Mixed Media Art Workshop Vacation in Nice, France
Travel with teaching artist Tammy Gilley on the sunny French Riviera WAIT LIST
Joy in the Moment, Waking the Artist Within
Dates: June 2-8, 2024 SOLD OUT (Wait list available)
Duration: 6 nights
Location: Nice, France
Cost: from $3445 based on double occupancy
Single Supplement: from $595
Maximum Number of Students: 14
Land only. Solo traveler roomshares available. All amounts in US dollars
Mixed Media Art Workshop in Nice, France
L’objet trouvé, the found object. Join us for an unforgettable week with the joyful and always fun Tammy Gilley in search of it. In search of them! Each morning we will set off from Nice, France to explore a nearby village or town: Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Menton, Antibes, and Cannes. Your days will be steeped in open markets, inspiring museums, and the irresistable natural beauty of the Côte d’Azur, the Blue Coast. If you love creating, laughter, and maybe a little French wine… Then this mixed media art workshop on the French Riviera is for you.
Such an amazing weekend!! I’ve got the bug. I’m getting a new journal ready for my next trip!!
Curious about Tammy Gilley's art and teaching?
Overview
Mixed Media Art Classes
Each day Tammy will lead you through how to make your very own mixed media art journal. On our daily walks you’ll search for what inspires you. If you dig a scavenger hunt… If vintage French paper and ephemera is your jam… This is the workshop vacation for you.
Your found objects will create and fill your travel art journal with memories of the French Riviera. First, our early excursions will provide foundational materials and inspiration. Next, you will begin to build collaged pages of your European vacation adventures. Then, using collected ephemera, Tammy will guide you in using color, pattern, small sketches and text to create rich, relevant content. Finally, from your daily art classes you will have a beautiful mixed media journal filled with memories of your time in France.
Travel and Touring
Experience a mixed media art workshop that is equal parts art program and vacation. With an insider-guide leading the way, you will visit medieval village centers, all kinds of open markets, and inspired museums.
We will explore a region of the Cote d’Azur between Cannes and Menton. Centrally based in the lively city of Nice for all six nights, you’ll unpack only once. Most every day begins with a train ride to a new town. Our daily destinations may include a bustling open market, a remote island monastery, or a medieval village overlooking the sea. Then in the afternoons we will return to Nice and an art class with Tammy.
Tour the French Riviera by train and by foot. On an Art Walk vacation you will not travel by passenger bus or surrounded by a crowd of tourists following a flag. Rather, on our walks, view your journey at eye level and with a small group of artist friends. Become immersed in the sensory experience of travel. Be where your feet are. Feel what it is like to be part of a place, and not just pass through it on your way to somewhere else.
What you’ll love
1. Small group classes
With a maximum art class size of 14, you can expect quality time with Tammy as well as your friendly, mixed media classmates.
2. Immersive experiences
Step away from your everyday life and fully experience the culture, cusine and landscape of the French Riviera
3. Planning with Care
We take care of the details. You enjoy your vacation!
Example Itinerary…
Actual daily schedules may differ.
mixed media art workshop
Day 1
We will gather at our charming, historic hotel in central Nice, France just blocks from the sea. First, we’ll have a meet-and-greet and program overview. Tammy will teach her first mixed media art class to get your prepared for the week ahead. Then, an orientation walk will help you get to know the neighborhood. Finally, our day ends with a delicious welcome dinner.
Day 2
We start the morning with an inspiring visit to the Matisse Museum. Afterwards, a stroll through Nice’s old town brings us to the Cours Saleya Antique Market. Here you will find all sorts of lovely scraps and treasures. In the afternoon Tammy will teach you how use the day’s inspirations and found objects to create the foundation of your mixed media art journal.
Day 3
Today we truly experience the Riviera like the locals. First we shop at the bountiful Marché Forville open market in Cannes. Next, we will take a short ferry to Île Saint-Honorat. Then, on the quiet coast of an island sanctuary, we will enjoy a picnic of the season’s best offerings. Afterwards, a quiet walk among the vineyards and olive trees leads to our return ferry. Finally, return to Nice for art class.
Day 4
Today we will visit the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence (Chapel of the Rosary), often referred to as the Matisse Chapel in Vence. It houses a number of Matisse original works including stained glass, murals, and architecture. It was regarded by Matisse as his “masterpiece”. Afterward we will explore the art-filled city of Antibes, walking its historic center and browsing the arts and crafts market.
