HOUSTON ART TRIBE PAINTING IN NORMANDY WITH SUSAN GIANNANTONIO

Fly to Paris - Or fly a few days early to spend some time in Paris. Please inquire for international flights.

Tour starts at the Chateau D'urou. Transfers from the Paris airport are available (not included). Train is available from Paris Montparnasse Train Station to Argentan. Some trains are also available from the CDG airport to Argentan.

Your first evening is for you to settle and relax. The owner will give you an extended tour of the property that includes the horsefarm.

This evening, join us for a welcome cocktail followed by dinner.

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You will spend your first day at Chateau D'Urou finding subjects to paint, you can paint in the garden weather permitting or inside the church across the street. You will then join Timothee in the kitchen for a cooking demonstration. Lunch will be served in the kitchen today. This afternoon you can choose to take a walk together through the village of Sai and the forest of Gouffern (30 minutes walk each way), enjoy some gardening in the garden of the Chateau or relax in the library. This evening gather in the salon for an "aperitif" before dinner is served in the dining room.

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Note : Other activities that day available for anyone wishing to discover the area : Montormel Museum / Final Battle of Normandy

Start your day in Alencon, a graceful town known for its fine lace, elegant architecture and connection to Sainte Therese of Lisieux. Take a leisurely morning stroll through the historic center , the streets around the basilica are perfect for wandering, with stone facades, small shops and local cafés. Step in the Basilica and its beautiful Gothic architecture. We will then visit the Fine Arts and Lace Museum. Alençon lace is recognized by UNESCO and represents centuries of extraordinary craftsmanship.

The drive from Alençon takes roughly 30 minutes and gradually transitions from gentle countryside into surprisingly dramatic hills and valleys. Arrive in the charming village of Saint Leonard des bois, often considered the heart of the Alpes Mancelles. We will stop as well in the village of Saint Céneri le Gerei village, known as one of the most charming village of France. Both sit beside the river and are surrounded by wooded hills. Flower filled gardens and cafés terraces create a postcard perfect setting.

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This morning you will visit the "Sineux Brothers" Atelier. The brothers are painter-decorators from Argentan and founded their atelier in 1988, their work combines Mural paintings, decorative restoration and easel painting. Some of their large painted compositions are in the hall of the train station, the hospital (portrait of Fernand Leger and a quotation expressing the challenges of artistic life) as well as some outside walls in the city center and pays tribute to the local artists Fernand Leger and Andre Mare. You will then visit the Fernand Leger Museum, a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker who created a personal form of cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style. Lunch at a local restaurant in town

This afternoon, join the "Silver Thread" association, a local painting club and enjoy painting with these lovely ladies of our village. Tea and sweets will be served  in the dining room, a great way to make new friends.

A light dinner will be served in the kitchen where a fire will be burning in the fire place.

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Note : Other activities that day are available for anyone wishing to discover the area : William The Conqueror Castle

The chapel was built in 1586 under the reign of King Henry IV as a place of prayer during the plague. It was originally dedicated to Saints Roch and Sebastian, both of whom were traditionally invoked to protect against infectious diseases. The building served as a shelter for refugees and suffered damage during the 1944 bombings. It was subsequently restored.

Enjoy a leisure day out in the countryside at the Chapel Saint Roch for some great painting time. A Picnic lunch and refreshments will be available.

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Note : Other activities that day available : Visit to the Haras du Pin

Morning at leisure in Argentan, visit the local market and local shops and stop by the Gallerie du Diable which will be YOUR gallery for the weekend where your art will be exhibited. Please note that a flier (1500 copies) will be printed ahead of the exhibition to advertise our exhibition and will be distributed in the tourism office and local places.

Lunch at leisure in town

Evening opening exhibition of your works at "Gallerie du Diable" in Argentan with a cocktail party followed by dinner at a local eatery.

Enjoy a full morning at Galerie du Diable meeting locals who stop by the Gallery, you may even continue to paint at the Gallery. A traditional Norman lunch will be served at the Chateau. This afternoon we may visit a local flea market ( upon availability) or visit the gardens of the Chateau de Sassy, the home to the Duchess D'Audiffret-Pasquier or enjoy some well deserved rest at the Chateau.

Meals B,L,D

Depart the Chateau in the early morning for Paris Airport or Paris Airport Hotel. Please contact us for details and arrangements.