Seabirds and Clifftops - Orkney 2026

07 - 13 June 2026

We are delighted that artist John Threlfall is leading another Orkney Art Safari. John loves the Orkney Isles and is looking forward to sharing some of his favourite painting spots with you. “I draw and paint directly from nature as often and as much as I can. There is no substitute for this first-hand experience, for the intensity of seeing this generates. I strive to preserve the essence of the field sketch in the ensuing studio painting which is completed in acrylic, oil or pastel. My aim is to create something visually interesting in its own right, I love the whole process of mark making.”

Here’s a exert from John’s book ‘Drawn to the Edge’ which captures a little of his passion for coastal locations - “Visit a breeding seabird colony in early summer and prepare to be overwhelmed by a planetary phenomenon, a life force of nature. The sheer raucousness of it all, the unceasing, incessant, cacophonous, beautiful din of it all, the slightly nauseous, pungent, throat choking smell of it all, the stirring, swirling, bemusing movement of it all, the wind wild ruggedness, the ravishing spectacle. Thrift and sea campion spilling colour over the edge, fulmars and kittiwakes hanging buoyantly on the updraughts, delightedly reveling in the lift, the wing whirring blurring flight of razorbills, the streamline smooth sculptural forms of guillemots, the charming beguiling innocence of puffins”.

Throughout the week in Orkney, there will be many opportunities for tutorials and demonstrations with John, and suggestions for how to approach our day’s sketching.

Our Art Safari itinerary will depend upon the weather and the sailing times of inter-island ferries, so this is the proposed plan, but we may need to swap some days round to make the most of the weather...