French Art School

FRENCH ART SCHOOL 2024

PAINT IN FRANCE WITH JACQUELINE COATES & THE BLOOMS IMPRESSIONIST WORKSHOP

French Art School May 3-13 now sold out

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Friday 11 October- Monday October 21, 2024
(optional bonus time in Paris 10 October)

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Tuesday 30 April – Friday 10 May 2024
(optional night in Paris 29 April)

NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

Paint in France!

Blooms Painting Workshop - France

Paint your own stunning floral masterpieces- in FRANCE!

NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

Open yourself to beauty and art, and learning how to paint your own stunning masterpieces using my Blooms Impressionistic Painting Techniques – in one of the most stunning parts of France, whilst living like a French person in a charming peaceful hamlet and authentic French country villas. (own room and shared bathrooms).

What we paint will depend on what is available seasonally and we create our painting schedule afresh for every French Art School.

There is always plenty of inspiration to choose from to paint up.

Enjoy the spring floral season in France, known for it’s Roses, Peonies, Tulips and Lilacs as well as stunning product from the markets. Dive into divine creativity and the enjoyment art brings.

Best of all, you’ll be taught everything you will need to know to paint beautiful paintings using a range of tools.

Paint alongside me, Jacqueline Coates, in my private art atelier, the Ballroom Studio at L’Hirondelle.  Lots of painting demos to teach and inspire. Lots of support on your own paintings is given.

My characterful charming French villa, once a popular auberge, is now loved by students who come from all over to experience my French Art School since 2016.

I cannot wait to fill the studio with our gorgeous Blooms paintings inspired by the French Impressionists and my contemporary Blooms freestyle techniques for luscious colourful painting results. There is the option to do some en plein air painting in the charming hamlet of La Foret du Temple. You will love this!

Participants have their own rooms and join me to paint each day. Our French chef cooks many of our beautiful meals. Wine and aperitifs are supplied. Unwind and meet lovely like minded others.

Enjoy 8 full days of painting and a day of local touring including the local markets, brocantes, and the tapestry village of Aubusson.

Before the tour starts there is the option to meet in Paris the day before the tour starts for some Paris fun where I give my time and local knowledge as a bonus

Arrive to the spring season and enjoy the luxury, sensuality and colour of stunning blooms, plus beautiful reference to paint from Jacqueline’s French Blooms reference collection including peonies, poppies, irises, roses and the hydrangeas of the Limousin.

ENJOY MY 6 STUNNING BONUSES EXCLUSIVE TO FRENCH ART SCHOOL
WORTH A TOTAL OF $2,330!

Quite apart from the stunning 8 days of painting, own room, French chef who cooks for us, idyllic inspirational location and day of touring and country walks, the collection of paintings you will paint and more, I’ve added these amazing bonuses which adds up to $2,230

Remember there are a maximum of 7 places available. So if you don’t want to miss out, hit up the booking button below and bag your place!

$8,967 per person

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Friday 11 October- Monday October 21, 2024

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Tuesday 30 April – Friday 10 May 2024
(optional night in Paris 29 April)

START AND FINISH IN PARIS, ALL TRANSFERS TO AND FROM FRENCH ART SCHOOL INCLUDED

10 nights and 10 days, with a transfer to Paris morning of Thursday Monday October 21 to arrive 10.30 am at Gare d’Austerlitz train station to make own next travel plans from Paris at the end of the tour.

BONUS 1

BONUS FRENCH ART SCHOOL ONLINE LESSONS PACK VALUED AT $1297 YOURS FOR FREE TO ENJOY AFTER YOUR TOUR
for 12 months access.

Enjoy 10 quick and easy French Impressionist inspired guided video painting sequences recorded at French Art School!

Create a collection from home as a follow up to your French Art School training.

Paint peonies, roses, a bouquet, a lavender field, haybales, and more.

BONUS 2

Set of French Art School painting reference of 100 stunning photos worth $497

BONUS 3

Quite apart from the studio supplied art materials we use to create our studio based work, you also receive a set of travel size paints and brushes and travel size canvases worth $80. You also get usage of a Blooms Travel Paint Box for outdoor painting.

BONUS 4

These are my brand-new French Art School aprons designed especially by me, which are only available to students of French Art School.

French Art School Aprons

You can’t get hold of one unless you are a student of French Art School from 2022 onwards. Limited edition!

They are in pale aqua, in a comfortable canvas cotton, have deep pockets in the front, cross over back with straps, a ring to hold your painting rag, and beautiful embroidery for French Art School with a pink peony. They look and feel great on everyone. One size fits all! Value $89 – yours as a bonus!

