Programs & Workshops

Upcoming


And keep an eye out for these new programs coming soon!

  • Artist Residency/Alumni Apprenticeship in Aix-en-Provence: Saturday, June 21 - Saturday, July 26, 2025

Private Workshops

The Leo Marchutz School of Painting & Drawing is currently planning private workshops for schools, groups, and individuals. Interested in collaborating on a workshop in Aix-en-Provence or elsewhere? Contact us to learn more about the process and available opportunities.

Past Workshops

October 2024: New York City Museum Study Seminar

Thank you to all of our participants for a wonderful weekend in the museum together. It was so great to spend time together in front of great works of art. We are grateful to the group’s dedicated and thoughtful participation!

This program, which took place in New York City from Thursday, October 24th through Sunday, October 27th, 2024 was a long-weekend museum study seminar entitled, “Imagination & Form in Great Works of Art,” and drew upon art historian Lionello Venturi’s book, “Painting and Painters - How to Look at a Picture, From Giotto to Chagall.”

Stay tuned for our next U.S. museum study seminar!

June/July 2024: 5-week Summer Painting Program in Aix-en-Provence for high schoolers and adults/college students (June 15 - July 20, 2024)

April 2024: Week-long Painting Workshop in Venice, Italy

Thank you to all who joined our wonderful week-long painting workshop in Venice, Italy! It was a beautiful week and we are so grateful to the lovely group that made it such a beautiful and enlightening week.

This program, intended for participants of all ages and experience levels, took place in Venice, Italy where participants found inspiration in the famed canals, the Giudecca, and other motifs that have influenced artists for centuries. Students were provided all oil painting materials, transportation, expert instruction, and in-depth guidance on how to transport their paintings back home. Keep an eye out for our annual Venice program announcement for 2025 coming soon!

October/November 2023: Online Course: Vision, Process, and Quick Watercolor Studies

Thank you to all our wonderful students! Slippery and sometimes counterintuitive, watercolor is an elusive medium vast with possibility. For many artists looking for a lightweight, portable option to maintain a creative practice at home or on the go, it is an obvious choice. In this online watercolor course, artist and educator Nick Cruz Velleman reintroduced the basics of sketching with watercolor. Nick provided a refresher with wet and dry techniques and helped students explore how to use them together. By the end of the course, students had a foundation to make quick watercolor sketches using their own vision to explore which techniques and what process may be right for them. Each session included guided practice exercises and the course concluded with a group critique.

September/October 2023: Imagination & Form in Great Works of Art: A Museum Study Seminar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A wonderful group gathered in Philadelphia from Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1 for a long-weekend museum study seminar: Imagination & Form in Great Works of Art, which drew upon art historian Lionello Venturi’s book, “Painting and Painters - How to Look at a Picture, From Giotto to Chagall.”

The group went on a deep dive into the imaginations of some of the great artists represented in the museums of Philadelphia, including the Barnes Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The museum seminar included texts by renowned artists, writers, and thinkers as the group spent extensive time discussing together what they found while taking long looks at artworks to discover meaning through the form of each work of art.

Summer 2023: PAINTING IN PROVENCE: A SEMINAR IN VISION – An Interdisciplinary Summer Program for High School Students in Aix-en-Provence, France

4.5-week interdisciplinary art program in France from June 22nd through July 24th, 2023. Students immersed themselves in the daily practice of painting and drawing in both the studio and the landscape of the south of France, and participated in weekly discussion-based seminars, creative writing classes, and introductory French sessions. Additional complementary activities included opera concerts from the famed Aix-en-Provence music festival, day trips to surrounding areas (coastal towns along the Mediterranean Sea and the nearby sites of Cézanne and Van Gogh), and a three-day museum study trip to Paris. This interdisciplinary program was designed to connect all activities into one collaborative process to help students see more into the world and into themselves.

Summer 2023: PAINTING IN PROVENCE: A SEMINAR IN VISION – An Interdisciplinary Summer Program for Adults in Aix-en-Provence, France

Five-week interdisciplinary art program in Aix-en-Provence, France from June 20th through July 24th, 2023. Participants immersed themselves in the daily practice of painting and drawing in both the studio and the landscape of the south of France, and participated in weekly discussion-based seminars, creative writing classes, and introductory French sessions. Additional complementary activities included opera concerts from the famed Aix-en-Provence music festival, day trips to surrounding areas (coastal towns along the Mediterranean Sea and the nearby sites of Cézanne and Van Gogh), and a three-day museum study trip to Paris. This interdisciplinary program was designed to connect all activities into one collaborative process to help students see more into the world and into themselves.

April 30, 2023: A Bend in the Road: A Poetry & Art Workshop at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

In honor of National Poetry Month, we hosted a half-day workshop at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 30th. Led by 2023 Youth Poet Laureate, Sophia Hall, artist/educator Nick Velleman, and artist Amelia Myre, the group stepped inside the colors, light, and form of Paul Cézanne’s A Bend in the Road, among other works in the National Gallery. Inspired by poetry and works of art, participants explored this particular painting as a metaphor for life’s journeys and creative ground for crafting memoir, poetry, and more.

April 2023: Spring Landscape Painting in Aix-en-Provence & Venice

Aix-en-Provence, France (April 7 - 14, 2023) and/or Venice, Italy (April 14 - 22, 2023)

Two-week painting program in Aix-en-Provence, France and Venice, Italy in April 2023. This program, intended for participants of all ages and experience levels, began in Aix-en-Provence, focused on drawing and painting in the landscape surrounding Aix-en-Provence at the base of the Mont Sainte-Victoire, which inspired artist Paul Cézanne throughout his life. Next, the program traveled to Venice, Italy to find inspiration in the famed canals, the Giudecca, and other motifs that have influenced artists for centuries.

