Stories: Threads of Courage and Colour — Our Retreat with Matthew Harris

The gardens were golden, the figs ripe, and the air buzzing with the hum of conversation and creativity. For a week in late summer, Court House Farm became a meeting place for remarkable people — some travelling from across the UK, others from much further afield. We were humbled to welcome guests from New York and Italy, their commitment to making art a testament to the power of shared creative space.

This was no ordinary gathering. Under the expert tuition of Matthew Harris, a master of both technique and inspiration, the retreat became a rare deep dive into the process of making. We began with drawing — slow, searching, attentive — before moving into bold experimentation with mark, material, and meaning. Matthew guided the group with a rare generosity, helping each person uncover a personal visual language.

The week was stitched together with moments that made the creative journey richer still. An art history talk on Georges Braque, the great Cubist, opened unexpected philosophical doors — conversations about living in good faith, and having the courage to follow your passions. A visit from a textile trader brought textures, patterns and stories from faraway places. Together, we visited the RWA’s exhibition Soft Power: Lives Told Through Textile Art — a moving exploration of how cloth can carry our stories, holding memory in every thread.

Our guests ranged widely in age, with four in their seventies and eighties bringing wisdom, wit, and a fierce creative spirit that lit up the room. Watching them work — alongside younger artists — was a reminder that creativity does not dim with age; it evolves, deepens, and grows more fearless.

And then there was the food. Kirstie’s seasonal feasts were as inspiring as the studio sessions: courgettes and golden beets from her allotment, figs warmed by the afternoon sun, herbs still fragrant from the garden. Plates became palettes of flavour and colour, turning each meal into its own kind of celebration.

By the week’s end, the studio tables were covered in drawings, collages, and experimental textiles — tangible traces of a shared journey. But just as valuable were the intangibles: the laughter that travelled down the Manor’s corridors, the late-night conversations in candlelight, the friendships that will stretch far beyond Somerset.

This retreat was a reminder of why we do what we do: to bring people together, to give them time and space to create, and to witness the magic that happens when art and life are woven together.

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