French villages in Watercolor w/ Oksana Danziger✨NEW!
Tickets
French villages in Watercolor w/ Oksana Danziger✨NEW!
Tour Program
📅 May 21-28, 2025 🌏Pezenas, France 🎨Watercolor
Join Artist Oksana Danziger and create an art collection with beautiful paintings and sketches inspired by the charming landscapes of the South of France.
Immerse yourself in the medieval centre of Pézenas where you will discover many boutique shops, craftsman workshops and a great choice of typical cafes and open air terraces to be explored on your free time.
With the guidance of your Art instructor Oksana Danziger, draw inspiration from your marvellous surroundings among the cloister of a 12th century abbey or while day dreaming on the shores of the Canal du Midi. Led by your passionate tour guide, learn during this week long workshop the cultural and historical facts of the different places where you'll be painting each day.
Enjoy 7 nights at the 4* Hotel and Spa Garrigae Distillerie Hotel located just a 5 minute-walk away from the cobbled streets and its architectural wonders. Indulge on the delicious fresh made pastries served for breakfast each day and taste typical Mediterranean cuisine at the gourmet restaurants specially curated for your group of painters.
Create within a group of 12 supportive artists and let us guide you through this artistic and cultural experience discovering the beauties of Southern France.
Non-painting partners and photo enthusiasts are also welcomed on this tour. A special program of guided visits is designed for them during the painting sessions.
Arrive at Montpellier Airport and board the 3:00 PM private bus transfer to your retreat venue. Settle into your comfortable room and take some time to relax after your trip. Explore the hotel amenities with a refreshing pool area, a wine bar and the inviting terraces. Gather at 7:00PM with your lovely art instructor, your fellow artists and your tour guides for an Orientation Meeting. Get excited for the week ahead with the presentation of your program and plein air painting spots curated for your art workshop. Celebrate your arrival with a delicious chef-made 3-course-dinner accompanied by some locally sourced wines.
Start your day with a delicious buffet breakfast with daily baked French pastries at your hotel. Enjoy a morning relaxing by the pool or going to the spa facility for a wellness treatment & massage.
After a lunch under the vaulted ceiling of a locals' favorite restaurant in Pezenas, get on your private tour bus for a short ride to the majestic Abbey de Valmagne. Start your first class with Oksana Danziger in the quiet cloister of the 12th century classified historic monument, one of the most beautiful Cistercian abbeys in France.
While you'll be mesmerized painting with the sound of the dripping fountain embelished with a century-old vine, the non-painting group will explore the shores of the pond of Thau and its large oyster farming with ethir expert our guide.
After breakfast, get ready to depart for one of the oldest vineyard chateaux in the Pezenas region with more than 170 hectares of vines and an incredible wine selection available for tasting.
Installed in the shade of the century-old planetrees of the castle courtyard, unleash your creative flow while listening to the personal advice of your art instructor. Here, you will create a superb collection of sketches and paintings capturing the authentic charm of this fifth-generation winemakers estate. During the art workshop, the non-painting partners are exploring the streets of the black walled historic town of Agde and its numerous artisan workshops.
Take a break with a culinary experience making your own appetizers with fresh baguette followed by a generous wine tasting commented by the owner herself. After this chic picnic, you will have some extra time to finish your painting or explore the wine cellar and the charming orangerie room.
Begin this enchanting market day with a delicious breakfast before heading to the historic center following the footsteps of your personal tour guide. Enter the cobblestone streets to discover the numerous art galleries and craftsman workshops. Listen to the rich history of the town that welcomed Moliere.
After your guided tour, embrace your free time wandering through the stalls filled with fresh produce at this week farmers market. Take your camera as you will find here inspiration for many paintings to come!
Enjoy the rest of your day exploring this typical southern village, people watching at cafes or shopping the many boutique stores in the circular historic center.
Spend a morning exploring the Mediterranean coast, feeling the nice breeze and the salty air at the pretty harbour of Marseillan. Guided by Eric’s instructions on composition and color-mixing, you’ll create fantastic memories of this morning outdoor painting session. Meanwhile the non-painting partners will be exploring the Venise of the Languedoc walking the hilly city of Sète. Tasting some local delicacies at the market halls or photographing the beautiful street art hidden all over the town.
Indulge in a freshly caught fish menu contemplating the harbour’s view. Relax under the mediterranean sun before heading to your next activity of the day.
After lunch, discover one of the most famous and oldest Vermouth factory in the world at the Maison Noilly Prat where you will learn about the unique wine aging methods and flavors.
Start your day with a delightful breakfast then head to the Canal du Midi, UNESCO World Heritage site, at the quaint harbor & village: Le Somail. Paint the inspiring scene of this 17th century port with the bridge of Saint Marcel and its remarkable basket vault. While you’ll be observing your surroundings with an artistic eye, the non-painting group will head to Narbonne and visit its city center with spectacular monuments as the fourth-century gothic style cathedral.
After a morning plein air painting session under the guidance of your art instructor, gather with the non-painters for a delicious chef-made lunch by the Canal du Midi watching the long barge boats passing by.
Relax after lunch and tour the small port and do not forget to visit (and photograph!) the incredible bookstore known as one of the largest collections of old and second hand books in Europe.
After your breakfast at your charming hotel in Pezenas, your final painting spot of the week will be a half hour drive away, in Beziers. Enter a family-run olive farm, an impressive estate surrounded by olive trees and beautiful sculptures scattered in the garden. The property offers a didactic presentation room that shows the process of olive oil making, a tasting room where you’ll learn of the complex flavours and assemblage of the different olive varieties. Also take the time to tour the contemporary art gallery.
