I hope very much you can join me  on one of my courses and enjoy painting in Spring in sunny MOROCCO or SICILY, or perhaps later on in May/June in TUSCANY. In the summer there are also two courses nearer to home in DEVON and SCOTLAND.

If you are interested in the courses in Morocco or Sicily, please let me know as soon as you can. NB. flights to Morocco/Ouarzazate are at an all time low and I recommend to book asap! To be sure of securing one of the last places available, you can also give me a quick call. Telephone: 0044 - (0)207 609 0843 Mobile: 0044 - (0)7960 086 104

For more details about all courses visit my website, where you can view more pictures, download brochures with prices and booking forms or browse through my new Gallery. My website address is: http://www.art-holidays.com/

You might also like to know, that I am taking part in an exhibition in Cologne in Germany, opening on the 3rd February 2012 at GALERIE PAMME-VOGELSANG. Please contact me if you like details.

With the end of 2011 and the beginning of the New Year, another season of painting holidays is approaching fast. But before I dash ahead for more painting adventures, I like to cast a last glance back to the happy days of travelling and painting in 2011.

As always we had a fantastic time painting in MOROCCO in March, where our host and guide Ali Mouni organized beautiful painting trips. Ali had become a father for the third time and we were all invited to share a meal with his family.  Celebrations out of the way, we set to work in earnest and painted the ‘golden’ desert dunes surrounding the Nomad Palace, old villages and lush palmeries, jade-green valleys in the Dades Gorge and the Nomad Palace. There were camels, lovingly arranged to be our models and local men in traditional dress appeared casually and were eagerly sketched by us. On the journey back we were awed by the view of the snow covered peaks of the Atlas Mountains in the distance.

SICILY in April and the brilliant Sicilian sun provided us with rich colours, reflected in the enormous terracotta olive vessels seemingly ‘growing’ on the terraces of the Fattoria Mose. There was lots to choose from: archways overhung by flowering Wisteria, gates with peep through effects, fields full of wild flowers, intimate corners with old stable doors, the glorious temples at the ‘Valley Of The Temples’ near Agrigento with the azure blue sea beyond. The sister of our hostess Chiara Agnello, Simonetta Hornby, had published another book about their childhood in Sicily, featuring Chiara’s culinary secrets. The recipes have been passed on from generation to generation and we were lucky enough to taste Chiara’s Sicilian home cooking.

Later on in May at Peralta in TUSCANY the uninterrupted blue skies during daytime were matched by the warm evenings spent dining on the terrace with fireflies for lamplight. The sunlight, clear and crisp, cast deep shadows across the old stone walls, pots and gardens. Our first painting outing to the hill top village of Torcigliano was great fun. Next day in Pietrasanta, we were able to sketch and paint medieval architecture, street scenes and people. One evening our hostess Dinah Voison invited us for drinks in the sculpture room and old studios of the former owner of Peralta and famous sculptress Fiore de Henriquez. Her work was truly inspiring!

The sunny weather in TUSCANY in late May made the mountain village of Cotto look as paintable as ever and brought out vibrant green colours on hills and mountains, while nurturing an unusual amount of colourful flowers and butterflies. Some low clouds passed soon and we were able to enjoy the swimming pool and painting around Cotto, the nearby old market town and the medieval  castle Verrucola. On our outing to Lucca we enjoyed mixing the pleasure of sketching or painting with light shopping and sightseeing. The fabulous meal in the old ’ Il Gardinetto’ in Fivizzano was a great way to finish the week, surrounded by an extraordinary collection of modern paintings and old masters collected by Peppino, the owner of the hotel.

I arrived on a sunny day in the SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS in June. The majestic Torridon Hills seen across the water from the small village of Achintraid showed themselves in the best possible light and we could hardly wait to start painting by the side of picturesque Loch Kishorn. We made an amazing excursion across the high mountain pass to the secluded cliffs beyond the village of Applecross. An outstanding location, on whose rugged shores I have spotted Sea Otters eating freshly caught fish. Splendid painting trips and culinary treats complemented a highly creative week with a last night of sea-food, haggis and pipes.

My visits to Coombe Farm Studios, DEVON marked the end of the year's painting holidays. We spent time painting flowers in the studio, landscapes around Coombe Farm, the breathtaking garden of sculptress Jilly Sutton and the romantic Mill Creek. Newly discovered, the dovecotes at the back of the old buildings proved an absolute success. Everybody enjoyed painting there while the doves were coming and going or sitting by their little entrances modelling for us. In August I was invited by Paul and Tina Riley at Coombe Farm to a special dinner, where I met Sir Peter Blake, the famous English pop artist. His work was on show at the Riley's Gallery in Dartmouth and also in the Gallery at Coombe Farm Studios together with some of my paintings. Leaving Devon was made slightly easier this time by the prospect of a visit to Germany and exciting art projects ahead.

