Art Excursion to the Dordogne, France
Artists at Any Level, Working in Any Medium, Are Welcome! - October 2023
Sarlat-la-Canéda, France.
Market days in Sarlat-la-Canéda are Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Artist Workshop in Dordogne, France – October 3-10, 2023
Instructor: Lynn Zimmerman, River Gallery School
Artist Workshop: October 3-10, 2023 in Sarlat-la-Canéda with optional 3-day pre-workshop in Toulouse.
Cosponsored by the River Gallery School
Join Lynn Zimmerman for an exciting workshop in France as she leads you through some of the loveliest parts of France.
Our home base for this plein air workshop is the historic town of Sarlat-la-Canéda, noted for its honey-colored stone building and stone-tile roofs. We will stay in the center of this once-walled town, giving you easy access to painting sites and services, such as shops and restaurants.
There is a large, outdoor market on one day we’ll be in Sarlat where you can stock up for a picnic lunch or merely take in the sights and sounds.
Take an elevator up through an ancient church tower to see Sarlat from above. Sit and paint in one of the town’s plazas and parks. Take a coffee in an outdoor cafe, or stroll about on one of Sarlat’s many pedestrian-friendly streets.
One day we’ll head out to view some of the many chateaux that overlook the Dordogne River and we’ll stop in one for a tour and to let you paint in the chateaux’s extensive gardens.
There will be painting each day, but your time will be balanced between painting and other activities. Plus there will be free time in the afternoon when you can choose between painting, exploring, or perhaps a siesta.
Lynn will lead daily painting demonstrations and will assist students individually. Artists of all skill levels and media are very welcome.
The area is known for its cuisine and of course for its wines. We will dine in many fine restaurants and offer you an optional wine tasting.
Other activities:
Non-painting partners and others are welcome to join our adventure enjoying the many cultural activities and additional excursions planned.
The Workshop
Come with us to explore the Dordogne and create artwork that renders and translates the delightful sights, sounds, and tastes of our travels.
DAILY WARM UP
Each day we will gather to explore techniques and concepts that help us observe and record our adventures. What color is that cloud or the taste of that pâté? How can we describe that light or that bird song? How can we give dimension to that Medieval building or depth to that curving path? We will experiment with these ideas and others in a variety of media. Materials for these exploratory sessions will be provided. These exercises are geared to any level of art experience.
EN PLEIN AIR
Afterwards, we will head out to that day’s location to observe, record, and immerse ourselves in the area. The choice of media for these excursions is yours. Would you like to paint in watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache? Would you prefer to draw, collage, or work in mixed media? During the work session, Lynn will circulate to offer individual support and guidance to each artist. As well, we’ll have group critiques aimed at problem solving and appreciation. You will be responsible for bringing the materials you need for this work.
ART IS JOY
Lynn's goal is to help us look from a new or renewed perspective, to stretch our creativity in a way that we can deeply embrace our experience, and translate it in our art. We’ll look for the joy in taking the time to hold the beauty and wonder of the things we discover and uncover, whether it be within the landscape, at a market, on our dinner plate, under a tree, in the shadow of a Medieval tower, over a bridge, or in our laps.
Join us! All levels of art experience are very welcome!
Lynn Zimmerman, our Dordogne instructor, with a previous participant in Provence.
Dates: October 3-10, 2023 in Sarlat-la-Canéda, France
Cost: $3350 (see below for details)
Maximum group size: 12
Here are some images of Sarlat-la-Canéda, France, taken on a previous trip to the region.
Scenes of Sarlat video.
Your Instructor
Workshop Instructor and Mentor:
Lynn Zimmerman
Lynn finds great joy in helping her students explore and expand their artistic abilities. Her love of painting and drawing comes through as she helps her students understand what they see and how to express it in their artwork. The technical aspects of painting and drawing are an important part of her instruction which is offered in a way that is intended to meet each artist where they are with individual attention. She also facilitates an inclusive and supportive group dynamic to expand the learning experience.
Lynn teaches painting (watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache), drawing, book arts, and collage at River Gallery School and through other local venues both in-person and online. She has previously led workshops for Travel Fever Tours in Provence and Tuscany, as well as Vermont.
