Holiday itinerary
Spend 7 nights/8 days on this inspiring painting holiday with your experienced tutor and guide Caroline Crawford who will introduce you to local life guaranteed to inspire your creativity during your painting course.
Camerino is a small hilltop town set in the Le Marche area of Italy where this unique painting holiday will make use of spectacular surroundings to inspire your painting. Whilst you’ll have the chance to paint and draw local life in the town of Camerino, the surrounding landscapes are simply stunning and you’ll find they will come to dominate your painting as you put brush to canvas.
The charming farmhouse where the courses are set, perfectly combines traditional Tuscan style with modern facilities and comfort. The accommodation and the light and airy artist studio are next to each other so you can relax or develop your artistic techniques at any time that suits you.
Caroline is both experienced and passionate about painting and drawing, tailoring classes to suit the group’s needs, giving valuable personal assessment and above all, ensuring you have a great holiday full of painting, good food, wine and fun.
Suitability
- Suitable for all levels from those completely new to painting to budding artists and those with more experience
- Minimum age 18
- Please note that this holiday tends to attract visitors from around the globe so you are likely to meet like-minded people from a variety of countries
Travelling Solo?
- Many people travel solo on this painting holiday and this makes a great singles holiday
- Solo travellers can book a private twin/double room with NO single supplement
- Non-painting partners sharing a room are welcome and will receive a discounted price (see the costings and extras tab for prices)
Painting Holiday Start Days
- This holiday runs on set dates from April to October each year
- The holiday is for 7 nights / 8 days
Typical Painting Course Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival Day
- Arrive and check into your room any time after 2pm (earlier arrivals are possible but rooms won’t usually be ready to check-in to until after 2pm)
- Once you’ve settled in, you may wish to relax at the house or take a trip to town to explore before starting your painting lessons the next morning
- In the evening relax with the group, Caroline and her husband Andrea to discuss the plan for the week over a glass of wine before your evening meal at the house
Day 2 – Form and Line
-After breakfast you will focus on Form and Line with Caroline
- She will teach you about contour drawings, as well as fast and furious gesture drawings without looking at the paper whilst drawing stretching you to focus on looking at the subject rather than your drawing
- Lunch will be served after your first painting lesson
-In the afternoon you are free to paint at your leisure - experienced artists can jump straight in, whilst beginners are encouraged to learn how to frame, compose and simplify with a series of quick thumbnail pictures using frames, which Caroline will be on hand to help with
- Dinner will be served in the evening accompanied by delicious local wines
Day 3 – Perspective and Measuring
-Enjoy a leisurely breakfast with the rest of the group
-Today’s lesson is entitled ‘Perspective and Measuring’ and Caroline will cover the basics of perspective as well as the perspectives of contrast and colour
-Learn how to measure and calculate the placement of the line for your drawings
- After lunch, enjoy an excursion to the Ducal Palace in Camerino where you will put your newfound perspective skills to the test
- Reward yourself with another home cooked dinner this evening, served al fresco in the warm summer sunshine
Day 4 – Tone
-After breakfast, your lesson is centred on tone and making the fundamental step from drawing to painting
- Caroline will teach you a number of exercises designed to help you to calibrate the tone of your work
- You will cover still live to landscape in this lesson and have to opportunity to incorporate these skills into practice
- After a delicious lunch, you will execute a tonal painting in oil using ‘wipe-out’ to create a monochromatic picture of your own
- Relax and unwind in the evening with another lovely dinner and toast your newfound creativity with a glass of wine
Day 5 – Colour
-Once you’ve started the day with a leisurely breakfast, it’s time to focus on colour
- Explore basic mixing, harmonies, temperature, the power of a limited palatte and much more
- After lunch, you will return to your monochromatic painting from the day before, and add colour glazes to the picture
- Dinner will be served in the evening with your fellow guests
Day 6 – Composition and Abstraction
-Start the day with a healthy breakfast to set you up for the fun day ahead
- Today you will experiment with the fundamentals of composition and take the first steps towards abstraction if you wish
- The tutorial is also focused on mood and atmosphere and is a great opportunity to develop the talents you have already built upon this week
- Unwind this evening over a lovely dinner cooked by Andrea at the farmhouse
Day 7 – Final Painting Day
-After breakfast, it’s time to focus on your painting and finish creating a masterpiece!
- Today can be spent at your leisure, pulling together the different skills you have learnt during the week and applying them to your painting
- Lunch will be served in the afternoon and then you can carry on creating your final piece with the guidance of Caroline
- Reward your hard work with a final dinner, and relax at this beautiful location with your new friends and host as you reflect on your week at the retreat
Day 8 - Departure Day
- After breakfast, it’s time to check-out of your room ready for departure with your fellow guests, full of good memories and new skills that will last you a lifetime
NOTE: You'll also enjoy two excursions during the week to local towns or castles - the exact details of which will be confirmed during the week and depends on the agreement of the group of where to go and when
What Will I Learn On This Painting Holiday?
