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 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.

One Week Course:
Day 1: Students arrive afternoon onwards. Introduction to the course and the atelier.
Day 2: 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 or optional activity such as a gallery visit, wine tasting in local chateau etc..
Day 5: as DAY 4
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.

Two Week Courses:
The second week provides a great 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. This is a personal programme of study with guidance and one to one tuition, if and when needed. There is also an emphasis on technical and creative development which might include more advanced approaches such as:

For those wishing to focus on a particular area of practice, we offer several more specialist courses. Please look at the timetable of all our courses to check availability.

Specialist Courses 2008

• General Course (25-31 May, 9-15 September, 23-29 October)
• Painting Landscape (17-23 July) - A figurative or abstract approach to painting, experimenting with acrylics, and other water based media. Using landscape as a starting point.
• Colour & Paint (24-30 September) - A focus on the use and exploration of colour. An expressive approach to using a variety of acrylic and water based media.
• Printmaking (19-25/29 August) - Exploration of print methods such as etching, monoprinting, screenprinting and lino. Learning to create a handmade book from a series of imagery through a variety of media.
• Mixed Media (10th - 16th June, 31 July-6/10 August, 7-13/17 October) - Lively and challenging investigation of image making, combining a rich variety of media including painting, collage and printmaking.

Courses with a specific focus can be flexible ie. a painting course can accommodate those wishing to do printmaking and vice versa. If you find that your own timetable/requirements do not fit in to our programme, please bear in mind that we can be flexible to accommodate your personal needs.

Pricing
Per person	1 week	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 with en-suite bath/shower room
• 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/double rooms all with ensuite shower or bathrooms and central heating if and when needed. The rooms are light and airy and are tastefully decorated in typical ‘Maison' style. Alternative gite/chambre d'hote accommodation can be arranged within or close to the village.

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.