BONUS 5

Tour In Paris with Jac for even more painting inspiration! Worth $578

Optional: Get yourself to Paris a day or so before the tour and we can meet up and I’ll show you my inspirational Paris. 

Not included in your tour dates however I am happy to give some of my time for free.

I’m happy to give you my time and recommend a great hotel making meet up easy.

I’ll take you to my favourite florist, along the Seine, to my art shop, an art museum, or wherever else we decide as a group to visit as there is always something new on offer in PARIS! This allows you some time to catch up on jet lag too if you have flown in from another country.

Value for my specialised guided time $578 pp (you don’t need to pay as I’m including this for free) which includes covering my own travel expenses to be there in Paris with you. I’m giving you my time and local knowledge for free!

BONUS 6

Your own set of studio brushes yours to keep worth $121

These are my favourite brushes to use for all stages of the painting suitable for the painting we are doing in the Studio. Take them home to continue your painting journey with!

Full set of paint brushes for French Art School

Total of French Art School bonuses $2,671

Yours at no charge when you book and pay in full and participate in French Art School 2024

‘I slept really well and woke early this morning so I went for a walk from the hamlet. There was a light mist. It was so peaceful And so many birds singing ! I stopped every now and again to breathe in deeply I took pictures of the sheep. And the cows in the field This is my idea of France'
Karen F, Adelaide, South Australia
‘I saw the itinerary and thought ‘that’s me!’, I’m in! Its not a general tour, its niched for those loving beautiful things and art. I wanted to see France through Jac’s eyes having done a workshop with her before.’
Annie, Hunter Valley, NSW

$8,967 per person

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Friday 11 October- Monday October 21, 2024

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Tuesday 30 April – Friday 10 May 2024
(optional night in Paris 29 April)

START AND FINISH IN PARIS, ALL TRANSFERS TO AND FROM FRENCH ART SCHOOL INCLUDED

10 nights and 10 days, with a transfer to Paris morning of Thursday Monday October 21 to arrive 10.30 am at Gare d’Austerlitz train station to make own next travel plans from Paris at the end of the tour.

LIMITED TO MAXIMUM 7 STUDENT PLACES

Learn Colour mixing, mark making, paint handling, and how to take your paintings to a whole new level inspired by French Impressionism and Blooms Freestyle techniques.

Learn Acrylic and Learn Oils!

Learn how to handle paint with my BLOOMS FRANCE IMPRESSIONIST Paint Brush License
Create a series of Portable canvases to post home or carry home.

What’s included?

  • Inc 9 full days and 10 nights accommodation in 1860’s renovated stone French villas
  • own room and shared bathrooms
  • catering breakfasts, refreshments, lunches and dinners, most prepared by our French chef or sourced locally
  • Aperitifs and wine with evening meal
  • Travel to and from French Art School at La Foret du Temple by train and our private chauffeur – total 3 hours of travel
  • Enjoy a day of touring in the Creuse and the Indre regions with Jacqueline and the private chauffeur with all entries covered
  • Full set of brushes and tools you will need supplied as a gift worth $100
  • All of your canvases and paints are supplied
  • Bonus set of 10 French School painting lessons online to do after your tour (1 year subscription included)
  • Canvases, paints and provision of easel and any other materials we may need
  • Tuition, guidance and demos with Jacqueline Coates throughout
  • Ballroom studio access and provision of easels
  • Floral photography session
    En plein air painting sessions
  • Photography session with you and your stunning paintings (please bring your smart phone or camera)
  • Deepen your knowledge and painting confidence. Loosen up and become fluid and productive
  • Get your Blooms France Impressionist Paint Brush Licence
  • Learn Oils and learn Acrylics and how to make a painting from scratch
  • We usually complete 6 paintings
Blooms Painting Workshop - France with Jacqueline Coates
  • Local walks in and around our picturesque hamlet
  • Packing materials supplied for your paintings to travel ( we won’t have time to post them during Blooms France but you can do that from Paris in your own time or simply carry them with you when you fly)

Plus your 3 AWESOME BONUSES VALUED AT $2,230

$8,967 per person

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Friday 11 Oct-Monday Oct 21, 2024

START AND FINISH IN PARIS, ALL TRANSFERS TO AND FROM FRENCH ART SCHOOL INCLUDED

10 nights and 10 days, with a transfer to Paris morning of Monday October 21 to arrive 10.30 am at Gare d’Austerlitz train station to make own next travel plans from Paris at the end of the tour.

Deposit of $2,000 required at time of booking to reserve your place. 

