Chateau Ventenac offers a range of residential holiday courses during the spring and fall, from poetry to painting and other art and design courses. All courses offer tuition, accommodation and meals. The chateau is located on the Canal du Midi, in south France and offers views of the Pyrenees Mountains and spectacular vineyards.
Specifically designed for those interested in pottery, this course is suitable for beginner and experienced potters alike. Each course is tailored to the needs of the student and the timing and duration of the class are individually tailored for the student’s needs. This class is located in Southern France near the border with Spain.
Courses are offered in seven, 10 and 14 day workshops. All levels of experience are accepted, from complete beginner to seasoned artist. Workshops are planned for groups of no more than 12 and cover a variety of techniques including watercolors, oils and mixed media, with specific emphasis on composition. Painting holidays include trips to Venice, Amalfi, Sicily and Lake Como. Accommodations are located in Villa Nobile in the village of Cortona.
La Meridiana is an international school of art and ceramics. The school offers residential pottery courses and ceramic workshops for one or two weeks, from beginner to advanced potters. Topics include hand building, trimming, decoration, study of glaze application and various firing techniques. The school is located in a 15th century farmhouse in the center of Tuscany.
Various lengths of ceramic classes are taught, from one-day courses to one week. All the basics of creating quality ceramics are covered and give students the opportunity to work with a variety of clay. Courses include basics of throwing on the wheel, throwing and engoba, crafting ceramic clocks, ceramic jewelry, sculpture and glazing, ceramic tiles and Roman, Greek and Celtic ceramics.
Covering a wide variety of arts, from painting and drawing to music tours, ArtBreak is an active arts vacation designed to renew the mind, body and spirit. Hands-on workshops, museum tours and theater and dance performances are among the activities offered.
Drawing, painting and printmaking classes are offered through Artists on the Move. Classes are designed to help students learn the practical aspects of painting and drawing while developing a new way of seeing the world. Students may choose to paint in oil, acrylic or watercolor.
Students start the day with a demonstration and then paint in the gardens and surroundings. Watercolor is the primary medium, but some training in mixed media is also done as required. Landscape painting is the general subject but some still life and other subjects are also covered. General techniques, such as perspective and composition, are taught to newer artists while aspects of wet-in-wet and negative painting are covered for the more advanced.