- You’ll learn a fresh way of looking at colour, form and composition and of thinking about painting
- You’ll also learn about perspective, colour mixing, tone, abstraction, light and shade along with other techniques
- With more experienced painters, Caroline will discuss your past works and give a personal assessment during discussions involving subject matter, composition and choice of medium
- Together you will formulate a plan for the week
- The aim of the course is to enthuse and encourage you to achieve the confidence to continue and develop your painting skills whatever your level
- You will learn a lot about painting, come to love the Le Marche region, eat wonderful locally produced food, drink amazing local wines, enjoy stimulating conversation, relax, but most important of all… have fun
About Your Painting Tutor
- Your tutor Caroline Crawford came to painting and drawing quite late after a Psychology degree at Durham University
- Caroline taught herself to draw and paint by attending numerous life drawing classes, and drawing and painting soon became an abiding passion
- Caroline went on to study mural painting and trompe l’oeil in Brussels at the famous specialist art school, Institute de Peinture Van der Kelen
- Subsequently Caroline worked for several years as a mural painter in England and abroad and after briefly joining the circus she became a scene painter and was awarded a place at the Motley Theatre Design School under the tutelage of Margaret Harris and the filmmaker Danny Boyle, amongst others
- Caroline also has experience designing for theatre and TV, and directing films and draws on her experience here for teaching
- Caroline has fun approach to teaching, she offers a lot of personal attention to help you get the most out of your painting and drawing week
What Shall I Bring?
You will be provided with:
- Studio easels
- Stools and lightweight easels for outdoor use
- Drawing boards
- Basic materials for watercolour, acrylic, oil and pastel
- You'll also receive a personalised hand-bound sketchbook of good quality Fabriano paper (embossed monogram) to take with you
Please note - requests for specialists materials can be accommodated but must be ordered in advanced and incur additional costs
Painting Holiday Accommodation
- Your hosts Caroline and Andrea brought the two farmhouses and outbuildings a few years ago and renovated it whilst retaining as many of the original features as possible
- The guest farmhouse is set in its own sunken gardens surrounded by fruit trees and provides inspiring views over the valley and river
- There are three twin/double bedrooms, two bathrooms (two bedrooms share a bathroom, one has en-suite) a sitting room and beautiful terrace shaded by a pergola
- Rooms have hand painted shutters to create a theme for each of the rooms, the ‘olive’ and the ‘poppy’ rooms face towards the village of Camerino and the ‘sunflower’ room faces to the west and the setting sun
- Prices are based on 1 person in each room and there are no single supplements
- Note: The room with the en-suite bathroom will be allocated to those who book the earliest so early booking is recommended, if you want to guarantee the en-suite room, please contact us at or call 08456250445 before booking
- There is a small sitting room to relax as well as lovely gardens and a beautiful terrace
- On the ground floor there is a large kitchen with sofas and the art library and a porch where meals are usually served
- Check in any-time after 2pm on day 1 with departure 7 nights later on day 8, checking out by 11am
- Note: Your hosts live in a second adjoining farmhouse and the artist studio is open 24 hours for guest use
- There is also a small gym and a pool for guest use
- The house has WIFI
Meals
- All meals are included and are provided by artist Caroline’s husband Andrea
- Andrea is passionate about local produce and was taught to cook by his father, a celebrity chef
- Delicious meals are prepared using fresh local produce from Italy’s finest garden and the wonderful local wine is always flowing
- All meals are usually taken at the house and weather permitting, are eaten outside on the terrace, if not in the arched porch
- Vegetarians and those with dietary requirements can be catered for if requested in advance
- Andrea and Caroline have experience cooking for both lactose and wheat intolerance and have found good alternatives for both.
- Their pizza dough is glutenfree and once a week they light the old pizza oven which is built into the house and you are welcome to make your own pizzas
- On one day, you'll all visit the wonderful Pappafo restaurant for their special 9 course 'degustazione' menu showcasing specialities of the region (the exact day and time will be confirmed locally)
Free Time In Italy
There’s plenty of things to see and do in the area for guests when they are not painting, some of these include:
- A visit to the wonderful town of Camerino to wander its streets, sit a while in the cafes or in the main square to marvel at the architecture
- Take a yoga class at the local yoga school (can be arranged on arrival)
- 15 minutes’ walk from Pappafo, a lively local restaurant not to be missed where the Chef can organise a cooking lesson (can be arranged on arrival)
- Take Italian lessons from the local Italian teacher, Stephano (can be arranged on arrival)
- Horse riding at the local stables in Matelica (can be arranged on arrival)
- Visit the Lago di Fiastra, a beautiful blue lake in the Sibilini mountains
- Take a drive along the famous Matelica wine trail
- Visit the Frassassi caves
Be inspired by your location and unleash the creative within on this painting holiday in Italy and bring home new creative skills that will stay with you long after the holiday is over.