PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH THE PERSONAL TOUCH
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| My house |
I am thrilled and super excited to announce my workshops here at my home and studio in Portugal next year. I live in Lousada, a delightful small town not far from the incredible city of Porto, in the North of Portugal. It is not a bustling tourist area - you will get to know the 'real' Portugal, one not seen in tourist brochures, but a country with a rich traditional and cultural heritage, stunning scenery, great wines, yet with a network of roads linking both scenic and historical centres. I am only one hour, and a direct train route, from the 'Douro Valley', a World Heritage site, where the famous port wine grapes are grown in a unique topography with a very special climate and unique scenery as well as within easy reach of a number of historic towns and cities, and about 45 minutes from long, sandy beaches. I am about two hours' drive from the fabulous city of Santiago de Compostela, the medieval pilgrimage centre.
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My studio - currently being decorated and re-equipped
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I would love you to come and join me for a week of art-making, creativity, discovery, friendship, learning and, above all, fun. If, after reading all the information below, you think you would like to come, please email me at
linda.janet.chaves@gmail.com....I'll explain why I am asking you to do this below! My aim is for artists and aspiring artists/beginners to spend a week painting and drawing in lovely surroundings, indoors and out, in a unique, supportive atmosphere. My garden is there, too, for those who fancy a dip in the pool, or to relax and chill out a little when creative overload threatens! We will paint with intention but have lots of fun, too, and make friends for life. Learning with laughter.
Two workshops are planned so far for 2015:-
Friday 1st May - Friday 8th May or
Wednesday 1st July - Wednesday 8th July
The workshops are going to be a unique, completely different experience. I have devised an exciting, flexible programme in tune with our beautiful surroundings, but, as a dedicated, lifelong teacher, I also know how much more valuable and gratifying any learning situation can be when it contains one vital extra ingredient. This ingredient is..
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
If you decide you might like to come, and if you already have some painting experience, please email me as above, or write to me on Messenger and tell me a little about yourself and your art, what inspires you, how you like to work, what you love to paint; if you are a beginner please tell me why and what you would like to learn. This is why I am not asking you merely to press a 'PAY" button and I then send out an equipment list. We are all on the same journey but are all on different paths to different destinations. I am especially interested as to why you would like to come, what you hope for, and if you would also like to explore or discover a little about this fascinating and culturally rich part of Northern Portugal.
Armed with this knowledge, as well as sowing the seeds of friendship and understanding, I can revise my prepared plans and make them tailor -made for our group. The maximum number I can accommodate in my huge studio, currently being renovated to be just right for larger groups, with lots of light and space, is 12 people. My expertise is in student-centred education, and I see this as being very adaptable to you, both as individuals and as a group. I want everyone to get the maximum out of their time here, to go home feeling more confident, enriched, skilful and with a long list of new friends!
Although I will organise the days and take the lead, I also envisage a collaborative environment, where everyone's suggestions and opinions are welcomed. I would like to have group chat time once a day (entirely optional), on subjects which affect all of us as emerging artists - fear, procrastination, self-criticism, confidence and many other topics which you can suggest. I want to try to introduce ways of giving critique in a very positive, confidence-building way, learning how to critique others in the same way, starting with me if you like!
The cost for one week will be 600 euros.
(see end of blog for payment details)
This will include:
1. A six-day painting programme devised exclusively by Linda, flexible and adaptable to the needs and interests of the individual artists attending. The central theme will be "Aspects of Portugal" with other diverse themes linked to techniques. You may choose to paint in a free, loose, colourful style based on intuition, or you may prefer to try portraits, landscapes or still life in an abstract or realistic style. There will be opportunities for all of these, as well as your own ideas, and there will be no obligation to follow the programme - this will be about what inspires you on the day.
2. Full access to my studio, with plenty of personal space. Each person will have their own table and an easel (floor or table ) provided by myself. I will also provide a basic range of materials, including acrylic paints in all the main colours, good paper, other accessories such as brushes, mediums, glue, charcoal and basic equipment items. Hot water is constantly available from a large sink inside the studio. I know many materials are heavy and difficult to bring on a plane. I will provide one medium sized canvas for each student, and any more I can arrange but will have to be an extra. Of-course, you are free to bring some of your favourite paints and supplies if you wish!
