Welcome to EPC’s First Newsletter
As a subscriber, you get exclusive information about our courses, venues and tutors. This gives you a chance to book before others find out: yes, by subscribing you just improved your chances of joining one of our lovely painting holidays in Spain!
You will get exclusive tips and tricks from the best painters in the world and material reviews, guest articles from experts and much more.
Enjoy!
Get Ready for 2013
- Fábio Cembranelli,: 24 – 31 May, Cadaqués
- Herman Pekel: 14 – 20 June, Girona – OILS on site
- Nicholas Simmons: 3 – 9 September, Barcelona
- Alvaro Castagnet: 15 – 21 September, Girona
- Joseph Zbukvic: September/October, not confirmed
- David Taylor: 14 – 19 October, Cadaqués
Prices and specific programe still to be finalised.
A look back at Alvaro’s Course

Alvaro and Astrid sharing a laugh
While we are having a wonderful time at Joseph Zbukvic’s course in Cadaqués we are already looking back at our unforgettable course with Alvaro Castagnet in Roses, Cadaqués and the Cap de Creus Area.
This course proved once more our slogan: “You come as a painter and leave as a friend”
Alvaro has been so generous in the amount of help and guidance he provided and he was always able to paint a smile on all our faces!
Yes indeed, that he did! It all started with a walk after dinner along the shore towards Roses: there were music bands playing such lively music that we couldn’t stop dancing. So there we were, Alvaro, Astrid from Norway and myself, dancing away… But Astrid became so involved in the dance that Alvaro took it as a habit: every time he looked at her, he felt the urge to dance. So whatever he was doing, he got up and did his 30 second dance.
Astrid of course was delighted, and so were we. This little break helped to pace our intensity and concentration, so we were very relaxed and able to paint better.
Ah, but his critiques… I can still remember the very nice interior he made as a demonstration, with two figures, a waiter and a customer talking. There was obviously a story there, these characters were alive.

Alvaro with Binoculars
We all tried, of course. So when critique time came, the paintings were far for a start, so Alvaro asked for a pair of binoculars, and used them.
That was only the start of many more laughs… He invented stories for nearly all the figures. One of my favourites was when he said that obviously the man was in love with the woman and she was in love with him. But they couldn’t touch each other because he had no arms!
And of course, that was true… So after we all laughed endlessly, the importance of drawing every part of the body was made obvious to us all, not only the painter who did the couple. Or the lonely guy looking out of the balcony. He was waiting for his loved one, the woman painter, in her room. But his backside was size 52 while his trousers were size 38. His feet would keep him standing whatever he did, he couldn’t fall.
Do you get an idea why we couldn’t stop laughing? It was not only laughing for the fun, there was an immense learning in that, while playing, learning the way children learn, almost without realizing that you’re doing it.
But our favourite was his singing “Por el Amor de una Mujer” and “Sabor a Nada”… It seemed that with every note his painting was taking shape, and each brushstroke got into our brains in waves dancing with the music. See it for yourself:
That’s what learning is all about with Alvaro: learning how to dance and sing with your brushes, while having fun!
Charly understood that really well, and presented us all with cartoons after the course that completed the fun and enjoyment we all had.
Here are a few cartoon. You can see all our photos on Flickr.
Jose Luis kept treating us all to Cervezas and it was his fault we all went for a swim after the lessons. Pili Jose was enjoying her husband’s secret present of this painting holiday to the full, after a lifetime of being a housewife and a mother. Blanche decided that the Virgin Mary was the best focal point. Quiet Dan, the children book’s illustrator, decided to switch to much looser and more flamboyant paintings.
Ana M. looked after Alvaro and us all about practicalities, always with a smile, and posed beautifully for Edith, our private photographer who immortalized everything, she was a non-painter who could speak all languages, dance in our hotel dance floor, and be delightful to everybody. We received a beautiful photo album as well!
Hey, that’s not all though! Our lunches were spectacular: unforgettable our lunch at Gianni’s, in Cadaqués, Alvaro’s favourite… We cheered him every time he was in sight! And in Girona we couldn’t miss the Boira, with lovely Margarita who serves like the angels… Oh, what memories!!
By the end of this very intense and passionate week, everybody’s face had changed. On our last day everybody’s eyes seemed enlightened, our hearts full of joy, friendship, art, new knowledge, everybody without exception, painters and non painters. Alvaro also made some of us cry: of pleasure, of emotion, of thankfulness, of sadness that it was over… Oh, what memories!
Alvaro Castagnet 2013
You can also share this experience with Alvaro, he will be teaching again in Spain next 15 to 21 September, in his beloved Girona, he says he can’t get away from it.
You can pre-book now, before places run out. We will pencil you in and contact you again as soon as his course details are finalized. So you’ll be the first to know about it before anybody else, and you can choose if you wish to book or not. No question
You’ll find the pictures on our Facebook once you’ve liked it. Click on the Facebook icon below to visit our Facebook page. Share it with your friends!
Booking for Fábio Cembranelli’s course in May 2013 – Now Open!
Fábio Cembranelli, the world’s master of flower painting and real free wet-in-wet compositions will paint in Cadaqués.
No other seaside town in Spain has more character and charm than the town that hosted Salvador Dali and his wife Gala, in the very heart of Cape of Creus natural park.
You can already apply for Fábio’s course in may 2013.
Dates are 24 – 31 May.
For more information visit or website or click on this link.
Think about it, but not for too long: our courses are selling like hot cakes!
Wish you could paint like Alvaro?
Here is an special article for you by Alvaro called “Brilliant Brushstrokes” that might help you get there.
Just click on the download button.
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In this month’s Newsletter
- Early 2013 Agenda
- Reminiscing Alvaro’s Course
- What They Said
- Join Us with Fabio in May
What they said…
Most importantly the course changed my way of seeing landscapes and interior scenes, not just as images to paint, but as stories to tell.
Alvaro challenged us to tell that story, to be explosive with brush strokes and daring with colour.
The quality of art instruction and course organization were both above excellent. This program reflected consistent attention to the smallest detail from our first contact with EPC to the last.
I would recommend EPC based on the reasons above and because the overall effort at EPC shows a sincere desire to raise students’ awareness and skills.
– Jud Watkins (USA)