Art Retreats, Printmaking Workshops, Picasso and Bookbinding

Painter or Printer....there's only an 'R' difference

Henri Matisse fabric design

Almost a year ago I visited a wonderful exhibition in the National Gallery in Edinburgh which told the story of printmaking. I was surprised to see how many world famous artist (painters) had also been closet printmakers!

Last week I was fortunate to attend a preview day at Aberdeen Art Gallery of 'Artist Textiles: Picasso to Warhol'. The exhibition displays work from the London Fashion and Textile Museum and is very much worth a visit. It was really interesting to see designs and fashions change over the 20th century. But the surprise for me was again just how many of the world's top artists were also fabric designers...... did you know that Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Miro and Picasso all designed fabrics. Even Warhol.

Marc Chagall fabric design

Salvador Dali fabric design

There are surprises at every turn: the head scarf fabric designed by Matisse, the telephone themed fabric designed by Salvador Dali, but perhaps the biggest surprise is a ski jacket designed by Pablo Picasso.

Pablo Picasso designed ski jacket

Clearly the mass production of clothes means that these famous artists could only create the design and not individually paint every garment, so it comes down to printing again......I wonder if printmaking is really where art meets design.

This year on our Lino 2 workshop we had students creating wonderful hand printed repeat patterns on fabric. I think it was destined to cover a piece of furniture as an upholstery fabric.

And printmaking really is for everybody: we have had engineers, scientists, medical practitioners, teachers and seafarers. And our next workshop will have a drilling engineer. Technical people just love the printmaking process.

Bookbinding Workshop and Art Retreat

It should come as no surprise that Bookbinding has become fashionable. Such a rewarding activity. You can enjoy the process of assembling and sewing and tying the pages and covers together but also the satisfaction of having made a book. And to top it off you can even make the elements that go in to the book.....perhaps your own sketches or paintings. Perhaps paper that you have printed yourself for the liner or cover.

Of course the skills of bookbinding are not new and it may not surprise you that the world's oldest book is thought to be Etruscan (modern day Tuscany). The book was made of just six pages, each one made from pure gold! It is over 2000 years old.

We don't use gold pages (though we do have gold paint and maybe some gold leaf), but we are in Tuscany where the Etruscan's probably created their first book. And building on that tradition, we have Victoria from Florence, the capital of Tuscany, who leads our two bookbinding workshops in 2025. The first takes you through ten different types of binding creating one of each to take home. The second guides you through the process to make your own very personal Artist's book, incorporating your choice of pictures, blanks, prints and patterns either selected or created by you.

If you fancy joining us in August and September to follow in the Etruscan bookbinding traditions in our Tuscan hilltop town.....just get in touch

Visitor Feedback on Art Retreats

After each workshop we send a message to all our guests asking what they liked most and what they would change. For some it's a quick answer, others like to provide a lengthy review.....either way we very much welcome it.

And it was great to extract all the comments from the WhatsApp messages to see what we could learn. The comments are now on our website (slightly edited just to keep them relevant) for all to see.

The conclusions seem to be:

• People loved Jane's teaching style

• The breakfasts are great

• Barga is a wonderful place to spend a week

• The studio and accommodation are just right

• The mini pop-up exhibitions are lots of fun

• Visiting tutors are excellent

Thanks to all who provided feedback.....you're welcome back any time.

An Extra Painting Techniques Workshop Art Retreat

We have included a painting techniques workshop in our schedule for the last two years and they have not only been great fun, they have also produced great work too. I think everyone has left with a new perspective on their art work. It aims to encourage people to break the mould of their current habits and try to take a different approach.

The location is perfect and Jane’s tuition, materials and studio facilities are first class.

If you fancy experiencing the magic of Barga and Quattro Archi while developing your painting and sketching skills......just get in touch

The painting techniques course is 24-30th September 2025

Thanks for Visiting Quattro Archi Art Centre

We still have spaces on the bookbinding and painting techniques courses. We'd love you to join us in Barga on one of our art retreats.

Visit our website for more details.

Can't Think of a Christmas Gift?

As we get geared up for Christmas you may still be searching for that special Christmas present. How about a deposit on one of our workshops next year. £100 gets your a specific workshop place or you can leave it open. We can provide an electronic or paper voucher to give the recipient at Christmas. If you would like to buy one .....just get in touch