3. Full daytime access to the rest of my house, which has three restrooms, a computer and printing area, TV, and plenty of space to relax. There is a modern kitchen with two fridges which you may use, and, outside, a garden on two levels with fruit trees, a pool and large terrace area for swimming, sunbathing, and chilling out!
4. Homemade lunch on the premises every day - a selection of sandwiches, simple salads, yoghurts and fruit etc. My Nespresso coffee machine will be available for those of us (me included) addicted to expressos! You may prefer to stroll up after lunch to one of the nearby local cafes, to observe a little of local life!
5. At least one demonstration by Linda of the collage techniques she uses to produce paintings such as her Buddha paintings and elephants, and which she now uses in most of her work. This will include preparing collage by staining and stamping, as well as using saved scraps, and suggestions for applying this technique to your own paintings.
6. A welcome reception party on the evening of the first day, with party snacks and local wines and other drinks at the Lousada Country Hotel. This will be our first chance to introduce ourselves and talk about the week ahead, as well as to relax after your journey.
Optional Extras at a small additional cost:
1. This is primarily a workshop, so any outings will be absolutely your choice. The following are suggestions. I will help organise for those interested, and arrange for you to be accompanied.
a. Porto, a stunning, historic city about 20 miles from my home in Lousada. You can visit the 'Baixa' area around the historic centre, and then one of the famous port wine lodges. There will be time for people to decide if they wish to draw or sketch on location, go shopping, or even go on a bus ride or boat trip. This will not be expensive - there is a train service from near my house to the beautifully-tiled station of Sao Bento in the heart of the city. However, if you prefer to stay at home and paint...the choice is yours!!!
b. A tour of the Romanesque sites in the Lousada area known as the Rota do Romanico, coupled with the Rota do Gourmet (or 'eating heaven') These will be guided, with plenty of opportunities for sketching, photography or simply exploring. We can also visit a local winery, the Quinta de Aveleda, which has lovely gardens.
c. Some of you be thinking of visiting Santiago de Compostela in Spain, about 2 - 3 hours' drive. I suggest that you could form a party, and I will help you organise a day trip. I would suggest, however, that you might like to include a visit to here, or alternatively to the Lisbon area, before or after the workshop by extending your visit, to give yourselves time to really explore, and not take up too much workshop time.
2. A final, sumptuous dinner at the Lousada Country Hotel. The menu and cost will be available nearer the date, but this will not be prohibitively expensive, as I would like this to be accessible for all of us!
3. I hope to arrange for a local artist to come and give us a talk on Portuguese art, but as yet have not been able to finalise this.
4. Materials not included in the basic provision. These are best ordered in advance if you want them to be here for you, as the nearest good art supplier is in Porto, or via postal delivery. Please let me know if there is anything special you would like me to get for you. Please note that Golden paints are not available in Portugal - I have to send to the UK for them, and they are horribly expensive. If you are used to these, I recommend you bring a small selection for your personal use - the smaller size bottles will be enough, I am sure. The store in Porto and mail order do sell a good range of Liquitex products, however.
You will have to consider the following additional costs:
1. Accommodation
I have no hesitation in recommending the
Lousada Country Hotel. This is the main and best hotel in the area. There are a couple more within a radius of about 15 kms, which you may wish to look at, but you would have to organise your own transport or car hire if you were to book outside Lousada. Here is the website:-
http://www.lousadacountryhotel.pt
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| The main hotel buildings of the Lousada Country Hote |
I have been to the hotel and met the owner, who kindly agreed to give us an excellent price discount, (I was quoted 59€ per room, to include breakfast, the apartments slightly more) I have eaten there twice and seen a huge selection of their rooms. It is a lovely renovated old quinta - a wine estate, which has been very tastefully restored and modernised. It nestles in a large area not ten minutes from the centre of town, on foot, yet has grassland and woodland trails, a pool and other services with panoramic views. They have only recently opened, and are keen to make sure that everything is perfect.
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| Reception and the main quinta house (occupied by the family) |
There is a selection of rooms, from single and double occupancy bedrooms, all with private bathroom, and also a number of stunning small apartments which include a kitchenette and sitting room. Some have one bedroom, some have two. If any of you would be interested in sharing one of the larger apartments, please let me know. Some of the rooms are near the main quinta and reception, others are in restored houses and cottages dotted about the grounds. Please be clear if you have any mobility problems and want to be near the main house and restaurant. Free Wifi is available in every room.
