Our Anglesey art retreats are fully-catered, peaceful breaks based on the beautiful Island of Ynys Mon, Anglesey off the coast of North Wales. 

We offer professional art tuition for artists of all levels in relaxed and idyllic settings

An woman standing in an art studio holding a paint palette and brush, with colorful paintings of ocean waves and portrait of three women on easels

Michelle Cottam-Williams

❋ Founder and Teacher

Michelle Cottam-Williams is an Anglesey-based artist originally from Wrexham. She studied illustration at the Northeast Wales Institute and later went on to study special effects makeup and hair at The London College of Fashion.

Since moving to Anglesey in 2018, Michelle has enjoyed getting back to her first love of painting. She has exhibited in Wrexhams Ty Pawb gallery and also held solo exhibitions on Anglesey.

Today, she divides her time between working on commissions, making her own art and teaching. She enjoys working in a variety of mediums including acrylic, watercolour, linocut, pastel and gouache. Her work embraces her passions for animals, nature and music.

Throughout her varied career, Michelle has also worked as a puppet designer for TVs Spitting Image, a prop maker, has made wigs for film, theatre and television and has also illustrated children's books and record sleeves. She has also won several national and international photography awards in portraiture and animal photography.

Here is a gallery of some of Michelle’s work

  • A painting of a rural landscape with a large tree, a blue road, fields, and a sky filled with big, billowing clouds.
  • Painting of a puffin swimming in water, with bright blue and green background.
  • Close-up of a chimpanzee with a contemplative expression, hand near chin on a dark background.
  • Photorealistic painting of a dog with gray and white fur, lying down with its head resting on a surface, looking with a calm and gentle expression.
  • Close-up of a detailed painting of a lion's face with golden eyes, black nose, and a mixture of brown, tan, black, and white fur.
  • An illustration of a donkey and a mule nuzzling each other nose to nose against a dark background.
  • Painting of ocean waves with sparkles, mountains in the background, and a setting sun in the sky.
  • Close-up side profile of a fox's face with golden fur and piercing blue eyes, set against a plain light background.
  • Photorealistic portrait of a brown and white dog, likely an English Springer Spaniel, with long wavy ears and a sad expression.
  • Watercolor painting of a hillside with orange and red soil, green shrubbery, and a tower on top under a cloudy sky.
  • Painting of a waterfall flowing over rocks amidst lush greenery with trees and small bushes.

Why Gouache

Gouache is one of the oldest types of paint ever used. It is similar to tempera and the paint used in cave paintings. It offers itself to so many styles from realism to graphic novels and everything in between. I find it to be such a wonderful, exciting medium to work in and once you learn the basics you will be at ease transferring your skills to other mediums such as watercolour, oil and acrylic. It’s a great way into your art journey and a fantastic way to explore new ways of working if you haven’t tried it before.  If you are a watercolourist, acrylic or oil painter you will be able to use  your skills with Gouache too – don’t worry!

Colorful painting of three mushrooms and a snail in a forest setting, with grass and foliage.