Tuscany and Florence – Watercolor Journaling

September 29 – October 11, 2010

An invitation ...Come with us to Tuscany, for 13 days filled with painting and drawing, and notes added to the pages of our watercolour journals . Whether you are an experienced painter or a beginner, this will be a delightful and inspirational experience! We will start in Florence, where we will stay in a simple 15th century hotel- convent for the first half of the trip. Together we shall paint and draw each day at a different place, including a botanical garden, the lovely Museum of San Marco, and the hilltop town of Fiesole- all beautiful and inspiring! There will be plenty of free time to work on our journals, and explore on our own in the afternoons. Dinners will be at local restaurants in Florence, selected by our guide. Leaving Florence, we will then move to a Tuscan hilltop villa. From there, we shall continue to draw and paint, as we explore nearby Certaldo and San Gimignano, go to a street market, and enjoy a local wine tasting. Most afternoons will include free time to relax, explore, and paint. During the evenings we will gather to enjoy wonderful meals prepared for us at our villa.
Jude and Winnie will teach daily, giving ideas, skill-building suggestions and ways to paint the beauty before us, with generous individual attention and guidance.

Jude Siegel
Combining her love of teaching, a passion for watercolor, and a strong connection with nature, Jude teaches Nature Journaling, a lively combo of watercolor and pen, drawing, and writing. With a backround in Natural Science and Education,(MSEd, Portland State University), Jude has taught art and nature studies for over 35 years. Currently teaching in Portland,Oregon, USA, she has also taught art classes for colleges, museums, nature centers, and art centers, including Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on the Oregon Coast. Watercolor journals record wherever she travels. Her book,
A Pacific Northwest Nature Sketchbook ( Timber Press. 2006) illustrates the Nature Journaling form.

Winnie Givot
From Sisters, Oregon, has been teaching watercolor and drawing classes since 1996. She has over 600 paintings in collections internationally, including those of Bill & Hilary Clinton, Edward Kennedy, United Parcel Service, Deepak Chopra, and the Chilean Congress. She is included in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. She belongs to Northwest Watercolor Society, Watercolor Society of Oregon and Plein Air Painters of Oregon. Her paintings have been included in numerous national and international juried exhibitions.
While skilled at handling the fluid medium of watercolor she feels that beauty and seeing-with-the-eye-of-the-heart are at the core of her work.