Bienvenue! Welcome!
Join us at the end of summer 2024 for a unique retreat in the south of Provence with the amazing artist Helen Dardik! A few days of exploring, discovering, creating and tasting Provence. You will visit the historic towns and typical markets, take a tour of our gorgeous islands, participate in painting classes with Helen and much more. We will make sure that your experience in Provence will be one you remember forever!
Helen Dardik is a professional illustrator, painter and a surface pattern designer based in Canada. Vibrant, folksy, playful toomuchery is a perfect way to describe her style. Working often in watercolour, acryla gouache, ink and vector she’s not a stranger to bold colours and whimsical themes. If you love colour, enjoy a little fantasy and want to see joy on paper - you got the right person. Life is short and Helen is determined to make hers into the most creative and joyful experience.
You will explore Provence with Helen, as well as your local hosts and guides Maria and Mathieu.
Activities will include:
• Participate in workshops with Helen and develop your unique creative skills
• Enjoy daily delicious meals prepared with fresh products and care by chef Mathieu and Maria
• Take strolls around unbeaten paths in the beautiful nature of Provence through the hills overlooking the old town
• Visit the littoral, the islands, and its breath-taking creeks
• We will take you through the alleys of the historic center of Hyères, this magic city where numerous writers and painters have come to find inspiration since the dawn of time. Artists such as Edith Warton, RL Stevenson, Noailles, Picasso, and Jean Cocteau amongst others, contributed in their time to shaping the rich art heritage of Hyères
• Visit our coloured markets, discover and taste Provençal specialties
• 6 Nights / 5 Days
• 8 to 10 participants
• We ask for a 30% non-refundable deposit of full booking upon reservation and the remaining at the latest on February 9th 2024
What is included?
• 6 nights accommodation
• 6 gourmet dinners & wine
• Daily delicious breakfasts and lunches or picnic
• Cooking & Baking workshops
• Visits, including transportation
• Aperitifs and snacks
Not included
• Airfares to France
• Airport & train station transfer to the villa
• MANDATORY travel insurance (participants should suscribe to a travel insurance that covers the balance paid to Simple Life in Provence and book “flexible” flight tickets with cancellation options)
It doesn’t matter if you are at the very beginning of your art journey or a seasoned artist - we are going to make beautiful things together!
We will be using watercolours, gouache and acryla gouache and focusing on variety of techniques. We’ll paint from nature and from within and learn how to see what’s there and what could be there. If you love colour, nature and a bit of whim - you are going to have a wonderful time.
Session 1: An introduction! Here we are in a beautiful place about to make beautiful things! Workshopping begins. We review and familiarize ourself with all the materials. A presentation on how to use them most effectively follows. Introduction to several techniques that we’ll be using and a painting session where flowers are both a subject and an inspiration. Composition and colour… contrast and light… we begin.
Session 2: This would be the day dedicated to exploration of ones style. Finding within yourself the innate uniqueness and shaping it into a recognizable style. Colour combinations that work best. Compositions that are easy on the eyes and library of shapes in the Rolodex of the mind. Looseness vs precision. Breathy vs toomuchery. Possibly a character or two might sneak in. What makes your soul sing?
Session 3: Now that the colour and style has been explored and we are getting a bit more comfortable with the techniques - lets do a monochrome! Let’s choose a colour and use all of its shades to create. It cold be blue, red, green, browns or even black. This day we envision and sketch first. We use our imagination and en external inspiration that beautiful Provence nature provides. This is a good day to dream up a whimsical scene and dip into a bit of magic.
Session 4: A day to make a garden mobile. You will be provided 3 wooden shapes. Birds, faces, animals and of course - Flowers. Every shape has two sides and two holes. We’ll sketch out ideas. Watch a presentation on how to gesso and paint yours. Paint away!
Session 5: This day is dedicated to a final painting presentation, followed by finishing up all the pieces that need to be finished and working on the favourite ones. A bonus show and tell on how to turn unsuccessful pieces into something new.
Friday
3:00 pm: Check-in and welcome aperitif
7:00 pm: Welcome Provençal dinner
Saturday
8:00 am: Delicious breakfast
9:00 am: Visit a typical Provence market, take a stroll through Hyères famous "remarkable" garden
1:00 pm: Lunch at the villa
3:00 pm: Workshop with Helen
7:00 pm: Spring buffet at the villa
Sunday
9:00 am: Delicious breakfast
10:00 am: Workshop with Helen
1:00 pm: Lunch at the villa
2:30 pm: Workshop with Helen
6:00 pm: Dinner Picnic at the renowned Almanarre beach
Monday
8:00 am: Delicious breakfast
9:00 am: Boat ride to Porquerolles. Visit of the island and the village
1:00 pm: Picnic at the “silver beach”
2:00 pm: Hop around the different bays and coves of the islands, swim, relax time
5:00 pm: Boat ride back to Hyères. Down time at the villa
7:00 pm: Spring provençal dinner
Tuesday
9:00 am: Delicious breakfast
10:00 am: Workshop with Helen
1:00 pm: Lunch at the villa
4:00 pm: Wine tasting and vineyard tour
7:00 pm: Spring provençal dinner
Wednesday
8:00 am: Delicious breakfast
9:00 am: Provençal cooking workshop with the ladies from the village
12:00 pm: Lunch all together; enjoy the typical dishes we made together
2:30 pm: Workshop with Helen
7:00 pm: Aperitif with mini exhibition of the week’s work then dinner prepared by the chef
Thursday
9:00 am: Delicious breakfast and chill time
11:00 am: Check out and goodbyes
Depending on weather, activities might be switched around
