The Living Studio - Savannah, Georgia with Jeanne Oliver
Jeanne Oliver
Jeanne Oliver's vision was to create a retreat that would be one of a kind, where she could travel with other creative people to beautiful and interesting places where artists could experience a city's heartbeat by viewing exhibits, eating the regional specialties, and creating art inspired by the unique settings of the city. The first Living Studio was held this year in Bellagio, Italy, with another planned for France next year. And now, Jeanne is traveling to Savannah, Georgia Feb. 23-28, 2015 for the first Living Studio stateside.
Known as the "Hostess City of the South," Savannah is one of those magical cities people often put on their lists of places to visit. It is a walking city which is perfect for us because that is how we will experience this Southern city rich with history and traditions. I just have to share this brilliant copy written for the Brice Hotel which is where we will be staying.
Torn between Southern belle and jezebel, Savannah can't help herself when it comes to wooing visitors and locals alike. Poised along the Savannah River, 20 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Georgia's oldest city shows her age only in the most flattering of ways, with cobblestone streets, Georgian architecture and timeless oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. Modern charms abound, especially at The Brice, which stands out among Savannah hotels as a medley of daring design and Southern tradition. Come soon, and be prepared to be smitten.
So much to see and swoon over in Savannah, GA, including I might add, the Brice. Take a look at this beautiful art filled Kimpton hotel. It's perfect for artists, don't you think? We may not want to leave the hotel.....but we must to experience the Living Studio.
Brice Hotel
Jeanne will intersperse our exploring with lessons, some will be in the hotel and others will be outside along our journey, to capture the vistas that Savannah will offer us. There are museums, horse-drawn carriages, SCAD, high tea. So much to do, so little time. We will, however, plan our days to include free time to for you to explore this magical city on your own.
By Jeanne Oliver
Imagine creating along the river as you watch the riverboats cruise by, or capturing the image of a horse-drawn carriage with your camera or phone, wandering the streets among historic architecture and ironwork, capturing the soulful images of statues in moss-covered cemeteries, admiring the many antiques in stores and historical buildings, and strolling through the many gardens with sketchbook in hand.
There are 22 squares in the city, many surrounded by historical homes, some with ornate ironwork that I can't wait to sketch.
We can't be in Savannah without experiencing the river, so we will take a river boat cruise and afterward, we will stop along River Street for a treat or two.
Photo by Steve Robinson
No trip is complete without a visit to the cemeteries in Savannah, especially the Bonaventure. Situated along the Bull river and shaded by moss-draped live oaks, this cemetery is one of the city's most iconic sites full of ornate headstones. We will spend extra time here sketching.
Photo by Steve Robinson
Oh, and the food? Jeanne and I both like to eat and are careful about the types of food that we nosh on so I take care in finding the perfect places to dine. And there is something about a To Go cup in Savannah that we will have to further explore.
Jeanne's creative network has over 13,000 members who regularly attend online workshops that either she or other artists teach (including me). She is the creator of the Studying Under the Masters hugely successful online workshop that is in its second rendition with a third in the planning stages. Jeanne is a mixed media artist who paints, designs jewelry and clothing. I met Jeanne at a workshop and I'll tell you this woman is fun to travel with. She has a wickedly quick sense of humor and a laugh that just makes you want to enjoy whatever she is doing. She is also a talented artist and a smart business woman. I am thrilled to be working with her on this Living Studio to Savannah. Hope y'all will join us!
This workshop includes:
- Five nights accommodation at The Brice Hotel
- Creating daily with a few structured art classes
- Walking tour
- Museum admissions
- Riverboat dinner cruise
- Four lunches, five dinners
- Bonaventure Cemetery tour
- A few special art surprises
- A new art tribe
The workshop is limited to 14. Price is based on double occupancy, $2150. Single occupancy is an extra $550. A nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 is due with registration with the balance due January 15, 2015. Local price for those not staying at the hotel, $1650. We recommend that you buy trip insurance for those unforeseen circumstances.
The price excludes transportation to/from Savannah and to/from the airport to the hotel. For inquiries or to sign up, please use the following contact form.
See more pictures by Georgia photographer Steve Robinson who was so kind in letting me share his beautiful photographs. Look at Steve's ID picture and his Flickr profile says he is male and taken. Love that and this picture. You will have fun scrolling through his photostream, especially if you like old buildings and crusty rusty stuff. Thanks, Steve! And thanks, too, to Paige Knudsen for the use of her photographs.
A note about me. For the past 17 years, I have worked with Marilyn Tausend of Culinary Adventures, Inc. organizing culinary tours to Mexico with chefs such as Rick Bayless, Diana Kennedy, Susanna Trilling, Roberto Santibanez and the late chocolatier, Elaine Gonzalez. When I am not doing that, I am testing recipes for Marilyn's cookbooks, or getting manuscripts ready for publishers.
