Please join us for...
THE ARTIST'S PARIS:
A Sketchbook and Art History Exploration
May 6-13, 2011
Experience Paris from an artist's perspective!
Join us for a stimulating week of looking, learning, and drawing. We'll engage your intellect, your intuition, and all of your senses as we explore the streets and museums of Paris - and record these experiences in travel sketchbooks.
Our 2008 and 2010 trips were a huge success. Here are a few comments:
"Magical."
"Truly wonderful."
"Susan's lectures brought all my art history courses to life."
"Filled with insights into the lesser known, parts of Paris culture."
"I'll remember this trip for the rest of my life."
What's special about this trip
- Painter Susan Abbott is a teacher par excellence. She has traveled widely and taught drawing and painting extensively. This workshop will integrate visual inspiration, art history, and personal experience.
- Using the city's fantastic museums as our classroom, we'll look at specific paintings together to learn about the artist, the time, and the craft. We'll follow the flow of French painting sequentially, from Watteau to contemporary artists.
- In addition to guided museum visits, each day will include structured sketchbook activities designed to engage your senses and help you focus on important details. Susan will keep you focused on using drawing, writing, collage and color to create a unique record of your Paris adventure. This visual travel journal will be your personal artistic exploration of the city that has inspired so many painters and writers.
- Those without art experience are welcome, but because we'll be busy exploring Paris, Susan will be unable to provide basic drawing instruction. Her workshop, “Traveling with Your Sketchbook,” is available prior to the trip.
Sample Day
9 am - noon: Fortified by croissants and café au lait, we'll spend the morning on foot in the Marais. We'll view spectacular architecture, and visit two small, exquisite museums: the Musée Carnavalet, and Musée Victor Hugo.
noon - 1:30 pm: Lunch on your own or in small groups in the Marais. We'll point out our favorite spots.
1:30 - 5 pm: We'll spend the afternoon in the Marais – discovering hidden back streets, and with free for shopping and a sketchbook activity.
5 - 8 pm: Meet at 5:00 at Centre Pompidou to learn about cubism, surrealism, and other modern art movements in French painting. Susan will guide us through the museum's vast collection.
8 - 10 pm: Reflect on the day's adventures over dinner with a colleague. There is an excellent crêperie near the museum, and we'll suggest other possibilities.
TRIP LEADERS
Susan Abbott graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, and received her MFA from the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute. She went on to study intaglio print making in the graduate department of the University of Iowa under Mauricio Lasansky. She has traveled extensively, painting in Mexico, Central America and Europe. Her watercolor and oil paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museum shows in New York, Chicago, Washington, and many other cities. Her work is represented in numerous private and corporate collections in the US and abroad. She can't imagine traveling without her sketchbook. See samples of Susan's work and her travel sketchbooks at www.susanabbott.com.
Karen Kane owns Paris by Design, a travel consulting service that specializes in fantastic trips to Paris. Karen will work with you to personalize the independent time in your itinerary, giving you the inside scoop on where to eat, shop, stroll, and view art. She'll point out Paris gems you would have missed on your own, she'll help you understand the finer points of French culture, and she'll teach you how to navigate the city like a native.
