Travel Sketching in Watercolor with Rita Sabler in Spain: May 14-21, 2023
Painting Workshops.
When quality matters!
When quality matters!
Painting Tours-Teacher-Rita Sabler-Spain
Workshop Description
Join me for one week of sketching with watercolor in beautiful Spain.
Drawing while traveling is the best way to experience and remember a new place. In his book “The Art of Travel” Alain de Botton notes that “A dominant impulse on encountering beauty is the desire to hold on to it: to possess it and give it weight in our lives.” Sketching and writing while you travel provides one meaningful way of doing just that.
Traveling is also a perfect opportunity to learn or hone your drawing skills. When we see new sights everything strikes us as unusual, memorable and inspiring. We have a natural desire to admire new vistas, taste new flavors, inhale unusual aromas and record these sensations through taking photos, but also through drawing and writing. For me, drawing while traveling is instinctual, and I am eager to share my passion to fully immerse yourself in a new place through the practice of travel sketching. 
During our time together we will learn how to capture scenes on the go in a style of a quick vignette. We will also learn how to make longer meditative drawings that allow us to truly immerse ourselves in a scene. I will show you how to compose your drawings, how to simplify and extract the essence of what you are seeing when you only have a short time to capture something while enjoying a cup of coffee on a sunny terrace. I will share some of my favorite watercolor techniques and tips on drawing architecture, water, and greenery creating a beautiful travel diary that will bring joy and memories for years to come.
Rita Sabler's Biography
Rita Sabler is a visual journalist, artist, and educator based in Portland, Oregon, USA. She has taught Drawing, Urban Sketching and Visual Journalism courses for Parsons School of Design, Pacific Northwest College of Art, and Portland State University. She also works on a variety of freelance illustration and visual reportage projects. Rita Sabler serves as the Education Director on the board of the global Urban Sketchers organization.
From Brazilian favelas in Rio de Janeiro and Hindu celebrations in the temples of Singapore, from the driest desert in the world in Chile and a leprosy settlement in Kalaupapa, to political protests in her native Portland Rita Sabler has happily trotted the world documenting its wonders in her sketchbooks. Drawing is Rita’s therapy, her passion, and her refuge. It is her way of understanding and communicating with the world around her.
Rita Sabler is one of the contributing authors in Pete’s Scully’s “Creative Sketching Workshop” book and the author of “With a Sketchbook Around the World”. Her work is also featured in many publications on Urban Sketching.
Check Rita Sabler’s Website at: https://www.ritasabler.com
Samples of Rita Sabler's Sketches
Click on any picture to enlarge.
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.
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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.
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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.
3-star hotel with breathtaking sea view
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..
Pricing Details
The Trip is limited to 12 Participants
Sign up before 11/30 and save $200!
Before Nov 30th: $3,390 for a shared room with ensuite bathroom
After Nov 30th: $3,590 for a shared room with ensuite bathroom
+ $550 for single standard room
+ $900 for a room with breathtaking sea view (The $900 is for the room so if you are sharing a room, the supplement is $450 per person)
Non Painters are welcome to join and share a room with a painter. They will get a $400 discount. They will go on excursions with the group and share the meals included in the package.
Included
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
– 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
Not Included
Excludes
– Flights to and from Barcelona
– 3 lunches and 3 dinners
– Painting supplies (we provide folding chairs)
– Tour leader(s) tipping
Cancelation Policy
| If you cancel a US workshop: | Cancellation Fee per Person |
|---|---|
| More than 90 days before departure | The $600 deposit is forfeited (however $300 can be transferred to another trip with a departure date within 1 year of cancelation date) |
| 61-90 days before departure | 50% of total cost forfeited |
| 31-60 days before departure | 75% of total cost forfeited |
| 0-30 days before departure | 100% of total cost forfeited |
| If French Escapade cancels | You get a full refund |
To reserve your spot, please complete the form below (one per person) and pay US$ 600 deposit. After receiving your form, we will send you the information for the payment. Note that the deposit is not refundable but is transferrable. See our cancelation policy below.
You will be able to pay:
1- By check
2- Via ZELLE, free instant pay, offered by many major US banks
3- By bank transfer
4- By credit card