‘MAIL ART ‘ (Post RAY JOHNSON), the first EXHIBITION I participated in, took place in October at Marylebone’s A&D Gallery in London, inspired by the work of New York artist Ray Johnston and in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. This was followed by the EXHIBITION 'Internationale Des Monstres'Galerie Espace, at Galerie Espace in MONTREAL, CANADA in late October, where I contributed watercolours. An invitation in September by my colleague Sally Child took me to the seaside town of  Walton On The Naze where we filmed my PERFORMANCE (balancing on a Groyne!) for ‘THE GROYNE GALLERY’. My visit to Germany led me into another venture of film making and resulted in two more SHORT FILMS. In March the ‘LEISURE PAINTER’ magazine published my three page illustrated article ‘FRESH & WILD’, A ROUGH GUIDE TO VIBRANT WATERCOLOURS –even on a dull day, and later in June, the magazine featured my TUSCANY holiday courses as their “Holiday of the Month”.

All in all it was a wonderful season and a great pleasure to meet up with so many familiar faces and making so many new friends. I hope very much you can join me again for another expedition into the exciting world of paintbrush and easel and wish you a very happy and creative New Year

Bettina Schroeder

MONSTERS INTERNATIONAL

Online Gallery: Original artwork by Monsters International artists including BETTINA SCHROEDER is available for only $100 a piece. Have a look at our online gallery here: http://monstersinternational.blogspot.com/p/nos-produits-products.html

Chose your pieces and put your order through by emailing us at monstersonpaper@gmail.com. These make great gifts, for yourself and others. 

Thank you for your support, Bettina.

Monsters International is a not for profit initiative based in Montreal.

Art Book: Copies of the Monsters International Art Book 2011 are also available. This limited edition, bounded book contains full page colour reproductions of all the artwork included in the show. It also has texts in French and English, a map of participating artists and other interesting tidbits. To order, just send a quick email to Monsters International: monstersonpaper@gmail.com

EXHIBITION  
'Internationale Des Monstres'

Galerie Espace, MONTREAL, CANADA
26th Oct. - 1st Nov. 2011
with Bettina Schroeder and artists from around the world

Galerie Espace
4844, Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal
Quebec H2T 1R5
CANADA
 
Telephone : 514.284.6720
for details and catalogue email: info@galerie-espace.ca
or contact Bettina directly

The Ham and High newspaper in London reports:

"This is Frieze week, when Regent’s Park once again plays host to the major players of the art world – prestigious private galleries and artists deemed by the fair’s organisers to be of-the-moment. Half a mile or so from this mecca to art as big business is Marylebone’s A&D Gallery, described by co-partner Daniel Brant as “complementary to Frieze, the other end of art: a small gallery selling small pictures”. The exhibits currently on display are tiny even by his standards, as their common denominator is that all have travelled by post."

I N V I T A T I O N

You are invited to an exhibition of MAIL ART (Post RAY JOHNSON*)
inspired by the work of New York artist Ray Johnston and in aid
of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

PRIVATE VIEW TUESDAY 11th OCTOBER 6.30-9.30
A&D GALLERY
51 CHILTERN STREET
LONDON W1U 6LY UK

Tube: Baker Street
Tel: 0044 (0)207 4860534 Email: info@aanddgallery.com
Web: http://aanddgallery.com/pages/mailart.html
The exhibition will run from 12th to 22nd October
opening: Monday-Friday 10.30am – 7pm Saturday 10.30am-6pm

To see the poster - click here

My return visit to Coombe Farm Studios in August marked the end of this year's painting holiday season and was therefore rather special. The week started with an invitation to dinner at the Riley's lovely Coombe Farm home.

Friends and colleagues had gathered round the dinner table and I met Sir Peter Blake, the famous English pop artist, best known for his design of the sleeve for the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. His work is currently exhibited at the Riley's new Coombe Gallery in Dartmouth and also in the Gallery space at Coombe Farm Studios, where I had the pleasure to show some of my watercolours at the same time.

Fired and inspired by so much creative work and conversation I was more than eager to share my enthusiasm with my painting students the next day. Their was certainly a lot of fun and serious work going on during the five day's painting. The group of painters was again quite international and I had to move swiftly from one language to the other. Actually a real joy.

Despite the unreliable weather we spent time painting out doors around Coombe Farm, in the sculptress Jilly Sutton's garden facing the Dart Estuary and near the romantic Mill Creek. The dove-cotes at the back of the old farm buildings were a newly discovered subject and proofed an absolute success. Everybody enjoyed painting there while the doves where coming and going or simply sitting by their little entrances modelling for us.

Parting from everybody was as always hard. It was made slightly easier this time by the thought of a visit to my family in Germany and the prospect of exciting art projects in London.

