2010

ALVARO CASTAGNET in SPAIN

“The Beauties of Costa Brava & Gaudi’s Barcelona”

3 – 9 June, 2010
CATALONIA, COSTA BRAVA & BARCELONA (SPAIN)

Best known apart from the capital, Barcelona, is of course the

Mediterranean coast, Costa Brava, with ample beaches and mild
climate, doubtlessly a first rate touristic attraction. One shouldn't
forget anyhow that Catalonia offers as well high mountain ranges
such as the Pyrenees in the north. Catalonia has a very marked
culture of its own, most evidently of Mediterranean tradition, and is
distinguished of most other Spanish regions in several aspects, not at least by
its language, Barcelona is Catalunya’s capital. Catalunya is an autonomous
region inside Spain, with its own language, culture and history. Catalunya was the first
nation in the world to have a parliament (called Consell de Cent), which made the laws that
even the King had to follow.

The 200-Km coastline of the Costa Brava is certainly one of the most famous Spanish coasts,
stretching from the north of Barcelona over the province of Girona. It is of great natural beauty, with steep cliffs
and romantic small coves.

The range of proposals in terms of sights, entertainment, sport, culture and cuisine is endless. Medieval villages
like Pals or Peratallada go side by side with the beauty of the coves and cliffs of Begur, Palafrugell, Calella,
Llafranch…

Barcelona is considered by many the

most lively, brilliant, active, dynamic
city at the forefront of the universe.
These are some of its highlights.

Modernism:There are many examples

of modernist architecture in town.
Among the things you mustn’t miss: La
Pedrera, La Casa Batlló and La
Sagrada Familia. Ciutat Vella: Narrow
streets, medieval buildings, the most
fashionable shops; the perfect place to
get lost walking during the day time,
and to enjoy the amazing night life.
Las Ramblas: Ciutat Vella central
avenue, popular for human statues,
and the unique mix of all kinds of
people.

Catalans pride themselves on good

eating, its excellent gastronomy is
characterized by seafood, rice dishes,
wines of great international reputation
and traditional desserts like the famous
"Crema Catalana". You will find some
of Spain's finest restaurants here, like
the world famous Ferran Adrià’s “El
Bulli” in Roses. The region's cuisine features unusual dishes like goose with pears and lobster with chicken, and
wonderful seafood stews, paella and a great variety of wild mushrooms. Fine red and white wines are produced
here, and Catalan sparkling wines (cavas) are favourite celebratory wines around the world.
COURSE TIMETABLE

DAY DATE TIME ACTIVITY

Thu June 3 19.00 Course presentation & briefing.
Welcome cocktail & dinner
Fri June 4 09.00 – 16.30 Sketching & painting in St. Feliu around the hotel & studio.
Critique session
Sat June 5 09.00 - 17.00 Trip to Calella de Palafrugell
Critique session
Sun June 6 09.00 – 17.00 Trip to Peratallada
18.00 Critique session
Mon June 7 08.30 Leaving for Barcelona by coach, painting in Barcelona the rest
of the day
Tues June 8 09.00 – 16.30 Painting in Barcelona
20.00 Farewell dinner
Wed June 9 By 11.00 Departure before 11.00

ITINERARY AND EXCURSIONS

Thursday 3rd June

Arrival and check in at hotel. Hopefully some time to relax.

19.00
Welcome meeting and course
briefing at Hotel Eden Roc, 17220
SANT FELIU DE GUIXOLS, tel +34
972 320 100. Welcome cocktail and
drinks, followed by a buffet style
dinner.

For further travel information please

check the hotel website:
http://www.caproig.com

Friday 4th June

SANT FELIU

9.00 – 16.30 This is our first painting day. We meet at the hotel lobby to go sketching around the hotel and the
Sant Feliu area. Alvaro will finish the day with a critique session to enlighten our artist minds.
Then, a well-deserved free time to relax around the hotel gardens, have a swim, a walk or explore further before
the exquisite buffet dinner.
Saturday 5th June

CALELLA DE PALAFRUGELL

9.00 – 17.00 Meet at the hotel lobby for a lovely painting day in Calella de Palafrugell where Alvaro will delight
us with two demonstrations again and help everybody with our own paintings.

Calella:
Hidden away from
mass tourism lies this
charming fishing village
Calella, it has some of
the most peaceful
seaside walkways in
Spain. Visitors get
intimate views of a
gorgeous blue
shoreline while walking
past the colorful fishing
boats that dot the shore
or enjoying meals at
several shore-front
restaurants.

Calella is also known

for its “havaneres” —
old songs Cuban

immigrant fisherman sung for over 100 years in local taverns. Before
the tradition completely died out in the 1960s, the community started a
summer festival to celebrate the custom and it is still popular to this
day. On the beach at night people like to drink “Cremat”, a hot drink
made with burnt rum, lemon peel, coffee beans, cinnamon and a
coffee in a terracotta pot. Usually drank in the open air to avoid igniting
what is around you or yourself even!

