1 week with Isik Güner
One week studying with leading botanical illustrator, Isik Güner, observing, sketching and painting the local Swiss alpine flora.
The intensive study time at the desk will be balanced with some smooth yoga for those who want. Click on the above link for full information.
Limited to 10 participants
CHF 3000.- per person in an individual room
What's included:

• 6 nights of accommodation in your own room

• 3 meals a day incl. Soft drinks

• visit of the alpin botanical garden with a local botanist

• guided walk harvest wild edible plants

• special lunch in a century old barn
• Daily art classes
• Daily yoga classes for those who want
What's not:
• International flights
• transfer from and to the airport

• Travel/Medical Insurance

• Personal expenses
• Art materials (see below)
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Recommended Material List:

1. Drawing Pencil (2H, HB, 2B, 4B)

2. Divider

3. Eraser

4. Sharpener

5. Tracing Paper

6. Sketching paper (Smooth surface Cartridge paper or pad, 120-160 g/s, A3 or A4 size)
7. A range of Watercolour brushes (Number 4, 3 or 2, and some small number of brushes will be useful for fine details)

8. Palette

9. Watercolour pigments (Winsor&Newton Artists’ Value is recommended but any pigment you prefer to use)

10. Watercolour Paper (Minimum 300 g/s, Hot Pressed, 50-100% Cotton watercolour paper is recommended, but don’t hesitate the one you like to use. 

11. Backboard (if possible)

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How to reach the place
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By public transport:
The nearest airport is Geneva (GVA). There is a train station directly inside the airport. The closest train station to Whitepod is Monthey. The interregional train takes you to Aigle, than a regional train from Aigle to Monthey. Timetables and prices can found on www.cff.ch.
From Monthey train station (CFF), the bus n° 63 goes all the way up to Les Cerniers. We are located at the final stop «Les Cerniers Restaurant». Count approximately 45 minutes for the bus ride up. (Bus n°63)
By car:
Highway A9, exit n°19 Bex – Lavey. Drive direction Monthey. Arriving at the roundabout at entrance of Monthey, follow Choëx. Drive up up up, follow Les Giettes, Les Cerniers. The chalet Les Cerniers will be on your right when you arrive.
Parking is right in front of the chalet Les Cerniers.
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Taxi pick up options
Prices per trip, not per person
Pick up from Geneva airport CHF 450
Pick up from Aigle train station CHF 115
Pick up from Monthey train station CHF 60
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Meet Isik Güner
She studied Environmental Engineering at Marmara University in Istanbul. After her graduation, 2006, she began working full time as a Botanical Artist. She has been prepared 40 plates for the book ‘Plants from the Woods and Forest of Chile’. Completing this book project took seven years and published in 2015 by RBGE. During this project, many of her paintings awarded with ‘Gold Medal’ and selected ‘Best in Show’ in international botanical art exhibitions at ‘RHS, London’ and ‘Biscot, Edinburgh’. In addition, the book has been awarded ‘Excellence in Botanical Art and Illustration’ in 2017. Following years, she involved with ‘Transylvania Florilegium’ book project was being created under the organization of the Prince Wales. ‘Beauty of Orchids, China’ and ‘Plants of Nepal’ were conservation plants projects that focused on endangered and medicinal plants. Some of her paintings from these projects are in the ‘Shirley Sherwood collection’, London and ‘Hunt Institute’, USA. She is currently working as a tutor at Diploma Botanical Illustration at Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh and as an art editor of ‘Illustrated Flora of Turkey’. Her education book ‘Botanical Illustration from life’ has been recently published in four languages; Turkish, English, Spanish, French and Korean. Chinese edition is currently being translated.
She is travelling very often after plants to illustrate and organizing many workshops around the world. Currently she is living in Fırtına Valley, North east of Turkey, where the mountains are.
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The program
9th June 2024 - Arrival and welcome dinner
10th of June – Morning visit of Alpine Botanical garden of La Thomasia in Bex and getting our samples / afternoon start of the studio work
11th of June – Full day of studio work (10am to 4 pm) – continue drawing / strating painting
12th of June – Full day of studio work (10am to 4 pm) – continue painting /fine details
13th of June - Morning, Forest walk, wild harvesting of edible plants, lunch in the barn / Afternoon studio work
14th of June – Full day studio work (10 am to 4 pm) - fine details, demonstrations of other techniques
15th of June – departure after breakfast
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The botanical garden you will visit
La Thomasia Alpine Botanical Garden is located in the heart of the Vaud Alps at an altitude of 1260 meters, where it occupies part of the vast Pont-de-Nant pasture, at the foot of the imposing Grand Muveran wall, which rises to more than 3000 meters. Founded in 1891, La Thomasia, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2016, is one of the oldest Alpine gardens that has never ceased operations. The 2,000 alpine plants cultivated come from the mountains of all continents. Special emphasis is placed on species from the Vaud Alps, for example the Alpine pulsatilla.
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The place you will stay at
The week will be spent in an eco-responsible village in the beautiful valley of Valais, at 1200 meters altitude. You will stay in small wooden chalets, made of local larch wood where you will immediatly feel at home. Each chalet has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms distributed in generous volumes and flooded with light. A private terrasse with a breathtaking view of the Rhone valley with lake Geneva in the horizon completes your cosy cabin.
In terms of food, you will be served every day the cuisine of Chef Jérémie and his team, offering a unique concept of « wild cuisine », made from local products and wild harvesting.