Course Structure
Atelier Montmiral is a small, independent art school set in a magnificent location in South West France. Situated in the medieval bastide of Castelnau de Montmiral, the school offers a great breadth of facilities for drawing, painting and printmaking. We accommodate a wide level of ability, from the complete beginner wishing to learn about the creative process, to those who want to refresh their knowledge, through to more experienced artists who might choose to work more independently.

The emphasis of all our courses is for students to be able to broaden their creative skills through learning and developing their approach and exploring the variety of techniques and materials the Atelier has on offer.

Whatever your area of interest might be - landscape, townscape, still life, figure or abstract - Atelier Montmiral focuses on the individual and offers a personalized program for all levels of ability in drawing, painting and/or printmaking.

Testimonials
"The art course was terrific and I feel very energised as a result. Very pleased and somewhat astonished at what I was able to achieve. Thanks to you both for your input and help. I was delighted with the whole package. It was like staying with friends" Simon - Civil Servant - Beginner

"I hope that the remaining guests managed to achieve the same sense of personal achievement as I did. Of course I know that there is nothing magic about the hard work that you both put into making everything run so smoothly and your attention to the smallest detail contributes significantly to the overall success of the whole experience. You are both excellent teachers and I envy the way in which you seem to complement one another when giving support and advice.
Every aspect of the week was excellent and I return home energised and more confident about my ability to return to my own work." Jenny - Art Lecturer – Advanced

Atelier Montmiral is a small, independent art school set in a magnificent location in South West France. Situated in the medieval bastide of Castelnau de Montmiral, the school offers an unrivalled breadth of facilities for drawing, painting and printmaking. We accommodate a wide level of ability, from the complete beginner wishing to learn about the creative process, to those who want to refresh their knowledge, through to more experienced artists who might choose to work more independently.

We run general courses in drawing, painting and printmaking all year, although we also offer certain 1 week more specialist courses as detailed below through the year as well. You can find details those below.

Six Day Course:
Day 1: Students arrive afternoon onwards. Introduction to the course and the atelier.
Day 2: Actual start of the course. Identifying students areas of interest, information gathering in the local environment ie. studio, village and landscape
Day 3: Studio based activities/workshops in Drawing, Painting and Printmaking. Developing ideas from resources gathered.
Day 4: Morning session - workshops covering specific process. Afternoon session - free time to explore the local area such as visiting galleries, wine tasting, visiting local chateaus etc..
Day 5: Developing ideas
Day 6: Further development and realisation of ideas in chosen media. End of session discussion and celebration of the weeks work.
Day 7: Farewells and vacation of rooms by midday. For those opting for 2 week courses, a free day and evening.

10 Day Courses:
The ten day option provides a greater opportunity for those who want to take full advantage of the studio, its facilities and workshops on offer to focus on their own areas of interest, and to be able to consolidate ideas and approach over a longer period of studio time.

Pricing in £'s Sterling
Per person	6 days	10 days
Single occupancy (artist) in a twin bedroom en suite	£635	£995
Double occupancy (artist) shared use of twin bedroom en suite	£555	£905
Double occupancy (non-artist partner) shared use of twin bedroom en suite	£370	£615
Daily studio rate £40 per day available to non-resident artists, bookings by arrangement

Accommodation
Originally the ‘Ancienne École' of Castelnau, the atelier occupies a dominant position within the heart of the hilltop village. The building operated as a school for approximately 100 years and closed in the latter part of the 20th century to become a residential property. We have now brought it back to its former glory as a school of Art.

The rooms not only have fantastic views of the surrounding countryside, but also overlook the pretty pantile roofs of the medieval village. The original school courtyard looks out over the Foret de Gresigne, and is the perfect place for breakfast or a cool evening drink after a days work in the studio. The ramparts close by have some of the most spectacular painting spots in the village, and are an ideal place to promenade and watch the swifts and buzzards soaring above....or alternatively play a game of boule!
Your holiday includes:

• French breakfast and a light lunch every day
• Three-course evening meal with wine for four evenings
• A spacious twin bedroom either in the atelier or nearby gite
• Use of sitting/ study room with a well stocked library of art books
• Tea and coffee-making facilities and a fridge for cold drinks
• All art tuition
• Use of studio
• Use of basic materials ie *selected papers, basic drawing, painting and printmaking materials.

We have three twin bedded rooms in the atelier. The rooms are light and airy and are tastefully decorated in typical ‘Maison' style. We also use the comfortable gite and hotel accommodation only a couple of minutes away from the atelier.

Tutor
Your tutors Mick and Bunny Newth are both practising artists who have exhibited widely in the UK, and have undertaken many public commissions both in the UK and abroad. They are both fully qualified, and have many years of professional teaching experience within Secondary, Further and Higher Education.

Mick is a printmaker, and Bunny is a painter. Together they offer a broad provision of creative approaches within a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Location
Castelnau de Montmiral is set high above the rolling hills and vineyards of the Tarn, and is renowned for being one of the most beautiful villages in France. It is ten minutes from the celebrated wine centre of Gaillac, and only forty minutes from the beautiful city of Toulouse . The village is enclosed by ramparts with spectacular views over valleys of vineyards, sunflowers and the glorious Foret de Gresigne. From sunrise to sunset there is a constantly changing light and landscape.

How to Get to Us
We are located in the Tarn area of South West France and are easy to get to with good communication by road, rail and air:

• It is close to main motorway links to Paris and the rest of Europe
• There are rail links from Gaillac to Toulouse and the TGV network
• Toulouse Blagnac airport is only 45 minutes drive, and Rodez and Carcassonne are approximately 90 minutes.