Oil and Watercolor Plein Air Painting Workshop in Spain with Julie Gilbert Pollard: May 14-21, 2022
Painting Workshops.
When quality matters!
When quality matters!
Painting Tours-Teacher-Julie Gilbert Pollard-Spain
Light Plein Air Painting and Sketching as Preparation for Studio Painting with Julie Gilbert Pollard in Spain: May 14-21, 2022
Description of the Watercolor and Oil Painting Workshop in Plein Air
Join Julie Gilbert Pollard for a wonderful week of plein air painting on the beautiful coast of Northern Spain, the Costa Brava.
“I believe that the Plein Air Experience should be joyful rather than intimidating and that it’s for all of us, regardless of our level of painting experience or even the desire to carry mounds of equipment. Plain and simple – it should be a fun and glorious adventure”! 
In this plein air workshop, you will visit inspiring locations, learning to interpret them into your personal visual expression. Expect sight-seeing, photo-sketching, sketching and “light” plein air painting using minimal equipment that is easy to carry in a medium-size backpack”.
“During the plein air sessions, I will alternate watercolor-on-paper and watercolor-as-prep-for-oil painting demos on canvas boards pre-coated with Watercolour Ground. Since both will be done using the same watercolor palette, brushes, etc., each demo will be applicable to either watercolor or oil (i.e. oil painting done by my non-traditional method).
I will demonstrate and coach you through methods and techniques that have proven invaluable in learning to distill a scene into its most simple format, leading to studio paintings that retain that illusive “plein air feel”.
Julie paints in oil and watercolor in a fluid, painterly manner. Her painting style, while representational, is colored with her own personal concept of reality. “The eye may see as a camera ‘sees’, but the mind’s eye sees an altered, imagined image, what it wants and hopes to see. It’s that illusive image, uniquely mine, along with a heightened sense of ‘realness’ that I try to express in my paintings. This world of ours is often a frightening and mysterious place, but it is filled with scenes and subjects that excite my eye and imagination! The magical allure of the natural world, and my reverence for it, compel me to attempt to capture its essence on canvas or paper.”
All levels are welcome. Classes will be small, so Julie will have ample time to help students work toward individual goals.
Julie Gilbert Pollard’s Biography
Phoenix artist, Julie Gilbert Pollard is the author of three North Light Books, Discover Oil Painting (2016), Watercolor Unleashed (2013) and Brilliant Color (oil & acrylic, 2009), plus nine videos for North Light/ArtistsNetwork.com (three Watercolor Unleashed, four Oil Painting Unleashed and two Acrylic Unleashed). Additional publications include various articles and book inclusions including most recently The Art of Watercolour Magazine, Issue 36 (2019), Watercolor Artist Magazine (April 2018), Splash 18 (2017) and Acrylic Works 3 (2016).
She has given instruction in watercolor and oil since 1985 in numerous venues such as Tuscany & Umbria, Italy; Cheap Joe’s Art Workshops in North Carolina; Saanich Peninsula Arts and Crafts Society in Sidney, B.C., Canada and Vale do Lobo in Portugal. Current venues include, among others, Scottsdale Artists’ School, Shemer Arts Center & Museum and Sedona Arts Center School of the Arts in Arizona.
A frequent award winner, Julie’s oils and watercolors have hung in numerous juried and gallery exhibits, including in 2018, 9th Annual International Signature American Watermedia Exhibition, Fallbrook Art Center, CA. Most notable awards: Best Impressionistic Painting in Best of America, National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society, 2012 and Best Use of Light & Color in Best of America, National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society, 2011.
She is a signature member of National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society, Arizona Watercolor Association, San Diego Watercolor Society and Plein Air Painters of Arizona. Her work is included in many private and corporate collections and is represented in Arizona by Esprit Decor Gallery in Phoenix, Raku Gallery in Jerome and Sedona Arts Center Gallery in Sedona.
More info about Julie Gilbert Pollard:
Website: www.JulieGilbertPollard.com
Day 1: Arrival at the Costa Brava
We will pick you up at a specific hotel downtown Barcelona and drive you to our hotel located in one of the most exclusive beaches on the Costa Brava. Upon your arrival at our hotel by the sea, take time to settle in or start enjoying the wonderful white-washed and preserved fisherman village on the beach.
Enjoy the beach in front of the hotel, walk along the pristine seashore, take in the sun from the terrace or have a drink in the Mediterranean breeze.
Before dinner, we will take an easy walk along the shore that offers breathtaking vistas along the way.
In the evening, you will enjoy a welcome reception followed by a delicious dinner.
Days 2-3: Painting One of the Most Beautiful Villages on the Costa Brava
This “little fishing village” is a hidden gem among all other villages along the Northern Costa Brava. This village is made up of endless rocks, cliffs and extremely beautiful beaches.
