Love to paint?

Want to learn to paint?

Interested in exploring the intriguing relationships between art and philosophy?

Then this is the holiday for you.

Come and join us for two weeks in September in Provence . Spend your days painting the magnificent scenery and your evenings enjoying delicious local cuisine and stimulating conversation.

Provence is a beautiful part of France with wonderful natural beauty, fantastic markets, and world class food.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, many of the most famous painters in the world converged on Provence , drawn by the climate and the clarity of the light. The special quality of the light is partly a result of the Mistral wind, which removes dust from the atmosphere, greatly increasing visibility.

Corot, Bonnard, van Gogh, Gaugain, Matisse, Cézanne and Picasso, all came to live and work here. I know you too will love the quality of light, the folds of the earth, the old stone farm buildings and medieval hilltop villages, the poplars and cypresses.

Your guides on your journey of discovery are Liz Hirstle and Dr Jo Ankor.

Liz's tutorials and guidance are designed to cater for all skill levels, so whether you are an outright beginner, keen amateur or a budding Vincent Van Gogh you will always be in good company.

Jo will be running light hearted evening conversations, over drinks, dinner and the remainder of the evening (if there is any) relating philosophical topics to the day's painting.

You will have a maximum of just 8 fellow travelers. This allows Liz and Jo to give you their undivided attention.

We will be staying in Le Clos des Cigales situated in the heart of a 1 hectare pine forest and just 1.8km from the picturesque village of Rousillon. www.leclosdecigales.com.

From the moment you arrive you will be enchanted by how visually engaging this undiscovered little corner of Provence is. To say nothing of the Provençal quality of life.

What you will learn during the day
Liz will be running the painting days with tuition at the beginning of each day by showing you examples of different techniques. We will then either take you, or you can walk to a painting spot in the surrounding countryside.

Regardless of what kind of painting you do, plein air painting is a great teacher. Because nature is so vast, you must simplify, you must look for the essence. Because your source of light is moving, you are forced to make decisions quickly and accurately. It is exhilarating, demanding and will infuse your work with greater insight, subtlety and truth.

During the course of your holiday you will learn to:

Edit the intricacies of nature into a single, powerful image to form the basis of a strong, pleasing composition. This means learning to 'see' in masses, in shapes, rather than outlines. Create rich color, in particular, how to handle warm and cool areas of paint.

The goal of the holiday, in addition to your having a wonderful experience, is twofold. One, learning to build strong compositions. This is the foundation of great painting. Every artist must address it each time they start, building an arrangement of abstract shapes that sings. Only then do we start thinking about the 'subject.' Too often paintings are subjects, not compositions. As such, even if admirably painted, we feel it lacks something. The tendency is to go on adjusting the parts, when it's actually a strong composition that's missing.

The second goal is to help develop the insight to critique your own work more effectively at home. This makes your path more self-reliant and efficient.

This painting holiday is suited to every level of experience from serious beginner to professional. Any medium can be used depending on your preference. The emphasis is to provide as much painting as you want while still having time to enjoy the local charm.

When you paint a landscape, you really see and feel it, far more than as a tourist. You open to the beauty, the culture and the depth of what makes a place unique.

Itinery
Following breakfast Liz will present a tutorial, as outlined below. You are then free to search out one of the quiet, visually rich venues, not far from the Gite, to explore and absorb the subtleties and character of the landscape. We will provide a picnic lunch.

Painting tutorials
Day One - The Basics
Day Two - Landscape and Perspective
Day Three - Colour Tuition
Day Four - Subject Matter
Day Five -Impressionist Techniques
Day Six -Free Day
Day Seven - Detail and Background
Day Eight - Light and Shade
Day Nine -New Mediums and Mixed Media
Day Ten - Review
Day Eleven - Free Day

Evenings are devoted to drinks, dinner and philosophy. Meals are delicious, the carafes of local wine abundant, and the camaraderie terrific at the end of a full day of painting.

What you will learn during in the evening
We will begin with an introductory discussion on the history of ideas and an invitation to share with other participants your interest in ideas and philosophy. The discussion each day will reflect the art theory introduced in your practical sessions.

Philosophy considers the ways we put meaning together, the way ideas are handled, the way thought is organised into conceptual understanding. Philosophy seeks to reflect, and reflect upon, the relationship between individuals and their world.

How we see things and how we represent things influences art – there are powerful links between art and philosophy!

Especially, we will look at how western philosophical thought was taken to the new world of Australia, how it has influenced conceptions of representation of Australia in art and how the landscape of the great land of Australia has powerfully influenced our interpretation of the natural world. We will find ourselves in the unique position of taking this view back to the European landscape and exploring how philosophical considerations of difference in the twentieth century return in changed and influential forms.

We will explore the ideas of important figures of French twentieth-century philosophy, including Derrida, Barthes and Foucault, who challenged the hierarchical division of activities, attitudes and cultural values. Barthes' deconstruction of written and pictorial landscapes and texts, Derrida's examination of cultural representation and Foucault's exploration of the relationship of power and knowledge will be linked to the French Impressionists' challenge to mediums, use of light and shadow, and interpretation of landscape.

A feast of thought and ideas!