Balance due in payment schedule prior to 22nd MARCH 2023

FAQ'S

What spending money will I need?

We will visit a fab Brocante and you may want a memento to take home such as vintage French linen or a porcelain jug. Last time I bought a stunning pair of metal pheasants for about $80 that are now on the mantelpiece. Allow $30-$100 if that sounds like you! We also visit the food market and a stunning carton and tapestry museum at Aubusson. All your entries are paid.

Where is the workshop held?

The workshop is held at La Foret du Temple in the Creuse region of the Limousin. It’s about 3 hours from Paris by the time you take the train for two hours, and a further 40 minute drive with our chauffeur who will collect us from the train station at Chateauroux to take us to the very pretty La Foret du Temple.

What’s the area like?

It’s a peaceful rural area of undulating hills and forested areas of oak, hazelnuts and chestnuts. There are lots of charming walks to take locally and you will have time to relax as well. The fields are bordered by hedge rows. There are the creamy Charolais cows and the honey tan coloured Limousin cattle. Locally there are wild deer, hedgehogs, falcons, owls, squirrels, and more and the local buildings are made from stone and oak, most with typical French shutters, barns and adjoining fields. There are lots of wildflowers and wild growing produce.

What is the accommodation like?

The two villas where the clients stay are L’Hirondelle and La Tonnellerie. Both are two storey stone homes, typically French with shutters, each with a cellar as well. THe properties have been renovated. Both properties are nearby each other so a short walk. Both are filled with art, have comfy beds and fireplaces. They were built around 1860 but have been updated a great deals since 2016 to 2023.

Each student will have their own bedroom and bathrooms are shared.

Typically, French Art School students create 6 good sized paintings and learn to paint productively, and independently with confidence

I have renovated the accommodations to suit the needs of my students who like character AND comfort!

The houses were built in the time of French impressionism. The well at L’hirondelle is inscribed with 1868. 

Both houses are filled with art and inspiration.

Will I get time off?

Knowing my students they like to paint as much as possible. Knowing my students I know they also need rest time! So, I have built in some rest time, walks in the charming hamlet, lounge time and enjoy our meal times, plus a relaxing day tour. The work we do is very freed up and not intensely detailed so it’s productive and fun. We take the time to enjoy good meals. I encourage free time for walks or lazing with a good art book from my art library.

If you want to slow your pace and take time out, that’s fine because you still have your bonus 10 online art lessons to do when you get home.

Many students come along alone meeting other students and making great friends. There is lots of time for chatting and getting to know each other. I often have students from the USA, CANADA, SPAIN, GERMANY AND THE UK as well as AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND.

How can I keep in contact with home?

You can call landlines in Australia for free from the L’Hirondelle phone. Both villas have free wifi.

Cecily from Norway create these stunning paintings at French Art School. It was her third visit since 2016!

How do I get back to Paris?

The chauffeur will collect everyone at the same time in the minibus and take us to Chateauroux to meet our approx. 8.15am train to Paris arriving approx. 10.22am at Gare D’Austerlitz, Paris. From there you’ll make your own arrangements according to your plans.

I can recommend my fave Paris hotel that all my students have loved. There’s lots to do and see in Paris if you want more time in Paris.

To get to the airport Charles de Gaulle its about 45 minutes by taxi from the train station but it can take half an hour or more to get a taxi if there is a Q and you will have to allow extra time for traffic jams.

$8,967 per person

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Friday 11 Oct-Monday Oct 21, 2024

START AND FINISH IN PARIS, ALL TRANSFERS TO AND FROM FRENCH ART SCHOOL INCLUDED

10 nights and 10 days, with a transfer to Paris morning of Monday October 21 to arrive 10.30 am at Gare d’Austerlitz train station to make own next travel plans from Paris at the end of the tour.

Deposit of $2,000 required at time of booking to reserve your place. 

Balance due in payment schedule prior to 22 MARCH, 2023

What about Covid safety on the tour?

SUPPORTING YOUR SAFETY AWAY FROM HOME

The COVID PANDEMIC was officially declared as over by the WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION chief on May 5, 2023.

Covid and forms of influenza still prevail so we still need to be aware of safety to minimise the risk of contracting it. Ask your doctor what he recommends in terms of vaccinations. At the very least, I have a flu injection every year.

Although we didn’t encounter anyone with Covid during our LA FORET DU TEMPLE FRENCH ART SCHOOL TOURS which included a few days together in Paris from April to June , it’s important to discuss what happens IF there was an issue…

Covid is now in all communities in all countries and in our lives everywhere. We can take precautions in order to enjoy our holiday to the full. I can offer you hospitality to isolate if you were to become ill.

