The ten best art adventures
Learn to paint horses in Colorado, make mosaics in Turkey – or recreate Poldark in Cornwall
ARE you an avid artist looking for new inspiration? Or perhaps you’re a beginner, or wish to l earn a new s ki l l . Whatever your interest, there is a holiday for you in a picturesque destination – with expert tuition included.
Many of these courses include materials and full-board accommodation in the price, but travel to your destination will be extra.
1 SADDLE UP FOR THE MANE EVENT I N COOL COLORADO
Could you capture the drama of flying manes and thundering hooves? 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 £2,600pp. zranch.org
2 REACH FOR THE SKY ON A WILD SCOTTISH BREAK
Kittiwakes, guillemots and peregrines and the cliffs of St Abb’s Head will be your subjects on a watercolour break in Scotland. During the four- day trip from July 3 to 6, you will be based at a guesthouse in Eyemouth. The break costs from £695pp. 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 four- day folk art workshop at the pretty Manoir de Kerledan in rural Brittany. The course runs from May 11 to 15 and costs £870pp. kerledan.com/workshops
4 CAPTURE THE EXOTIC ALLURE OF A MOROCCAN SUNSET
Moroccan kasbahs, oases, ancient ruins and sunsets on snow-capped peaks… you can capture them all on a painting holiday in the Atlas Mountains that starts in a charming riad in the heart of Marrakech. The nine- day trip, departing on April 5, costs from £985pp. responsibletravel.com
5CREATE A TRUE TURKISH DELIGHT
Take inspiration from patterned glass lanterns in local markets, then create your own mosaic at a villa overlooking the sea in Turkey. You’ll have plenty 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 £749pp. golearnto.com
6 DRAMATIC SEASCAPES REIGN I N SPAIN
Perfect your fine-art photography working with the changing light and dramatic seascapes of Spain’s north coast. An eight-night, threecentre holiday in the lush green hills of Asturia and Galicia starts on April 19 and costs from £2,100pp. wildphotographyholidays.com
7 FIND I NSPIRATION AT A TUSCAN TREASURE
A farmhouse with swimming pool and views of the Apuan Alps in Tuscany is the delightful setting for sociable one-week painting and drawing courses from May to October. Tuition is in the well-equipped studio and around the grounds. It costs from €1,180pp (about £1,050). art-toscana.com
8 EARN YOUR STRIPES I N THE LAND OF THE TIGER
Aromatic s pi c e gar dens, old colonial Cochin, tranquil backwaters and elusive tigers are all waiting to be interpreted on paper by you in Kerala in southern India. The 13- night, four- centre tour starts on November 10 and costs from £2,895pp. authenticadventures.co.uk
9 WALK I N THE FOOTSTEPS OF A JAPANESE MASTER
Pop your sketchbook i n your rucksack on a mammoth walking holiday in Japan. On a week-long guided trek between Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto, you’ll follow the scenic trail depicted in the Fifty-Three Stations Of The Tokaido prints by the 18th Century woodblock artist Hiroshige. Departures on November 11 cost from £2,415. walkjapan.com
10 ENJOY THE ROMANCE OF POLDARK’S CORNWALL
The romantic locations featured in the hit BBC drama Poldark take centre stage during a watercolour painting holiday at the Mullion Cove Hotel, perched on a clifftop on Cornwall’s wild Lizard Peninsula, steps from the South West Coastal Path. A six-night stay with tuition, starting on May 28, costs from £1,485pp. mullion-cove.co.uk