Wrap up French Escapade Watercolor Workshop Belgium

Bonnie's painting of the hotel with Monique's cute car.

OK last evening I goofed when I typed in my blog that Bonnie painted at the hotel when the others painted in Damme. I forgot that Jackie took Bonnie and Bill to see the World War I trenches and museums here in Belgium. Very sobering and they learned things they did not know about that war and the men who fought it and the nurses who helped them.

Now I want to complete my blog about my painting trip to Belgium with French Escapade tour company by posting more of the paintings and drawings my students created. Many are not finished and will get the final touches added at home, but I want their friends and families to see Belgium through their eyes.

First up, Bonnie's work. Bonnie is an early riser, most mornings she had been painting for a couple of hours before the rest of us came down to breakfast. So I have more Bonnie paintings than others, and they are more complete. Bonnie's passion and joy of painting shows in these works.

The bench in the garden at the hotel by Bonnie.

The owners of our hotel are very talented interior decoraters, everywhere you look you see a perfect still life just waiting for painting. Bonnie captured this shelf, even if she did not get it done, its wonderful.

Catherine was our true beginner. She has taken exactly 4 drawing classes and no painting classes prior to this trip, but was drawing constantly. She created a cute watercolor of pots in the garden (her first ever) and a watercolor of the street in Damme, but somehow I did not get photos of them. This is her drawing in pencil of the fountain in the front driveway of the hotel. It is hard to belive she has taken only 4 drawing classes when you view this drawing.

Here is an ink drawing by Catherine, also a first for her. I hope she will continue to draw and paint when she returns home as she clearly enjoys it.

Linda was off to a good start with this painting of the cement sheep, hydrangas and front window of the hotel, but she ran out of time. Hope she completes it when she gets home.

Margaret captured the grey stormy sky and its reflection in the canal in Brugge. We crowned her Queen of Skys.

Here is another of Margaret's grey skys, this one with the bright red sails on the Damme windmill makes for a fun painting.

Sorry about the photo, but this is a light pencil drawing created by Sylvia of the rooster weather vane. The day she drew this the sun was out and it was warm, the next day it flipped the opposite direction with the cold north wind.

Teresa spent two days exploring Brugge on a bicycle, once with Bill and Sylvia and once on her own so she did not paint, but did get some nice drawings done. She did this nice value sketch of the drapery in the corner of the dining room. She also become our waffle and chocolate expert and every group visiting Belgium needs such a specialist in the group!

Bill's creative work is missing from my blog because his medium is video. He worked hard to create videos of all aspects of our trip and you will be able to view them in the future on the website www.frenchescapade.com and on You Tube.

I want to thank my students and Bill for being so much fun to travel with and so good to each other. Like a family they bonded quickly sharing ideas, laughs and chocolate. They rescued one another when a needle and thread was needed, a medical remedy, or a clever idea to solve a packing problem.

And a big thanks to Jackie for her organizing and preplanning efforts which as always paid off with a fun and smooth running trip. Her ability to learn each person's idea of the perfect trip for them and her flexibility to make it work for each one makes her trips very special for all.