Workshops
Size– think big! Shape– let the work of Matisse, Chagall, and Legére lead the way! Color– Spring will be blooming on the French Riviera so the color will abound! Join us in this destination workshop to idyllic La Napoule, France, led by the chair of the book arts program, Richard Reitz Smith.
There are no available registration dates at this time.
In collaboration with the MidCoast Book Artists and Maine Media, the La Napoule Art Foundation is hosting this destination workshop in La Napoule, France for artists of all levels.
Size– think big! Shape– let the work of Matisse, Chagall, and Legére lead the way! Color– Spring will be blooming on the French Riviera so the color will abound! La Napoule oozes old-world charm with stone walks and walls, manicured gardens, and sea views from the chateau and villa!
Richard Reitz Smith, chair of the book arts program at Maine Media, will lead this destination workshop. Using oversized sheets of gelatin as a printing surface, we will make large-scale monoprints that can stand alone as works of art, be backgrounds for digital prints, or be folded down into multipage books. There will be demonstrations, group discussions, and individual critiques over the course of 10 days. Plus there will be time to lay back, enjoy the Mimosa Festival activities, explore the local color, as well as be creative in the Chateau studios.
We will work with a variety of stencils – manufactured, found, hand-cut, and nature-made to create colorful layer after colorful layer to achieve rich works of art that speak a different language when transformed into book art formats. Oh la la, c’est magnifique!
Join us for this 10-day journey to the land of Matisse. The accommodations are the grounds of “Chateau de La Napoule” home and now a museum of sculptor Henry Clewes, Jr and his wife Marie who designed the lush, ocean-front garden compound.
We will visit the Musée Matisse to see one of the largest collections of this modern art master’s work, as well as trips to see collections of Chagall and Legére. All masters of shape and color in very different ways. Leave after 10 days with as much or as little work as you like. The studio in the Chateau will be open 24/7 for your creative output, but you will most certainly leave with an immersion in the southern French culture that is not soon to be forgotten.
Accommodations for 10 nights all include:
A bed with an ensuite bath in the Villa Marguerite, a self-serve breakfast each morning, a 3-course welcome dinner, and a 3-course departure dinner.The Villa is old world Europe – clean, charming and basic. There are modern amenities except for elevators; there are stairs to the upper levels.
For accommodations choose between:
- Ocean-view, Single bedroom: ***SOLD OUT*** Corner room with two windows. $348 per night, 10 nights = $3480
- Garden-view, Single bedroom: $285 per night, 10 nights = $2850
- Ocean-view, Double bedroom: A shared room at $200.00 per person, 10 nights = $2000 per person. A companion can stay in the room without taking the workshop, but at least one person per room must be enrolled in the workshop. During registration, please mark if you will be bringing a companion.
- Attic Triple: $200.00 per person, 10 nights = $2000 per person. Shared room on the third floor with a bath for the room to share.
Note – Accommodations are selected on the registration page. All prices are in USD.
Registration Note:
At the time of registration, a $600 deposit will be taken. Balance due, including lodging, is due by December 1, 2022. NO REFUNDS after December 1. We strongly encourage you to obtain travel insurance, found here.
Getting There
By Plane: The closest airport is the Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport.
From the airport to Chateau La Napoule there are several options:
- By Taxi: Costs between $120-$150US and takes approximately 26 minutes.
- By Train: The La Napoule train station is directly in front of the Château (regional trains only). National and international trains will arrive at Cannes station.
- By Car: Take highway A8 to exit 40 “Mandelieu-centre” then follow signs for “La Napoule, les plages.” There is parking available for residents who live within driving distance.
- By Bus/Train combo: From Terminal 2 take the bus to Cannes – Gare SNCF Cannes, which costs approximately $2US and leaves roughly every 45 minutes. At the Cannes station, transfer to the train to La Napoule ($13-$42US). The Chateau is a short walk from the train stop. The total trip takes about 1 hr.
- Bus Only: From Terminal 2 to Cannes – Gare SNCF Cannes. At the Cannes station, transfer to a second bus line 22 to La Napoule ($3-$13). The Chateau is a short walk from the bus stop. The total trip takes about 2 hrs 15 min.
Planned Itinerary
Saturday, February 18
- Arrive in the afternoon
- Welcome and Dinner from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free
Sunday, February 19
- Breakfast provided
- Morning Demonstrations – The Basics.
- Lunch of your choice.
- Afternoon tour of grounds and studio assignments
- Prompt for Studio work or Free Time
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice
- Evening is free
Monday, February 20
- Breakfast provided
- Travel by train to Musée Matisse in Nice
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free or studio work.
Tuesday, February 21
- Breakfast provided
- Morning Demonstration – stencils and layering
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time -Individual Critiques as needed.
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice
- Evening is free or studio work.
Wednesday, February 22
- Breakfast provided
- Travel by train to Musée Leger in Nice
- Spend the day in Nice
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free or studio work.
Thursday, February 23
- Breakfast provided
- Morning Demonstration – book structures
- Free Time – Individual Critiques as needed.
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time – Individual Critiques as needed.
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free or studio work.
Friday, February 24
- Breakfast provided
- Travel by train to Musée Chagall in Nice
- Spend the day in Nice
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free or studio work.
Saturday, February 25
- Breakfast provided
- Free Time -Individual Critiques as needed.
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time -Individual Critiques as needed.
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free or studio work.
Sunday, February 26
- Breakfast provided
- Free Time -Individual Critiques as needed.
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time -Individual Critiques as needed.
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Dinner of your choice from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free or studio work.
Monday, February 27
- Breakfast provided
- Free Time -Individual Critiques as needed.
- Lunch of your choice.
- Free Time – Individual Critiques as needed.
- Pre-dinner group critique and discussion
- Wrap up Dinner from 6:00 pm
- Evening is free or studio work.
Tuesday, February 28
- Breakfast provided
- Depart before noon
Hope to see you in the South of France, Bon Jour! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email [email protected].
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Instructor: Richard Reitz Smith
Richard Reitz Smith is a letterpress and book artist who excels in marrying traditional techniques with technology and is the Book Arts Program Chair and Studio Manager at Maine Media. He is the owner of DoubleDoor Creative in Camden, ME. In 2015, Richard was the first Book Artist in Residence at Maine Media where he wrote, illustrated, printed, and bound a limited-edition abecedary of alliterative haiku. Richard received a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in painting and illustration.
After working for three years developing products for Crayola and Liquitex, he returned to school and earned an MFA in graphic design (Tyler School of Art- Temple University). Then started a five-year tour of universities as an art and design professor which led him to New York City, where he taught at Pratt Institute and School of Visual Arts. While doing this, he freelanced as an illustrator and graphic designer for companies like The GAP, Macy's, American Craft Museum, Metlife, Pearson Education, and Scholastic. Then he took positions at Clicquot, Inc. and Clinique Cosmetics consecutively. For Clinique Cosmetics, he managed multi-million-dollar, international, seasonal product and promotional launches as the director of package design worldwide. For Clicquot, Inc. he was a one-person art department for the wine importer/promoter of Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Bouchard, and many other ultra-premium wines. It was in NYC, that he found and frequented The Center for Book Arts learning much about letterpress and the book as an art form.