While the non-painting group will be exploring the oldest city in Europe: Beziers with their passionate tour guide, you will create your last painting mastering all the techniques learnt this week.
Spend a fantastic time delighting on the buffet-lunch prepared by artist and vegetarian oriented chef that will inspire your gourmet side. After this superb experience, you will enjoy some free time to do some last souvenir shopping and prepare for your next day travel.
The retreat concludes with a special farewell cocktail dinner with wine to mark the end of this artistic journey in the South of France.
Enjoy a tasty breakfast before taking your 8:00AM bus transfer to Heraklion airport. Time to say goodbye to your new friends hoping to meet them on their next painting tour destination!
*Program & itinerary subject to change due to scheduling considerations & weather conditions.
Check-in at the Garrigae Distillerie Hotel starts at 3:00 PM on May 21, 2025 and check-out is after breakfast on May 28, 2025 by 10:00 AM.
The accommodation for the painting tour with Oksana Danziger is located in Pézenas, a small city in the heart of Languedoc region, along the Mediterranean Sea.
The historical center located at a 5min. walk away from your hotel counts many private mansions with remarkable facades decorated with mascarons or with wrought iron balconies, dramatic entrances with spiral staircase or the preserved circular center with cobbled streets.
The city is also known for its exceptional craftsman workshops (more than 40 in town) where you can discover paintings, sculptures, jewellery, pottery, woodworks and other decorative objetcs locally made.
Montpellier airport (MPL) is reachable within an hour drive (your group pick-up/drop-off location).
How to get from Montpellier Airport to Garrigae Distillerie in Pézenas?
Group transfers at prearranged times to and from Montpellier airport (MPL) are included. The transfer journey to the hotel takes approximately one hour.
- Arrival transfer: May 21, 2025 — 3:00 PM (leaving from Montpellier airport (MPL), arriving at the hotel around 4:00 PM)
- Departure transfer: May 28, 2025 — 08:00 AM (leaving from the hotel, arriving at Montpellier airport (MPL) around 9:00 AM)
🔎Please hold off on booking flights until the retreat becomes confirmed. (A notification email will be sent to you)
If your travel arrangements don't work with our group transfer times, we can reserve a taxi to the Garrigae Distillerie Hotel (address: 6 Rue Calquières Hautes, 34120 Pézenas, France) approximately 175 EUR per way from Montpellier Airport. Please note that taxi fares may change.Booking information
Painter Pack: €3,590/pers. (Single room extra fee: +€450) - Non-Painter Pack: €3,390/pers.
- A €1,000 deposit per person is required upon booking to secure your spot
- Remaining balance is due by February 21, 2025
- 100% Refund if cancelled before February 21, 2025 (minus admin. fee). TERMS & CONDITIONS
The painting tour will also include Artist Eric Santoli and his students.
Please note that the tour includes some daily walking (couple of hours/day) and carrying your own painting supplies. Participant must be able to walk comfortably.
What's included
✅ Instructed painting workshops: watercolor painting classes in plein-air at different locations each day, demonstrations with artist Oksana Danziger & individual tuition
✅7 nights of accommodation at 4 star Garrigae Distillerie Hotel in Pézenas with access to swimming pool, gardens, wine bar & restaurant)
✅ Expert Tour Guides all week leading the Painting Group and guiding the Non-painting Partners during workhop times.
✅Outdoor Painting workshop equipment provided with small tables, foldable chairs, lightweight premium easels, paper towels and disposable bags
✅All group meals including 7 buffet breakfasts with daily-made French pastries, cured meat, cheeses and fresh fruits ; 5 lunches at local restaurants with a special selection of French dishes ; 2 celebration dinners with a 3-course welcome dinner & a Farewell Cocktail Party
✅Local wine served with group meals
✅Coffee & Tea available in your room
✅Daily trips to various painting locations with guided visits, walking tours, time for shopping
✅Special program for non-painting partners during painting sessions led by a local Tour guide
✅Private Tour bus with AC for all planned activities
✅ Round-trip group transfers from/to Montpellier airport (MPL)
✅ All local tourist taxes and fees
Not included
❌ Airfare - Recommended Group Flight information (New York (JFK) to Montpellier (MPL) & booking details with our partners will be communicated upon booking
❌ Travel insurance - available with our partners
❌ Art materials - a list of art supplies recommended by artist Oksana Danziger will be provided three months before the tour.
❌ Tips for staff
❌ Other expenses guests might incur on their own
Instructor
Oksana Danziger is a natural-born creator with a passion for textile art. She was born in Moscow, Russia, and received a classical art education from the Moscow School of Art. Pursuing her love of design, she continued to study textile design at the Moscow State Textile University, where she received a Master's Degree in 1986. After graduation, she exhibited tapestry, silk paintings and delicate fabric art collages throughout Russia’s galleries and museums. Her work was added to the Moscow Decorative Art Museum collection in 1990. Residencies have included the Arquetopia in Mexico, Oaxaca and Torino, Italy.
Since arriving in New York in 1991, she has worked as a freelance textile artist for numerous studios, including Portfolio, Design Works International and Group Four. While Oksana's artistic journey has taken her across continents, she remains deeply rooted in her community on Long Island.
She shares her expertise and passion for art as a teacher at the Suffolk County Art Museum and through workshops organized by the Huntington Arts Council. Her professional affiliations include the Art Leagues of Long Island and the Long Island Craft Guild.
Check out his website: www.oksanadanziger.com/
Join Oksana on this amazing painting tour!
Reserve your spot before it's too late!