Participants had the option of joining for the full two-week program or for either of the weeks individually. Students were provided all materials, transportation, expert instruction, and in-depth guidance on how to transport their paintings back home.

February 2023: Imagination & Form in Great Works of Art: A Museum Study Seminar in New York City

A wonderful group gathered in New York City from Thursday, February 16th through Sunday, February 19th, 2023 for a long-weekend museum study seminar: Imagination & Form in Great Works of Art, which drew upon art historian Lionello Venturi’s book, “Painting and Painters - How to Look at a Picture, From Giotto to Chagall.”

The group went on a deep dive into the imaginations of some of the great artists represented in the museums of New York City, primarily the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum seminar included texts by renowned artists, writers, and thinkers as the group spent extensive time discussing together what they found while taking long looks at artworks by Rembrandt, Turner, Constable, Morisot, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, Giacometti, and others to discover meaning through the form of each work of art.

January/February 2023: Online Course: Revisiting Rembrandt Through Drawing

"Copying the drawings of the masters was a habitual exercise in his studio." - excerpt from Rembrandt’s Statement on Drawing

Thank you to all who joined artist and educator Nick Cruz Velleman on three consecutive Thursday evenings in January and February for a drawing class that explored Rembrandt’s statement on drawing and put it into practice. Nick led students on a deep dive into Rembrandt’s philosophy, how we can practice it ourselves, and its implications beyond the sketchpad. Topics included exploring contours, shadows, and light in graphite studies of masterworks. Each session included guided drawing exercises. The course concluded with a group critique and students were left with a digital workbook that contained images of masterworks to copy in their own drawing practice beyond the three-week course.

September 2022: Washington, D.C. Museum Study Seminar: IMAGINATION & FORM IN GREAT WORKS OF ART

See images and videos from this program on Instagram or Facebook!

Program Information:
Join artists and educators Patrick Beeby and Alan Roberts in Washington, D.C. Thursday, September 15th through Sunday, September 18th, 2022 for a long-weekend museum study seminar: Imagination & Form in Great Works of Art, which will draw upon Lionello Venturi’s “Painting and Painters - How to Look at a Picture, From Giotto to Chagall.” Read on for more details and instructions on how to register.

Alan and Patrick will lead the group on a deep dive into the imaginations of some of the great artists represented in the museums of Washington D.C., specifically the National Gallery and the Phillips Collection. The museum seminar includes texts by renowned artists, writers, and thinkers as the group will spend extensive time discussing together what they find while taking long looks at artworks by Rembrandt, Turner, Constable, Morisot, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, Giacometti, and others to discover meaning through the form of each work of art. Join in to participate in an incomparable museum experience. Texts by Lionello Venturi, Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Flannery O’Connor, Charles Baudelaire, T.S. Eliot, and others will activate discussions and help lead us into the minds of some of the most prominent artists presented in the exquisite museums in the Washington area. This program is intended for participants of all ages and experience levels.

Summer 2022: Painting in Provence High School Workshop

See images and videos from this program on Instagram or Facebook!

Program Information:
Join professors Alan Roberts and Cathleen Keenan for an interdisciplinary art program in France from June 18th through July 20th, 2022. Students will immerse themselves in the landscape of the southern town of Aix-en-Provence, France, drawing and painting from nature, studying the works of great masters in the museums, and sharpening their critical eye to analyze the relationships, writings, cultures, and stories that contribute to European art history. The program includes day-long excursions to see the sites of Van Gogh, Cézanne, and the famed Côte d'Azur, as well as a three-day excursion to Paris to spend dedicated time in the city's renowned museums. While this program is geared specifically for high school students, other interested students will be accepted on a space-available basis.

The Leo Marchutz School does not discriminate in any way on the basis of race, color, age, background, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, religion, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or national or ethnic origin, and admits students/participants of any race, color, age, background, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, religion, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or national or ethnic origin.


Painting in Provence: Seminar in Vision Workshop Philosophy

The teaching that informs the Seminar in Vision workshops originates from deep investigation of individual works of art and comparison of works from all periods of human history. The belief that art is something—that it can be examined objectively, that it begins with the senses—is at the center of this educational and artistic philosophy.

Workshop participants will draw and paint—every day if possible. They may work from models: children, musicians, dancers. They may draw and paint in the fields of Beaurecueil at the base of Mont Sainte Victoire, and from the architecture in Aix. They may draw from sculptures in the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, the boules players in the parks, the delicately arranged still life scenes in the studio, the Celto-Ligurian sculptures in the Musée Granet. They may draw and paint from reproductions of masterworks. Participants work directly from nature and work quickly, letting spontaneity, imagination, and their direct sensations form their images. Soon participants will discover, among other things, that trees are not green and the sky is not blue. The world is made from red and green, blue and orange, yellow and violet, all fused together.

Little by little, the participants’ painting and drawing discipline becomes a center in their lives. They discover new ways to articulate what they see and sense, and to speak about old truths that have touched them most in the art that they admire. In addition to a sustained painting practice, workshop participants will be asked to read and compare the writings of artists and writers, critics and art historians. They will be asked to share their impressions and to analyze works of art from throughout the centuries as part of a collaborative dialogue. What do these works share in common? How are they different? What might they mean to us? Leo Marchutz believed that through making such comparisons, artists “begin to experience each work of the past as a member of a great family and by doing this one gets a kind of knowledge of how to do it or how not to do it.” This dialogical process, in front of great works of art, is a fundamental parallel activity that enhances all studio work in the Seminar of Vision workshops.