Day 5
After breakfast we’ll set off for sunny Menton. First, lemon tree-lined lanes bring us to the historic center. There, you’ll have time to browse the brocante market. After, we’ll enjoy a lunch of classic Niçoise fare at a family-run restaurant before returning to Nice. In the afternoon Tammy will teach how to integrate the memories and collected ephemera of your travels into your journal.
Day 6
After breakfast, a short train ride brings us to the charming village of Villefranche-Sur-Mer and our coastal walk. Its honey-colored houses and marine blue sea views make this one of the most beautiful villages on the French Riviera. After our mixed media workshop in the afternoon, we end the week with a festive farewell dinner at our favorite bistro in Nice.
Day 7
After a delicous breakfast, we bid farewell to our artists’ retreat until the next time. You may depart at any time on this day. Our hotel will hold your luggage if you have a late departure.
A full week of leisurely sightseeing and cultivating creativity
mixed media art workshop vacation
What’s Included
Mixed media art workshop vacation
- Daily mixed media art journal workshops with Tammy Gilley
- Six nights at our centrally located 4-star hotel in Nice, France minutes to the beach and Old Town
- Full hot & cold buffet breakfast daily
- Welcome dinner
- Gelato!
- Snack of a Niçoise specialties
- Lunch in Menton
- Visit the Menton brocante market
- Admission to the Matisse Museum
- Farewell dinner
- One-week unlimited use TER regional train pass between Cannes and Menton
- Visit to Cours Saleya flower market
- Visit the towns of Menton, Villefranche Sur Mer, Antibes, and Cannes
- Admission to the Matisse Chapel
- Visit the Arts and Crafts market in Antibes
- Ferry trip to the Lerin Islands and Île Saint-Honorat
- Guided walks along the coastal sentiers (paths) of the Cote d’Azur
- Absinthe museum experience (optional)
- All maps, train schedules, and daily customized itineraries
- Your English speaking guide
- Fully hosted and escorted
- All hotel taxes and service fees
Important Notes
Mixed Media Art Journal Workshop in France
Deposits
Your place on a tour is secured once we have received and confirmed your deposit payment. Before the final payment date, a non-refundable deposit of $500 for walking vacations and $750 for art vacation workshops is required. After the final payment date, the entire tour amount must be received to hold a space on a program.
You may cancel for any reason up to 90 days prior to departure and your non-refundable deposit may be forwarded to a future tour. Any balance on your account will be returned. For complete details please see our Terms and Conditions.
Solo travelers and single supplements
For our guests who are traveling solo... We offer a single supplement for an additional fee if you wish to guarantee a private room.
If you do not request a private room, you will share a twin room with another trip participant of the same sex (Roomshare). When you sign up, if no Roomshare is available, a 50% single supplement will be included on your invoice and is due at final payment. However, if a roommate is found before your trip departs, you will be matched and the single supplement will be removed or refunded.
A single supplement guarantees a private room. Whenever possible singles will be placed in the same room type as our double or twin rooms.
Twin / Double Rooms
Please be aware twin beds in Europe may have very little or no space between beds. Also, for double beds, instead of a king or queen mattress, double beds are often two adjoining twin mattresses secured together and made with double bedding.
Fitness
Walking is a part of this program. It is both a means of visiting locations and a way to immerse yourself in a place. Our scheduled walks are usually 1-2 hours long at a casual pace. We provide a general description of our walks here. It is your responsibility to know your own physical and medical condition with respect to the advisability of participating in a chosen trip. We suggest you prepare by doing at least 1 hour of walking several times per week, and a longer walk at least once per week. Ideally, include walks with elevation change and stairs. (There are always stairs.)
As with any exercise program, we recommend you consult with your physician prior to your arrival regarding the suitability of a walking tour.
Some of our guests find trekking poles helpful on steep or uneven terrain. In Europe they are quite common. Before using them on a vacation, please practice at home. We strongly advise you get comfortable using trekking poles on familiar paths first.
For additional information on these topics and more, please see our FAQ page.
Where In the World?
Our French Riviera vacations are based in Nice, France. Famous for it's perfect weather and seaside lifestyle, the region has a wealth of natural, cultural, and culinary riches. Our small group walking vacations take advantage of the little traveled sentiers, or walking paths, that run along the Riviera coast. Our walking tour in France will focus on the very best of the area as we explore between Cannes to the west and Menton on the Italian border to the east.
The Nice International Airport is the most convenient for our programs. A tram runs between the airport and central Nice. This is by far the most economical and reliably fast way to get to and from the airport.
For those who are interested, a fast train regularly travels between Paris and Nice. The journey takes about 5 1/2 hours.
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