www.gwenbragg.com
June 4-16, 2010
“Gwen” Bragg is an artist and art instructor who lives in Alexandria, VA. She currently teaches watercolor at the Art League School in Alexandria and at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, VA. She is a past president of the Potomac Valley Watercolorist and a Signature Member of both the National Watercolor Society and the Baltimore Watercolor Society. An Artist Member of the Virginia Watercolor Society, she is currently the co-president of that organization. Her work has been published in both élan and American Artists.
Gwen is probably best known for her large-scale transparent watercolors of classical ruins. This Stone on Stone series was inspired by the artist’s visits to ancient sites and seeks to capture the mystery and romantic allure of architectural ruins. Each civilization leaves its mark. Rain and wind tear the surfaces. Facades crack and crumble, revealing the once hidden. These paintings speak to the strength and survival of classical forms -- over thousands of years. The technique used in this series of paintings is Gwen's own adaptation of a flipping technique she discovered in a master class under Lee Weiss. Flipping the paper over and over mixes colors and creates textures unique to this process and particularly appropriate for depicting time worn architecture.
In addition to workshops held annually in Delaware and and Virginia, every year since 1995 she has led an international painting workshop to "some place with interesting architecture, artifacts and rocks" including Croatia, Greece, France, Italy, Spain and Peru. Her work has been exhibited in numerous international, national and regional shows and is included in the collections of National Institutes of Health, Philip Morris, American Bank, Petersburg Area Art League and the Carrier Library at James Madison University.
What's included in this workshop of Southern France:
- Transfers: Marseille airport to Arles, Arles to Petit Rousset, Petit Rousset to Bordeaux
- Lodgings: 5 nights/Arles, 7 nights/Petit Rousset
- Breakfasts at Arles; breakfasts and dinners at Petit Rousset
- Transportation by private coach
- Entry fees for included sites
- Private & Group Instruction & Critiques
SOUTHERN FRANCE
Depart U.S.A. on overnight flight to any European gateway city. Catch a connecting flight to Marseille where our private coach will pick you and fellow artists up at appointed time.
Day 1
Meet Private Coach at Marseille Airport for drive to Arles. Welcome Reception.
Days 1-4
We’ll settle into our centrally located Arles hotel, and for the next few days, we’ll have time to sketch, paint and explore the city’s ancient Roman ruins and the sites and sights that inspired Vincent Van Gogh – among them, the Café la Nuit, the subject of one of Vincent’s most well-known Arles paintings.
Day 5
Today we’ll leave Provence and travel into the Dordogne. En route, we’ll stop at Nimes to visit Jefferson’s beloved Maison Carree, his inspiration for the Virginia capitol in Richmond. If we can tear ourselves away, (Jefferson couldn’t, he wrote that he gazed at the Maison Carree like a lover at his mistress) there are other sites, including a Roman arena and Temple of Diana in a town best known now for the fabric it exported – de Nimes (denim) made famous by Levi Strauss. Welcome Dinner at Petit Rousset.
Days 6-12
Petit Rousset – Our home, in the Dordogne, a 18th century farmhouse that provides many opportunities for painting, sketching & relaxing – in the garden, on the terrace, by the pool & in the new art studio created especially for us.
A sampling of our Dordogne Destinations
Our explorations of the villages described here will sometimes be on bustling Market Days.
We’ll visit other villages as serene as stage sets, waiting for us to bring them to life.
Eymet – Our ‘hometown’ is a 40-minute stroll from Petit Rousset, past rows of grapevines and meadows of grazing cows.
A perfectly intact 13th century center square bursts with activity on Market Day. Little streets radiating off the square are dotted with houses made of wattle and daub. As we explore, we’ll learn about the medieval conflicts that gave rise to the region’s bastides.
Rouffignac – We’ll visit this special cave embellished with prehistoric paintings.
Bergerac – The town made famous by the poet-Musketeer, Cyrano, is now the capitol of the wine-growing region. We’ll visit Old Town; its medieval houses clustered along the banks of the Dordogne River.
Beynac – We’ll visit the village with the Chateau at its summit. Built during the 100 Year’s War, the Chateau de Beynac perches high atop a cliff dominating the Dordogne River. Now we marvel at the views of the valley below, but its imposing profile attests to its original military purpose.
Sarlat – Founded as an Abbey Town, when Charlemagne visited, he brought a fragment of the True Cross. Nearly all of Sarlat’s town houses were built during its years of greatest prosperity, from 1450-1500, giving it a rare architectural unity preserved by the Loi Malraux.
Monpazier – Hailed as the most perfectly preserved bastide in Southwest France, the 13th century houses surrounding its totally intact market square, are identical in size, unique in appearance.
Final Day – After breakfast, depart for Bordeaux. We may have time to visit St. Emilion, a favorite of both medieval popes and English kings. In 1999 it was classed a world heritage site, the first vine-growing area to achieve this status. Coach drop off at Bordeaux airport and train station.
