21 -28 June 2019
£1,245 per person
Portico Di Romagna, Italy
Mosaicist, Joanna Kessel and Tapestry Artist, Laura Magliveras have long been inspired by the links between tapestry weaving and mosaics. We have really enjoyed designing the joint holiday courses in Italy where, in the peace of the garden at Al Vecchio Convento, students have created lovely miniature mosaics and then translated them into tapestry. In 2019, in the third of the series, we will again use the colours and textures of the village surroundings to inspire us – the challenge this time will be to create daily jewels. Students will be able to focus on mosaic or tapestry, or move between the two media, enabling you to discover and develop your own interest and creative response. As the week progresses, you will find yourself exploring new directions and will go home with a suitcase, or treasure chest, full of jewels and a wealth of ideas to inspire larger pieces…
We will stay in the charming family run Al Vecchio Convento in Portico Di Romagna – a small rural hill village situated on the ancient route between Ravenna and Florence.
The course is suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience in either field looking for new challenges.
The holiday is based around an early morning Friday flight from Edinburgh to Bologna. We then travel by minibus to Ravenna where we will view the magnificent mosaics (ancient and contemporary) on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, a highlight of the holiday, and consider the unexpected and exciting similarities between mosaic and tapestry. After spending the night in Ravenna, we head off to spend the rest of the week enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Al Vecchio Convento. If we’re lucky, Massi might treat us to a jamming session with his musical friends.
Following a creative morning working in the garden, or the studio, afternoons are free to join in activities such as foraging or cooking, or you may prefer to swim in the river along with the locals, explore the old path to Assisi or perhaps you’d rather continue creating jewels…the choice will be yours.
Also included is an afternoon trip to a local place of interest.
– Full board in Al Vecchio Convento
– Single room
– All transport in Italy (between designated flights and hotels)
– Guided tour and museum entrances in Ravenna
– Local guided afternoon trip
– Expert tuition – 4 hours per day
– All materials
– Flights from UK
– First night hotel in Ravenna
– Meals and refreshments in Ravenna
– Individual drinks in Portico
“One of the highlights was the trip to the modern mosaic gallery – this was such a great insight into what is possible. The other highlight is just being in Portico – I felt very lucky and privileged to be part of the group and came home feeling inspired and with a spring in my step. I was challenged – I think tapestry and mosaic work well together. Thank you to Jo and Laura for making it such a productive, creative and memorable week – you are both great teachers and bring out the best in your students and seem to help us realise what we can achieve!”
Jo Downie 2018
The 2019 course is now fully booked. We are compiling a waiting list, if you would like to add your name to the list please contact me or Laura.