Here are some beautiful drawings by Hayley from the recent trip to Istanbul. I had the pleasure of teaching Hayley at University more than 30 years ago and it was great to catch up again after such a long time. 

For a teacher it's great to see someone who is still actively creating and developing a very accomplished portfolio of work. Check out some of Hayley's other working this recent article. https://pukaarmagazine.com/an-arty-pilgrimage/

Or you can follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hayleyfernfineart/

Istanbul Drawing Escape May 2024


The city of Istanbul was the destination of choice for my first Drawing Escape.  I was drawn by the prospect of a unique experience with a group of people, who whilst strangers at the outset, would come with a similar mindset to my own and a desire to grow and improve their drawing skills, but from varying starting points.  Within the group we had several professional artists, a professional photographer, a designer and a few starting out in drawing completely from scratch.  In my own case, I approached this trip as a professionally trained, but very much lapsed creative, in search of a supportive environment to re-boot my overall creativity.
I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the rich and ancient heritage of Istanbul, seat of the Ottoman Empire for more than 400 years, and the Byzantine Empire before that.  On this trip we were surrounded by the stunning architecture of ubiquitous mosques whose size and scale must be seen to be believed, chief of which is the Blue Mosque; the mazes of undulating cobbled streets lined with terraced half-wooden Ottoman overhanging houses on either side; partial remains of ancient monuments; fascinating local shops; Grand Bazaar and the many Turkish restaurants and cafés.  The highlight for me, was a visit to the centuries old Topkapi Palace, seat of power for successive Ottoman Sultans.  I was struck by the sheer scale of the rooms, and in particular, the geometric skylight designs that filter natural light on to the walls of each chamber, decorated everywhere with traditional Iznic tiling in characteristic blue, white and brown.  We sat in the gardens to draw and eat lunch that day.
We stayed in a very friendly mid-range hotel, where the staff were helpful, and the generous breakfast helped to set us up for the day.  We walked long distances, allowing us to soak up the atmosphere and observe people and street architecture – plenty of insta-worthy opportunities as well as time to draw for a substantial amount of time.  Daily group tutorial sessions are a fundamental part of the experience, supportive, constructive advice coming from all members of the group, in addition to Martyn’s critiques.  Everyone in the group learned through mutual observation of drawing in progress, techniques and personalised approaches to materials used.  This is extremely useful to anyone interested in drawing in the field, from life.  I believe that everyone who took part, felt that by the end of the trip, we had all enhanced our creative practice in some way, through a unique, immersive and stimulating location along with skilful tuition and guidance.
Next up for me – the Spain trip!


Rachel Brooke
12.6.24
​