www.karinrichter.com
August 28 - September 8, 2010
Karin has had a passion for painting since she was a child in Germany. After living in France, she moved to Canada and Calgary has been her home for over 30 years. She has been a professional artist for almost 20 years now with a style that can be described as impressionistic. Her subjects are varied and she enjoys working in watercolour, oils, acrylics and pastels. She draws inspiration from the western landscape and the Canadian Rockies as well as from international destinations she travels to on a regular basis.
Sharing her knowledge of painting has been a joy to Karin for many years. She is an enthusiastic art instructor to many aspiring artists in classes and workshops across Canada. She leads groups on painting holidays on land and sea in Canada and Europe. An elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor (CSPWC), the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA) and Pastel Artists Canada (PAC), Karin has received many awards. She is a featured artist at the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Colombia. Karin is featured in a new book entitled “How Did You Paint That – Seascapes, Rivers and Lakes” published by the International Artist Magazine. Her paintings can be found in corporate and private collections all over the world.
In Karin’s own words
I believe that first and foremost, a painter needs to possess the skills needed to construct a painting, from good technique to exciting colour choices, correct tonal values and effective use of compositional and design elements – only then will you be able to properly convey what moves you and excites you in a given subject matter. My course at Petit Rousset will focus on all these elements to truly advance you in your personal vision. I work in watercolour, acrylics, oils and pastels and will be able to help you no matter what your medium! Demos, exercises and individual attention and critiques are designed to help you paint with confidence!
- Lodgings
- All breakfasts
- 8 dinners
- Transfers from/to Bordeaux, transportation by private coach
- Entry fees for included sites
- Private & Group Instruction & Critiques
Itinerary
Independent Arrival in Bordeaux
Depart U.S.A. on overnight flight to any European gateway city. Catch a connecting flight to Bordeaux. If you fly into Paris, the TGV fast train is an option.
Day 1
4:00 p.m. Meet our Private Coach in Bordeaux for the scenic, two-hour drive into the Périgord and Petit Rousset. Welcome Dinner.
A sampling of our Destinations
Our explorations of the towns and villages described below will often be on bustling Market Days. We’ll visit other villages as serene as stage sets, waiting for us to bring them to life. We will also enjoy a guided visit to a cave with prehistoric paintings, a medieval fortress, a Renaissance chateau and a water mill where they make paper by hand, the old fashioned way.
Petit Rousset – Our home, an 18th century farmhouse, provides many opportunities for painting, sketching & relaxing – in the garden, on the terrace, by the pool, or in our new Art Studio.
Eymet – Our ‘hometown’ is a 40-minute stroll from Petit Rousset, past rows of grapevines, fields of sunflowers and meadows of grazing cows. This bastide has a perfectly intact 13th century center square which 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 many bastides.
Bergerac – The town made famous by the poet-Musketeer, Cyrano, is now the capitol of the wine-growing region. At an earlier time, its fame rested upon its tobacco production. A museum of this now much maligned weed documents 15th century globalization. We’ll visit Old Town, with its medieval houses clustered along the banks of the Dordogne River.
Issigeac – A sleepy little hill-town with meandering streets, alleyways and pedestrian paths. No matter which direction you look, bits of architecture or scenes of village life are waiting for you to capture them in your sketchbook or with your camera.
Rouffignac – We’ll celebrate the Dordogne as the capitol of pre-history by visiting this special cave embellished with prehistoric paintings.
Chateau de Monbazillac – We’ll set up easels and enjoy a leisurely time painting this fairy tale Renaissance chateau. You may wish to take a self guided tour of the chateau or taste the golden, mellow Monbazillac wine which gives the region its name and for which it is acclaimed.
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.
Beynac – We’ll visit the village with the Chateau at its summit. Built during the One Hundred 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.
Final Day – St. Emilion – After breakfast, depart for Bordeaux. En route, 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. After free time in St. Emilion, Coach drop off at Bordeaux airport and train station. Onward journeys after 4:00 p.m. are advised.
