June 2019

“The week at the Quinta went so fast! The location is fabulous…the 12 acre estate is the result of decades of careful care and planting. No passing cars, so tranquil. Great hosts and staff. Solar energy and sustainable water supply. Birds, frogs, lizards, and dogs to hang out with. We loved the little seated balcony area of our room. The bird trips with Frank were excellent. Due to his keen expertise we saw a huge range of birds in short space of time. Bee-eater, kingfishers, flamingos, spoonbills and of course the famous Golden Orioles. 

 The art sessions were great, with the patient help of Lucy I produced some beautiful prints and cards using techniques that i can build on at home. The home cooked food was excellent. All in all a great balance of relaxation and engaging things to do and see. Would go again tomorrow! Thank you all xx”

Debs – June 2019

“We really loved our week with you learning the three printing techniques. You set high standards for us and then gently encouraged us to achieve them. We covered monoprinting, drypoint and linocuts with up to two colours. All this was done outside to the sounds of lots of beautiful birdsong, including Orioles and nightingales. The grounds of the quinta hold beautiful plants to provide inspiration. We produced quality pictures that we never believed we could particularly with the use of colour.”

June & Peter – June 2018 

“Lucy, your friendly, knowledgeable and caring approach to teaching us was very much appreciated. You were patient, kind and supported us, each with our individual needs.  Your organisation and planning of the whole week meant we could really relax and concentrate on our prints. Even during our ‘time off’ we were looking around us for things to draw, a completely new experience and one we hope we can maintain.”

June 2018

“There are so many positives about Frank, Daniela and the quinta. Franks knowledge, enthusiasm and love of Portugal and it’s wildlife was an added bonus. Daniela’s meals were excellent. Sitting round their table chatting will long be remembered. Good wine selection. The accommodation was beautifully clean. Fatima and Dulce were so friendly. Fraser was lovely too.”

June & Peter 2018