Now that I’m back in Germany I realize that I was taken away from my usual daily routine and was put straight into another kind of time ….(I’m missing the right word to describe it).
I had such a great time, because of four reasons:
- Margaret Dyer as an increadible instructor
- My painting buddies.
- delicious food
- Kippy and her husband Jerome as splendid hosts.
This week has deeply touched my soul and I’m very curious to find out how all the things I’ve learned will influence me as an artist in the future.
Anybody who thinks of going to this place in order to take a workshop, I can only advise not to hesitate, safe your money and get in there. As far as I know Kippy and Margaret are setting up something for the year 2011.
Eva im Bad – 61×40,5 cm© Astrid Volquardsen
Margaret is a very good teacher, very generous with sharing her knowledge and she will teach you all the things she knows. In this workshop the students learned her formula of her procedure and how to stick to it, how to approach the work with a live model, how to work from photos so they don’t look like a photo and how to finish a painting.
I felt like a dry sponge and Margaret was so kind to pour over me the water (and some wine: we‹re in France right?) and I’ve soaked it all up. And if she felt I could take in more, she would give it to me generously.
Margaret, I said it so many times, but I’m very thankful for your input. I feel more complete as an artist now.
Café Jacquemart André – 60×43 cm
© Astrid VolquardsenThe good instructing was rounded up by the place we stayed in. The home of Kippy and Jereome is a very beautiful place and the two of them are very attentive towards their guests.
Well, and then there was the food, just delicious food and we had so many nice conversations and or discussions about art, live in general and I don’t know what else. And we surely did laugh a lot.
We met some of Jerome’s and Kippy’s friends at their house and the talking didn’t stop there.
It was very interesting and sometimes very funny to find out how nationalities see things differently.
Well, when I’m grey and old (and hopefully I won’t have Alzheimer’s disease) I will look back to this week as one of the bests in my live.
Hans Jansen, Pastell, 50×39cm, 1957
