Join me to sketch life in France as it happens in and around this charming wine-making village where I live.   This is the time of the grape harvest – the days are warm and the vineyards are buzzing with activity as local winemakers seize the moment to pick the grapes.   Soak up the atmosphere and fill your sketchbook with images of local views, people, food, old cobbled streets, buildings and markets.  I’ll share ink and watercolour techniques for both beginners and more experienced travel sketchers – loads of fun with line and colour!

Each day we’ll start sketching at 10am, enjoy a local lunch and then finish around 4pm.

You will need a sketchbook suitable for watercolour.  I use a book with cold press 300gsm paper.  My sketch kit includes a 6B pencil, watercolour pencils, watercolours, waterproof ink pens and a small portable folding stool.  If you do not have your own materials a spare kit can be available on loan.

A 50€ discount applies for bookings confirmed before 1 January 2025! 

Workshop prices exclude refreshments, lunch & accommodation.

Where is Quarante?

Quarante is a small historic village not far from the Canal du Midi and located within an area of Occitanie formerly referred to as Languedoc. By car, Quarante is about 30 minutes from Béziers or Narbonne, and approximately an hour from Carcassonne or Montpellier.

I love living in this village. From the minute I moved here (over 14 years ago) I felt it had a warm and friendly character, it combines old fashioned quirks and modern day facilities to have almost everything you need to get from day to day, French style. It’s a working village that remains active all year round. There are various shops and services, schools, a pharmacy, hairdressers, post office, butchers – plus a friendly boulangerie and bustling café of course.  The village, like many of this region, is surrounded by vineyards and the wine-growing culture is deeply rooted in the culture.

From a sketcher’s point of view Quarante is a wonderful place to be. If you wander into the heart of the medieval centre to find the ancient church and the fountain, the cobbled streets are so narrow a vehicle could never pass. Explore a little further and you’ll find charming properties, churches, chapels, stone walls, shutters, rooftops, vineyards and donkeys in fields – if quintessential France is something you want to capture in a sketchbook, you’ll definitely find it here.

Where to Stay

There are several fabulously equipped modern apartments in the centre of the village – please contact me if you would like more information and I can put you in touch with the owners to book directly

• 2 people sharing the small apartment with patio (2 beds)
• 3 adults sharing the larger apartment with terrace (3 beds)

There is also a Bed & Breakfast in Quarante called La Sorga de Vida – this is a Maison de Vigneron style property with high ceilings and many period features in the rooms.  La Sorga de Vida is owned & managed by French couple Genevieve and Alain.  Genevieve is passionate about catering so you can expect some substantial breakfasts!  Evening meals can be prepared by arrangement at additional cost.  There are 3 bedrooms available and prices start from 70€ per night – see reviews and availability on Booking.com.

Booking

The workshop price is 250€ which includes 3 days tuition – this excludes refreshments, meals, transport and accommodation.