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| Typical rooms |
The food is wonderful, I have never eaten at such a standard for such a reasonable cost, and I am very confident in recommending the restaurant. Prices quoted include a continental breakfast.
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| Our delicious lunch! |
You may have noticed that their website is still in Portuguese! They have promised to get a translation up as soon as possible. However, English is spoken there, so if you want to book, please email them with times, dates etc, and you are then able to pay with your credit cards. Please mention that you are part of the art workshop with Linda Chaves to ensure you get the discounted price. Please get in touch with me if you have any linguistic hitches, I can book for you and liaise between them and yourself as regards payment. I do urge you to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, especially if you opt for the July workshop.
Transport will be arranged to and from this hotel morning and evening to and from my house which is about a mile away.
2. Air or Land Transport
Lousada is only thirty minutes by road from Porto International Airport. There are flights to a number of international destinations. Ryanair also fly here from a number of European destinations, several in the UK. I go to the US and around the world regularly, and have never had any problem getting connections. Lisbon is quite a distance, nearly four hours by road, and I recommend a connecting flight to Porto if you arrive in Portugal here. Some American airlines fly to Madrid - again you will need a short connecting flight to Porto. When you book, please let us have your flight number and your ETA, and I can make sure you are met and transported to the hotel. When you leave, I would ask that you arrange this with the hotel, who have a private taxi service, for transfer back to the airport, as an additional cost.
If you are travelling from the US, for example, you have a number of choices. One would be to fly to Lisbon or Madrid from your nearest international airport, then pick up a short connecting flight to Porto. You may have to change at an East coast airport, too, or Chicago. Some people prefer to fly just to Lisbon, then to come up to Porto by bus or train, but I prefer the flight. When you leave, you could tuck in a couple of days to explore Lisbon, too. TAP and Iberia also do a number of long haul flights direct from Porto. I know when I came home from Phoenix one year, I flew to New Jersey and then got a direct overnight flight to Porto from New Jersey! These flights do not always come up on the Expedia search engine, and sometimes you have to go to the airlines pages. When I go to LA or San Francisco, I usually fly through London. Once to twice I have had to change airports in London to get to London Gatwick for a flight to Porto (or to London Stanstead) but I get a taxi service direct airport to airport for about 30$ which isn't bad for such a distance, and you are met at the airport. I must confess that sometimes I stay at an airport hotel to get a better connecting flight the next day - but that is because I can never sleep on a plane, and can get a bit tired as I usually travel alone with loads of suitcases due my sad shopping addiction!!!!!.
You may want to come to Lousada via a different route. Motorway access is now excellent across all of Iberia, and from France across Spain. I regularly visit the UK via the Brittany ferry services from the UK to Santander or Bilbao in Northern Spain. From these, it is about a six-hour drive to Lousada. I am happy to provide directions if you choose this route.
You may wish to consider car rental for the week from Porto Airport on arrival, especially if you want to do some touring. But this is not necessary for the workshop - we will make sure that you are well looked after.
3. DINNERS,
..and any additional food expenses. You may choose to dine at the hotel, or wander into Lousada where you will find several restaurants selling traditional local food, as well as the usual selection of Pizzerias, cafes and so on. If you have an apartment room, you can make dinner there. Lousada also has supermarkets, banks, cash machines, pharmacies and all the services you might need. There are two local hospitals, and a large regional hospital about ten minutes away in Penafiel.
I have tried so hard to think of everything - but please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions at all. Please mention, when you email, the week that you are interested in.
If, as I so hope, you decide to come and join us, I ask for a 25% deposit now of 150 euros which will secure your place, with the remainder being due about six weeks before the course is due to begin. You can decide if you would like to pay via Paypal, or by bank transfer, either to my UK or my Portuguese bank accounts, whichever is easiest for you. In terms of currency, I suggest using xe.com to determine the correct exchange rate on the day - I am happy to help you with this if you wish. Please remember to email me with these details, as well as a bit of your story as an artist, and how you most like to work.
Very shortly, I will open a specific group page on Facebook, as well as an event page. The group page will be for everyone who is coming to the workshop, to introduce yourself, exchange stories and art, and for me to communicate more easily with you all.
I will do everything in my power to make this an unforgettable week in every sense. I so look forward to hearing from you,
With love,
Linda
