Join an eight-day painting workshop in a rustic old stone farmhouse, surrounded by ancient woods, a refreshing stream, and wildflower meadows. Your tutor, Adam Cope, lives and paints in the Dordogne, offering intimate knowledge of the area. Enjoy the small group atmosphere, limited to seven participants.
Includes two day painting trips to paint at the UNESCO medieval abbey of St. Avit Sénieur on the Camino de Saint Jacques & Le Château de Biron. With guided visits with Marie-Line, a qualified tour guide & local historian.
Easy to get to, near Bergerac & Bordeaux.
The Dordogne – deep, slow & gentle
Painting in nature and deep quietness is a gift for artists. On this painting retreat, step out from the studio, stroll 100 yards down an old path, and find yourself in hidden meadows of tall grass and wildflowers, surrounded by ancient woods. Le Domaine de Cugnac is dedicated to ecology and preserving the natural semi-wild beauty.
The studio has a covered terrace, half inside & half outside. tables, easels, tea & coffee … et bien sûr, un canapé tout confort.
You know me, I think there ought to be a big old tree right there. And let’s give him a friend. Everybody needs a friend.
— Bob Ross
Expect nothing – if not the unexpected. This knowledge comes to me from far away. A knowing that is not mere knowledge, but rather a trust, a whisper, a song. It comes from the only teacher I’ve ever had: a tree.
– Christian Bobin
Le Domaine de Cugnac
Nestled in ancient woods with wildflower meadows and a gentle stream, this lavender farm is full of good paintings. Discover rolling hills, old barns, stone buildings, donkeys, tractors, and the ruins of a medieval castle.
Once a Baron’s horse stud and defensive outpost, Cugnac is now a working farm with a rich patina and authentic texture, untouched by over-modernization. It’s the perfect setting for a painting workshop, ideal for both beginners and experienced artists seeking inspiration in a historic and serene environment.
Two day-trips for painting
Le Château de Biron
We go for a day of painting at the Baron’s castle. His tomb is in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. With guided visits with Marie-Line, a qualified tour guide & local historian.
Saint Avit Sénieur
The Abbey of Saint Avit Sénieur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was an resting place on the St. James Pilgrim’s Path to Santiago de Compostela. This 11th-century Romanesque relic boasts aged patinas, frescoes, and echoes of a storied past.
Perched atop a hill, the village of Saint Avit is surrounded by woods and working farms, offering a feast for painters. Its honey-colored stone buildings radiate a warm, golden glow, complemented by charming gardens and the tranquil beauty of “the Warm South.”
The Painting Course
The course specializes in plein-air landscape painting, colour, light and composition. Still-lives, portraits & semi-abstracts happen too. I find that students like light and colour, so I like to get students painting, using their brushes and mixing colour as soon as possible. We can then return to drawing later, rather than spending three or four days caught in the complexities of perspective.
“Your rules should arise out of your passions and your experience with what works for you. ” – Richard Schmid
This course is appropriate for beginners as well as advanced. You will learn painting techniques as well as have plenty of time for your own creativity. Learning happens both in group and on an individual basis. There’s lots of one to one teaching in your own individual painting time since group size is small. There’s a studio/camp for plein-air painting which equipped with painting furniture. Thus you can travel light. Oils/fast drying oils (alkyds) or watercolours. There’s also the option of hiring a set of alkyd paints so you can travel lite.
I had such a great time! I learned so much from you Adam and love your painting style! I will be sure to send you pics of my painting series from the trip, I have so many ideas, I feel like they are going to explode! “
Cathy, USA
The Tutor : Adam Cope
BA hons; Further Education & Adults Teaching Cert.I ; Foundation Diploma Art Therapy.
Accommodation & Cuisine
Your hosts, Marie-Lawrence and Don, speak good English and love welcoming painters. They warmly share their journey of creating this cherished ecological retreat. Their charming chambres d’hôtes (B&B) offers comfortable ensuite rooms, which we esteem to be Two Stars. There’s also a spacious apartment, perfect for groups of two or three friends to share at a great price.