Sunday 6th June

PERATALLADA

9.00 – 17.00 Meet at the hotel lobby for a lovely painting day in Peratallada.
Peratallada was declared an artistic and historical site, it’s one of the most important medieval architectural
centres being one of the
best fortified mediaeval
villages. The defence
system was made up of
three walled sites. The
three walls and towers
were protected by deep
valleys carved out of the
rock. This fosse, in some
places where it is still
visible today, was 7 or 8
metres deep. That’s where
the name comes from:
Piedra Tallada, Carved
Stone

Alvaro will demonstrate

again in this beautiful
medieval town and delight
us with new lessons. Then
he’ll help everybody to
produce good paintings
We can also wander along their narrow alleys and get lost in time to let these medieval walls inspire our paintings,
eat, paint, relax and enjoy life.

Monday 7th June

BARCELONA

8.30 Meet at the hotel lobby fully packed to go to Barcelona by coach. It will stay with us all day to drive us around
Barcelona, admiring Gaudi’s buildings and stopping to paint in emblematic places such as Parc Güell and
Montjuïc. Alvaro will do his demonstrations there
leaving time to do our own paintings.

For hundreds of years, Barcelona has been the

most dynamic and modern city in Spain. Its
commercial port, and its proximity with France and
the rest of Europe, made it the perfect setting for
many different people to exchange ideas. During this
time, Barcelona cultivated a great cultural richness,
and thanks to the international projection and town
planning works carried out for the Olympic Games,
held here in 1992, it is now one of the most modern
and dynamic cities in the world. The city is set apart
from others by its situation on the Mediterranean
coast, with more than 4 kilometres of beach. The
Ciutat Vella quarter is constantly being renovated,
and is made of 4 very different districts, each one of
them with its own character, where you can find
everything from the most modern and fashionable
shops and restaurants, to the quietest, most hidden
little squares. The Eixample quarter is a wonderful
example of town planning, and it is the area where
you will find the most stunning modernist buildings
(lead by those built by the greatest architect of all
time: Antonio Gaudí), like La Pedrera or Casa
Batlló.

In the late afternoon we’ll go to our hotel in the

Ramblas to check in and enjoy some free time to
explore the heart of old Barcelona, walking towards
the sea or getting lost in the many side streets full of
charm and buzzing with life.

HOTEL in Barcelona: Hotel Continental Barcelona, www.hotelcontinental.com

Rambla de Canaletas, 138 – 08002 Barcelona, tel +34 933 012 570
Tuesday 8th June

BARCELONA

9.00 – 16.30 Meet at the hotel lobby

and go exploring other unforgettable
corners of the Ramblas, the Gothic
quarter and the port, under the expert
tuition and guidance of Alvaro. This is
our last painting day.

20.00 Farewell dinner and get together

to sum up this wonderful week with
Alvaro Castagnet, his masterful
tuition, charismatic personality and
fantastic painting! All the fun and
achievements in that very special
week. Great friends that we’ve made
and unforgettable memories…

Thursday 9th June

Departure day, by 11.00

After breakfast we leave our rooms before 11.00 am, but we’re allowed to use the hotel facilities until it’s time to
leave. Sweet memories and new good friends will remain in our hearts. Hope to see you again in another of our
workshops.

REMINDERS: WHAT TO TAKE & ADVICE

-Your personal painting gear: paints, brushes, paper and the rest of materials suggested by Alvaro.
-A good light-weight rucksack or bag with enough space for carrying your things plus easel and chair.
-Clothes: some short and long sleeved T-shirts, shorts, trousers, waterproof jackets, hats, sun block cream, a
thicker jacket for chilly evenings.
-Money: You can get money from ATM machines in every town we visit.
-Your personal health insurance, E111 card for EU citizens.
-Leave passports or extra money in the safe of the hotel, don’t carry it around. You can carry a photocopy of your
passport if you wish.

THE PAINTING COURSE

Alvaro will be demonstrating and
giving tuition and critiques from
th th
Friday 4 to Tuesday 8 June
2010. Our painting day will
normally be from 9.00 until 16.30
or 17.00. Alvaro will start with a
demo in the morning followed by
students doing their own works
with his expert guidance. This
schedule will be repeated in the
afternoon. Students should bring
their own painting materials and
equipment. However, stools, light
weight easels and drawing
boards can be provided on
request at no extra cost.
The syllabus will contain a
progression into what watercolour
painting is about. These points will
be explored:
 ™ Introduction to Watercolours. The philosophical side of “what makes a painting”.
™ Simple aspects of the medium will be discussed: wet on wet, wet on dry, lost & found edges, colour
blending.
™ Understanding values and value ranges within a painting.
™ Perspective exercises will be involved.
™ A painting of a street scene, with European buildings, will give us the perfect subject to look at: colour
mixing, perspective, texture, figures, mood, etc
™ Broad washes to practice colour mixing and wet on wet techniques.
™ A demo of a more complex painting will be performed.
™ Maximum guidance to the students.

