French Painting Holidays
Celebrating the Essence of French Impressionism
At French Painting Holidays, we offer plein-air painting retreats in the Loire Valley, France—an experience that sparks your artistic spirit and creates lasting memories.
During your seven-night retreat, you'll have daily art tuition (six days) and the chance to learn, create, and connect with fellow artists in a friendly, relaxed, and informative environment. Your friendly hosts, Bret and Kathryn, are English-speaking and dedicated to making you feel at home throughout your stay.
Imagine waking up to the sounds of the countryside, painting in historic villages, vineyards, and near châteaux, and then coming back to traditional farmhouses to relax.
Our fully renovated 200-year-old stone farm buildings surround a large courtyard. You will stay in the Barn House and Studio, which offer five bedrooms with stunning stone walls and large beams, three bathrooms, a spacious studio with a library of art books, a welcoming kitchen and salon, and a private courtyard.
Relax in the Farmhouse with its spacious formal lounge,
elegant dining room, and a large bathroom complete with a bath.
You'll find the perfect setting to unwind and enjoy your stay.
Enjoy fresh, home-cooked meals made with local produce under the portico, with a bottle of wine you select from the cellar, sharing laughter and great conversation with fellow art lovers.
Nurture your talent and create art in one of Europe's most enchanting settings,
The Loire Valley is often called the Garden of France.
Extend your painting journey in the medieval town of Chinon, located in the Loire Valley, with a stay
at La Maison des Artistes, our dedicated artist residence, which offers a distinct setting
for further inspiration and creative exploration.
Join us for an unforgettable artistic journey!
Impressionism
Impressionism is an art movement that began in France during the late 19th century. It is characterised by a focus on capturing fleeting moments, often using visible brushstrokes, vibrant colours, and a study of light and its changing qualities. Rather than painting in a studio, impressionists found that they could better capture the momentary effects of sunlight by working quickly outdoors (en plein air). This approach led to a heightened awareness of light, colour, and the shifting patterns of the natural scene. Their brushwork became rapid and fragmented, using separate dabs to depict the transient quality of light.
In our Painting Studio, we will provide tutorials developed by the impressionists on the use of colour and tonal qualities, along with instruction on light and brushstrokes. In the afternoons, we will practice painting en plein air to capture light in our chosen subjects. The following morning, studio sessions will continue to focus on impressionistic techniques and the application of colour and composition to help you develop your individual style.
Your Stay
Included
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Enjoy 7 nights' Boutique Accommodation, including transfers to and from Chinon Train Station. You will have your own room. We offer two Queen Rooms with en-suites and three Queen Rooms that share two bathrooms.
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Participate in 6 days of guided oil painting tuition with excursions to memorable locations
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French Painting Holidays will supply all painting materials, along with a complimentary apron
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All meals are included (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), table d'hotes meaning served at our family table, with wine served during dinner
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A self-service laundry facility is available
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€3500 per person with own bedroom
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€5,000 for a couple sharing a bedroom, including tuition for both.
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€4376 for a couple sharing a bedroom, including tuition and outings for one. (Please note we welcome your partner, but may not have room to take them out, as guest artists take precedence)
Important Notes
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If you need your own bathroom, please book early.
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Please be aware that, like most traditional accommodations in France, there are stairs.
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We have two en-suite bedrooms, one on the ground floor and one upstairs.
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Guests should be able to carry their easels and navigate uneven ground, including cobblestones and small uphill rises, unassisted during outings.
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You are welcome to arrive by rental car.
Free Time
We offer many relaxing spaces. Unwind in the farmhouse's formal lounge, the quaint barn house lounge, or immerse yourself in the studio library’s collection of art books. Enjoy the serenity of the courtyards, relax under the portique or discover the peaceful country lanes of the hamlet. Play a friendly game of pétanque, or let your creativity flow in the studio as you work on your own painting storyboard.
Excluded
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Flights or travel to Chinon Train Station
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Travel insurance
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Alcoholic beverages or additional drinks on outings
About the Painting Holiday
Tutor: Bret Gibson
Location: Nouzilly, Chalais - Loire, France
The Painting Holidays cater for beginner artists in a relaxed, friendly, fun environment.
Experienced artists are welcome.
The Painting Studio and accommodation are in the hamlet of Nouzilly, set within a group of traditional French farm buildings surrounding an enclosed central courtyard. We have renovated the farm buildings with loving care for the painting holidays.
Each painting course runs for six days. To ensure that each individual receives one-to-one tuition, we limit the number of painting guests to six. At French Painting Holidays, we believe solo travel should be an upgrade, not a compromise. That’s why our Loire Valley retreats have no single supplement fee.
The Painting Course delivers a mixture of studio tuition and painting excursions to local scenes -
a 14th-century windmill, the local villages of Montsoreau, Chinon, Richelieu and d'Azay-le-Rideau.
Painting Holidays are held during the summer, from May to October
The painting course is designed to encourage guests to discover and express their own
personal creative spirit using the French Impressionist style.
