“On seeing”
21- 28 June 2026
With Eugenie Vronskaya at Verrocchio Arts Centre in Tuscany
Join us for six days of in-depth art tuition with Eugenie Vronskaya in the heart of Tuscany in the beautiful Verrocchio Arts Centre. All meals will be lovingly prepared using only fresh local produce by a live-in chef with local wines for mealtimes. You can expect an inspirational environment, surrounded by other artists in the most beautiful setting imaginable.
Eugenie Vronskaya brings her wealth of teaching knowledge to the Tuscan countryside for her first time at Verrocchio Arts Center. This program looks to teach students a methodology of reinterpreting the visual world by way of simplification and reduction. Eugenie's program will continue her teaching established at Hetherleys, where she teaches a regular course.
This course will be underpinned by the notion that the environment will serve as an impetus for creation, but the goal of the teaching is not be make reproductions, but rather translate the three-dimensional world into two-dimensional form.
Course Information
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Rooms start at £1800 for a single en suite. A double en suite ranges from £1900-£2300. For a full room list with pictures please complete a booking form.
Each participating artist will need to book their own room, non participating guests are welcome to join for a fee of £500
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In the heart of Tuscany lies Casole d’Elsa. A Charming Italian town with Verrocchio Arts centre nestled within the ancient terracotta.
The house was rebuilt by Nigel Kostman, an artist and sculptor, and the founder of Verrocchio arts center. Art permeates through the building, including many of Nigel's original sculptures, at every turn one can tell the house was intended for art. The house is classically Italian, from the canopy of wisteria on terrace, to the lime wash inside, the house has been tastefully preserved of its Tuscan heritage, creating the perfect environment for the creation of art.
Accommodation is arranged over two floors with a mix of ensuite and non ensuite rooms. Rooms are rustic but comfortable and have beautiful hilltop views. There is no air conditioning but rooms come with a fan. The arts centre wraps around a terrace with beautiful views of the surrounding land. There are three large painting studios and a sculpture studio downstairs.
We have a total of 8 rooms available, 2 single beds and 6 doubles. The rooms vary greatly in size, and this is reflected in the price.
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This course is open for oil, acrylic, pastel, and water colour, but will be focusing on Oil. Please get in contact if you have any questions regarding this.
Eugenie is a diligent and thorough tutor, and will aim to cater to your level. To fully experience Verrocchio, artists will be free to roam the grounds and decide where they want to paint. The daily structure will be varied and flexible as there will be two day trips, but will largely follow a morning demonstration by Eugenie, followed by a morning session before lunch, and an afternoon session after the light has lost its severity. Please bear in mind that you will be outdoors in the Italian heat, so please pack accordingly!
Example daily structure
-8:00 - 9:00 - Breakfast
-9:00 - 12:00 - Demonstration and morning session
-13:00 - 15:00 - Lunch and midday break
-15:00 - 17:00 - Afternoon studio session
-17:30 - 18:00 - Apperitivo and discussion
-19:00- Supper.This is an example schedule, but you are not obliged to strictly adhere to it, we encourage you to follow your artistic intuition and curiosity, and will cater toward wherever that may lead.
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Tuition and full access to the arts centres facilities are included within the price of your room. The arts centre has two large painting studios and a downstairs sculpture studio with plenty of outdoor spots around the estate for plein air painting (the terrace, the field looking over the hills, and local amphitheatre, and the turret - an amazing vantage point for large landscape paintings).
Basic art equipment will be provided. (easels, gessoed boards, stools, pastels, chalks, limited oil and acrylic paints, paper). We encourage artists to bring their own paints and brushes so lessons learnt are transferable after the course. If you cannot bring your own brushes and paints, let us know before booking and we can order a paint set to the arts centre at your own cost.
There will be two day trips to locations of exceptional beauty. We will be returning to a local waterfall with an Italian picnic for a whole morning of drawing, eating and exploring.
Air travel is not included.
Airport transfer is organised by us but not included within the price, this is estimated to cost £60-80 each way.
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This course is open to everyone, whether you are a first time painter, or looking to dust your brushes off and get back into painting, or a regularly practising artist, we are confident you will have something to gain and learn by coming on our course.
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Well-balanced and tasty food is an essential part of what we do at Triptych Course. All our menus are bespoke and tailored to the area, using only organic and local produce. Italy boasts some of the most extraordinary produce the world can offer. We will offer a seasonal spring menu that will be light and nourishing.
A breakfast buffet will be available with a wide variety of fresh fruits, yogurts, cereals, homemade granola, fresh juice, and smoothies. Cooked breakfast will be available on request meaning food is hot and fresh. Whichever way you like to start your morning, we have you covered. The students will break before lunch with tea and coffee accompanied by cake and other sweet treats.
Lunch tends to be light as the painting continues straight after a brief rest. You will be greeted with a cocktail once teaching ends, with time for relaxation and reflection before supper. For supper you can expect two courses; usually main and pudding, with complimentary wine.
We cater to all dietary requirements and there are vegan and vegetarian options available. We publish all menus two weeks before the course. Please see the photos for a rough idea of the food.
there will be a limited amout of complimentary wine per night for supper.
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We advise flying into Pisa Airport. Verrocchio is accessible by public transport however we will arrange an airport transfer. Please contact us directly before booking travel.
