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artQuesting: Landscape and the Imagination
June 10, 2016 - June 15, 2016 08:00 - 17:00
It’s the season to get your art equipment out, feel the elements on your skin and paint plein air!
The Landscape and the Imagination, County Donegal, Ireland
Fri 10th – Wed 15th June 2016
“Ah, faeries, dancing under the moon, A Druid land, a Druid tune”, W.B. Yeats
I’m happy to announce that our third Irish artQuesting trip has now been booked in. “The Landscape and the Imagination” is a five night artists’ retreat set in the ancient landscapes of the North West corner of County Donegal, Ireland and we’d love if you could join us.
Celtic Landscapes where the veil is thin
The county of Donegal, retains a unique sense of place and history.
The landscape is steeped in folklore and the powerful Celtic tradition, where the veil is thin. The mountains, lakes, sea, dunes, forests and bogs all sit side by side.
W.B. Yeats and his contemporary, AE (George Russell for the uninitiated), frequented these parts and called it ‘The Spiritual Centre of Ireland’.
Emanating from this rich and spiritually resonant landscape, laden with Holy wells, can still be heard the echoes of the past – the deserted castles and inauguration stones of the clans and high kings; once home to the Fomorian giants of Tory Island; Bloody Foreland and The Poison Glen; Sheephaven Bay and the Wild Atlantic Way.
Through your own artistic and creative experience of being in the landscape, push the frontiers of your creativity and tap into this rich pathway to the imaginal and mythological.
The retreat is your invitation to take time out and focus on your personal creative journey and activate your imagination, while working plein air. The place and situation will stimulate your creativity and generate ideas in your work.
The trip starts and ends at Derry airport and over the five days takes in the stunning Glenveagh National Park, a megalithic site, and an optional boat trip to Tory Island all framed by spectacular coastline and forests.
The itinerary is specifically chosen to evoke the spirituality and mythology in the landscape and to influence your work and stimulate your imagination.
The tutor Sonia McNally is adept at challenging you artistically and creatively.
A group of artists working independently, with a tutor, and informally and naturally sharing skills and experience, provides a rich platform for creative development and your own reflection on your work.
The days are filled with making artwork, in a different location everyday, with a tutor and knowledgeable local guide on hand. The evenings start by critiquing the day’s work and finish with dinner and enjoying the authentic Irish craic!
Getting there
We will collect you and take you back to Derry airport, where the trip starts and finishes. A return flight from London Stansted to Derry is currently around £40.00. You may choose to make this part of a longer trip in Ireland with many wonderful places easily accessible from Derry.
Accommodation
The accommodation is in an historic cottage called Dundrudian (‘the fort of the Druids’) and has magnificent views over the Bay. The group is limited to 7. There is 1 single room, 2 double rooms (all on a first come first served basis) and a shared dormitory. The large lounge with a wood burner can be used as a studio in case of inclement weather.
Food
The Irish are known for their hospitality and we will be fully catered for by our own Irish chef, with the exception of two evenings, where we will sample the local cuisine. Alcohol not included.