In Alvaro’s own words:

“Every day we will be conducting critique of the painting in progress.

I walk among the students’ work, giving them friendly advice on how I think they could improve their work, to help
them make the most of every painting opportunity.
On the last day, there will be the final critique session, where every student will show the best painting they have
produced, and will go home not only feeling great, with their achievement, but realizing how much they have
learned after having so much fun, and with a clear understanding of the strength and weakness of their paintings.”

Full details with advice on what to bring are sent to you in a separate document.

YOUR PAINTING TUTOR ALVARO CASTAGNET

Alvaro Castagnet was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He attended the National School of Art and the Fine Arts
University and was taught by Professor Esteban Garino.

Alvaro’s achievements are many. He was appointed Art Director of the

Melbourne Latin America Arts Festival and has won numerous awards.
These include: The Alice Baylo Award and the American Watercolor
Society prestigious High Winds Medal. The AWS has recently honoured
him with the Alfredo Guati Rojo Memorial Award and the Airfloat Systems
Inc Award. The Jury
th
of Awards has included him in the 137 Annual Travel Exhibition. These
are but a few of his many outstanding achievements. In addition Alvaro
has featured in many publications and writes regularly for internationally
acclaimed art magazines. His book ‘Watercolour Painting with Passion’
met with worldwide success. He’s preparing his second book at present. In
nd
addition he released his 2 DVD in December 2007, filmed in Cadaqués
and Girona and available at www.apvfilms.com

Alvaro’s experience in the field of painting and teaching has won him the
respect and admiration of his fellow artists and the countless students who
have benefited from his tutorship and his passion for watercolour.

His demonstrations are quite breathtaking and it is a sheer delight to watch his speed of execution and the
simplicity of his statements. These attributes coupled with his ability to show how to capture atmosphere and
mood, create rhythm of movement and produce a well-balanced painting. These are the qualities that identify him
worldwide as an outstanding teacher and as a master of the art of watercolour painting.

Most important of all Alvaro is a warm, kind, compassionate and considerate man full of charisma and good
humour.

By Don Glynn

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

The wokshop starts in Sant Feliu de Guixols (Girona province) and we will organise your transfer from either
Girona airport or city. So your best option is to fly to Girona, about 12 Kms from Girona city and 25 Kms from St.
Feliu or get to Girona by train or bus directly from Barcelona airport. After you let us know about your travel
arrangements, a transfer to the hotel will be organised so you can join a group for your pick up or return. We have
provided more detailed travel instructions on a separate document. The workshop ends in Barcelona allowing you
to take the airbus right next to our hotel in Barcelona if you are leaving from there. To get to Girona, Ryanair
provides regular buses from the Nord station to Girona airport.
CANCELLATION CONDITIONS & INSURANCE

Deposits are non-refundable. Cancellations on final payments due to medical reasons up to 3 weeks before the
start of the course will have a 40% refurnd of that second payment. Cancellations less than 4 weeks before the
start of a course, there’s no refund of monies paid. You are strongly advised to take out independent cancellation
insurance to cover you in the event of cancellations.

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel in Sant Feliu (Girona province) HOTEL in Barcelona

Hotel Eden Roc Hotel Continental Barcelona
Port Salvi s/n Rambla de Canaletes, 138
17220 Sant Feliu de Guíxols 08002 Barcelona
tel +34 972 320 100 Tel +34 933 012 570
www.caproig.com www.hotelcontinental.com

We will stay at the seaside hotel Eden Roc in Sant Elm, next to Sant Feliu de Guíxols. The hotel offers half board
accommodation with very good buffet breakfast and dinner, including wine. Everyone in the group has a room
with a view and ensuite bathroom facilities. The hotel has a big swimming pool, a spa centre, lovely gardens and
even a private beach which you can use; it’s situated on a rocky bay. Our studio is a beautiful room with sea
views. In Barcelona we will be staying in a hotel at the top of the Ramblas next to plaça Catalunya in the very
heart of Barcelona and next to all transports, it’s the Hotel Continental Barcelona. It includes a 24h light buffet.

DISCLAIMER

The workshop has been priced on the basis of a minimum number of students. If fewer artists have confirmed
their booking 8 weeks before the start of the course, EPC reserves the right to cancel the workshop giving a full
refund of monies paid or offer a place on another course equal in price.
Contact EPC before you book your flights to make sure your course is going ahead.
EPC takes no responsibility for the loss or damage of personal property.
Whilst every effort will be made by EPC to keep to the programme outlined above, it will, if circumstances
warrant it, be subject to change.
__________________________________________________________________________

CONTACT DURING YOUR STAY

Angela Barbi +34 645 767 403 mobile phone

HAVE AN UNFORGETTABLE TIME WITH ALVARO IN CATALONIA!!