Update: The course is currently full.
My wife and I have organized a plein air painting course in France for August, 2024.
The dates are the 24th of August to the 1st of September and the location is the Château de Bouthonvilliers in Dangeau. It’s an hour and a half from Paris.
The course is limited to 12 students and we will supply all the materials you need to work with: Paints, brushes, panels, an easel, palette, cups, medium and solvent.
The course is open to all levels. My wife, Tina Orsolic Dalessio, will be teaching too and she will be able to give extra attention to beginning students.
The price for a single room with a shared bathroom is $3500 USD, and the price for a single room with an en suite bathroom is $4800 USD.
The price includes all meals and drinks, local transportation, six hours a day of instruction, and the aforementioned materials. A 50% deposit will be required by January 30th, with the balance payable before the course starts. Normally we have a waiting list and cancellations will be reimbursed provided we can find a replacement.
We ask that you have travel insurance for the duration of the course.
For those that have taken previous courses, Aengus will be cooking for us again.
If you would like to reserve a spot, please please email me at marcdalessio@gmail.com.
For those that can’t make it, I have painting demos from past courses on my YouTube channel here.
I’ll add the materials list here, since people often ask for it. For the August 2024 course these materials will be supplied.
Oil Colors:
- Titanium white.
- Cadmium yellow light (not Lemon)
- Cadmium yellow medium
- Cadmium orange
- Yellow ocher
- A light cadmium red or vermilion
- Cadmium red medium
- Cerulean blue
- Ultramarine blue (Old Holland ultramarine deep is essential).
- Cobalt blue (manganese blue if it’s a tropical location).
For most colors, I use Williamsburg, for blues I prefer Old Holland. Most titanium whites are fine.
The only important one is Old Holland’s ultramarine deep.
Medium:
- I use a balsam/sun-thickened oil medium, Zecchi sells it in Europe, Blue Ridge was selling it in the US. Bring anything you’re comfortable with.
- Turpentine, Gamsol, or mineral spirits. I use lavender essence AKA spike oil these days.
Other stuff:
- Portable easel.
- Support: 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in.) or larger prepared wood panels or primed linen canvas.
- A palette, preferably folding for keeping paint off of your transportation.
- Palette cups for turpentine and medium.
- Palette knives.
- A selection of brushes. I use Cornelissen series 44 bristle brushes (sizes 3 to 8) and small Zecchi sables (sizes 0 to 5).
- Hat, sunscreen, waterproof clothes, a clip-on umbrella, and bug spray.
And, for people traveling to take one of my courses, here is a video with some thoughts on flying with oil painting equipment: