10 Day French Village Art Immersion Experience

Join us in France!

We would love you to join our 10-day French village art immersion experience in the beautiful and diverse Occitanie region in the South of France. Cristina Metelli and Cerulean Studio owner, Catherine Mackenzie will provide instructions and guidance, inviting you to explore realistic and expressive drawing and oil painting techniques in-studio and at beautiful outdoor locations. This event has a maximum of eight participating artists, plus partners of participating artists (sharing with artists).

Our en plein air sites will include carefully selected Mediterranean fishing ports, rustic villages, the Canal du Midi and the stunning Haute Languedoc. For fun and inspiration, we will visit local artists, galleries, very special and fun local village events, plus wineries and produce markets. We will also include some free time for relaxation, exploring the local village, or continuing your own painting in-studio or by the pool.

Catherine Mackenzie

Cerulean Studio owner, Catherine has been visiting this beautiful part of France regularly since 2005 and knows the area intimately. She has always loved sharing the area with friends and family and is bringing her local knowledge, previous tour operating experience and Cerulean Studio mobile adventures together to provide the ultimate South of France art immersion experience.

Cristina Metelli

Having spent her childhood in Italy, Cristina moved to Australia as a young adult. She is a multi-award winning South Australian artist and gained a First Class Honours Degree from Adelaide's premiere art school, Adelaide Central School of Art in 2018. Cristina has been practising art making for 40 years, and teaching expressive painting for four years.

'Inspired by the diversity and beauty of nature, Cristina Metelli’s work investigates the depth to which human lives are entwined and connected to the natural environment through subjects of belonging, spirit of place and nature’s vulnerability.

Her investigations draw upon her interest in the fields of both natural sciences and psychology, and the way in which people can be positively affected by their interaction with nature. Her abstract paintings mark the space between nature and human perceptions. Each painting depicts a moment in time, a unique experience of the natural landscape through a sensorial and emotional response. With a bold use of colours and paint application techniques, Cristina seeks to evoke in the viewer their own memories and emotions.' Cristina Metelli's bio

Catherine Mackenzie, Autumn in Margon, 2022, acrylic impasto on paper (palette knife work)

En Plein Air painting in Pouzolles, France

Included:

• Artistic immersion in a delightful rural French village with a small group (4 minimum - 8 maximum artists).
• Balanced itinerary of en plein air sketching and painting, instructed and uninstructed sessions, studio time, local adventures, exploring and relaxation. Daily activities will be selected based on forecast weather conditions. Example itinerary.
• Painting and drawing materials; you are also welcome to bring your favourites.
• Solvents, jars, easels/boards, stools, canvases, masking tape, paper towel/rags.
• Accommodation with a pool and studio space; all bedrooms have private bathrooms.
• Meals, with a mix of in-house catering, picnics, cafes and restaurants, except lunch on the Pézenas market day and two evening meals (you may dine in the local village or utilise the well-equipped kitchen).
• Transfers to and from Béziers railway station and airport. Pick up and drop off times by arrangement.
• Travel between accommodation and all site visits included in the itinerary during your stay, including history-laden villages, vineyards, fishing ports, mountains, markets and the Mediterranean coast.

Learn, live and paint with other artists.

Not included:

• Airfares or train travel to or from Béziers.
• Travel insurance.
• Two evening meals, to allow free time to explore local eateries or make use of the fully equipped kitchen.
• Snacks or lunch on the Pézenas market day.
• Control over the weather!

Accommodation entrance, Roujan, France.

Accommodation:

We will be staying in Roujan, a small village in L’Herault, central to the areas we will be visiting. Roujan boasts a handful of restaurants and cafes, a boulangerie, an épicerie selling wonderful local goods, weekly produce markets, a large supermarket and pharmacy.

The accommodation is a converted school, lovingly renovated by its owners who purchased it after visiting and falling in love with the area. The main building comprises three, two storey apartments, each with a large ground floor open plan kitchen, dining and lounge area plus an outdoor terrace, and either three or four ensuite bedrooms upstairs. We will be using one or two of the apartments, depending on numbers and booking configuration (e.g. how many people wish to twin share). The apartments have adjoining doors so that we can use the whole space, for example use one of the apartments for dining and the other for relaxing. There is a large multipurpose room which we will be utilising on some of the days as a studio. There is also a swimming pool to cool off after a day of painting or exploring.

Catherine has visited the property and met with Rochelle, the property co-owner, and immediately felt the place would be perfect for our art retreat. The bedrooms are spacious and airy, with delightful French windows and shutters, the bathrooms clean and bright. The kitchens and living areas are large and well-equipped.

** Please note that all accommodation is upstairs on the first level of the building and there is no lift**

Accommodation, double ensuite

Accommodation, kitchen

Accommodation, twin share, ensuite

Accommodation, pool

Costs

Costs are per person, with options for single occupancy or twin share. Non-participating partners/friends must share with a participating artist. Double rooms are limited. Please reserve early for a greater chance of securing your preferred option. Please see our Terms and Conditions and our website for further information.

Getting to Béziers

Train - Béziers is on the main route between Paris and Barcelona. There are direct trains from Gare de Lyon (Paris), and trains from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport with connections in Lyon and/or Montpellier. The SNCF booking system is very user-friendly and will show how many connections (if any) and a map including how long you have between connecting trains.

Fly - Ryan Air is the only airline currently servicing the Béziers Cap d’Agde Airport, with flights to and from several destinations, mainly in the UK - check out the Ryan Air website.

Getting around

The Herault Transport site provides information about how to visit the surrounding villages and attractions by public transport.