A typical day in the workshop
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel
Gather together to discuss and explore an art concept with ink, paint, or maybe collage materials. This is time to play and experiment with the intention to discover what the day’s idea holds.
Head out together to capture an area where you will choose the subject that works for you. Cityscape, landscape, still life, food, clouds — whatever appeals to you as a subject. While we have this time to work, Lynn will circulate among the artists to support and help as needed.
Afternoon
Lunch time — Explore local options. Grab a simple meal from a bakery or sit down to lunch in one of the many options in Sarlat.
Gather for an adventure to take in areas both close-by and a little farther afield.
There can be time to draw and paint at these locations or just take time to explore and enjoy.
Evening
Before dinner, we often gather to check in, share our day. If you like, bring your artwork (finished or in process) to share.
Dinner together at a local restaurant featuring amazing cuisine of the area.
A sampling of instructor Lynn Zimmerman’s previous work in France:
Our Hotel in Sarlat-la-Canéda
Hotel restaurant Le Meysset is located in the center in Perigord, on the heights overlooking Sarlat, 2 minutes away from medieval city. The hotel restaurant is a quiet place in the middle of a 1,3-acre park.
Hotel Le Meysset offers an outside heated swimming-pool, a terrasse with a panoramic view overlooking two green valleys.
Learn more at the Hotel Website
Pre-Workshop Stay in Toulouse (Optional)
We have reserved rooms in a 4-star hotel located in central Toulouse for those who would like to take a few days to acclimate to France prior to the workshop. You will be on your own to explore during this 3-night period. After taking a taxi, tram or bus from the airport, you’ll check into the hotel to get some rest and then have two full days to appreciate this lovely city.
Those who take advantage of this optional trip add-on will stay at the Mercure Toulouse Centre Saint-Georges or similar hotel in double or single rooms. The hotel is very centrally located and you’ll find your room to be large, clean and comfortable.
Our Meals
France, and especially the Dordogne, is known for its cuisine and while we’re there we want you to eat well. Participants on our artist workshops are always very well fed. And unlike some tours where you eat at the hotel every night, we take you out on the town to a different restaurant each night. We select restaurants for quality, of course, but also based on their use of local foods and presentation of local dishes.
Trip Details
(Click + to expand)
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Workshop: October 3 to 10, 2023 (7 nights - 8 Days)
Optional pre-trip stay in Toulouse: September 30 to October 3, 2023)
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Total cost of the tour: $3350
Supplement for single occupancy: $450
Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $350Optional pre-workshop stay in Toulouse: $425 (or $550 in a single room)
(Places in the tour are limited to 11 and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve your place early!Payment schedule
$350 deposit. The deposit is refundable through June 1, 2023.
$1500 initial payment (Due June 1, 2023)
$1500 final payment (Due August 1, 2023)
All payments are refundable if we need to cancel the trip due to government restrictions or unsafe travel conditions.
** Earn a $300 discount when you bring or refer a friend.
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20 hours of art instruction
Pickup and drop- off at designated airport
Excursions and special activities throughout the week
7 nights lodging
7 dinners and breakfasts, with appropriate amounts of beer or local wine
Local transportation by van and driver
Optional 3-night stay in Toulouse (at additional cost)
What’s not included:
Airfare & Travel Insurance
Admission to museums and local sites and other misc. costs.
Lunches
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You will stay at a lovely hotel just on the outskirts of the center of Sarlat.
For more information, visit the hotel’s website: Hôtel & Restaurant Le Meysset
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Dinners will be taken at local restaurants throughout the week. Breakfasts are at our hotel. Artists will take lunch on their own.
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To extend your trip, and take some time to catch up on your sleep before the workshop begins, there is an optional 3-night stay in Toulouse.
You can create your own itinerary, of course, before and after the workshop. You can fly into Paris, for example, and then take the train to Sarlat, or visit elsewhere in Europe and fly home from there.
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Your deposit is non-refundable after June 1st, 2023, unless of course the trip is canceled for any reason by Travel Fever Tours. Natural disasters, political instability or low enrollment would form the basis for canceling a trip. After that date, payments are nonrefundable.
You will be contacted once the trip reaches minimum enrollment so that you can proceed with purchase of your flights and make other travel arrangements. In all cases, review of enrollment numbers will not take place any later than the date of the First Installment payment.