Want to get away from the snow? As the Beast from the East is retreating, we are delighted to announce our sunny En Plein Air painting holiday: This May!
This week is aimed at all painters from near beginners to intermediate painters who want to enjoy painting en plein air in a beautiful environment with guidance and improve their painting technique.
With over one hectare of land, and approached via a long tree-lined avenue, the house “La Clé” slowly reveals itself as a charming house secluded and spacious with 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, and sitting on mature grounds with its grove of olive trees and wooded area.
The house is a really beautiful villa, up in the hills, overlooking the quaint and beautiful village of Cotignac, a 10 minute walk away from excellent restaurants, craft shops and a Boulangerie with crusty breads to die for. The villa has been completely renovated but is still a lovely old building full of charm, tastefully decorated and furnished with nooks and crannies everywhere so that everyone can find their own little space in this wonderful place.
There is also a 6mX12 m pool in travertine stone and plenty of comfortable deckchairs to relax and chill…
The terrace of ‘la Clé’ villa, Cotignac, Provence
But the pièce de resistance is the view from the terrace at night, down into the village with the twinkly lights. Good for the soul! Lovely walks and vineyards …The beautiful town square which is only a short walk away has plenty of restaurants to cater for all tastes and are very reasonable. There is even singing & dancing in the square in the evenings…
The terrace of ‘la Clé’ villa, with views over Cotignac, Provence
Painting:
We will be painting outdoors, the weather in May should be lovely! There is plenty to paint on site, with olive trees , the views of the country surrounding Cotignac, including a nearby waterfall only 15 minutes away from the house. This medieval village is dominated by a magnificent rock with sheer cliffs. At the summit are the ruins of an ancient Saracen fortress. The town boasts wonderful examples of architecture, ranging from the 12th to the 18th centuries.
We will paint for 5 days allowing one day off to explore the beautiful surrounding area.
Materials: you will need….A standard tripod or pochade easel, paints, brushes and small canvas boards. A full checklist will be sent to you closer to the time.
Kevin McSherry is one of the leading and most imaginative contemporary artists in Ireland. His exciting, intriguing and often challenging paintings play with the viewers’ expectations of what art can and should be. Born in London in 1962, he left school at 16 to be apprenticed to the printing trade to help provide for his family, subsequently leaving London to live in Ireland in the eighties.
His imagination, wit and ability to describe complex and thought-provoking concepts have been widely sought after by The Wall Street Journal, The Irish Times, Sunday Business Post and many other important patrons globally. His visionary work also hangs in many private collections around the world from the US and Canada to the UK, France and Japan.
He has been invited to show in cultural venues in France and Ireland, including as part of a juried show in Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs in le Palais du Louvre, Paris, The Alliance française, Dublin AND Paris and at the 2002 exhibition in the Chester Beatty Library; The Art of Centemporary Illumination. His work hangs in the British National Collection, notably in the British Embassy in the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris and in private collections around the world.
He is represented in North America, the UK and all other Anglophone territories by Three in a Box Artist’s Representatives in Toronto.
In France he is represented by Marie Bastille Artists Agent.