5 Day Painting Retreat Acrylics - All Levels 2025 dates to be confirmed

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5 Day Painting Retreat Acrylics - All Levels 2025 dates to be confirmed
€750.00

5 Day Painting Retreat

Acrylics - All Levels 2025 - dates to be confirmed

 

Accommodation details and contact information

 

Afternoon pick up from Béziers Airport and Main Train Station. Details will confirmed in our be guest information sheet. 

5 Day Painting Retreat

Your retreat

Acrylics - All Levels

Dates to be confirmed

Autumn Acrylic Colours 

Enjoy painting in beautiful surroundings with experienced tutors in a relaxed atmosphere. Your retreat starts the night before with dinner at the L’Ortensia, a wonderful local restaurant recognised in the Michelin Guide for its excellent cuisine. Its a chance to mingle and meet your fellow artists. Then four days of painting in  the studio, around the village and excursions to inspiring locations. Morning croissants and coffee are available every day along with delicious lunches. The food is hearty and red wine goes well with hearty meals on sunny autumn days.

 

Itinerary

Day One 

4pm (depending on arrival)

Pick up from Bezier airport - We provide a single shuttle bus/taxi from Bezier Airport and also collect guests from the Main Train station 'Gare de Bezier' then take you to your accommodation in St Gervais Sur Mare which is about a 50 minute away.

If you are driving to Riverside Studio there is plenty of parking adjacent to Riverside studio in the village square. Its then just a short walk to your accommodation. 

 

Evening meet and greet 7pm

Your retreat includes aperitifs and dinner at the L’Ortensia restaurant, which has beautiful views over the village. Here you can mingle and get to know your fellow artists and enjoy a glass of chilled rose on their lovely terrace. 

 

Day two, three, four and five

9.30am

Croissants and coffee at Riverside studio where your tutor will discuss the programme and answer any questions.

10am

Morning tutorial and painting in studio

12 Noon

Buffet lunch (or picnic if we are on an excursion).

1pm

Afternoon painting in and around the village or an excursion to either a nearby vineyard , local ruin or place of interest.

4pm

Free time to relax,  have drinks in the friendly village bar or explore the area with new friends.

Drop off to Bezier airport (Depart around 3.30 pm on day five to catch return flight) - Departure to the airport will depend on flight time - We usually leaving two and a half hours before flight departure.

Information sheet  Retreat details will be sent to you. in advance of your trip in a informative information sheet to answer all of your questions and there is also the 'Whats included' sheet below. 

 

About Your Tutor

Simon Fletcher – Master of Modern Watercolour

Simon Fletcher, an English artist based in France since 1982, is celebrated internationally for his bold, colourful, and contemporary approach to watercolour. Drawing inspiration from the innovative traditions of early 20th-century European painters, he pushes the medium beyond delicate sketches into powerful, large-scale works full of light and energy.

 

With eleven books published, awards such as the Gold Medal for Watercolour at the Salon International de Béziers, and sponsorship from major cultural institutions, Fletcher’s reputation as one of today’s leading watercolourists is firmly established.

 

With eleven books published, awards such as the Gold Medal for Watercolour at the Salon International de Béziers, and sponsorship from major cultural institutions, Fletcher’s reputation as one of today’s leading watercolourists is firmly established. He has painted and exhibited worldwide, from Morocco to Japan, while continuing to inspire through seminars and writing.

What's Included in the Holiday Package

Professional tuition by experienced tutors.

Reservation of accomadation when booked through Riverside Studios. (You will then either pay the hotel/guesthouse on arrival or in advance depending on their normal terms).

We charge a small admin fee to reserve your accomadation but you can of course book the local hotels/guest houses/airbnbs directly and avoid this charge. We have provided contact details of local accomadation if you wish to do this. 

Airport pickup and drop off from Bezier airport to St. Gervais de Mare (when arriving and departing on designated flights).

Aperitiffs and dinner at the L’Ortensia, a local restaurant featured in the Michelin Guide and recognised for its excellent cuisine.

Croissants and coffee from 9:30 am each morning at the Riverside Studio.

Buffet Lunch (but not on the days of arrival or departure).

We provide craft tables, palettes, water pots and a small selection of paper if you are not bringing your own.  We also have easels for beginner's or students who don't want to bring your own. But in general you should bring your preferred paints, brushes and sketchbooks/paper (so you can work with materials you know and love).

Excluded: Other evening meals, high end paints, brushes, paper/canvasses -  Art materials can be purchased from the Studio along with easels and acrylic/water colour starter kits for begineers. (approximately 100 euros) 

We hope that gives you a good idea of what to expect  but please do drop us a message if you have a query and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Additional information

Flights

From the UK , Ryan air has regular flights to Bezier from Stansted and Luton, as well as Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester. Bezier is the closest airport to Riverside Studio and about 50 minutes away.

 

Alternatively there are regular Easy Jet and British airways flights to Montpellier which is about 1hr 20 minutes from Riverside Studio with direct trains to Bezier.

 

Equally both airports are served by regular flights from numerous European destinations.

 

Airport Transport

Riverside Studio will arrange for a free group pick up from Bezier Airport on the first day of your retreat/course. Pick ups will usually be late afternoon followed by a second pick up at Bezier's main train station.

 

We will then drive you to your hotel/guest house or Airbnb in St Gervais Sur Mare. Where you can change/freshen-up in plenty of time for the meet and great dinner at the Ortensia Restaurant. 

 

If you are arriving on an earlier flight you can either wait to be picked up at the airport or take the red shuttle bus into Bezier town centre (about 25 minute) where you can see the sights before we collect you from the main station.

 

Accommodation

There is a wide range of village accommodation which you can either reserve through Riverside Studios via this web site (for which we charge a small admin fee of 20 Euros per room booked),  or alternatively you can book directly with the hotel/guest houses/air BNBs

 

In both cases we do not take payment for your stay and this will need to be paid directly to the accommodation provider either on arrival or in line with their own terms and conditions.

 

Non-painting Guests

We welcome non-painting guests if you wish to bring a friend. Their cost for coming will be discounted by X% (50?).

 

Art Supplies

At Riverside Studio, we want your creative experience to be inspiring and stress-free so we will send you a suggested materials list when you book, so you’ll know exactly what’s need to bring including any specialist materials recommended by your tutor who is running the course. But in general you should bring your preferred paints, brushes and sketchbooks/paper (so you can work with materials you know and love).

 

We provide craft tables, palettes, water pots and a small selection of paper if you are not bringing your own.  We also have easels for beginner's or students who don't want to bring your own.

 

We would also suggest a lightweight apron or old shirt for working comfortably. 

 

Art Supplies can be purchased at the studio including a selection of watercolours, acrylic paints,  brushes and paper. For beginner's we have water colour and acrylic paint sets retailing for around 50 Euros each.

 

 

 

Cancellations and Refunds

Your reservation is refundable if cancelled at least 6 weeks before the start of your retreat. Riverside Studio can not offer refunds for cancellations made to close to the course time, but the reservation is transferrable to a different person.

Have Questions

We are happy to help you with any questions you have or to plan your visit. Please get in touch with us.