Painting Holidays in a French Château

12th – 19th June 2008 22nd – 29th June 2008 with Juliet O’Reilly and Patrick Marsh

• Painting holidays in the splendour of a medieval castle in central France
• Visits to the Abbeys of St Savin & Fontgombault, the Château of Loches, etc.
• Walking, boating, cycling, bird watching, etc.

Participants will be accommodated at the Château de Forges and at the Château d’Ingrandes. The two châteaux are located close to one another on the borders of the Berry and the Poitou, ancient duchies of the kingdom of France and about thirty miles to the east of Poitiers. The castles (strongholds boasting turrets and curtain walls built to be defended against cannon and harquebuses…) constitute an architectural reference point for their purity and historical coherence. The Château de Forges (www.chateaudeforges.fr) was fortified by authority of letters patent from Charles VII to his "faithful wine waiter" Jean de Poix in 1442 and has been in the family since that date. The present owner, Hugues de Poix, is a direct descendant. The nearby Château d’Ingrandes was built in the 15th century and its keep and some of its towers can be precisely dated to 1445. It stands about three kilometers from the Château de Forges and is part of the same defensive line of castles constructed across this part of France in the 15th century. The Château d’Ingrandes overlooks the River Anglin and has its own swimming pool.

Participants of all levels of ability work together in small groups with expert tuition provided by well-known professional artists. Instruction is given in oil and watercolours as well as charcoal / pencil drawing. Classes take place in the Château de Forges and participants will also be able to paint and draw in the nearby village of Concremiers. Materials provided include easels and stools while canvas boards, paper and colours can be purchased locally; participants should bring their own paints, brushes, paper palettes, paper / sketchpads and pencils. Tuition will take place in the mornings while, during the afternoons, there will be the opportunity for painters (and their non-painting partners) to visit local places of interest: these include the abbey church of St Savin with its medieval roof paintings, the monastery of Fontgombault, the tiny but exquisite Romanesque church of Villesalem, the château of Loches, the bird reserve of the Brenne, as well as local industries such as a stone quarry where skilled workers fashion exquisite carvings for buildings throughout France, a ‘fromager’ who produces delicious ‘pyramides’ of goats’ cheese and a local winemaker. Other activities include walking, cycling, boating and fishing.
Breakfast will be in the châteaux, there will be a light lunch or picnic at midday and dinner will be served at the nearby 15th century home of Patrick Marsh and Juliet O’Reilly, at the Château de Forges or at a local restaurant. The two châteaux are situated some fifty minutes’ drive from the airport at Poitiers to which there is a direct Ryanair flight from London Stansted.

In the mornings, non-painting partners will be able to go for walks, fish in the River Anglin, taste wine at a local vineyard, take cycle rides in the local area (bicycles provided), go boating and visit the local market.