Morocco - a Visual Feast — Sample Itinerary

DAY 1 - MARAKECH
You will be collected at the airport by a private driver from Jnane Tamsna. Jnane Tamsna, a luxuriously remodeled palace nestled among gardens and date palm groves, will be our home base for this trip. Aperitif at 8:00 pm. Introductions and brief discussion of materials and painting locations to follow, concluding with a leisurely dinner in the garden.

DAY 2 - MARAKECH
After breakfast, overview of materials and pastel demonstration and instruction in the garden. We will go over materials used in pastel painting and cover their various qualities and advantages. There will be a demonstration and instruction in pastel on paper. There will also be a brief introduction to development of techniques of increased awareness and observation that are present in all of Tatjana¡s work. During this time our culinary counterparts will have completed their first gastronomic instruction and we will join them for lunch in the garden to sample the fruits of their labour. Afternoon is reserved for rest and pastel painting in the gardens, palm groves and luxurious surroundings of Jnane Tamsna. In the evening we will gather again in the gardens for a candlelit dinner under the stars.

DAY 3 - KASBAH DI TOUBKAL
After breakfast, drive across the Haouz plain to the market town of Tnine Ourika, where we will sketch in the Jardin de Senteurs et Cultures, a picturesque organic garden of aromatic herbs. Here we will learn about observing nature and people through quick, on-the-go recording of details and nuances for further painting, using graphite on paper. We will go into details of composition, perspective and quick sketching of the human figure. Our picnic lunch will be served in a pastoral setting under a tented shade. After lunch there will be time for exploration of the neighbouring villages and using our new sketching methods. In the late afternoon we will travel into the Ouirgane Valley for an introduction and instruction to watercolor landscape painting. Evening will find us at the Kasbah di Toubkal, located on Morocco's highest mountain. We will enjoy dinner and an overnight in the Kasbah.

DAY 4 IMLIL
After breakfast, we'll hike along mountain slopes to paint amid the walnut groves, home gardens and terraces of the Tachelhit Berber mountain culture. We will continue instruction in watercolor plein aire painting, followed by lunch at the Kasbah. Afternoon is free for individual sketching and painting, a visit to the village, the hammam or hiking. We will have dinner in the village and spend the night at Dar Imlil.

DAY 5 OLD MEDINA (MARAKECH)
After breakfast, we will return to Marakech, this time staying in a Ryad (guest house) in the old Medina. Upon arrival we will settle into our guesthouse and have some free time to relax. We will gather again for lunch in the courtyard. After lunch we will set out to tour the narrow, winding streets visit shops and tea houses, artisan studios and open air markets of the old Medina. This will be a time for impromptu sketching and keeping our eyes and senses wide open to the feast that old Marakech is, while learning how to express the richness of aromas and textures in our painting. Return to the Ryad for coffee spiced with ras-el-hanout and a lesson in gouache painting. Optional tour of monuments including the Palais Bahia and Dar Si Said Museum for Moroccan crafts. Optional hammam and massage. Dinner at Fondouk, lovely French-Moroccan fare. Please, bring your sketchbooks!

DAY 6 ESSAOUIRA
After breakfast, travel to the Atlantic Coast to visit the old Portuguese port of Mogador, now known as Essaouira. We will lunch at the port on grilled fish and local specialties. In the afternoon, we will visit woodcarvers who produce objects of fragrant thuya wood, and peruse carpets and kilims to learn about and interpret in our painting and sketches the exquisite Berber design. To add to our sensory education we will stop by the music stores for the best selection of Gnawa and Andalous tunes. Afterward we will settle into one of Essaouira¡s French style cafØs for sketching and people watching. Evening finds us tucked away at the rustic Siddhi Kaouki Inn located on one of west Coast¡s most treasured beaches.

DAY 7 ESSAOUIRA
After breakfast we will stroll along the beach, take a camel ride and perfect our watercolor landscape painting skills. We will make our way back to Marakech stopping on the way in the picturesque village of Fouloust with its own opportunities for sketching and painting. We will arrive back to our home at Tamsna in time for some rest before dinner in the garden.

DAY 8 MARAKECH
After breakfast, Tatjana will present a studio class on converting our sketches and watercolors to full blown large scale paintings. Part of the artist¡s process is to freshly recall, and then express, the highlights of his or her observations. We will use the material we gathered over the past few days. Lunch at Jnane Tamsna in the garden. Afternoon  pastel or gouache painting in the gardens. Dinner explores Thai cuisine in Morocco with a Thai menu de degustation. Late night Saturday after-dinner drink at Le Comptoir for a taste of Moroccan night life and Moulin Rouge style belly dancing.

DAY 9 MARAKECH
After breakfast, pastel «master¡ class with Tatjana to deepen confidence in the techniques. General review and discussion of everyone¡s work; sharing of the sense of increased awareness and appreciation. Conclude with instructions for home. Lunch at Jnane Tamsna. Afternoon free to catch up on shopping, visit to the hammam, journaling or paint. A Gala dinner complete with gnawa and Andulous musicians. A show of everyone¡s work. Au revoir.

DAY 10 MARAKECH
Departure after breakfast.

During the trip, all mornings before breakfast will be set aside for quiet introspection and meditation. Meditation instruction is available upon request.