The course begins with tuition in the basics of painting in the Impressionist style using simple subjects, and progresses in easy steps toward more complex work.
The guests are shown how to mix all the Impressionist colours using three primary pigment colours and
white. After these basics have been delivered and practised, the class is taken on an excursion to nearby
locations where the tuition is put into practice, under the watchful eye and guidance of the
tutor.
The course is structured so that the previous day's experience is consolidated the following morning back in the studio.
At the end of the 6-day course, each student will have completed five to six paintings.
Typical Day (excursions may change due to weather; we will choose the best location for our guests' comfort)
Breakfast 8.00 - 9.00
Tuition 9.00 - 12.00 with a break for light refreshments
Lunch 12.00 - 1.00
Painting Excursion 1.00 - 4.00 with a break for light refreshments
Free time
Dinner 7.00 traditional French cuisine in the regional style
Free time
Day 1: Arrival
Participants arrive from 4 pm and settle in. Welcome by hosts Bret and Kathryn.
7 pm Dinner
Social gathering after Dinner. Meet and greet.
Day 2: Nouzilly Windmill
Morning: Meet in the Studio
Share aspirations and expectations
Supply and demonstration of equipment and materials
Technique demonstration on using oil paints. Introduction to the Impressionist Colour Palette with Mixing Demonstration.
Drawing demonstration using charcoal sticks, followed by composition, perspective, and the horizon line.
Afternoon: Excursion to a 14th-century local windmill and its surrounding landscape. Guests then proceed with their first painting.
Day 3: Richelieu Water Lilies
Morning: Drawing: Demonstration; charcoal composition, form, shadows, followed by colour mixing demonstration
Afternoon: Drive to Richelieu to paint waterlilies in the grand park of Cardinal Richelieu's former chateau, applying composition, colour and tonality. (pastoral scenes - if the waterlillies have finished)
Day 4: Montsoreau Scenes of the Loire River
Morning: Drawing: Demonstration of composition and perspective, followed by the Impressionist colour palette with a mixing demonstration and the technique of painting water scenes and reflections.
Afternoon: Excursion: Drive to Montsoreau to paint scenes of the Loire River.
Day 5: d'Azay-le-Rideau Landscapes and Water Reflections
Morning: Demonstration on Impressionist colour, composition and content and how to paint country buildings and reflections on water.
Afternoon: Excursion: Drive to Azay-le-Rideau. Painting around this area.
Day 6: Chinon Streetscapes
Morning: Drawing demonstration on perspective and horizon lines, followed by the Impressionist colour palette with a mixing demonstration with the use of light and shadows
Afternoon: Excursion: Drive to this Historic Village to paint streetscapes.
Day 7: Day in the Studio - paint as you wish
Finish paintings in the studio, with further instruction as needed.
Evening: Assemble all paintings on the guests' studio storyboards, critique and select the strongest painting for the class display, and discuss over a glass of champagne and aperitifs.
Celebration Dinner in the formal dining room.
Day 8: Morning: Departure after breakfast
Guests delivered to the Chinon Train Station
or to our residence, La Maison des Artistes Chinon, to continue their Loire experience.
Terms & Conditions/Privacy Statement
2027 Seasonal Calendar
To ensure an exceptional property standard, dedicated workshop space, and personalised attention, we operate on a highly exclusive, alternate-week schedule from May to October. Stays are structured as 7-night experiences running strictly from Sunday to Sunday.
Due to our limited 12 seasonal openings with only six painting guests, we are currently accepting entries for our 2027 Priority
How to Secure Your Placement:
Select your preferred Retreat Week from the schedule below.
Complete your guest profile details.
Your requested week will be placed on an Administrative Hold in our master calendar, and you will receive a priority confirmation number via email. No payment or deposit is required at this stage.
Retreat # Arrival Date (Sunday) Departure Date (Sunday) Status for Pre-Registration
Retreat 1 May 2, 2027 May 9, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 2 May 16, 2027 May 23, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 3 May 30, 2027 June 6, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 4 June 13, 2027 June 20, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 5 June 27, 2027 July 4, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 6 July 11, 2027 July 18, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 7 July 25, 2027 August 1, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 8 August 8, 2027 August 15, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 9 August 22, 2027 August 29, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 10 September 5, 2027 September 12, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 11 September 19, 2027 September 26, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 12 October 3, 2027 October 10, 2027 Open for Priority Hold
About the Painting Course
2028 Seasonal Calendar
Retreat # Arrival Date (Sunday) Departure Date (Sunday) Status for Pre-Registration
Retreat 1 May 7, 2028 May 14, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 2 May 21, 2028 May 28, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 3 June 4, 2028 June 11, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 4 June 18, 2028 June 25, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 5 July 2, 2028 July 9, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 6 July 16, 2028 July 23, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 7 July 30, 2028 August 6, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 8 August 13, 2028 August 20, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 9 August 27, 2028 September 3, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 10 September 10, 2028 September 17, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 11 September 24, 2028 October 1, 2028 Open for Priority Hold
Retreat 12 October 8, 2028 October 15, 2028 Open for Priority Hold