I'm so looking forward to returning to the delightful world of Malbosc in rural SW France next June to teach another class about painting on fabric. This time we'll be aiming to complete a piece big enough to make up into a (simple) summer skirt, a top or simply a hanging or cloth for the home. So we'll be looking at and considering the placement, composition and distribution of colour and motifs to take every advantage of making a bespoke textile, a unique and special piece.

All abilities welcomed, all materials provided.

Please join me at this fully catered residential retreat to discuss, invent, understand, paint and make pattern and colour on cloth, as well as have time to explore and enjoy the extensive naturally conserved grounds and locality around Malbosc, a grand old farmhouse and hamlet in SW France. Just lolling about in the evenings is also an option!

This retreat is costed in an unusually imaginative way; here is what our hosts have to say:

Malbosc is a large old house built at the end of the 19th century and formerly used as a summer home for a wealthy wine growing family escaping the heat of the Mediterranean plain. Its lavishly styled beginnings are still a feature of the house with wood panelled rooms, elegant mosaic floors and fabric covered walls. Its peaceful, rural setting adds to the magic of the place.

It is important to us that the house has some purpose. ‘Cultural centre’ is rather too grand a name but we decided to invite people - artists, writers, musicians, yoga teachers - to run workshops, hold concerts, lead groups of any kind either for the day or for several days which bring people together to share the space and the activity. In order to make the workshops accessible to as many people as possible we decided not to charge for the accommodation.

So if you join one of the workshops here all we ask for the ‘hotel services’ is a contribution towards the costs of running the place during your stay (electricity, insurance, laundry, any cleaning necessary etc). You will, of course, pay for the tuition, your meals, any trips out, and transport from local airports/stations.

Behind this decision to run Malbosc on a non-commercial basis lies the belief that sharing this magnificent place with others without seeking personal financial gain creates an atmosphere which helps bring out the better side of ourselves, be that expressed creatively, or in the warmth of the relationships which develop during the period of the workshops, or in something taken away and then shared with others.

Each year we support a different charity and if, at the end of your stay, you feel like giving a donation you will already be spreading some good in the world.

For further details, pease get in touch directly with Marguerite Paffard at marguerite.paffard@icloud.com or call her direct on +33 771 71 47 12, or with me at sarahc@mpbell.com

Both English and French spoken.