Travel with fellow artists, family & friends! In addition to Non-participating guest options, did you know that other workshops are offered this same week! Enjoy the experience together while immersed in different topics! View calendar for details!
View Dingle photo gallery
Enroll as a Group* and save! Enroll 3 or more people in this workshops and save $100.00 per person! *Group discount applies to 3 or more people enrolling together in the same workshop program. New enrollment only.
Meet Robert Simone
Plein Air Painting on the Dingle Peninsula with artist/instructor Robert J. Simone Dingle, Ireland August 7-14, 2010
"No one can paint better than he knows how:Therefore we must accumulate knowledge, study nature often and practice continually." Edgar Payne
This workshop is designed to help painters of all skill levels develop their ability to practice effectively.Using a limited palette, students will paint small studies on location.They will learn to see and capture the critical information.This skill is a springboard to growth and the studies are valuable references (more useful than photos) for larger studio pieces. Emphasis will be placed on the on the writings of John Carlson and Edgar Payne. Particular attention will be given to the four value planes, the five types of light and basic composition.
This five day workshop will maintain an informative, productive and causal atmosphere.Robert alternates between starting each day with a brief outdoor lecture or an hour long demo.He spends the biggest portion of each day rotating from easel to easel offering encouragement and direction.“Basically we talk about plein air principles as group.I get to watch you paint and you get to watch me paint. I enjoy lots of personal time with each individual artist at their respective easel.” The workshop will close with a review of key principles and an encouraging critique of the week’s work.
Picture Yourself...
among the sights and sounds of beautiful and romantic Ireland: Grassy-covered mountins, grazing sheep by the ocean's edge, centuries-old buildings, winding streets, texture and vibrant sunlight.
Feel Yourself...
in the warm ambiance of Dingle, port of the fisherman of the north Atlantic, irristibly charming, almost unchanged for centuries, one of Ireland's jewels.
Experience...
the joy of painting in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere with the expert instruction of a nationally know instructor and the camaraderie of a small group of learners.
Enjoy...
regional food, delightful Irish brews, new friends, breath-taking vistas, history and the hospitality of the people of Dingle.
About the Dingle Peninsula
Once described by the National Geographic Traveler as “the most beautiful place on earth”, the Dingle Peninsula is a place of intense allure, with a plethora of green landscapes, rocky hills, long sandy beaches and staggering cliff edges. The warm Gulf Stream reaches the peninsula, giving has a wonderful mixture of sometimes rare and unusual flora and fauna. The Dingle Peninsula is a place of intense, shifting beauty. Spectacular mountains, long sandy beaches and the staggering splinter-slatted mass of rocks that defines the extraordinary coast at Slea Head all conspire to ensure that, remote though it is, the Dingle Peninsula is firmly on the tourist trail. The Dingle Peninsula protrudes 10 miles wide from the southeast of the island of Ireland. It runs 40 miles from Tralee to Slea Head, the point in Europe that is closest to North America. Its highest peak is Mount Brandon, which, at 3,300 feet, is the country’s second tallest mountain. You are advised to give yourself about four hours to travel the 30-mile road circuit of the peninsula by car, as you will want to stop off at many of its beauty spots.
Dingle is one of Ireland’s Government-protected Irish (Gaelic)-speaking areas, called “Gaeltachts”. Dingle's Irish name is Daingean Uí Chúis which, to fit on signposts, is generally abbreviated to An Daingean.
Many of the towns and villages in the region have Irish names too and, as many maps use the anglicised versions of these names, visitors are advised to purchase maps that give both the Irish and English versions of all placenames. The region is littered with with relics from both the Stone Age and Bronze Age and, more recently, the Ecclesiastical period, when Ireland was known as the “land of Saints and Scholars”, due to its high number of monasteries and religious schools.
The Dingle Peninsula is also associated with the film industry. Ryan’s Daughter was filmed here, as were parts of Far and Away, which starred Tom Cruise.
Special Hotel Benners Plans for Workshop Participants: Shared room/bath, full Irish breakfast & 3 dinners*** ...$2999.00 per person! Private room/bath, full Irish breakfast & 3 dinners*** ...$3399.00 per person Non-participating guests... ...Shared room/bath, full Irish breakfast & 3 dinners*** ...$2499.00 per person! ...Private room/bath, full Irish breakfast & 3 dinners*** ...$2899.00 per person ***(includes three dinners served at Hotel Benners Restaurant)
Go to Enrollment page Above enrollment plans include: Instruction on location Seven nights three-star accommodations in historic Dingle** Local museums and events Full Irish breakfast daily & three dinners Painting in Dingle and points along the Dingle Pennisula Day trip to Skellig Islands A farewell dinner All day-trip transfers
**Included with "Hotel" plans only, see details *All-inclusive plans are Hotel plans A, C, E, G, I & K only. Air travel, lunches and dinners are the responsibility of each participant. Cork and Shannon are the suggested arrival and departure airports in Ireland. Flights from Boston and other US cities via Aer Lingus. All participants are responsible for their own travel to and from Dingle.
