All medium Painting Workshop in the French Alps with Kirah Van Sickle: June 16-23, 2021
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When quality matters!
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Kirah Van Sickle: All medium Painting Workshop in the French Alps: June 16-23, 2021
Workshop Description:
Positively Plein Air!! For beginner to advanced – acrylic, oil and watercolor artists welcomed.
Let’s immerse ourselves in the flavors and colors of the French Alps.
Join Kirah Van Sickle for a French adventure in watercolor, oil and acrylic painting. With the Alps as our inspiration, we will explore a myriad of journal sketching and alla prima painting techniques.
With an approach based on fundamentals of values, composition and color, Kirah will introduce students to exercises and techniques that build brush confidence and achieve bold, fresh and loose results. Students will gain a better understanding of color temperature, limited palette and the dramatic impact in building contrast and dynamic landscape compositions. Both rural and urban subjects will be addressed, using the notan to establish value planes, and color mixing savy.
Kirah will combine instructor demonstrations, extensive reference material and personal guidance directed to the individual artist’s goals and process. Let’s enjoy exploring the amazing sights and flavors…and all that color that is France!
Please join us for a positively plein air escapade!!
Kirah Van Sickle’s Biography:
In addition to her studio practice, Kirah is a lecturer and studio instructor leading her custom series of plein air, drawing, painting and mixed media courses regionally, and internationally, through museum schools and local art associations. She works with emerging artists to develop their authentic voice. 
Working en plein air provides the immediacy, unpredictable aspects of color, time and place.
As a certified Golden Artist-Educator, Kirah brings to her workshops an unprecedented insight to materials as well as both traditional and contemporary creative approaches. Inspired by nature and extensive travel, Kirah’s adventurous spirit is aimed at preserving cultural history and reconnecting the artist in all of us to the creative thread that makes us human.
To learn more about Kirah:
Website: kirahfineart.com
Facebook: kirah.vansickle
Instagram:kirahart
The Alps is a dream destination for a plein air artist because of the spectacular scenery you will encounter: alpine meadows, cobblestoned villages, waterfalls, glaciated peaks, wildflowers, clean lakes, chalet with flowers from windowboxes…
Some of the highlights of the tour are seeing Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, from the hotel and visiting Annecy, also called the Venice of the North, a beautiful medieval city surrounded by canals and mountains.
Let us show you these hidden treasures.
Day 1: Welcome to the Alps
We will pick you up at 2:30pm a the Geneva airport and drive you to our beautiful chalet in the Alps. Upon your arrival at the hotel, you will have time to settle in and relax, enjoy the spa (hot tub, sauna and steam room) before our welcome reception and orientation meeting followed by a gourmet dinner.
Days 2, 3 &4: Alpine Village: from Wooden Chalets to Flowery Balconies
The hotel and the village offer a breathtaking 360 degree view towards Mont-Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe.
It will be like stepping back in time: wooden chalets, baroque church, green pastures and grazing cows. We will be painting either from the garden of the hotel or in the village. The vignettes are endless.
Cheese is of course the specialty of the Alps. You will find it in many local specialties like fondue, raclette, tartiflette, etc…
Day 5: Chamonix – The Queen Resort of the Alps
Chamonix, the biggest ski resort in the world, is surrounded by majestic high mountains such as Mont Blanc and glaciers.
Morning will be dedicated to paining. In the afternoon, you will have some free time to take the highest gondola in the world to the top of “L’Aiguille du Midi” at 12,000 ft. A breathtaking view of the Alps and Chamonix down below awaits you. Or you could take a tram to see the “sea of ice” glacier.
If you prefer shopping, or more painting, Chamonix has it all.
Day 6: Annecy or ‘The Little Venice of the Alps’
Annecy is the French show-piece of lakes-and-mountain beauty. The Canal crossing Annecy brings Venice to mind as you stroll along its banks.
Your choice for the painting site will be unlimited: medieval narrow streets, renaissance houses along the canal, the famous old prison (one of the most photographed monuments in France!) or the Annecy lake surrounded by mountains.
We will also have the opportunity to go to the local market in the old Annecy and shop for the numerous wonderful cheeses, sausages, honeys and all local products.
Day 7: Painting at the hotel 
For the last day, we won’t be driving anywhere so that you will be able to finish up some paintings.
We will end the week with a “Show and Tell” and a gourmet dinner with maybe the best sunset on Mont Blanc.
Day 8: Departure
After our last breakfast together, we’ll drive you back to the Geneva airport by 10-10:30 am.
Our Chalet in the Alps, facing Mt Blanc
This chalet, in the heart of Haute-Savoie, boasts stunning views of Mont-Blanc and the Aravis Massif.
The beauty of the panorama, the charm of the cozy wooden interior, the gourmet restaurant, the well-being of the Spa, the comfort and amenities of the wainscoted rooms, all make this unique spot a haven of peace.
The spa has a hot tub, sauna and steam room.
Each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom with flat-screen satellite TV and free WiFi.
There is an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor pool table and a little gym.
Price and What is included
Dates: June 16-23, 2021 All medium Painting Workshop with Kirah Van Sickle – Max: 12 Participants
Sign up early and save $200!
Rates: $3,190 before Nov 30 ($3,390 after Nov 30) + $550 for single standard room
Non Painters: US$ 400 discount: You will be going on daily excursions with the painters, share the meals and get the same service with the exception of the painting lessons.
Includes
- Geneva airport pick-up at 2pm and drop-off at 10-10:30am
- A welcome reception
- All 7 nights at the hotel
- All breakfasts, 3 lunches and 5 dinners including wine
- All art classes
- Excursions in a comfortable van with A/C
- Entrance to the spa
Excludes
- Flights to and from Geneva
- 3 lunches and 2 dinners
- Painting supplies
- 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 |