The ten best art adventures
Paint horses in Colorado, make mosaics in Turkey – or even recreate Poldark in Cornwall
ARE you an avid artist looking for new inspiration? Or a beginner. Or wish to learn a new skill. Whatever your interest, there is a holiday for you in a picturesque destination – with expert tuition included. Many of the courses include materials and fullboard in the price, but travel to your destination will be extra.
1 SADDLE UP FOR THE MANE EVENT IN COOL COLORADO
Learn to draw horses in motion on a working ranch. After class at the Zapata Ranch in beautiful Colorado, you can saddle up to join the cowboys mustering bison. A sixday Painting Horses course starting on October 7 costs €2,973pp. zranch.org 2
REACH FOR THE SKY ON A WILD SCOTTISH BREAK
Kittiwakes, guillemots, peregrines and the cliffs of St Abb’s are all to see on a watercolour break in Scotland. During the trip from July 3-6, you will be based at a guesthouse in Eyemouth. Costs from €795pp. naturetrek.co.uk
3 LET MAGICAL CREATURES CAST THEIR SPELL
Your imagination can run wild with papier-mache, vintage fabrics and embroidery threads to create magical creatures at a folk art workshop at the pretty Manoir de Kerledan in Brittany. Runs from May 11-15 and costs €995pp. kerledan.com/workshops
4 CAPTURE GREEK COASTAL VIEWS AND VILLAGE LIFE
Slow down on this seven-night painting and drawing holiday where you’ll enjoy five days of art in the beautiful fishing village of Paleros. Costs from €1,045pp. Available April and May. golearnto.com
5 CREATE A TRUE TURKISH DELIGHT
Take inspiration from patterned glass lanterns in markets, then create your own mosaic at a villa overlooking the sea in Turkey. You’ll have lots of time to laze on a private beach near Bodrum after mornings in the studio. Sixnight courses run from May to September and cost from €856pp. golearnto.com
6 REFINE YOUR PALETTE IN THE HILLS OF UMBRIA
Perfect your painting with some expert tuition in Italy’s Umbria. Over seven days, get creative and enjoy the wine and food from the hills and soils you’re trying to capture. Cost €1,921 in May through to September.
paintinginitaly.com 7 FIND INSPIRATION AT A TUSCAN TREASURE
A farmhouse with swimming pool and views of the Apuan Alps in Tuscany is the setting for one-week art courses from May to October. Tuition is in studio and around the grounds. Costs from €1,180pp. art-toscana.com
8 EARN YOUR STRIPES IN THE LAND OF THE TIGER
Aromatic spice gardens, tranquil backwaters and tigers are all waiting to be interpreted by you in Kerala, southern India. The 13-night, four-centre tour starts on November 10 and costs from €3,310pp. authenticadventures.co.uk
9 WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A JAPANESE MASTER
Pop your sketchbook in your rucksack on a week-long trek between Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto. Departures on November 11 cost from €2,762. walkjapan.com
10 ENJOY THE ROMANCE OF POLDARK’S CORNWALL
The romantic locations of BBC drama Poldark take centre stage during a painting holiday at the Mullion Cove Hotel, on a clifftop on Cornwall’s wild Lizard Peninsula. A six-night stay with tuition, from May 28, costs from €1,700pp. mullion-cove.co.uk