Hotel Benners proud partner of Toscana Americana Workshops
Visit Dingle Hotel Benners online
Itinerary
Saturday: Arrival in Dingle -Arrival and Check-in in Dingle at Hotel Benners -7:00p Welcome to Ireland reception at Mrs Benner's Bar. -8:00p Dinner at Hotel Benners Sunday: Dingle town -9:00a-1:00p Morning Workshop -1:00p Independent lunch -3:00-6:00p Afternoon Workshop -7:00p Irish stout hour
Thursday: Blasket Islands -Day trip to Blasket Islands by boat -1:00p Independent lunch -7:00p Irish stout hour -8:00p Independent dinner Friday: Dingle area -9:00-1:00p Morning Workshop -1:00p Independent lunch -3:00-6:00p Afternoon Workshop -7:30p Irish stout hour -8:30p Farewell Dinner at Hotel Benners Saturday: Departure - Morning Check-out & departure Note: Toscana Americana reserves the right to alter this itinerary. All times are approximate. Note: All participants are responsible for their own travel to and from Dingle.
Participant Supply List
Main Ingredient Natural talent is nice if you have it, but talent is of little consequence unless it is developed. Real artistic growth is a product of hard work and perseverance. So please bring a good supply of both to the workshop.
Painting Grounds A good quality painting ground makes painting and learning easier. I highly recommend alkyd or oil primed Belgian linen. My preferences are #350DP or #359 mounted on gatorfoam available at www.windriverarts.com. I also occasionally use Classens #66 on gatorfoam available from Source Tec at www.canvaspanels.com. You will need (10) 8” x 10” grounds for the workshop.
Paints We will be using a palette limited to the three primary colors plus white. I use Vasari Classic Artist’s Oil Colors available at www.shopvasaricolors.com. They are excellent quality that last on my palette for several days without setting up. . These are my preferences and are not at all required for the class. From Vasari Classic the colors I use are:
Ultramarine Blue
Permanent Bright Red
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Titanium/Zinc White
A good substitute is Utrecht brand paints, available online www.utrchtart.com. If using Utrecht get the following colors:
Ultramarine Blue
Cadmium Red Medium
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Titanium White
Medium I use Gamsol which is an artist’s grade Odorless Mineral Spirits for thinning paint and cleaning brushes while painting and afterward. Please no turpentine or turpenoids. I also use an alkyd gel to control viscosity and accelerate drying time. Either Windsor Newton’s Liquin or Gamblin’s Neo Megilp will work.
Brushes Hog Bristle Filberts (2) each of sizes 2, 6, 8 I prefer Utrecht Brand #209F available at www.utrechtart.com (great quality and price) or Robert Simmons Signet Series.
Easel & Palette You will need a portable easel designed for painting outdoors. I am currently using an Open Box M available at www.openboxm.com. I also own an EasyL available from www.artworkessentials.com.
Miscellaneous Supplies
8oz. or 20 oz. Brush Washer: This is a stainless steel, sealable, leak proof jar designed for Mineral Spirits. It has a stainless steel screen in the cup for cleaning brushes.
Viva half size paper towels,
Johnson & Johnson hand lotion (good for cleaning oil paint off of your hands)
plastic grocery bags for trash
Wear old clothes, apron or smock.
Sunscreen – Insect Repellant
View Catcher – nice tool for isolating colors, values and sizing up your composition, available at www.viewcatcher.com
Patrick Mahoney (Miami University BA'80, MA'82) lives in Cortona where he continues a thirty-year career in the field of Arts & Entertainment producing events, workshops and tours and providing opportunities to share the Italy experience with travelers, artists and people who share his interests for foods, wine, art, culture. Patrick's passion is to conceive and realize various ways in which the human spirit can express and demonstrate its capacity to create. His ability to fearlessly think, conceive, and work "out of the box" has earned him the attention of artists & musicians, colleges & universities, public & private organizations, and business and industry. Patrick brings integrity and a unique vision to Toscana Americana and he is committed to realizing the opportunity for participants to create in an atmosphere of peace, joy, respect and mutual support. As a "slow traveler" and a supporter of "slow food" Mr. Mahoney rides trains, walks, lingers over lunch, dinner or a cup of espresso, stops to smell the roses and savors the sensory feast wherever he is!
