
Once upon a time in a land far, far away there was an old, beautiful château nestled in a misty valley…
Sound like the beginning of a magical fairytale? Well this past fall, thirteen of us felt exactly like we were courtiers at a royal residence. Can you guess where we were?
This far away land was France. The valley was the Loire Valley. And the château was Château de la Carrière. With our painting supplies in hand, we embarked on an adventure of a lifetime – at least that’s how we all felt! Is there anything better than painting with friends for an entire week - in a beautiful French castle - and being treated like royal guests?
As I look back on 2024, this trip was an absolute highlight for me. I loved getting to know the men and women in our group as we played with our watercolors, traveled and ate together. Daily, we sat around beautifully prepared meals – all farm to table and served in gorgeous style. We also reveled in our excursions to neighboring towns, villages and cities. Some were of historical significance and some were quaint and charming like Sainte Suzanne painted below…
One of my favorite experiences was visiting Le Moulin à Papier, a 13th century paper mill where Carlos, through an interpreter, walked us through the steps of hand making a sheet of paper - starting with a basket of white cotton rags. It was fascinating! The group even got to try our hand at making our own sheets of paper, including me!
If you find yourself enviously dreaming of such an adventure… it doesn’t need to be a dream. We can make it a reality!
We had such a fabulous experience, the Ruth Korch Art Painting Holiday for May 2026 is a return to this very Château!!
In true fairytale fashion, have I got you under my spell? Well be sure to get on our “interested” list and check out testimonials, pictures and some of the details on our website… click here
Just think, 2026 might be the making of your very own magical fairy tale!