It's been a lively, enjoyable week full of laughter, talent, excellent company and all in a fantastic location – obviously I'm referring to the much awaited Rhodope Art Spring Painting Tutorial based in the glorious Greek / Bulgarian border town of Zlatograd, itself a work of art and rammed full of glorious material to get any artist reaching for the sketch pad.
We've been planning these painting courses for the last two years but were scuppered by the Covid pandemic but with the dropping of all regulations, the first guests arrived in Plovdiv via Ryaniar last Friday and were whisked to our perfectly renovated Ottoman villa in the Spa hotel complex in the heart of Zlatograd.
Up early and off to a flying start saw the pupils defining their goals for the week (over a sumptuous buffet breakfast), outlining of the itinerary and matching the two! If you've studied art before, the basics are fundamental – colour theory, perspective, technical mastery of materials, inspiration, subject construction and finally – presentation. The aim was to push the talents already within the students and hone their technique enabling them to produce confident works and aspire to create ever more complex creations – all with a smile.
My teaching style is very hands on, full of laughter and inspiration, so understanding the various personalities of the students is key – one size does not fit all when you only have a week to show them the possibilities of their efforts – and the reward is smiling, happy and accomplished students at the end of the week – I think we succeeded as the flowing champagne on the last night will testify, students proudly displaying their completed works in a gallery setting, heading off back home to start filling those empty wall spaces with their OWN work for a change.
We also managed to cram in a trip down to the Greek beaches via the stunning mountain border passes and after a quick paddle in the warm Aegean sea and an enormous Taverna sea food lunch , we settled down to paint en Plein Air on a golden Greek beach with Greek islands as a backdrop – beat that!
I'm including some pictures of the location and the weeks work – the next planned course is for the end of September (link here) and once again, all are welcome, from beginner to advanced.
Join us!