Art courses and Painting holidays. Painting courses in Watercolour, Oil, Acrylic and Drawing. Art retreat in Devon

Brambles Art Retreat went to France 2009 - staying at Manzac d'en Bas near Toulouse.
The Trip - September 14th - September 24th 2009 - A 10 Day trip.

We took a group of nine painters to Manzac this September, guests came from the UK, the United States and Canada.
Painting skills ranged from complete beginner to skilled.

After collecting the guests from Toulouse Airport we gathered at Manzac for our first evening together. The sun was
shining and the weather prospects for the next few days where good. Not as hot as we thought it might be, cool in the evening,
we needed a jumper. Several of the guests had met before, most had previously attended courses at Brambles.

Day one: we felt a day around the gites was in order, everyone had a chance to relax after their journeys, time was spent
sketching the house, the view, and artifacts around the house. Most painters started familiarising themselves with colours
of the landscape, working fairly small and fast. We also worked on brushing up drawing and freshening up perspective skills.

Day two: Off to Daumazan the nearest village. We specked out a beautiful vista of the Church nestled
amongst interesting trees, with dramatic brightly coloured soya bean fields providing a slash of colour in the foreground.

In the evening we went to a lovely local restaurant in Daumazan, delicious food, huge portions. Two evening during the ten day stay we eat
out a local restaurants, the food was excellent, beautifully presented and very tasty.

Day three: We went to another local village, Sabarat with a beautiful view of the river and old rambling buildings hanging over it.
It was a really sunny day good shadows and great reflections.

Day four: Worked at the gites finishing off paintings of Sabarat. Several painters took on the challenge of painting
the old cart situated in the garden. This was no mean feat as it was old, rickety and has several complex angles particularly
the collapsed wheels.

Day five: Day out a trip to Toulouse to see the Art Gallery and the local sights. A beautiful gallery in the town centre offering a wide selection of
Work, ending with a really interesting selection of impresssionist paintings. Really worth a visit.

Day six: Montbrun Market day, a local market just a few kilometers from the Gite. So much so a few guests chose to walk there.
Good colour and inspiration for narrative paintings of people. Fun for a bit of shopping too. Back to the gite for Lunch and finishing off
paintings of anthing around the Gites.

Day seven: More painting around the gites, views of the local landscape, small buildings and the gites. Beautiful rolling hills,
fantastic colours and lovely light. Several different styles of painting used.

Day eight: We all went to Carle Bayle a beautiful village 15 minutes away, stunning colours beautifully kept houses, lots to paint. Several guests sat in the
main square, some sketched the main street focusing on the dramatic church at the end. A lovely day painting, great weather, nice light.

Day nine: Finishing off and still life at the gites. Interesting colours and patterns used with fabircs and veggies bought at Montbrun market.

All in all it was a very enjoyable course, the weather wasn't as hot as we where expecting, although when it was hot it was too hot!!!
The gites are beautiful, very comfortable and spacious. The cuisine was excellent, Louise is a fabulous cook, the chefs that came in to cook for us where
also very good. The two restaurants nearby where superb, really fabulous food. The villages nearby have a wealth of subject matter, quite challenging
at times, we hardly scratched the surface. We like it so much we have booked to run two more courses in 2010.