Join UK Artist Jenny Muncaster for a fun-filled inspiring and playful taster week exploring mixed media inspired by the colours, textures and flavours of Southwest
France.
About this course:
Jenny Muncaster is a professional artist based at The Colour Factory Studios & Gallery in Winchester, celebrated for her vibrant, food-inspired mixed-media and acrylic work. This painting holiday draws on her creative practice, exploring food, seasonal abundance, and expressive still life themes.
Throughout the week, Jenny shares her distinctive approach, opening up the ideas, techniques, and playful processes behind her richly layered and joyful paintings. Draw inspiration from local seasonal food, the Clos Mirabel kitchen garden, and the nearby medieval market town of Salies-de-Béarn.
Jenny will share her tips and tricks, guiding you in how everyday ingredients, and local food traditions can become the starting point for original artworks rich in colour, character, and personality.
Experiment with different art materials – inks, acrylics, pastels, graphite, collage, printing, and more so you can discover the mediums that excite you most. It’s like a mini art foundation course in one inspiring, joy-filled week, designed for anyone with a love of creativity, whatever their experience.
This relaxed, playful course builds confidence through a variety of approaches, with lots of guidance from Jenny helping you develop your own way of working. By the end of the week, you’ll have a personal toolkit of techniques, a collection of original artworks, a concertina sketchbook, and fresh inspiration to continue your creative journey long after the holiday ends.
2027 Painting Holiday with Jenny Muncaster – Programme Outline Including a Day at Salies de Bearn
Saturday – Arrival Day
4.00 – Check-in time from 4pm onwards
Guests arrive, settle in and explore Clos Mirabel.
6.00 – Welcome drinks and dinner
Sunday – Delicious Creativity – Getting Started!
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Kitchen and food inspired playful sketching, exploring a variety of techniques and materials for fun effects.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.30 – 4.30 Step-by-step mixed media – experiment with collage, gesso & ink. Beginning our concertina sketchbooks with individual guidance from Jenny.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Monday – Layering up with acrylics, pastels, print & ink
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Combining acrylic paint with mono-printing techniques for creating fun food inspired art. Explore non-traditional tools for making marks, mixing up materials with layers & effects.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.30 – 4.30 Seasonal items from Clos Mirabel. Playful Mixed Media Still Life.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Tuesday – In the Kitchen Garden – sketchbook and paper
8.30 – 9.15 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
9.30 – Depart Clos Mirabel
10.00 – 1.00 Exploring the kitchen garden – on paper & sketchbooks. Mixed Media – introducing fun elements of pattern, collage, text and print, for character and storytelling. How to create connected sketches that flow from one idea to the next.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.30 – 4.30 Various materials and ideas for capturing the food market and village scenery. Jenny’s techniques – your out and about art kit.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Wednesday – Free day (Lunch is not provided on the free day)
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
Suggested activities: Wine tasting at a local vineyard, exploring Pau, independent sightseeing.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Thursday – Sketching in Salies-de-Bearn
8.00 – 9.00 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Sketching and photos in Salies de Bearn medieval town & traditional food market. Opportunity to work in your concertina sketchbooks & experiment with Jenny’s mini sketching kit materials, take photographs and explore.
1.00 – 2.30 Lunch in a local restaurant
2.30 – 4.30 Sketching in Salies-de-Bearn continued using collage, coloured pencil, paint stick, pen and watercolour with Individual tuition from Jenny.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
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.
Friday Independent Studio Practice & Exhibition
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Foody bottles, jars and packets – adding personality and playful details. Combining techniques learned throughout the week with independent art making and individual tuition.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.30 – 4.30 Continue studio work and prepare artwork for exhibition
6.00 – Evening exhibition with aperitifs in the atelier of Clos Mirabel
7.00 – Farewell dinner – 4 courses in the Manor House or on the terrace
Saturday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet Breakfast and departure (Check-out 11am)
Itinerary
Re Jenny’s course itinerary. Jenny cannot give individual tuition separate to or which is distinctly different from the group course theme and itinerary.
We reserve the right to make adjustments to the programme content without prior notice. This is sometimes dependent on the time required to complete certain projects & the weather.
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.
