Painting in the Wild Flower Meadows of Saxon Transylvania

This painting holiday is an opportunity to work with your own wild specimens found in the rural heartland of Saxon Transylvania, in a class of just four students, and to stay in a peaceful farming settlement in the comfort of a large private house.   

The former Saxon village of Copsa Mare is surrounded by species rich grasslands, deep valleys and high forested ridges full of beech, oak and hornbeam. These forests are home to brown bears, honey buzzards, roe buck and wild boar.

Our hosts, Rachel and James de Candole, live all year round in the village in the former town hall, built in the 1890s under the time of the Dual Monarchy and now faithfully restored by them as their family home.    

Classes will demonstrate the different techniques of watercolour in botanical illustrations using subject matter gathered by you in the pastures and meadows full of Swallowtail butterflies and wild flower species above the village.

We shall explore this unspoilt landscape together and in the company of a local botanist, learning about the plants and finding samples on which to work inside. Each morning, Işık will demonstrate the different techniques and approaches that achieve life-like paintings. You may choose your own wild specimen on which to practice and to complete under Işık’s guidance. The classes will help you to combine a scientific accuracy with an aesthetic vision to create beautiful botanical paintings.

The de Candoles own set number 19/150 of The Transylvania Florilegium and during our stay with them, we shall be able to study this remarkable compilation of botanical paintings depicting the wild flora of Transylvania. 

This will be a relaxing five days, with periods of concentrated study mixed with lots of fresh air, exercise (the land is full of steep valleys so you need to be reasonably fit!), and good food and wine. If any of you ride, our hosts have their own horses, all classically schooled at home.

Dates

28th April – To Sibiu Airport – transfer to Copsa Mare

29th April – 3rd May – Botanical illustration master classes, painting the plants collected from the meadows above Copsa Mare

4th May – depart

Participants

Limited to 4 participants

This course is FULL!

The price of 1500 EUR includes;

•    6 nights of accommodation in your own room
•    All food and wine
•    Airport transfers (within dates)
•    Master class and botanical guide

Not included;

•    International flights
•    Travel/Medical Insurance
•    Personal expenses
•    Optional excursions including riding for the experienced
•    Art materials (see below)

For the booking, please contact james.decandole@outlook.com

Recommended Material List

1.   Drawing Pencil (2H, HB, 2B, 4B)
2.   Divider
3.   Eraser
4.   Sharpener
5.   Tracing Paper
6.   A range of Watercolour brushes (Number 4, 3 or 2, and some small number of brushes will be useful for fine details)
7.   Palette
8.   Watercolour pigments (Winsor&Newton Artists’ Value is recommended but any pigment you prefer to use)
9.   Watercolour Paper (Minimum 300 g/s, Hot Pressed, 50-100% Cotton watercolour paper is recommended, but don’t hesitate to use the one you like)
11.  Backboard (if possible)
12.  Sketching paper (Smooth surface Cartridge paper or pad, 120-160 g/s, A3 or A4 size)

It can be wet in early May so please bring good walking shoes and a waterproof jacket.

To see how this workshop went, click here, for beautiful memories and photos!