Convivial, friendly table. The cuisine is regional. Fresh, locally sourced & often organic. Cugnac is an organic farm & many of the ingredients come from their farm. A hearty breakfast, a cold buffet lunch & a three course dinner with delicious wines. Self-service. We go out one evening to a local restaurant.
Dates 2025
Wednesday 3 September to Wednesday 10 September – FULLY BOOKED
The course starts at 3.30 pm & finishes after breakfast.
Dates 2026
Wednesday 10 June to Wednesday 17 June 2026 : Wait-list open
Wednesday 2 September to Wednesday 10 September 2026 : Wait-list open
Prices 2026
To be announced
Prices 2025
1720 euros per painter in a one person ensuite.
1505 euros per painter sharing a large appartment (two or three painters sharing a large appartment).
695 euros per non-painting accompanying friend.
You pay the accommodation & course fees separately.
What’s included in the total price :
- 6 full days plus 2 half-days (welcome afternoon & departure morning) painting course with Adam Cope.
- Small group size : 7 Max students.
- A day trip painting in St Avit. Plus guided visit with a local tour guide.
- A day trip painting to Chateau de Biron (entrance fee 9€ at your charge). Plus guided visit with a local tour guide.
- Free ebook guide to materials & plein-air painting written by Adam. Plus an online course for introduction to painting workshop.
- Painting furniture (easels, boards, sun umbrellas, stools, etc) & solvents, rags, pots, etc.
- Use of studio & swimming pool.
- 7 nights accommodation.
- All meals & wine & tea & coffee.
- Regional cuisine with fresh local produce, mostly organic.
What’s not included in the total price :
- Your painting materials (except solvents, rags, boards & painting furniture which are supplied so you can travel lite).
- Possibility of renting a set of alkyd paints so that you can travel light. 35€ normal usage. Just bring your own brushes, canvas/canvas paper & drawing equipment.
- Your travel. See our travel page
- Your personal travel insurance.
- Possibility of transfers from Lalinde train station in shared taxi (about 10 euros per transfer per student)
- Entrance fee to Château de Biron 9€
- An optional day trip out to visit a prehistoric painted cave (with an in-depth presentation to prehistory) & sight-seeing in the Vézère valley.
- One evening meal in a restraurant (abou 40 euros).
An Optional Day Trip to the Prehistoric Painted Caves
Stay on an extra day & visit the prehistoric painted caves in the nearby Vézère valley. Adam has a long term relationship with Prehistoric art . The caves are fairly remote, so this day involves being driven. Pre-booking necessary. Return to the source!
Travel – Getting to Cugnac
Le Domaine de Cugnac situated between Bergerac and Sarlat in the Dordogne – Aquitaine, South West France.
Transfers from the Local Train Station
Transfers between Lalinde train station and Cugnac are available on start and finish days. The 40-minute shared taxi ride costs around €50, split among passengers. Pre-booking required. Expect to arrive at Lalinde around 2:30/3:00 pm. The course begins at 3:30pm.
Rail Travel to Lalinde
Lalinde is the nearest station. It is on the D33 train on the Bordeaux-Bergerac-Sarlat line. For schedules, www.sncf-connect.com
Arrival: Summer train times are yet to be announced. The journey from Bordeaux takes about 100 minutes. Expect to arrive at Lalinde around 14:30/15:00. The course begins at 15:30.
Departure: Transfers from Cugnac to Lalinde leave after breakfast at 9:00.
Rail Travel to Bordeaux from Paris
The ultra-high speed ‘TVG Océane’ takes about two or three hours from Paris Montaparnasse to Bordeaux. Libourne is good too. Bordeaux to Lalinde (which is the closest station to St Avit) is about 100 minutes on the Bordeaux-Sarlat D33 line.
Air Travel to Bergerac
Flights to Bergerac Airport from up to nine different UK airports, Dublin, Rotterdam & Paris.
Bergerac Airport>Cugnac is a 45 minute drive (31 km,19 miles).
Air Travel to Bordeaux
Flights to Bordeaux Mérignac Airport from UK & Ireland. Shuttle bus from Bordeaux Mérignac to Bordeaux St Jean SNCF train station. Then take the Bordeaux – Sarlat train & get off at Lalinde.