A fortunate group of plein air painters recently enjoyed an excursion to paint in France at a castle co-owned by Miles Copeland, who once managed the bands Sting and The Police.
Lynn Gertenbach (www.lynngertenbachart.net) was one of a small group of artists who recently visited the castle. “Miles has a colorful personality and a rich history,” Lynn says. We all enjoyed his many stories.”
So why does Miles Copeland own a castle? Lynn explains: “Upon selling his music business he decided to purchase a castle in France, in the area of Dordogne.” The castle decor includes beautiful furnishings that once belonged to several churches in England that are no longer in use.
“This area of France has many chateaus and castles dating back to the 9th century,” Lynn tells us. “The castle Miles and his wife, Adriana, have lived in for the past 30 years is the Chateau Marouatte, originally built in the 11th century.”
“Miles is an extremely gracious host,” she added. “He definitely had the vision, thanks to the British plein air group he’d invited previously a few weeks ago.” Each day, Miles would drive Lynn’s group to an ideal painting location, including Creynas, with a beautiful river running through; Abbaye de Boschaud (Notre Dame de Boschaud; “The Abbey was bathed in golden light, which made it a perfect place for painting,” Lynn added); enchanting views at Brantome; Tocan and the “Mill.”
Also included was swimming at the castle, visiting the Caves in St. Jean de Cole, a flea market, and more.
On the last afternoon, Lynn says, “Everyone brought all the paintings they had done during the week to the main dining room and lined them up for a final critique. You could definitely see the improvement from day 1 to day 5, and I was happy to have been a positive influence on their learning process.”
They plan to hold a similar week in 2020. More details can be found at www.artatthecastle.com. Visit Lynn’s website at www.lynngertenbachart.com.
Upcoming travel and art events with Streamline Publishing:
- May 2-6, 2020: The 9th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo
- June 7-14, 2020:Publisher’s Invitational: Paint Adirondacks
- October 12-19, 2020: Publisher’s Invitational: Fall Color Week in New Hampshire’s White Mountains
Click here to subscribe to PleinAir Today,
the free newsletter from PleinAir Magazine.
As one of this year’s participants, I can add that the experience was truly inspirational. After coming back home I started painting like someone possessed and haven’t stopped yet.
Alex B.