Autumn colour moods of Minervois

BOOK

Colourful days in the autumn landscape of southern France
4-day art course
with teacher Jan van Boeckel
23–26 October, 2023
€ 850

This wildpainting course will again have its base in the medieval French village of Bize-Minervois in the Languedoc region. The course will be taught both in English and Swedish.

Wildpainting is allowing yourself to paint in ways you may have never attempted before and to immerse oneself in a natural environment that invites opening all of one's senses. There are the smells of rosemary, sage and thyme. The soft sound of the rippling water of the river La Cesse, the autumn colours, the mild evening breeze cooling your skin after painting for hours in the sentient landscape.

The German philosopher Herder once said, “We are full of interconnections of the most different senses . . . in nature all the threads are one single tissue. . . . The sensations unite and all converge in the area where distinguishing traits turn into sounds. Thus, what man sees with his eyes and feels by touch can also become soundable.”

Practical

Painting Course

Participants arrive latest on Sunday, October 22.We will start painting on Monday morning. Thursday afternoon, October 26, we will have a vernissage party to close off the course. The course will be taught in both English and Swedish by Jan van Boeckel. Jan is an experienced Dutch artist and art teacher. All participants will receive personal tutorials as well.
A wine-tasting event and excursions to surrounding medieval Cathar villages and a local farmers' market are also scheduled.

Course Fee

The course fee is €850 and includes the use of all art materials and shuttle service from and to the railway station in Narbonne. Also included in the price are excursions, snacks, vernissage party on the final course day. To book, please contact Birgitta Elfström ([email protected]). Please note: in the event of too few participants, we reserve the right to cancel the course. In this case the participants will a full refund of the course fee (see Terms & Conditions). Notice: We want to encourage participants to come to our courses through public transportation rather than flying. Therefore those who travel from afar and choose to come by train or bus (and are able to show proof of this) will get a discount of 25% of the course fee!

Lodging & food

Lodging and food are not included in the course price. You can choose to stay overnight in Flodhuset: there are 4 rooms and two of them have two single beds. Otherwise there are several nice and price-worthy guest houses within short walking distance. We advise to wait with making bookings for accommodations, trains or flights until you have received confirmation that the course will indeed take place. Once you have received confirmation, it can be wise to be early with your bookings of flights, trains and accommodation, in order to get a good rate. Our host, Birgitta Elfström, can assist you with this.

Check out previous Wildpainting courses.

Wildpainting is also a group on Facebook!

Location

Our atelier is Flodhuset, (Maison de la Rivière or, in English, The River House)
Birgitta Elfström
Maison de la Rivière
4 Rue des Remparts
Bize-Minervois
Contact:
[email protected]
+46 (0)70 787 9448

Travel options:
- Train to Narbonne railway station
- Flixbus to Narbonne
- Car
- Flight to Montpellier, Toulouse, or Barcelona. From there the train to Narbonne

Comments by former participants

Somehow I feel less controlled and more playful when I paint in stronger colours, I can let go. And I allow my ‘personal handwriting’ to grow, and the pictures develop to be much more expressive. I feel that I have finally found my own ‘language’ in how to paint. Susan

Good tutorials, the theoretical and practical exercises go hand in hand. Good to have breaks, to reflect on the progress and to learn from each other. Good company! A quiet environment, relaxing. A good combination, with the yoga and the food.
Lisa

Good atmosphere. "Högt i tak", as we say in Sweden. The food - made painting even better!! Nice reviewing sessions.
Karin

Autumn colour moods of Minervois
4-day course in Bize-Minervois
23–26 October, 2023
€850
Includes: art materials, snacks, excursions, vernissage party
- if requested: shuttle service from and to railway station in Narbonne
Not included: food, lodging, travel