Painting Holidays

The photograph above is of the beautiful orange tree lined plaza with fountain in the unspoiled village of Benarrabá where the holiday is based.
The building at the end of the plaza is a small church 'La Ermita de Santa Vera Cruz' which is thought to be built on or near to an old Moorish settlement.

This photograph was taken from just below the village on one of many small shady tracks that run from Benarrabá into the surounding countryside.
Benarrabá is in the Genal Valley, an amazing green oasis in this area of southern Spain.
The river Genal has the purest water in Europe.
There is no industry in the area.
Farming techniques are machine free and traditional. Food is therefore all organic. Many people still use mules and donkeys on the land. Horse riders and mule trains are a common sight in Benarrabá.
The photograph below was taken on a hot August afternoon on a track at the side of the Hotel Banu Rabbah, as you can see despite the hot sun it is very shaded and a very pleasant place to walk and paint.

The Genal Valley is heavily wooded with Cork Oaks and Sweet Chestnut trees. Cork is harvested from the trunk and lower branches of the Cork Oak every nine years. It is an important renewable resource. It also makes a great subject for drawing and painting as the trunks and heavy branches of larger specimens are an incredible sight.

As well as the pretty Ermita on the plaza Benarrabá has a larger church with a domed clock and bell tower. This is a wonderful subject for a townscape. The next few photographs below are of this lovely church.

The sky really is that blue, the whitewashed walls and the rustic pot-tiled roofs of the old houses are wonderful to paint. There are many places in the village where you can compose a lovely Spanish townscape.

Benarrabá is a wonderful place. It is set in one of the most beautiful areas of Andalucia, which itself is one of the most stunning areas in the world.

You can't beat this place for a painting holiday.
  * The hotel is award winning.
  * The food you will eat is produced locally and is fantastic.
  * The air and water are pure.
  * The studio facilities are top class.
  * Above all the scenery is superb for painting and drawing.

More photographs of Benarrabá and photographs of all the other villages in the Genal Valley. Plus villages in the nearby Guadiaro Valley and many photographs of the historic town of Ronda can be found on our friend's Geoff and Jane's websites :-