Le Manoir de Gurson Holidays 2018

Manoir de Gurson 2018

Sketching and Painting Holidays

May 30th to June 6^th (Wednesday to Wednesday) and September 1st to 8^th (Saturday to Saturday)

Art Appreciation

October 3rd to 10^th (for details see separate listing)

In the heart of France’s most famous wine region Magnificent Scenery

Relax and soak up the atmosphere, lots of demonstrations and one to one tuition in the medium of your choice!

Only £575 per person - £350 per non painting partner (not including flights)

Painting Holiday Accommodation and Package

This holiday is available for the amazing price of  only £575 per guest (£350 per non painting partner). The holiday price includes 7  nights accommodation, bed, breakfast, 4 lunches, evening meals, all tuition, the day trip and transfers to and from the airport (Bergerac). Lunches for the trips to St. Emilion, Bergerac and Bordeaux are not included as it gives us a chance to sample the local fayre and joie de vivre.  On the final Day we will take a trip to Bordeaux visiting the Musee de Beaux Artes and the Cathedral with the whole day to explore this magnificent city culminating in an evening in the city with the evening meal (included in the price) at  one of Bordeaux’s fine restaurants. Why not come and join us for a relaxing, informative and truly memorable holiday and  experience a true taste of France!

The Three Milk Maids

The Three Milk Maids

This is an oil painting of three young ladies that took a particular interest in what I was doing whilst on a walk near Bourton on the Water in The Cotswolds in the summer of 2016, I have only very recently finished this painting.

Poppies with Texture in Acrylic

Prepared for Demonstration

Set up ready for demonstration

Completed painting (partial image)

On Thursday November 23rd I did a demonstration at the Memorial Hall in Freshwater for Freshwater Horticultural Society of these Poppies in Acrylic. I had prepared the canvas with the initial drawing and used texture paste to build some impasto detail in the poppy blooms, some of the leaves and stems.On the night I only managed to achieve an idea of the finished painting as the alotted time was only one hour. I have spent a good number of hours on it since, Saturday 25th November I spent most of the day working on it at a Christmas Fayre where I was exhibiting at the Methodist Church in Freshwater and put the final finishing touches on it this morning, Sunday 26th November. I have now declared it finished and for those who were interested the price for this painting will be £135 (unframed).

Art in the Aquitaine A Holiday with a Difference

The Needles from Headon Warren

Stage 1 As demonstrated to West Wight Painting Circle

Stage 2

Stage 3 

Stage 4

Stage 5 

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9

Stage 10 The finished painting

New Exhibition

Stag Rock, Low Tide

I am exhibiting 40 paintings, many new at Quarr Abbey from Thursday April 6th to Tuesday April 11th from 10.30 to 16.30 daily with free entry. Come along and say hello discuss painting and have a look at the new additions to my portfolio!

Clun Castle The Finished Painting

Clun Castle The Finished Painting

After some more deliberation I decided it did need the Rooks, they give the painting a bit of life and there's something about Rooks, Ravens and Crows that give castle ruins a sense of the Gothic, probably to do with Hollywood and the Hammer House of Horror, but I like it!

Clun Castle Stage V

Clun Castle Stage V

I painted the grasses and flora in the bottom right hand corner using my two haired brush, no this is not an exaggeration I took two hairs from a decorating brush and taped them tightly together to a cocktail stick, made some well wetted paint with painting medium and painted each blade of grass a method which is actually a lot quicker than it sounds. Next was to paint the wild flowers on the hillside, some yellow (Ragwort I think) some white ones and some blue ones (I'm no Botanist).

I put a little more variation of colour on the middle distant trees and the field to the left and signed it thinking I was finished, however having now lived with it for a day have virtually decided to paint in some birds which will constitute the final stage, watch this space!

Clun Castle Stage IV

I have now roughed in the castle's hill and next have to highlight certain areas and finish the bottom right-hand corner with the addition of some dry, pale grasses and finally paint in the wild flowers that cover the hillside.

Sketching and Painting in The Dordogne

An Amazing special offer on this holiday!

2017 Sketching & Painting Holiday near St. Emilion at Le Manoir de Gurson

Week Starting Saturday May 6th

A Watercolour Painted En Plein Aire at Le Chateau de Gurson

Come and join me for a truly memorable sketching and painting holiday in this historic and beautiful region of France, enjoy the relaxing and inspirational haven that is Le Manoir de Gurson. I will do demonstrations and be on hand for much one to one tuition allowing you to make the most of the glorious countryside and picturesque French towns and villages. By way of celebration we are offering this holiday at an  amazing £595 per person as this will be the last one at Le Manoir. For more details please visit and book through   http://www.manoirdegurson.co.uk/art-holiday

View Toward Villefranche de Longchat 

Second Chance Sketching and Painting in Puglia Holiday

Polignano al Mare

The sketching and painting holiday that I am leading with HF Holidays in September 2017 has proved so popular that a second week has been arranged starting May 30th 2017 giving those of you who were disappointed that the September week was fully booked so early the opportunity of booking if you wish to come on this brilliant holiday with HF Holidays and me. We will be based in a luxury hotel in Altamura visiting some fantastic and diverse towns in the region. For more information and to book visit the HF Holidays site.

