Surrey

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-61.jpeg" alt="Jo Mitchell Long, artist, Sip and Sketch, Surrey" class="wp-image-45866" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-61.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-61-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-61-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-61-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-61-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-61-788x525.jpeg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The Coppa Club host regular events at their clubhouses, and one of the most popular workshops at The Georgian in Haslemere (and Between the Streets Coppa Club in Cobham) is the Sip &amp; Sketch workshop. 



Hosted by Jo Mitchell-Long, a contemporary artist and designer who lives in Surrey, it&#8217;s a relaxed two-hour workshop where you can get your creative juices flowing and lose yourself in the mindfulness of it all. 



No experience is necessary &#8211; I&#8217;m testament to that &#8211; but those who have some artistic skill with a paintbrush will also feel at home. There&#8217;s very little for you to do, apart from turn up at the right time &#8211; everything you need to create a masterpiece is provided including acrylic paints, brushes, canvas and instructions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE LOCATION</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/06/Coppa-Club-Haslemere-lounge.jpg" alt="The Georgian Coppa Club, Surrey" class="wp-image-40479" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/06/Coppa-Club-Haslemere-lounge.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/06/Coppa-Club-Haslemere-lounge-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/06/Coppa-Club-Haslemere-lounge-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/06/Coppa-Club-Haslemere-lounge-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/06/Coppa-Club-Haslemere-lounge-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/06/Coppa-Club-Haslemere-lounge-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The Georgian Coppa Club in Haslemere is a brilliant venue for this type of thing, with a loungey club house vibe and plenty of space. It&#8217;s on the High Street in Haslemere and there&#8217;s easy parking nearby &#8211; the Chestnut Avenue car park is behind the hotel and has an access gate, and there are always plenty of spaces.



If you’re making a mini-break of it and staying the night at The Georgian &#8211; <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/uk/hotels-inns/review-the-georgian-coppa-club-haslemere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">like I did</a> &#8211; there’s parking at the hotel. And if you have your other half in tow (like I did), there are plenty of cosy nooks for them to while away a couple of hours &#8211; on a table-for-one with a laptop doing a spot of work or curled up in an armchair with a book or newspaper.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE VIBE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="1600" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2.jpg" alt="The Georgian Coppa Club, Surrey" class="wp-image-45868" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2.jpg 1200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/CoppaClub-Haslemere-2-394x525.jpg 394w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></figure>







The Sip &amp; Sketch event is held in the Summer House at The Georgian &#8211; a conservatory-style room with skylights and bi-fold doors that led out to the terrace. Inside it&#8217;s a serene light-filled space with loads of greenery &#8211; so it&#8217;s an inspiring space that makes for a great art studio.



It&#8217;s just off the club&#8217;s main dining space, which at 10am when the class begins, is busy and bustling with brunchers and mid-morning coffee conflabs.



Converted into a mini artist village for the morning, the tables in the The Summerhouse have been set up with easels, paint palettes, brushes and canvases &#8211; arranged in a sort-of semi-circle facing two larger easels with paintings that Jo has done.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE WORKSHOP</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-21.jpeg" alt="Sip and Sketch, The Georgian Coppa Club, Surrey" class="wp-image-45859" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-21.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-21-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-21-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-21-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-21-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-21-788x525.jpeg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



As the &#8216;students&#8217; arrive for the class, there&#8217;s light chatter and banter. Three women, all friends, are returning for a second time, there&#8217;s a woman who hopes to take up painting, and another &#8211; a cake decorator &#8211; who&#8217;s keen to explore her creativity on canvas. A man wanders in and takes the easel next to mine &#8211; he&#8217;s been painting for some time, but wants to learn new techniques to hone his skills. They&#8217;re a friendly bunch &#8211; all there to have a bit of fun, and hopefully create something that might be good enough for a bit of wall space.



Jo, the teacher, brings a relaxed vibe to things. I announce early on that I&#8217;m a newbie to all of this, having daubed walls and furniture but never a brush to canvas. She smiles and tells me not to worry, she&#8217;ll guide us through each step.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-19.jpeg" alt="Sip and Sketch, The Georgian Coppa Club, Surrey" class="wp-image-45857" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-19.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-19-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-19-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-19-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-19-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-19-788x525.jpeg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Jo trained at the Chelsea School of Arts and University of the Arts in London, and has previously worked as a graphic designer and art director. She&#8217;s also the founder of the <a href="https://www.dibdabartclub.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The DibDab Club</a>, a children&#8217;s art club.



Two of Jo&#8217;s paintings are on display at the front, there for inspiration and guidance. We&#8217;ll be &#8216;copying&#8217; one of them today. 



We start by creating a basic outline for our landscape, and then Jo guides us as we layer paint onto our canvas. She&#8217;s patient, reassuring and encouraging as she wanders the room offering praise, tips and encouragement. White is my friend, she tells me. It&#8217;ll bring light and perspective to the landscape. And then, don&#8217;t be afraid to use colour. I bravely add pink flowers to the foreground. She&#8217;s right, it makes a difference.



About halfway through the workshop a non-alcoholic Peach Trip&nbsp;cocktail arrives. Infused with CBD, which can apparently help you feel less stressed and more productive and creative, it was refreshing and yummy. 



I&#8217;m not convinced the cocktail had any de-stressing effect on my &#8211; or maybe it did &#8211; because the workshop is about more than just creating our own version of a masterpiece, it&#8217;s mindful and engrossing. For two hours I stepped away from the hectic world that is my life, and became entirely absorbed in a greenscape with trees, a pond and reeds with pink flowers. And you know what, I loved it. Maybe I have an inner Matisse just waiting to come out. Or maybe I don&#8217;t &#8211; but at loved it



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1296" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-37-1.jpeg" alt="Sip and Sketch, The Georgian Coppa Club, Surrey" class="wp-image-45863" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-37-1.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-37-1-800x691.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-37-1-1000x864.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-37-1-400x346.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-37-1-768x664.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/Sip-and-Sketch-Coppa-37-1-608x525.jpeg 608w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption>My masterpiece!</figcaption></figure>



Good for: If you&#8217;ve got creative leanings, you&#8217;ll really enjoy this class. Those who fancy testing the waters on a hobby; a treat for yourself or gift for a creative mate.



Not for: Kids. This is a class for grown ups.



The damage: The Sip and Sketch sessions are £40 per person.



<a href="https://coppaclub.co.uk/the-georgian/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Georgian Coppa Club</a>, High Street, Haslemere, GU27 2JY. Tel: <a href="tel:01428 771027">01428 771027</a>



The Coppa Club hosts events at each of its clubhouses. To find out what&#8217;s on where, click <a href="https://www.coppaclub.co.uk/whatson/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

Review: Sip & Sketch at The Georgian, Haslemere

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