Lavender Bloom in Watercolor w/ Marc Josloff - Van Gogh in Provence Route

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 Marc Josloff 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 the famous Provence where you will enjoy a day painting among the buzzing sound of the working bees. Installed in your lavender field, paint the blooming rows and search for the authentic horses of Camargue that will pose in this idyllic countryside.

During the art workshop, the non-painting partners will explore the streets of the historic centre of Arles with their tour guide.

After a morning creating a collection of memorable sketches and painting capturing the beauty of the lavender fields, take a break with a delicious lunch at the farm. Learn everything about the essential oil distillery with a complete sensory experience making your own lavender lotion.

Following the hands-on workshop, a short ride will bring you to the city of Arles that inspired Vincent Van Gogh who produced more than 300 drawings and paintings like Starry night over the Rhone, The Yellow House or The Cafe Terrace at Night.

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.

Kick off the day with an early breakfast before hoping on your private tour bus in the direction of Aix-en-Provence. Discover your superb 12th century venue for the day (and the night!) where the panoramic views will take your breath away. With the help of your great art instructor, pick a great scene among the surrounding countryside of “garrigue”, the architecture of this ancient Cistercian abbey or the incredible view of the Alpilles valley to paint.

During the morning workshop, the non-painting partners will be exploring the remarkable squares and foutains of the old city of Aix-en-Provence.

Enjoy the gourmet and emotional cuisine of Chef Arnaud Benoit on the most romantic terrace looking over the plain of Salon de Provence for a lunch you’ll remember.

Check in your room and take some time to relax, enjoying the inviting pool area.

Waiting for the sun to lower on the horizon, head to your evening scenic route to the plateau de Valensole and its dreamlike lavender fields. Get your camera ready and your batteries full as you will take millions of reference pictures to paint back home!

Capture the magic of the golden hour into the lavender fields of Provence and stop in the pretty Provençal town of Valensole for an evening in the maze of charming streets with wrought irons balconies and old stone houses with painted shutters. At the end of the day, you will head back to Abbey of Ste Croix in Salon-de-Provence for a well-deserved night of sleep.

Start your day with a delightful breakfast and get energized to discover St Paul de Mausole Monastery of Saint-Remy-de-Provence, where Van Gogh spent one of his most prolific years of his life. Enter the peaceful gardens and see the reproductions of his artworks as you’re walking in his footsteps. Tour the cloister, learn all about Van Gogh’s residency visiting his renovated room and end your tour at the visitor center. Take the opportunity to paint at the Master’s facility, getting inspired by the tranquil atmosphere on site.

The non-painting group will discover the charm of Saint-Remy-de-Provence as much as taking the time to explore the Mausoleum.

After a gourmet lunch, relax in your private coach returning to your main venue in Pézenas, at the hotel Garrigae La Distillerie. Share your stories and artistic experiences in the lavender fields and on the Van Gogh route. Enjoy a relaxing evening in the charming streets of your medieval village.

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 Montpellier airport. Time to say goodbye to your new friends hoping to meet them on their next painting tour destination!