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/activities/leisure-activities/art-craft/?destination=35

Open Studios Christmas Special

'Snowy'

Don't forget to come and have a look at the Christmas Open Studios exhibition at Tapnell Farm, 'The Cow Company' this Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December. Lots to see and do! I shall be painting a few mates for 'Snowy' so you can see how I do it. I will have my full selection of Christmas and Greetings Cards of my artwork for sale and full listings of all my classes, workshops and painting

holidays available for 2017.

'Into The Farmyard, Widecombe' Final Stage

Here in the final stage I strengthened the lights and darks of the hedges and grass verges, put in the shadows, leafs, suggested some stones and detritus, painted the dappled light in the foreground and finally painted some stronger shadow lines under the roofs of the outbuildings to make them a little more three dimensional. I could have gone on fiddling but this is not a good thing to do so I signed it and called it finished!

Into the Farmyard, Widecombe Stage III

Into The Farmyard, Widecombe Stage III

I have added detailing to the foliage of the trees on both sides of the painting, put in some vegetation around the base of the buildings and indicated the tree trunks on the right. I have also put more work into the hedgerow and grass verge on the left and finally I have done a little more basic work to the track and ground either side. Next I will work up the detail of the foreground and then the highlight which will be the dappled sunlight of the entrance and track.

Short Listed on Jackson's Art Drawing Competition

I have been short listed for the Jackson's art drawing competition and it is now going to public vote on Facebook. If you like my drawing in pen and ink of Great Dixter I would much appreciate your vote! See the link below.

'Great Dixter'

https://www.facebook.com/JacksonsArt/app/535312783221815?app_data=referer_override%3D

Landscape Painting in Artisan Water-mixable Oils

My book has gone to re-print and is now available once again and can be ordered through my web site shop at www.murrayince.com at a special price of only £7.99 + P&P for the first 50. I will of course sign your copy if you like. It contains much information and some step by step demonstrations.

Into the Farmyard, Widecombe Stage II

Into the Farmyard, Widecombe Stage II

I have done a little more work on this painting since it started life as a demonstration at the Isle of Wight Art Club last month. I have worked up the buildings in the farmyard and strengthened some of the surrounding trees. Watch this space for the next stage!

Mount's Bay, Cornwall and Farmyard Entrance, Widecombe Stage I

Mount's Bay, Cornwall

Just off the easel, I think this one is finished but will need to live with it for a little while before I declare it finished, playing about with it at the moment would just be fiddling!

Into the Farmyard, Widecombe (stage I)

I painted the above picture as a demonstration to the lovely Isle of Wight Art Club having already painted an Acrylic grissaille (monochrome underpainting just so that I could see that the composition worked and so that the audience also had an idea of what it might look like when finished. I promised to post each stage here so that they could follow its progress, so more to follow

Freshwater Bay in Oils

Tennyson Down from The 'Military Road'

The three paintings that I have posted here are all in square format, this format suits many scenes and allows you to crop, cutting out unnecessary peripheral detail but equally it is a great format for printing greeting cards which seems to be a very popular choice. This painting uses the old railings as a 'lead in' (no longer there) to the Bay in the distance and Freshwater Bay House, the HF Holidays house which stands overlooking the Bay and the chalk stacks. Stag Rock and Mermaid Rock, Arched Rock used to stand between the two but was sadly claimed by Neptune in 1992.

Stag Rock

This unusual viewpoint for a painting of Stag rock is from just outside one of the caves and is looking

west towards The Needles with the far side of Freshwater Bay visible behind the stack on the top of the cliff at that point stands Fort Redoubt, one of 'Palmerston's Follies'. I enjoyed painting this one and the challenge of making the rocks and pebbles appear to be under the water with the reflections over the top.

Sunlight on the Bay

Clearly visible in this painting are Mermaid and Stag Rock. The challenge for me here was to convey the sparkle of the sunlight on the water. I used the marker buoys as a lead in to the picture.

Isle of Wight Open Studios 2016

Low Tide, Brook Beach

I will be exhibiting with members of the 5 Bells Art Group on Saturday 16th, Sunday 17th and Monday 18th July from 09.30 until 16.30 daily at the Wilberforce Hall, Main Road, Brighstone. There is plenty of parking in the FREE public car park almost opposite. Refreshments will be available and if you can't afford to buy one of my paintings you could have a chance to win one in my raffle (two original oil paintings are the prizes, £1 a ticket). I will also have over 50 different greetings cards of my original paintings on sale. Interested in  joining the 5 Bells? Come along and pick up details about the group and what we do. Also details available for my workshops, painting holidays and one to one lessons.