OCTOBER 23-29, 2016ICON PAINTING WORKSHOP
OCTOBER 23-29, 2016ICON PAINTING WORKSHOP
£1195 Inclusive 7-day price
£250 Hold deposit due at sign up
Back by popular demand!
Every so often we decide to run an Icon painting course, using traditional materials to create by the end of the week, a finished pre-Renaissance egg tempera painting on a wooden panel, ready for you to take home.
The week begins with an introduction to the materials and methods of this extraordinary craft and a chance to select the subject mater for your Icon. I have a range of traditional Madonnas which you could choose from, or you can come ready prepared with your own idea for your painting.
I will supply all the materials and I also source lovely pieces of hardwood for us to work on. I will show you how to use gesso to create the ground onto which we work, and will also have some boards pre-prepared for you to begin to start immediately. We also use a red clay bole (bolo) as the under surface for our gold leaf and we mix up our tempera pigments using local farm egg yolks using mussel shells as the palette wells, just as they used to do in 13th and 14th Century Siena.
As this is our last course of the year at the house on the Tuscan/Umbrian borders, and it can start to get a little too chilly for painting ‘en plain air’ - this is a perfect opportunity to work in the studio pretty much all day on our paintings. It is time consuming and concentrated, and it’s all about getting something finished and that you’re proud of by the end of the week.
At some point in the middle of the course we will take a trip to see Siena, and possibly even see the Icon painting you are attempting to paint in real life.
It’s a lovely atmosphere in the studio, full of purpose and attention to detail and I thoroughly enjoy teaching this unique course!
Course participants can expect to pay £1195 (sterling) for a week long course, and £1595 for the 10 day art workshops. The new express courses are priced at £650.
Non-participating companions on our week long practical courses can expect to pay £850 (sterling), and £1150 for the 10 day workshops, and are always welcome to join us on trips and excursions.
Our prices include all tuition, art materials, accommodation, breakfast, lunch (excluding trip days) and dinner with wine and soft drinks , transport to and from painting locations, excursions during the week, and dinner at a local restaurant at the end of the course.
We are able to offer 3 large airy double/twin rooms and just one single room. (our prices are per person, based on two people sharing a twin room. Should a single person wish to occupy a double room, there is a supplement of £300 for the week and £400 for the 10 day courses).
All these rooms have a private entrance and an en-suite bath/shower room.
We are situated halfway between Rome and Florence, so getting to us is relatively simple; you can fly into Rome, Florence, or even Pisa or Perugia airports. We can arrange for a private taxi firm (which we have used for years) to pick you up if you prefer (we will individually quote for fares) or Julian is happy to pick you up himself from our local mainline station Chiusi Chianciano Terme. This station is easy to reach from Roma Termini, or Florence Santa Maria Novella and is just 10 minutes from the house. Remember to fill in your information form about your travel plans and we can coordinate nearer the course date.
Rome is perhaps the easiest option - a quick shuttle train (30 minutes) takes you direct to Roma termini, and there are fast and direct trains about every hour from there which stop at Chiusi Chianciano Terme.
Some people choose to hire a car, which is absolutely fine, particularly if you are travelling as a group or have a non-painting partner who would like to explore the area.
However I do all the driving, and so a car isn't required to enjoy the course. If you do intend to get to us by car, please let us know and we'll send you directions.
Group bookings and Extensions
We also offer a discount for groups booking together (between 6 and 8 people) and, should you wish to extend your trip, extra days may be available, with full access to the studio facilities.
Please CONTACT US for details.