The parish church lies in the center of the village and is surrounded by numerous small, windy alleys, which lead down to the beach and give this village its picturesque charm.
 |
 |
Day 4: Flowers, Coves and Sea Views at the Botanical Garden
Ten minutes up the road, lies The Jardi Botanic de Cap Roig. It is considered one of the most important botanical gardens in the Mediterranean.
The most characteristic plant species in the Mediterranean region mix with trees and plants from other continents are a must see and a must paint…
High above the bay, the garden offers stunning views towards the ocean.
In 1927, a Russian Colonel and his English wife began building a castle and a magnificent park. The garden runs down in terraces from the castle to the sea. These ornamental and extremely beautiful gardens contain over 1000 species of plants and flowers from all over the world.
Day 5: Pals, a Unique Preserved Medieval Village
As you walk through the narrow village streets, next to the city walls, towers and churches, you will feel as though you have walked into a new time altogether.
The stone archways, cobblestone streets and wrought balconies adorned with flowers create a welcoming feel in this Romanesque village.
 |
 |
Day 6: The Surrealistic World of Salvador Dali
For those interested we will go to see the largest surrealistic object in the world created by Dalí, the Dalí Theatre-Museu in the town of Figueres, his birthplace.
We will step inside the surreal world of Salvador Dalí and find a museum like none other. Dalí wanted visitors to see his massive collection as a ‘whole’ work and therefore refused to have his works placed in chronological or subject order.
Inside is a world of fantasy mixed with architecture, paintings and sculptures. It’s a complete surrealistic experience.
Day 7: Painting in the Village
For the last day, we will stay in the village by-the-sea. They are endless vignettes to paint:
cliffs and rocks, boats on the beach, white-washed houses or a magnificent fortress on the beach right in front of the hotel. We will finish our workshop by a “Show and Tell” or ‘Critique” while sipping some sangria before going to the restaurant for our farewell dinner.
Day 8: Departure
It is time to say Hasta Luego!!
After our last breakfast, we will drive you back to Barcelona (either the airport or downtown). We will get to Barcelona around noon so make sure your flight is not before 3pm.
Come and let yourself be carried away by emotions!
For the hotel on the Costa Brava, we have chosen a completely renovated hotel with a breathtaking sea view, overlooking the coves of a hidden and preserved beach.
Enjoy exceptional views of the white-washed fishing village and the blue sea in a comfortable, intimate and relaxed atmosphere.
The village’s narrowing streets and picturesque fishermen’s cottages form an idyllic backdrop to the stunning Mediterranean coast.
You can choose either a standard room (no sea view) with balcony or a superior room with sea view and balcony (see pictures).
Rooms have either two single beds or one double bed. All rooms have an en-suite bathroom, TV, satellite, air conditioning, heating, hairdryer and safety deposit box..
Price and What is Included
Dates: May 14-21, 2022 Light Plein Air Painting and Sketching as Preparation for Studio Painting, Spain with Julie Gilbert Pollard
Max: 12 Participants
Rates: US $3,590 for a shared room.
+ US $550 for single standard room
+ US $900 for a single or shared superior room with sea view (if it is a shared room, suppl. is $450 per person).
Non Painters are welcome to join and share the room of a painter. They get a $400 off and will come on excursions with the group, share the meals, etc…
Includes
- Pick-up at 1:30pm at a specific hotel downtown Barcelona to go to the Costa Brava
- Drop-off either at the pick-up hotel in Barcelona around 11am or at the the airport around noon
- A welcome reception
- All nights at the hotel on the Costa Brava
- All breakfasts, 3 lunches and 4 dinners (including drinks and wine)
- All art classes
- Entrance fees to all sites on the tour
- Transportation every day in a comfortable van
- The use of folding chairs
- A personal chauffeur/tour leader throughout the week
Excludes
- Flights to and from Barcelona
- 3 lunches and 3 dinners
- Painting supplies (we provide folding chairs)
- Tour leader(s) tipping
How to book
1To hold your spot, please fill out the reservation form below and send us a $600 deposit.
Note that the deposit is not refundable but is transferrable. See our Cancelation Policy below.
2Once you have submitted your reservation, you will receive a confirmation email with the details on how to submit your deposit via one of these 3 methods:
– by check (if you live in Canada, it needs to be a money order)
– via ZELLE (free instant money transfer offered by all major US banks)
– by credit card
– by bank transfer
3The remaining balance will be due 3 months before departure.
Cancellation Policy
| If you cancel a US workshop: | Cancellation Fee per Person |
|---|---|
| More than 90 days before departure | The $600 deposit is forfeited (however $300 can be transferred to another trip with a departure date within 1 year of cancelation date) |
| 61-90 days before departure | 50% of total cost forfeited |
| 31-60 days before departure | 75% of total cost forfeited |
| 0-30 days before departure | 100% of total cost forfeited |
| If French Escapade cancels | You get a full refund |