Join Rita Sabler for a week of Travel Sketching / Carnet de Voyage in South West France. Document your journey in a sketchbook using ink and watercolour. Let images and words work together in harmony to tell the story of place.
About this course:
Framed by the snowcapped Pyrénées mountains – where vineyard – covered hills roll gently beneath snow-dusted peaks and evenings glow with unforgettable sunsets – Clos Mirabel and Rita Sabler invite you to explore the art of the carnet de voyage, the travel sketchbook.
There’s a familiar moment when arriving somewhere new: a sense of wonder so vivid and fresh. While a photograph can capture the scene, it often misses the deeper experience of truly seeing and connecting. Sketching slows you down. It encourages observation, curiosity, and presence, turning fleeting impressions into something far more meaningful and enduring.
Inspired by the legacy of Eugène Delacroix, who once sought out the clear mountain air of southwest France and found endless inspiration in its landscapes and villages, we will follow a similar path. His sketchbooks reveal scenes that still echo today—timeless, textured, and full of life.
Now, you have the unique opportunity to spend a week in this inspiring setting, creating your own travel sketchbook and capturing the spirit of a place that has moved artists for generations.
The Art of Travel Reportage at Atelier Clos Mirabel – Outline Programme with Rita Sabler
Embark of a creative journey with Rita Sabler to delve into the art of “Carnet de Voyage”. Over the course of a week, you will create a travel sketchbook that truly captures the place and honours its beauty.
Saturday
4.00 – Check-in time from 4pm onwards.
Guests arrive, settle in and explore Clos Mirabel
6.00 – Welcome drinks and dinner. Setting the mood for the week ahead.
Sunday – Selecting and Simplifying what you Draw
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
9.30 – 1.00 Main themes and tools of travel reportage. Simplifying Values and Perspective to Capture the Feeling of Place
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 4.00 Field Exercises: Capturing and Simplifying Spaces
6.00 – Aperitifs sharing the sketches from the day before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Monday – Capturing The Natural World in Ink and Watercolour
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
9.30 – 1.00 Natural World in Ink and Watercolour. Monochrome washes. Watercolour techniques. Atmospheric perspective. Value Maps.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Walk to a local Vineyard where we continue to capture the stunning landscape around us.
6.00 – Aperitifs and sharing the sketches from the day before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Tuesday – Day Out in the Pyrénées with a Sketchbook in Hand
8.00 – 8.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
8.45 – Depart Clos Mirabel
9.45 – 12.45 Exploring traditional Pyrenean villages. Combining writing & drawing. Composition. Vignettes.
1.00 – 1.30 Picnic lunch or lunch in a local village restaurant timings TBC
2.00 – 5.00 Sketching in Castet
6.00 – Aperitifs and sharing the sketches from the day before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Please note this programme may be subject to change depending on the weather.
Please ensure you bring sensible walking shoes, layers, waterproof jacket, water bottle, sunscreen and a hat.
Wednesday – Free day
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
We suggest wine tasting in local vineyard, explore Pau or beyond
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Thursday – Creative Approach to Drawing Architecture – Capturing the Spirit of a Royal City
8.30 – 9.15 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
9.30 – Depart Clos Mirabel
10.00 – 1.00 Drawing in Pau: C16th quarter with its historic Château and Parliament of Navarre. Creative approach to capturing architecture.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch on your own (recommendations provided)
2.30 – 4.45 Drawing in Pau: Place Royale & Boulevard des Pyrénées.
6.00 – Aperitifs and sharing the sketches from the day before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Friday – Telling The Story of Human Activity
8.00 – 8.45 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
9.00 – 10.00 Drawing People on the Go – Lesson at the Studio
10.00 – Depart for Jurançon market
10.15 – 12.45 Jurançon Market. Drawing people. Showing activity. Putting your visual story together.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.30 – 5.00 One on one sessions with Rita
6.00 – Evening exhibition of the work produced during the week with aperitif
7.00 – 4 course farewell dinner in the Manor House
Saturday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet Breakfast and departure (Check-out 11am)
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.
