| Painting in Las Villuercas: Art in the Park |
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Monumental Cork oaks and Holm oaks, cherry groves,
mountains, rivers, dehesas, castle ruins and astonishing views. Las Villuercas, where the Geopark
Villuercas Ibores Jara also is situated, offers so much inspiration to artists.
Painters and artists
can work here in total peace and quiet, independently or under the
leadership of a
professional. Our Geopark
is a stunningly beautiful area in
Extremadura, home to many birds and animals and with an abundance of
unspoiled
nature, authentic villages and remains of the Roman and Moorish empires.
The roads are empty and quiet; tourism is mainly birdwatchers. Las
Villuercas has more than 1,000 sq km of
mountainous landscape. The
An important characteristic that most
distinguishes us from many other painting destinations is that the area is
extremely green with typical Mediterranean forest trees and more. The region is
renowned for Cork oaks, Holm oaks, Chestnut trees, Alders, and Willow, wild and
cultivated Olive trees and Pepper trees. Cascading over the hills and rocks we
have broom, heather, wild lavender, many varieties of grasses, thyme and, most
spectacularly in the springtime, wild flowers that carpet the fields and
hillsides with colours reminiscent of the most ambitious impressionist palette.
Different seasons offer different colours – in
spring we have cherry trees and the bright, fresh green of the budding
trees. Summers can be too hot, but the
colours are gold and white and contrast with the dusty red of the earth.
Autumn, especially around the villages of Berzocana and Roturas offers a
panorama of rich oranges and reds and golds and yellows as the leaves fade and
die. Winter, which is usually very short, offers browns, some bare trees
contrasting with fading grass and wet earth.
Special are the Cork oaks. If the cork is
harvested, which it is every so many years, the bare trunks of the Cork oaks
are brilliant reds and oranges and purples. Colours that are almost too
wonderful to imitate.
In short, this is a magnificent area in which to
paint, draw and sketch. The landscape is varied and offers beautiful vistas
over mountains, valleys and wooded areas. The sunsets are glorious and the
cloud formations formidable as they move over the mountains. A plein-air
artist’s dream.
Inspiration here is never further than as far as
the eye can see! See for example the website of Bronwyn Holmes.
Our job is to help you maximize your stay and spend as much time painting as daylight allows.
Our Offer:
You can choose to come to
work independently or you can choose to follow one or more workshops.
- You travel on your own, if you use public transport, we can pick you up at the nearest bus / train station, Navalmoral de la Mata.
- Time: possible the whole year (except July and August).
- You stay in one of our selfcatering holiday apartments, for 3 nights at a minimum.
- You bring your own medium of choice, we supply easels and other essential art equipment.
- We transport you and your equipment to the outdoor locations, providing coffee, tea, picnic lunch.
- Prices: we charge you a € 25 per painting person per day, in addition to the price of the accomodation.
Discover Extremadura arranges everything for you, from accommodation, all meals and driving you or your group around different locations each day of your stay. If you follow a workshop, a list of materials will be supplied to you in advance.
Were are presently in discussions with a professional artist - instructor about the themes and the time schedules, for that reason we can't publish dates and prices yet.
Retreat is also possible. For artists, photographers and writers who want to work in Extremadura for a longer period, we have comfortable and affordable 4 persons bungalows for rent on our own grounds. Ask for more details if you are interested.