Join Botanical Artist Ann Swan as she returns to Atelier Clos Mirabel in April 2026
About this course:
Ann Swan works primarily in graphite and coloured pencil. She is well known for her fine detail, vibrant colours and strong contemporary style. She favours the underdog or the unusual in the plant world, drawing our attention to their beauty through her striking compositions. She is constantly experimenting with her chosen medium, trying to achieve a more painterly effect and ever brighter colours and has recently started a series of ‘Larger than Life’ images magnifying small sections of plants and pushing the boundaries of botanical art a bit further.
In this workshop we will focus on how to make your colours leap off the page; Ann Swan will demonstrate a variety of techniques to help you create truly vibrant, rich and clean colours and banish those greys. Learn how to use solvents and fluorescent colours to create luscious, luminous colour mixes.
Ann will show you some of her many tricks and tips for creating realistic textures for bloom, velvety petals, strong highlights, surface patterns, hairy stems and fuzzy leaves. Learn the importance of planning; when and in what order do you underpaint, blend, use resist or emboss?
This workshop is for having a go and trying out all these techniques which when mastered will add depth, realism and interest to your finished colour pencil work and certainly help you attract an audience for your painting.
Saturday – Arrival Day
4.00 – Check-in time from 4pm onwards
On arrival we will enjoy some light refreshment : tea & cake then we will have time to unpack and settle into our rooms
Late afternoon we will meet in the studio to set-up and discuss our work plan, expectations, subject matter and requests for technical demonstrations during the week.
6.00 – Aperitif before 4-course dinner
Sunday – Tuesday & Thursday – Friday
Formal teaching will take place in the mornings from 10.00am – 1.00pm and then after a relaxed lunch the afternoons are free for work or play – your choice, but most people work in the studio for some of the time.
There will be no formal teaching in the afternoon but Ann will be around for one to one support and working on her own piece in the studio, this allows those with partners or needing some rest and recuperation to enjoy some free time without missing any vital instruction.
Sunday
8.30 – 9.30 Breakfast
10.00 – 1.00 Studio
1.00 – 2.00 Relaxed Lunch
3.00 – 5.00 Free time in studio with one to one support
6.00 – Aperitif before 4-course dinner
Monday
8.30 – 9.30 Breakfast
10.00 – 1.00 Studio
1.00 – 2.00 Relaxed Lunch
3.00 – 5.00 Free time in studio with one to one support
6.00 – Aperitif before 4-course dinner
Tuesday
8.30 – 9.30 Breakfast
10.00 – 1.00 Studio
1.00 – 2.00 Relaxed Lunch
3.00 – 5.00 Free time in studio with one to one support
6.00 – Aperitif before 4-course dinner
Wednesday – After a buffet breakfast of local and regional produce you are free to spend the day as you wish. Perhaps a visit to a local vineyard for wine tasting, sightseeing in and around Pau, or you may wish to relax or continue with your artwork. The team at Clos Mirabel are able to offer assistance with travel logistics and planning.
Thursday
8.30 – 9.30 Breakfast
10.00 – 1.00 Studio
1.00 – 2.00 Relaxed Lunch
3.00 – 5.00 Free time in studio with one to one support
6.00 – Aperitif before 4-course dinner
Friday
8.30 – 9.30 Breakfast
10.00 – 1.00 Work in studio most of the day preparing for our end of holiday exhibition
1.00 – 2.00 Relaxed Lunch
3.00 – 5.00 More finishing touches, then we will clear the studio, set up the exhibition and finally we will review our work with Ann.
6.00 – Aperitif and end of week exhibition followed by farewell dinner – 4 courses
Saturday – (Check-out 11am)
8.30 – 9.30 Breakfast
Non-painting guests: we are more than happy to welcome non-painting guests, accompanying partners, family or friends. There are plenty of activities to experience around Clos Mirabel, that will make your holiday unforgettable Click here for more information.
The Art Studio offers a spacious open plan layout of 75 m2. It is available at all times during your stay. Click here for more information.
