PAINTING HOLIDAY IN PROVENCE  2023

Join Mike and Emma in this beautiful place for a unique retreat.

We will explore, discover, paint and taste Provence.

Looked after by Mathieu and Maria we will eat delicious home made food, learn to cook local dishes, take a bicycle tour of the gorgeous islands, paint the local flowers with Emma, or the local landscape with Mike, picnic on the beach and swim in the pool and the sea.

6 nights – 6th to 12th October 2023 – 6 to 8 places

We have one last single room available.

We have exciting plans for 2024 so do register your interest now.  We hope to return to Simple Life in Provence and also add in an extra week seeing the amazing art in that region. 

For example Fondation Maeght in St Paul de Vence, the Picasso Museum in Antibes and the Bonnard Museum in Le Cannet

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• 6 Nights / 5 Days

• 8 participants

6 nights accommodation

6 gourmet dinners & wine

Painting workshops with Emma or Mike

Daily delicious breakfasts and lunches or picnic

Cooking & Baking workshops

Visits, including transportation

Aperitifs and snacks

Not included

• Airfares to France

• Airport transfer

• Travel insurance (We strongly advise participants to arrange their own travel insurance and book flexible flights with cancellation options)

PRICES AND ACCOMODATION

• Single occupancy, queen size bed, private bathroom – 2900 euros

• Single occupancy, queen size bed, shared bathroom – 2500 euros

• Double occupancy, 2 single beds, private bathroom – 4000 euros

THE ART LESSONS

We will paint from beautiful local flowers on paper or in sketchbooks. Bring your own art materials that you like to work with. The Bradness Gallery link will give you an idea of how we work if you look at the courses page if you have not painted with us before.

The groups are small so there is plenty of time for individual help if there is anything specific you would like Emma or Mike to cover.

Inspired by Henri Matisse, we will look at simple still life paintings with interesting french style cloths.  the paintings below are in watercolour and gouache.

STILL LIFE PAINTING
ART COURSES
STILL LIFE PAINTING

SCHEDULE (subject to modifications)

Friday

3:00 pm: Check-in and welcome aperitif

7:00 pm: Welcome Provençal dinner

Saturday

9:00 am: Delicious breakfast

10:00 am: Painting with Emma or Mike

1:00 pm: Lunch at the villa

2:30 pm: Painting with Emma or Mike

6:00 pm: Dinner Picnic at the renowned Almanarre beach

Sunday

8:00 am: Delicious breakfast

9:00 am: Visit a typical Provence market, take a stroll through Hyères famous “remarkable” garden

1:00 pm: Lunch at the villa

3:00 pm: Painting with Emma or Mike or Free time / Shopping time

6:00 pm: Visit of the hills of Hyères and its medieval castle, enjoy the stunning view of the old city and the mediterranean sea

7:00 pm: Summer buffet at the villa

Monday

9:00 am: Delicious breakfast

10:00 am: Painting with Emma or Mike

1:00 pm: Lunch at the villa

2:30 pm: Painting with Emma or Mike

6:00 pm: Aperitif and dinner prepared by the chef

Tuesday

8:00 am: Delicious breakfast

9:00 am: Boat ride to Porquerolles. Visit of the island on a bicycle

1:00 pm: Picnic at the “silver beach”

2:00 pm: Hop around the different bays and coves of the islands, swim, relax time

5:00 pm: Boat ride back to Hyères. Down time at the villa

7:00 pm: Summer provençal dinner

Wednesday

8:00 am: Delicious breakfast

9:00 am: Provençal cooking workshop with the ladies from the village

12:00 pm: Lunch all together; enjoy the typical dishes we made together

2:30 pm: Painting with Emma or Mike

7:00 pm: Aperitif with mini exhibition of the week’s work then dinner prepared by the chef

Thursday

9:00 am: Delicious breakfast and chill time

11:00 am: Check out and goodbyes

Depending on weather, activities might be switched around

MATERIALS LIST

PROVENCE TRIP MATERIALS LIST

Dear All,

Mike and I are so looking forward to this trip.  Here are a few practical bits of information about the art aspect.

Mike will be out and about sketching landscapes and interesting scenes such as lovely french doorways.

Emma will be getting lots of beautiful flowers and we will be painting where we are staying. 

You are welcome to paint with either of us on any day so can paint with just Mike, just Emma or switch between the two.

A sketchbook would definitely be preferable for landscape painting as they are easier to manage.  You can bring any size and shape that you like to work to and can manage.

You do not need to get a lot of specific materials.  Basically bring what you have and what you like to work with.  Mike and I will have back up materials with us.

For those who do want to kit themselves out, there are a few suggestions below.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION ON MATERIALS

 

PAINTS AND HOW TO TRANSPORT THEM

The flower painters are resident at Simple Life in Provence so can bring paints on any form they like using.  Tubes are always my preference but that is up to you.

The Landscape Painters need portable paints.

There are several videos on our Bradness Gallery website www.bradnessgallery.com/videos

Go to Emma’s Materials tutorial video part 2

If you click the link below and go to 9 minutes 12 seconds into the video there is a good explanation of creating your own paint box.

PAINT COLOURS

WATERCOLOUR PAINT COLOURS

I use Winsor and Newton.  Buy professional colour if you can or the student quality called Cotman if your budget is less.

Main colours you need

Quinacridone Magenta or permanent rose

Lemon yellow deep

Cerulean blue

Cobalt turquoise light 

Cadmium red

Cadmium yellow

French Ultramarine

Yellow Ochre

Burnt Umber

Extra colours

Ivory black

Viridian

Permanent Sap green

Cobalt blue

Raw sienna

BRUSHES

Brushes for watercolour painting.  Make sure you pack them so that the end of each brush does not get bashed.  You can use something like this

Cheaper brushes – e.g. Pro Arte Prolene Plus 8,4 and 1

Expensive brushes – e.g. Pro Arte Renaissance Sable sizes, 8, 4 and 1. 

We use these on our Flower Painting courses.  They are lovely brushes but expensive.

  

PORTABLE WATER for Landscape Painters

There are many forms of portable water holders.

You will also need light weight bottles to carry some water in

Flower painters do not need to bring anything to hold water in

SKETCHBOOKS

300 gram watercolour paper would be ideal in the size and shape that you like to work in. 

For flower painters something around A3 which is 11.7in x 16.5in

We are a fan of Pink Pig sketchbooks

PAINTING WITH MIKE

Sunhat

Sketchbook

Pencils e.g. Faber Castell 3b

Rubber

Rag

paint brushes

portable water container.  There are many available from all art suppliers.

bottle to hold water

Watercolour Paints as above plus Venetian Red and Hookers Green and Alizarin Crimson

PAINTING WITH EMMA

Watercolour sketchbook e.g. A3 size or sheets of paper

Brushes e.g.

Watercolour paints and white gouache paint

Pencil e.g. Faber Castell 3b

Rubber

Rag

Any questions at all, just phone Emma on 01273 400606

ABOVE – PORTABLE PAINT PALETTE

ABOVE BRUSH HOLDER FOR TRAVELLING

ABOVE PORTABLE FOLDABLE WATER HOLDER