PAINTING HOLIDAYS AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE
TEN DAY PROGRAMME
All excursions marked in red are optional and are charged separately.
Drawing and Painting – This course is for beginners and for those more experienced, who wish to brush up their skills, a mixed ability group. You will cover colour, composition, perspective and different techniques of drawing and painting in all media. Our course will be a ‘hands on’ experience, its aim is to boost your confidence and skill sets, but above all we want you to enjoy yourselves, so absolutely nothing is compulsory.
A TYPICAL DAY
- Continental breakfast is served at 8.45 until 9.30 either in the garden or the dining room according to the weather. After breakfast there will be a short talk regarding the topic of the day and what we expect to be gained from the day’s work.
- The morning will continue with working on sketches, drawings or paintings during which the tutors will come to discuss individual progress and demonstrations may be given.
- After lunch we continue the mornings activities or personal projects, relax or go on one of the trips provided. Sketchbooks and cameras are advised on every occasion.
- There will be 8 days tutoring during each holiday.
- This is a ‘family’ style holiday, therefore should anyone want extra teas, coffees etc. they are more than welcome to pop into the kitchen and help themselves.
Most of our guests will arrive the afternoon or evening, you will be given a snack and a chance to freshen up and get your bearings, after which a welcome drink and dinner will be provided which give you the opportunity to settle in with your fellow guests and hosts.
During our cocktail hour (!) Sandra and I will go through the following days’ programme and answer any questions. At this time we will chat with individual guests and discover their aspirations for the course.
B L D
Tools of the trade; brushes, knives, mediums, colours and hints on technique, choosing a subject and how to compose it. 10.30 – A short walk around the village with your tutors to find a good vantage point for the first work, which will be a landscape. You will be drawing and sketching in the village.
If anybody is particularly interested in flowers, rather than landscapes, Sandra could give some useful tuition in our lovely garden.
13.30 Lunch.
Free afternoon, or 15.00
19.00 Drinks on the terrace
20.00 Dinner.
Optional excursion to Hamam or Turkish Bath. This is our local bath, which is traditional marble clad rooms and very relaxing steam rooms and scrub/massage. You emerge after a few hours feeling and looking terrific! Recommended to all.
Bring a swimsuit.
Capture local life in sketches.
13.30 Lunch.
During the afternoon continue with landscape work, consider adding sketched figure(s), animals to your work.
19.00 Drinks on the terrace
20.00 Dinner.
Optional trip to Sandima, the deserted village. This trip is less than fifteen minutes away and you may also wish to make sketches, the views across the sea are wonderful.
B L D
Continue with your landscape or garden paintings.
Cookery Lesson
13.30 Lunch.
15.30 Visit to the ancient carpet village of Cömlekçi. This is an opportunity to see real traditional Turkish village life, which does not appear to have changed hundreds of years. You may even get a chance to weave a little of your own carpet!
Dinner at the village.
B L D
09.30 you may visit the renowned Yalikavak bazaar and market, where you can browse, find souvenirs, delicious foods and if you wish make sketches of local life. Highly recommended.
12.45 Lunch. After lunch, Life drawing from model.
Quick sketches in charcoal or pencil to ‘get your hand in’ followed by longer poses to explore the human form. We will endeavour to create poses that will later be incorporated into your landscape paintings.
19.00 Drinks on the terrace
20.00 Dinner.
We supply water colour pencils as well as other dry media, but you can of course take one of our traveling water colour palettes too, or medium of your choice. B D Early breakfast.
9.00 Trip to the Ancient harbour city of Iassos. This will be a full day trip, we will have lunch at the delightful harbour restaurant. The atmosphere and views are outstanding.
We do not expect a full piece of work from this trip, but a series of sketches from which to work or have as a momento would be wonderful to see. Those of us that prefer to just soak up the atmosphere with a beer are also very welcome so to do!
Early evening return.
19.00 Drinks on the terrace
20.00 Dinner.
Discussion on the many ways to show water and reflections ref still and wavy water. An opportunity to try some of the methods described.
13.30 Free afternoon.
Optional excursion to Gumusluk, the pretty Greek harbour village, this was the ancient city of Myndos before it disappeared under the sea after an earthquake. The city walls can still be seen under the water and you can walk along the top of the city walls as a causeway to the small island beyond. This has recently been subject to intense excavation and large areas of the city have been revealed. There are many delightful cafes, bars and restaurants varying in style from the glorious cake shop, kofte house to fish restaurants with linen tablecloths! There is also a council tea- house which serves teas and coffees for a couple of Lira. Your choice.
