On the evening of Day 4 the castle chef had the night off, so we had dinner at a beautiful riverside restaurant in Creyssac. On the way home I noticed a stunning view across the field, so we painted there the next morning, on Day 5. It was one of my favorite locations.

There were also some non-painters in the group who chose to go to Riberac Market that morning. Here are some photos from that location:

On Day 6 we started the morning painting a simple countryside scene at the foot of the drive heading up to the castle. It was an absolutely beautiful morning to be painting outdoors. I showed participants some tips and tricks for loosening up and painting fresh and free in watercolor. Everyone loved the simplicity of painting just countryside (see my notes on painting in Switzerland next summer!).

(I love the French countryside so much! Jeff and I also set up our easels along the roadside one morning before the workshop began. This is my little painting overlooking the walnut groves near Montgrier.)

We spent the afternoon traipsing around Perigeux, the largest city in the region. It was pouring rain, so we took refuge in a beautiful cathedral and didn't get to paint. But the city was inspiring and I will definitely be back.

Then it was back to the castle for a final critique of each day's work, one last meal in the big dining room, and one more royal sleep in our posh rooms.

Only a handful of those who joined me on this adventure were already my students and good friends, while the majority I was meeting here at the castle for the first time. But here's the castle's (and the group's) real magic: We may have started out as strangers, but we left as treasured friends.

Our first outing was to the lovely town of Bourdeilles. After our painting session we had lunch at a local restaurant, toured the castle at Bourdeilles, then returned to the castle where we were staying.

The next day we went to another lovely town: Brantome (called the Venice of France). It rained our whole way there, and then magically lifted as soon as we found our spot to point. This was a town I definitely could have spent another afternoon! We ate lunch in a beautiful restaurant, then toured the abbey and caves before heading back to the castle. 

Our third day out was filled with multiple adventures. It rained in the morning, so I taught an impromptu lesson in the salon of the castle, then we toured the Grotte de Villars caves, complete with prehistoric paintings, visited some 11th century abbey ruins, where there was a potential painting lurking around every corner, and had lunch in the picturesque town of St Jean de Cole. (Yes, the sky really was that blue!)

​When we went back to the castle I led everyone through an abstract exercise using water-soluble graphite, painting from memory some of the rhythms, colors and textures we saw in the caves, where no photographs were allowed. At the caves I also saw examples of some of the minerals found in the caves, many of which are in my personally curated France/Europe palette, underscoring my belief that using mineral pigments adds additional authenticity to your landscapes. (Tiger's Eye, Amethyst, and Amazonite and Bronzite, to name just a few.)