We are an organization which operates small plein air painting workshop tours with a personalized approach and with a particularly strong emphasis on low impact travel so as not to be "intrusive tourists". We also have high operating standards for providing socially responsible tours and a dedication to sustainable tourism.

We're  a unique company in that we only offer painting workshops by experienced premier plein air painters of today- painters of a diverse background, some who are classically trained and others who have been protégés of well known master painters. We also donate 50% of our profit to charity. For our Madrid Plein Air Tour which is highlighted on this website, we chose the Union Rescue Mission Collection, a Fine Arts Donor Program located in Los Angeles CA to donate to. For our upcomming Plein Air Tour in Segovia in 2006, we have chosen to donate 50% of our earnings to Americares, specifically to help hurricane Katrina and Rita victims.

Our workshops provide the student with training by masters in their own right, while ensuring that the students' needs are being met and that their accommodations are comfortable and enjoyable.

Our workshops’ focus on painting landscapes, still-lifes and models from life, so our attention is placed primarily on painting en plein air. And our workshops take place on location painting landscapes, village or town scenes and an occasional model or still-life outdoors. In case of inclement weather, indoor models or still-lifes with either artificial or natural light.

Our workshop instructors strive to teach newcomers as well as experienced painters their own approach to painting en plein air. Our teachers will concentrate on working individually with students in order to maximize individual learning. Students will come away more aware of surroundings, the effect of light and its movement, color shifts of warm and cool, and how design occurs naturally. Our instructors’ focus is utilizing value, color, soft and hard edges, using the correct color palette for the conditions of the day and time, simplifying nature and seeing the big shapes, and various visual approaches to aid in producing a successful painting. For the advanced student that has a firm grasp of the mechanics of painting, our instructors will demonstrate the important elements of mood, passion and attitude that make a good painting even better. The student will learn to see the big picture, knowing exactly what it is he or she is trying to achieve with their painting. In our workshops, students will have the benefit of working with an exceptional instructor. Our goal is to not only provide the student with the highest caliber instruction, but also inspiration and a maintained level of excitement for painting that will carry them far beyond their workshop experience.

L'atelier aux Couleurs: Plein Air Painting Tours looks after your travel arrangements and guides you through your journey while endeavoring to ensure that your stay, locally or abroad, is a pleasant and smooth running experience, giving you a lasting impression of your painting excursion.