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Arrive at Senda d'Arte and settle into your rooms before enjoying a welcome dinner featuring Galettes by Zoé on the terrace, along with an introduction to the week’s activities.  Cava, local wine and sparkly water will be served around the fire until the burden of jet-lag calls you all to bed. 

Morning sessions: Model 1 inside the studio. The mornings will be spent with lessons from Daud Akhriev. A live model will pose inside the studio for the first three mornings.  Daud will guide each student in composition, light, color, brush work, and his depth of knowledge and experience with the anatomical study of the human form.  The exclusive nature of Senda d'Arte, with a maximum of seven students, allows individual attention.  A beginner and an advanced students will have the opportunity to elevate their skills with the extra-ordinary tutelage and charm of Daud!  

Each morning at least five hours of studio time is scheduled. Followed by a remarkable and relaxing meal on the terrace prepared by Lu, our lovely chef and student of wine.  Her meals will transport you.  

After the meal, it is encouraged to take a siesta before participating in an afternoon excursion and/or working on your independent landscape. 

Afternoons, there is time for the excursions described below as well as time to set up your easel outside to work on a landscape painting.  While Daud will not be directly teaching in the afternoons, he will walk around periodically and assist.  His excitement for painting and his dedication to his craft, exudes from him.  Even these few minutes of critique and guidance are wondrous and have the ability to lend significant insight to your work.   

Around 7, charcuterie will be prepared and served on the terrace.  It is encouraged to visit the many bars and traditional restaurants for a sparkly water, kombucha, wine, beer, gin and tonic and small bites.  

The only difference with the second half the week is that a new model will pose on the terrace.  This will allow the participants to learn more about light, shadow and the variety of color that will change throughout the mornings.  A marvelous progression from the more controlled light inside.  

A group hike is planned to leave from Senda d'Arte on foot to walk along the famous Senda de Oso from which Senda d'Arte drew her name.  Senda, meaning path, journey, walk and oso, meaning bear from the many bears in the woods, is a rails to trails path through a stunning limestone canyon.  Bring your suits for a dip in one of the many swimming holes!

A tour of the town's church dating to the 11th century rich with pagan iconography and a rich local history.  Stunning and comical and brilliant.  

A marvelously cool hike along the Senda de Oso up valley through chestnut forests to the Prehistoric Park.  This is a wondrous space is part zoo and part museum.  On the grounds there are two herds of some of the genetically oldest horses on earth.  Lovely stout horses with naturally cropped manes.  Also a few buffalo and two types of deer wander the grounds.  There is a fantastic museum dedicated to the ancesteral peoples who inhabited the valley, primarily neanderthal.  Then in another building four of the most famous examples of cave art found in Spain and France have been scientifically and artfully copied in four manmade caves.  It is a marvelous experience. Depending on the group we will either walk back to Senda d'Arte or hire a cab. 

The terrace is a wonderful place to gather, chat, read or simple sit and listen to the river.  But this evening we will project a movie on a screen outdoors and light a fire for s'mores and more!

We will wander over to Bar Narciso, the oldest bar in all of Asturias for a brilliant meal by our friends Jose and Carla.  Of course there is always time for gatherings by the river after!

A last breakfast and trips to your next adventures!