10 Day Château Retreat for Artists near Aix-en-Provence
May 6 – 15, 2018 ~ Poppy Season.
Nestled between the sleepy Lubéron mountains and the Mediterranean is a wonderful château on an elegant estate – your home for Poppy Season. This wonderful opportunity to paint with other artists spans spend 10 idyllic days in the South of France. How can you not be truly inspired by the natural beauty and bounty of Provence.
We have carefully selected this location on a beautiful château estate. It is less than an hour’s drive from the Mediterranean, and it is completely secluded in the calm countryside just North of Aix en Provence. (images here). Dinners, transportation and accommodations are included.
Come visit, paint and explore this area. It’s Cézanne country. It’s the romantic landscape of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence, Hotel Pastis and the movie location of “A Good Year” with Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard, based on the book by the same author.
Aix-en-Provence is known as the city of a thousand fountains. It is a university town and thriving cultural center. Here is Cézanne’s studio, left just as it was when he was painting there, and it is on our itinerary. 
Why not stand where he stood and view his own painting materials and objects that he used in his still lifes? May in Provence is also poppy season! Fields are bursting with color ready for us to paint aflame in red! We also spend time at the port towns of Cassis and La Ciotat where traditional fishing boats make for a great study of the old port. Of course we explore vineyards, with special permission to paint there. And we visit others – because of the many award winning wines – which of course, we sample.
Your itinerary includes markets, vineyards and hilltop villages that will take your breath away. These and more are on our itinerary. We choose locations because they offer a visual feast, and we can get you and your gear there without making you walk for miles and we love the cafés! Bring your camera, because you will be truly inspired by your surroundings and will want to snap references for your work and the future paintings you’ll be creating from this trip.
After dining together in the great room, we take up various painting related topics for discussion and demos. Although the workshop is not instructed, when painting side by side with other artists, the take-away is growth, new skills and lifelong connections. 
To see if this is the right workshop for you, check the F.A.Q. page. We have shared the workshop experience with many wonderful guests; painters, photographers, a writer, a sculptor and artists from four continents. Hear what they say here.
The retreat is designed for artists, by artists.
Price based on double-occupancy. Discounts available for spouses or partners (painting or non-painting.) $500 Deposit required to hold the space.
Click button to reserve your spot.
Exclusive add-on for FASO members only!
Sign up before Jan 30 and receive a complimentary set of Rosemary Brushes upon arrival.
On the registration page, please mention that you are a FASO member and tell us your medium, so we can match your brushes to your medium.
This Workshop Includes:
- 10 days of artistic immersion.
- All Inclusive : Fine food, wine, accommodation and ground transportation with one lunch and one dinner at own expense.
- Paint, sketch and enjoy the good life in beautiful European surroundings.
- Daily painting locations: private vineyards with wine tasting, fishing ports and seaside villages on the Mediterranean, charming villages, markets and poppy-filled views.
- Balanced itinerary of painting, exploring and relaxation for artists of all media – all levels!
- Learn, live and paint side-by-side with artists.
- Uninstructed workshop. Mentoring Available.
- Plenty to do for non-painting partners!
Scotland
June 17 – 30, 2017 ~ Argyll Art Retreat ~ $4100. Sold out with wait list.
Scotland’s West Coast has a varied, yet beautiful landscape. Our retreat is near the sea port of Oban, the gateway to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The views include majestic lochs with mountain views, the sea and the islands of the Inner Hebrides. The area is famed for its natural beauty, bountiful waters and the wildlife supported by a healthy eco-system. 
Otters, seals, deer, fish, dolphins, puffins, and eagles are but a few of the creatures that inhabit Argyll.
We have carefully selected a loch-side lodge as residence for this trip. The house is ideal for the artists with space to meet and convert to studio space on a quiet loch and glen, yet within minutes of Oban, and many of the itinerary painting locations for this trip. 
Flights arrive in Glasgow or Edinburgh and a train will take you to Oban. All food at the residence, dinners, transportation including train and accommodations are included. You will visit, paint and explore parts of this remarkable area. You can expect to become acquainted the Scottish people. We have pub lunches, boat rides, castles and abbeys to explore as well as the fabled islands of Iona, Mull and Easdale. Oban itself is thriving fishing town and gateway to the islands. It is the seafood capital of Scotland, and therefore much of Europe, as the Scottish coast line is abundant with sea-life. Naturally we will visit local distilleries – with whisky tasting.
Every day has a unique destination to sketch and paint – but we also take time to discover the area and the people. Each evening after dining together in the great room, we take up various painting related topics for discussion and demos. Although the workshop is not instructed – painting side by side with other artists – the take-away is growth, new skills and new life-long connections. The retreat is designed for artists, by artists.
We have an additional cultural tour to enrich the experience where we visit the capital, Edinburgh and Glasgow. which has become a great cultural center for the arts. Be ready to see Edinburgh Castle, the National Art Museum, the Kelvingrove Galleries, Glasgow School of Art by Charles Rennie Makintosh and his House for Art Lovers. You will be introduced to The Scottish Colourists, The Glasgow Boys and many more wonderful aspects of Scotland’s art.
Price $4100, based on double-occupancy. Single rooms are available. Discounts available for spouses or partners (painting or non-painting.) $500 Deposit required to hold the space.
This Workshop Includes:
- 2 weeks of artistic immersion.
- Comfortable loch-side lodge accommodation for the painting part of the retreat.
- All Inclusive: All food, wine, accommodation and ground transportation with one lunch and one dinner at own expense while at lodge.