We have several houses for French Art School and only a small group capped at 7 students as a maximum number of guests so lots of personal space and more rooms than we need when I set a small group get together.

A professional chef prepares the food which is plated. Sanitiser gel is included for your use and optional masks supplied. Rooms are ventilated with windows allowing fresh air flow. We are in a quiet rural hamlet for the majority of time.

We do some painting en plein air which is painting out doors.

And we don’t mix with many people other than the group throughout and our visiting chef.

THE SPACE AVAILABLE TO ISOLATE IN COMFORT IF NEED BE

Because we have three houses to access in the event of someone having Covid I can separate the group, and the group can continue painting whilst anyone who tests positive can rest and isolate in lovely surrounds including a garden and rooms with views with food delivered to them. They can even paint or go for walks because its a quiet rural hamlet. I have an excellent art library!

NO NEED TO MISS OUT ON ANY LEARNING

All participants enjoy access to the BONUS 10 lessons pack to do after the tour to continue with the inspiration.If you missed a day or a few days for any reason you will still have be able to enjoy thoroughly prepared and presented with videos and full colour stills French Art School painting lessons.

FULL TRAVEL INSURANCE RECOMMENDED TO COVER ANY OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES IF YOU GET COVID

You will need to cover your own medical costs for any medicine from the pharmacy or doctor for helpful items such as cold and flu caps, throat gargle or throat spray and Panadol or whatever you regard as useful which you could bring with you as a precaution, PCR test or tests ( approx 40 euros each),train transfers different to the tour trains booked for you, and local transport outside of the tour offer to get supplies and manage any aspects that you may or may not need if we require a driver to assist, medicine and/or additional catering for days after the tour if you require it- likely to be minimal costs which can be receipted so you can claim on your insurance if appropriate.

In the event of emergency, we will call a pompier, who in France is a fire brigade unit however they operate as the ambulance service. You will need your travel insurance details available for paperwork.

DEPOSIT

Deposit is only refundable up to 48 hours after receipt of the tour terms and conditions.

Full payment is required 90 days prior to the tour start date. You can cancel up to 90 days before the start of the tour but the deposit will be forfeited.

No cancellation within 90 days of tour start date.

MASKS OR NO MASKS?

Generally there are at present no rules in place for wearing masks indoors or outdoors in France. However, I recommend the wearing of masks in Paris indoors such as in a museum or shopping or in taxis or public transport to reduce risks. Anywhere there are many people it’s a good idea to where a mask and that would be in our Paris time.

In the event that you have a cold please wear a mask to minimise the risk of anyone else catching it.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GET COVID BEFORE THE TOUR & CAN'T JOIN US?

If you have covid within 5 days of the tour commencing, upon the supply of a date stamped PCR test within this time frame and providing the test is positive, you can exchange your tour for the equivalent length of stay in La Foret du Temple during the month of August (this can also be carried over to the following year).

This offer of time painting with Jacqueline during the August French Summer School time does not follow the same tour listing and inclusions. It includes supervised painting tuition and some independent time, some local touring and some chef prepared meals along with meals provided by Jacqueline as it is outside your time but is also a lovely time to be at La Foret du Temple working at a relaxed pace.

If you prefer, you can exchange the value of the tour that has been paid for, for the same value of Blooms Online Programs and training so you don’t have to wait for another tour set of dates and continue your learning and painting experience from home!

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TEACHER GETS COVID DURING THE TOUR?

We would discuss this as a group and ascertain the duration of the isolation.

I would be able to demo from a separated ventilated space with live tuition on video and review work

Alternatively I have detailed videos which can be run in the studio space while the students paint with zoom support and camera assistance from an assistant.
At the end of the isolation (likely to be a few days and then confirmed by clearance) full in person teaching can resume.

It's wonderful to get back into travel and we can do it if we plan to do it safely and have a plan in place that offers you support and value.

Any questions please email jacquelinecoates1@gmail.com

$8,967 per person

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Friday 11 October- Monday October 21, 2024

NEW DATES AVAILABLE!
Tuesday 30 April – Friday 10 May 2024
(optional night in Paris 29 April)

START AND FINISH IN PARIS, ALL TRANSFERS TO AND FROM FRENCH ART SCHOOL INCLUDED

10 nights and 10 days, with a transfer to Paris morning of Monday October 21 to arrive 10.30 am at Gare d’Austerlitz train station to make own next travel plans from Paris at the end of the tour.

Deposit of $2,000 required at time of booking to reserve your place. 

Balance due in payment schedule prior to 22nd MARCH, 2023

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