The destination art retreat you've been dreaming of.
Your creativity deserves a passport - and glass of Bordeaux.
Itinerary
Arrive: September 30, 2025
Workshop: October 1-7, 2025
Depart: October 8, 2025
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Location
BeArtz
3 Rue Leon Berard, Sauveterre de Bearn, 64390, France
Located in a 1000 year old medieval guard house and tower in the quaint village of Sauveterre de Béarn, in the Pyrenees Atlantique region of southwest France.
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Price Per Person
Early Bird: €3300 (register by May 31, 2025)
Regular: €3500
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Registration/Payment Schedule
50% is due at registration.
Remaining balance is due August 31, 2025.
Registration closes August 31, 2025
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Make a Payment
Contact Our Host: Magdalena Groszek of BeArtz
Phone: +33613425318
Email: info@be-artz.com
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Payment Options
Credit card (fees apply)
Bank Transfer (any currency, no fees)
PayPal (fees apply)
Stripe (fees apply)
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Plein Air Destination Workshop Includes:
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6 days of personalized instruction by Helen Dannelly, demos, Q&A and critiques with plenty of time to paint
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Welcome appetizers and drinks
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7 continental breakfasts
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6 delicious 3-course lunches that include a glass of wine, tea, or coffee
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6 delicious 3-course dinners that include a glass of wine, tea, or coffee
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Daily coffee, tea, and water
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Lodging in a beautiful recently remodeled private room at the 1000 year-old former guard house and stone tower with a spiral staircase and 360° view of the village and Pyrenees mountain range. The lodging locale is also where the presentations, discussions and critiques take place, so it’s extremely convenient.
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Access to 2 art studios open 24/7 where you can put finishing touches on your paintings
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Solvent for oil paints
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Jars, paper towels
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A half-day, local excursion
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Painting Topics Include
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Compose Like the Masters: Learn how to design dynamic, compelling compositions that guide the eye and tell a story just like the Impressionists.
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Simplify What You See: Discover how to translate the beauty of your surroundings onto the canvas with clarity and confidence.
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Capture the Light, Embrace the Shadows: Master techniques for rendering a full, rich value range—from the softest highlights to the deepest shadows.
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Paint the Atmosphere: Through curated exercises and live demonstrations, you'll explore how harmonious color choices can create depth, mood, and that unmistakable sense of “French light.”
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Know When It’s Complete: Develop the trained eye to know when a painting is finished—and when it simply needs one final brushstroke of magic.
Level and Class Size
Capturing the Sublime: A Plein Air Retreat in the French Countryside is open to artists from beginners to more experienced. Workshop is limited to 14.
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Medium
Artists may use the medium of your choice - whether oil, acrylic, watercolor or pastel. If you need recommendations for paint colors to bring, please contact me.
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Not Included in Registration
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Airfare, trains and taxis to/from the airport. Magdalena Groszek has a special ‘deal’ from Biarritz airport or Orthez station. She can organize collection from airport, etc. Contact Magdalena at info@be-artz.com to arrange.
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1 lunch and 1 dinner on excursion day (These will be on your own.)
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Materials: You may bring your own, ship them ahead of time or order supplies from https://www.boesner.fr/
Shipping Address:
BeArtz
3 rue Leon Bérard, Sauveterre de Bearn, 64390 France
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Painting En Plein Air
If you do not wish to bring a tripod, you could set up your palette and substrate on the lengthy wide stone wall overlooking the river or on a table at the terrace restaurant where we’ll be dining.
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Air Travel
The closest airport is Biarritz which has flights to 20 European locations, including Dublin for an easy change and London as well as Paris.There are direct flights from NY and Montreal in the summer to Toulouse and Bordeaux. Use the flightconnections.com website to see possibilities.
There are 4 other airports close by, Bilbao, Lourdes, Toulouse and Bordeaux from which you can travel by train or bus, or taxi.
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Spouses/Partners
You are welcome to bring partners with you, depending on whether they eat with us or not will vary the price. In general the workload is quite intense, so they need to be self sufficient if you wish to get a lot of work done. The studios are open 24/7.​
Early bird registration ends May 31, 2025.
All-Cause Travel Insurance
It’s highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance in case you need to cancel your trip.
There is no refund for the deposit if the class is not full, but still takes place. For this reason, it’s a good idea to take out travel insurance so you are covered if you have to cancel for whatever reason. If the class is full with a waiting list or you can find a replacement for your spot or if the class is cancelled from our end, BeArtz will refund less cost of bank fees and an administration cost. There is also the possibility of transferring your fee to a residency or another workshop. Cancellations almost never happen and only one person has had to cancel from all the workshops BeArtz has offered. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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More About BeArtz
Contact Our Host: Magdalena Groszek
Phone: +33613425318
Email: info@be-artz.com
Website: https://be-artz.com/
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Although this is a French Village and a ‘Bonjour’ is appreciated as you walk past people, English is spoken and understood by many, and it’s very friendly to foreigners. Sauveterre is also on the Camino, and you will come across backpacking pilgrims walking on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
As you approach The Castle and its tower at the entrance you will find a stone spiral staircase leading up to the top of the tower with its 360 degree view over the landscape. The skies and the landscape are spectacular.
The village is set on a cliff overlooking the river, the Gave d’Oleron, and the Pyrenees mountains. There is a terrace from which to view and a descent to the river. The river is fabulous for walking/hikes and wild water swimming all year round and is a three minute walk down. There is an island in the river which is accessed by a foot bridge and it’s a wild place and lovely walk around, about half a mile. There are other walks along the river and to chapels. There are sun loungers and a bar by the river for those who want more of a holiday atmosphere, there are paddle boards and kayaks available.
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Located in the village:
3 bakers
1 organic grocery
2 pharmacies
1 butcher shop
1 gift shop
3-4 restaurant cafés
1 supermarket (5-minute walk)
Doctor and dentist offices
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There are 8 bedrooms available in The Castle for workshop participants, and we rent additional accommodation from friends in the village.
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The closest hospital is a 10-min drive.
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The mountains and the ocean are a 40-min drive.
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Photography
By registering for a workshop you give permission for photographs of you and your artwork taking during a workshop at BeArtz to be used for publicity, video, website content, social media etc. BeArtz will not share these images with any other organization for their use. If you do not give permission please let BeArtz know in writing.
Paint, wander, sip wine and let the French countryside inspire every brushstroke.
