Join Artist and Tutor Kat O’Connor as she returns to Atelier Clos Mirabel in May 2026
About this course:
Join Kat O’Connor for an immersive week of painting in both oil and water based mediums. Let yourself be guided by your inner emotions and your surroundings in this beautiful area of South West France.
We travel to take a break from our normal lives; to see new things and experience cultures that are different from our own. In this week-long class, we will work at expanding our ability to gather creative inspiration and transferring it into new studio work. Both sketching and painting will be utilised during the week, as well as critiques and discussions about where our inspiration takes us.
2026 Painting Holiday Programme Outline:
Saturday
4.00 – Check-in time from 4pm onwards. Guests arrive, settle in and explore Clos Mirabel
6.30 – Welcome drinks and dinner
Sunday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.45 Immerse yourself in the environment of Clos Mirabel. Working around the grounds, we will create sketches and color studies to build a groundwork for more developed paintings. Discussion of how to create an interesting composition.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.30 – 4.30 Studio discussion of sketches with a focus on dynamic compositions. Quick paintings of 2 favorites.
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Monday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.45 What to paint? Selecting the best options for on-site work, and accumulating information for paintings created after the trip.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.30 – 4.30 On-site painting
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Tuesday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Day out working en plein air in the mountains (Plateau du Benou),
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at local Auberge
2.00 – 4.30 Plein air painting/sketching near the village of Castet
*6.30 – *Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Wednesday – day off
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
We suggest wine tasting in local vineyard, explore Pau or beyond
*6.30 – *Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Thursday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.45 Group critique. On-site or in studio painting and discussion of final work.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 4.30 Begin final painting or series, on-site or in the studio.
*6.30 – * Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Friday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.45 Work on final painting series, on-site or in the studio.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 4.30 Complete final paintings.
6.30 – Evening exhibition in the double living room of Clos Mirabel and aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Saturday – Buffet Breakfast and departure (Check-out 11am)
