Bienvenue chez nous!

"Excellent QUALIFIED tuition and real inspiration...with charming farm-house accommodation in beautiful countryside overlooking Cathar country and the Pyrenees… where you can relax and unwind from the stresses of modern life!"

artinswfrance offers a range of Art and Creative holidays, courses and workshops for all abilities based near historic Carcassonne in the Languedoc, southwest France. We are located in a beautiful area of rolling hills, sunflowers, vineyards and sun-kissed, mediaeval hill-top villages at the heart of a region interwoven with Cathar and Da Vinci Code mysteries, not far from both the sea and the Pyrenees mountains. It is a veritable painter’s paradise full of striking landscapes, picturesque views, colourful subjects and Mediterranean light; an area of beauty and variety to inspire you; where you can take advantage of cheap flights to a region rich in history, traditions and culture!

We welcome artists of all levels using all media and offer flexible residential and non-residential packages, working in small groups with individual and tailor-made programmes, either en plein air around our region or in our grounds. We pride ourselves on having an experienced, qualified tutor, who is also English and a practising/exhibiting artist, to teach and guide you through our courses (unfortunately it's a disturbing fact that many tutors aren’t actually formally trained - and therefore don't know how to really teach!*) and we include transport to a variety of key sites that are carefully chosen for their picturesque attraction, history and inspiring views.

We offer individual tailor-made programmes for Art and Painting, incorporating either:

• Traditional disciplines, skills and techniques covering Drawing, Draughtsmanship, Colour, Composition, Painting Styles, etc, and/or
• Development of creative expression and experimentation, incorporating how to unlock your creativity/imagination, overcoming inhibitions, interpretation, creating abstracts … and having fun!

Our courses are tailor-made for each student based on an individual program devised once you book with us (from information we ask you to provide about your ability and personal requirements), and our groups are therefore often of mixed ability but everyone gets plenty of individual tuition. Start/finish times for our courses are flexible and can be arranged to suit you (please see a guide to our range of courses on the ‘Format’ page of the ‘Our Courses’ section) and these include one day off per week as free time for students, or more if required.

We offer a range of discounts and Special Offers including reductions for 2-week or longer stays, whilst non-painting partners are welcome at reduced price. Our nearest airport is at Carcassonne (only 15 mins away) or alternatively many students come into Toulouse, then either hire a car or take a train into Carcassonne. We suggest students consider hiring a vehicle in order to give themselves independence as well as the opportunity to see the beautiful and historic area while they are with us (there are plenty of things to do and see as you will see on the ‘Region and area’ page). Alternatively we can arrange pick-up/drop-off at Carcassonne airport for a competitive fee.

Future dates of courses available:

• October 2007: Sunday 21st to Saturday 27th
• December/January 2008: Saturday 29th December to Saturday 5th January 2008
• February 2008: Saturday 16th to Saturday 23rd
• April 2008: Sunday 6th to Saturday 19th
• May 2008: Sunday 25th to Sunday 1st June
• July/August 2008: Saturday 28th July to Saturday 1st September

Please use the menus on the left hand side of this page to find out more.

* The following quote was taken from an article featured in Leisure Painter and The Artist magazines, capturing the essence of what we offer students that are serious about their art and wish to learn:

"We students are a bizarre mixture of under-confidence and bravura, prior experience of learning (both good and bad), tics, hang-ups, prejudices, needs, demands, wants and frailties all bundled together in bone, muscle, sinew and fat. All a good art tutor needs to be then is a patient and tolerant friend, counsellor, teacher, group manager, leader, guide, guru and to know where the kettle is. It's not asking much, is it?"

Click here for the full article.