All in all it was a highly enjoyable season and a great pleasure to meet up with previous students and making so many new friends.

I wish you all a mellow September with beautiful coulours and lots of painting time,
Bettina

"As a beginner I was nervous to come on the course, but I worried needlessly.
I enjoyed the week so much and learned a lot too."
"A fantastic week. Great teaching and great company."
"I can't wait to book another painting holiday with Bettina."

Another enjoyable week painting and exploring the wonderful countryside in Devon has finished, and despite the somewhat cooler than usual summer weather, we were able to paint outside most days. We particularly enjoyed a sunny day at the seaside by the cliffs of Black Pool Sands. The beach was dotted with sunbathers, which gave us the opportunity to sketch and paint people.

Our evenings were particularly lively with tales from Holland, Norway and Switzerland, the home countries of some of our course participants. German born myself, I was able to add to the international flavour with tales from my childhood in the former East Germany.

On our last evening however, I had become aware of some trouble in Norway. I had heard a brief report before I met everybody for drinks on the Friday and only became aware of the full extent of the killings on the Norwegian Island after our departure the following day. Naturally we were concerned about the bad news, which our Norwegian couple would have to face on their return to Oslo and we gave them our very best wishes.

The Painting group also included four complete beginners and it was great to see their rapid progress during the week. For those who were more advanced there was a day practising washes and glazes in the studio and applying the newly learned techniques the following days. As always we were invited by the well-known Sculptor Jilly Sutton to paint the picturesque Dart Estuary viewed from her home and gardens nearby. A delightful painting location complete with boats, distant village and reflections on the wet sands.

I am looking forward to my return to Coombe Farm Studios for the August course and no doubt will come back home to London refreshed and inspired.

Have a creative and enjoyable August,
Bettina

"When I look at my work on day one and the last day, I can see a vast difference."
"Great course, tuition, company and locations were perfect."
"Thanks again for a lovely painting course - you are an excellent teacher!"

   

Arriving on a sunny day, the majestic Torridon Hills seen across the water from the small village of Achintraid showed themselves in the best possible light. So I set to work immediately and started to paint by the side of Loch Kishorn, one of my favourite places and one we returned to later on during the painting course.

We were again lucky with the weather this year with just one rainy day in the beginning, which was happily spent painting in the spacious studio. The following days we were able to venture out and enjoy painting the great 'outdoors'. A definite highlight was our trip across the high mountain pass to the very secluded cliffs beyond the village of Applecross. A stunning location to paint and on whose stony shores I have spotted Sea Otters eating freshly caught fish.

A special treat was waiting for us on our last day, when we painted the stunning surroundings of the gorgeous new house, set by a nearby Loch and built by the daughter of our hosts Gillian and Mark Pattinson.

As usual Gillian and Mark made us feel extremely welcome in their own home overlooking Loch Kishorn. The food was again a real culinary treat, finishing off a highly creative and enjoyable week with a night of fish food, haggis and bag pipes. I could not have wished for more and preparations for another course next year are already on the way.

"I thoroughly enjoyed myself and feel that I learnt a lot."
"It was the best painting holiday I have been on."
"A wonderful course. It was all I had hoped for and more with your excellent teaching and patience."

After a short stay in my home in London I will be off again to the rolling hills and seaside of Devon. I am looking very much forward to seeing friends and colleagues at Coombe Farm Studios and to meeting everybody taking part in the course on the 17th July.

Have a great July with good painting weather, Bettina

   

On arrival, the Tuscan mountain village of Cotto looked as picturesque as ever and I could hardly wait to unpack my paints and brushes. The sunny weather brought out vibrant green colours on hills and mountains and nurtured an unusual amount of colourful flowers and butterflies. The village itself with its Burnt Sienna roof tiles and Yellow Ochre stone walls was positively glowing in the evening sun. Naturally, this was irresistible to painters and walkers alike. The swimming pool was also used frequently for a refreshing dip after the days creative splashes.

The second week produced some low clouds obscuring the view of the highest peaks and a rainy day at the beginning. But it soon cleared up and we were able to enjoy painting around Cotto, the nearby old market town and the medieval castle Verrucola on the following days.

Our outing to Lucca - always a special day- where we mixed the pleasure of sketching or painting with some light shopping, sight-seeing and the delight of trying regional ice creams. The visit on our last nights to the Il Gardinetto hotel in Fivizzano is a wonderful way to finish the week's painting with a fabulous meal surrounded by an extraordinary collection of modern paintings and old master pieces lovingly collected by Peppino, the owner of the hotel.

Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting my return to Tuscany next year and hope you can join me again or for the first time.

Have a lovely time painting in June, Bettina

   

Quick update…

This month’s Leisure Painter magazine features me and this website under their “Holiday of the Month” column (page 63).

The picture they’ve chosen is a lovely one of Cotto. How could anyone resist!