- Additional Cultural tour – 3 days of museums, galleries and castles in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- Trains, ground transportation and hotels on cultural tour.
- Paint, sketch and enjoy the good life in beautiful Scottish surroundings.
- Balanced itinerary of painting, exploring and relaxation for artists of all media – all levels!
- Daily painting locations.
- Uninstructed workshop.
- Learn, live and paint side-by-side with artists.
- Plenty to do for non-painting partners!
10 Day Château Retreat for Artists near Aix-en-Provence
September 6 – 15, 2017 ~ Glorious Provence.
The September retreat is a wonderful opportunity to paint with other artists and spend 10 idyllic days in the South of France. All while surrounded in the natural beauty and bounty of Provence.
We have carefully located the chateau estate for this retreat, located between the Luberon mountains and the Mediterranean. It is a wonderful opportunity to paint with other artists and spend 10 idyllic days in the South of France. All while surrounded in the natural beauty and bounty of Provence.
Dinners, transportation and accommodations are included. You will visit, paint and explore parts of this remarkable town that was the Roman capital of the area. Now a culturally thriving university town, it is here that Cézanne lived and worked. His studio is just as he left it when he was painting and is a stop on our itinerary. Why not stand where he stood and view his personal possessions and the objects that he used in his still life painting?
As September is the grape harvest (Le Vendange) we explore some private vineyards, with special permission to paint there. One was filmed in the movie, A Good Year with Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard (based on the Peter Mayle book, A Year in Provence). It served as the set for the vineyard in the movie. And we visit another – because of the many award winning wines – which, of course, we sample.
Every day has a unique destination to sketch and paint – but also to take time and discover the area and the people. Your itinerary includes markets, vineyards and hilltop villages that will take your breath away. These and more are all on our itinerary. And, we choose locations where we have access to our vehicles, materials and cafes. Who doesn’t love to sit in outdoor cafés watching the passers-by and enjoy the charm of the area? Bring your camera, because you will be truly inspired by your surroundings and will want to snap many references.
After dining at the château we take up various painting related topics for discussion and demos. Although the workshop is not instructed – painting side by side with other artists – the take-away is growth, new skills and new connection. Count on many new friendships lasting for years. To see if this is the right workshop for you, check the F.A.Q. page. We have shared the workshop experience with many wonderful guests; painters, photographers, a writer, a sculptor and artists from three continents.
The retreat is designed for artists, by artists.
Price of$3500 or $3250 (when paid in full) based on double-occupancy. Single rooms are available. Discounts available for spouses or partners (painting or non-painting.) . $500 Deposit required to hold the space.
Exclusive add-on for FASO members only!
Sign up before Jan 30 and receive a complimentary set of Rosemary Brushes upon arrival.
On the registration page, please mention that you are a FASO member and tell us your medium, so we can match your brushes to your medium.
This Workshop Includes:
- 10 days of artistic immersion.
- All Inclusive : Fine food, wine, accommodation and ground transportation with one lunch and one dinner at own expense.
- Paint, sketch and enjoy the good life in beautiful European surroundings.
- Daily painting locations: private vineyards with wine tasting, fishing ports and seaside villages on the Mediterranean, charming villages, markets and poppy-filled views.
- Balanced itinerary of painting, exploring and relaxation for artists of all media – all levels!
- Learn, live and paint side-by-side with artists.
- Uninstructed workshop. Mentoring Available.
- Plenty to do for non-painting partners!
Workshops Calendar: The Art Retreats
The Art Engine
The Château Retreat for Artists and Workshops in France is organized by The Art Engine, a resource organization for visual artists.
We have a mission to bring artists together in wonderful destinations to become inspired by their surroundings and the creativity that comes from working in small enrichment groups. These retreats are designed to give our guests an ideal environment for making art while enjoying themselves to the fullest following a tradition of artists traveling and living together. The South of France was selected for the fantastic weather, sensational scenery, the rich tapestry of historical towns and villages, not to mention the cuisine and wines of one of France’s most abundant regions.
Since the life of the working artist can be a very solitary enterprise, confined to a lonely studio, the Château Retreat for Artists was conceived to fill this void with a highly enriching experience to make memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Art Retreat Leader
The Art retreats are non-instructed. The retreats are led by Julie Snyder, an experienced traveler who works tirelessly to make the experience exceptional for all guests. She is passionate about art, exploring new places and sharing these opportunities with other artists. She is an award winning artist in her own right.
A native of Scotland, Julie Snyder was encouraged to pursue her art by an artist-mother and a writer-father. She studied at the Glasgow School of Art.
Snyder’s artistic career has spanned both sides of the Atlantic and included several years of residence in Southern Spain. Julie Snyder forged her craft as an illustrator in advertising, publishing and the motion picture industry.
Her work hangs in collections and galleries across the USA and in Europe. The National Art Museum of Sport honored her three times, including her paintings in their exhibits and awarding her the prestigious gold medal for painting in 2013 for her painting “Daily Drill”. Her painting, “Blinn House Kitchen Chefs” hung in Contemporary Masters | Artistic Eden exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of History. She has exhibited with The Oil Painters of America at the Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara; and the Howard/Mandeville Gallery in Washington; Addison Art Gallery in Massachusetts, The Boston International Fine Arts Show, Silvana Gallery’s International Salon of Figurative Art and with the California Art Club.
Julie Snyder also an advocate for the arts. She spent years working in promotion and marketing and uses her experience to promote the arts. She is a program coordinator for The Art Engine, and is a frequent seminar presenter for art marketing and art collecting workshops with DanielakFineArt.
To learn more about her work visit her website, JulieSnyder.com
