Announcing Maggie Siner's Landscape Workshop

Painting on location in Maggie Siner's workshop

It has become an annual ritual in recent summers--participating in Maggie Siner's total immersion painting workshop in France. Yes, total immersion is the key. It is the closest thing I have ever experienced to living in the proverbial artists' colony, where concerns of the world are far away, and energies are focused exclusively on painting. 

We are lodged in a charming little hamlet in Provence, in structures dating back to the 1500's. The French word for "hamlet" is "hameau". I am told that a true "hameau" consists of ancient farm buildings that have been repurposed to form a community of small dwellings. In our case, one of the buildings used to be a stable or barn. It has been lovingly restored, and now houses a painting studio, with sweeping views over the Luberon valley. Sometimes it's hard to keep my mind on the critique of the day's work, when my eyes are drawn outside to a magnificent sunset.

"House in the Lavender"
Oil on Canvas, 8 x 11
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(Available)

Maggie keeps us on our toes, with several painting sessions each day. We go to one location in the morning, and a different location in the afternoon. Maggie chooses the locations so that each one is designed to help us see and implement the lesson she will convey. Sometimes our hosts bring a picnic to us out on location, and we are able to continue painting until sundown. The sun doesn't set until about 9:30 pm, so the painting days are long. The last light of the day is magical.

"Quiet Hamlet"
Oil on Linen, 12 x 8
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(SOLD)

Dates have been set for 2020--the workshop will run from July 4 to July 11. You can see all the details on the website here. Applications are now being accepted. Time to start dreaming and planning for the summer...