19.00 Cocktails on the terrace
20.00 Dinner.
B/L 09.30
11.00 Hava Hanim for Koy Khavalti (big Turkish brunch) Not to be missed. SPA treatments available or optional excursion.
Optional excursion: by dolmus to Bodrum and St. Peter’s Castle. This is well worth the visit the castle was originally built by the Knights of St. John in the mid 1400s. It holds one of the finest marine archaeology museums in the world. Great bars, cafes and shopping.
Background washes use of coloured paper. informal construction ‘breaking the rules’. Acrylics, mixed media, B L D
10.00 a.m. There will be work on a set up for still life at the house. We will explore the use of colour, either monochrome or limited palettes, we will also explore the Fauvist Movement with a view to emulate the style in our own work.
13.30 Lunch
Free afternoon, or continue your work.
Optional visit to Ottoman Han museum and art galleries in Akakoy. This is an exceptional reconstruction of an Ottoman palace, which houses several galleries and wonderfully eclectic boutiques selling art, antiques and traditional crafts.
19.00 Drinks on the terrace
20.00 Dinner.
12.00 BL Exhibition and critique of work. There will be a discussion and feedback from the group and tutors on problems and achievements made during the week.
13.30 Lunch.
Spa treatments or cookery lesson available.
Evening free for final goodbye dinner out in Yalikavak, you can enjoy a meal alongside the water’s edge at a restaurant of your choice or we would be happy to arrange your booking and get a prix fixe.
B 10.00 Time to finish any work with reference to comments at exhibition
Airport transfers start at 11a.m.
We can provide a light lunch for those who are leaving later in the day.
NOTHING is compulsory; the object is enjoyment for all.
If you wish to miss a session and relax that is perfectly okay.
In the unlikely event the weather be inclement alternative arrangements will be made for undercover working. We can arrange short visits and tours of the area if you feel so inclined.
B Breakfast provided
L Lunch provided
D Dinner provided
Important Additional Information
*There is bus service between Gokcebel and Yalikavak and thence to Bodrum running from in front of the shop twice an hour for those who want to eat out or explore on their own.
Cost is a mere 3 Lira.
Taxis are easy to find and reasonably priced.
*Transfers to the airport are extra for 7 Day Holidays. Please ask for details.
We are sorry to charge, but there are so many different flight times, we have to use outside driver service in some circumstances.
Private taxis are 175TL.
All depending on various flight times we can provide a minibus at a considerable saving per head.
*Optional guided excursions are also extra, to cover entrance fees etc., nothing is very expensive and we have chosen good places to go! Expect an average cost of 60-70TL a head c. £15-18
Extra days are charged out at £25 B&B pp or £40 full board.
You can also opt in or out of lunch if you so wish.
ART MATERIALS
Please bring with you: camera, your sketchpads, paper, pencils and any of your own paints and brushes you wish to use. We provide easels, palettes, portable seating and boards. We also have a selection of canvas papers, watercolour pads, acrylic pads, linseed oil, thinners, mediums, budget oils, acrylics and watercolours along with brushes for all mediums should you prefer to get from us after travelling, there will be no charge for these items. We also supply overalls and carrying bags for trips out.
We have a selection of art books and magazines in the office. Broadband available.
* PRICES FOR TRIPS AND TRANSFERS ARE CORRECT AT TIME OF WRITING.
GENERAL NOTES
We advise our guests to try and arrive at least one day ahead of the start of the programme on Monday. Saturday or Sunday arrivals seem to suit everyone the best, with Sundays being the optimum time. There is no extra charge for this.
Nothing is compulsory; the object is enjoyment for all. If you wish to miss a session and relax that is perfectly okay. In the unlikely event the weather be inclement alternative arrangements will be made for undercover working. We can arrange short visits and tours of the area if you feel so inclined.
There is bus service between Gokcebel and Yalikavak and thence to Bodrum running from in front of the shop twice an hour for those who want to eat out or explore on their own. Cost is a mere 3 Lira. Taxis are easy to find and reasonably priced.
* Please note – on 7 day holidays airport transfers are extra. Please ask for details.
Optional guided excursions are also extra, ask us for cost, nothing is very expensive and we have chosen good places to go!
If you are intending to stay on for a few days we can also arrange boat trips, excursions to Ephesus and or any other place you have heard of that takes your fancy. We want you to really get to know Turkey, so ask away.