Comfort and Joy in the Familiar

Monday I depart for San Gimignano Painting Workshop 2025 and  Painting Workshops Planning for 2026! This on-the-ground reconnaissance is essential to creating the best travel and painting experience possible for artists who attend my workshops.

Two years ago I took several days to scout out the best hotel, best restaurants, and best painting locations in preparation for San Gimignano 2024.
The workshop was a fabulous experience and I’m so pleased to have both repeat and new participants this year, May 10 – 17, 2025.

Enjoy Living in the Italian Hill Town of San Gimignano

We will benefit from last year’s experiences and connections.
Some activities and locations will be repeated and several new painting locations, sites, and restaurants will be new for this year.

Excitement of Painting the New

I find repeating painting locations can be very beneficial for creating great artwork in that you have had a chance to immerse yourself in a spot, figure out what works best compositionally in that location, work out challenges, and use all that experience to begin a new paining at a different level of artistic understanding and perception.

Painting in Renoir’s Garden – Part of the 2023 and 2024 Vence Workshops

Please follow along on my Facebook and Instagram sites, both under VS Fergus, if you would like daily reports and reflections during San Gimignano 2025.

Please check my website, www.vsfergus.com, if you want to be the first to know about my 2026 Painting Workshops. My paintings and prints made on location during workshops are also available to purchase on my website. Please take a look.

Painting Workshops Planning for 2026 during May will include plans for

Paint Florence Gardens 2026

Paint The Cotswolds 2026.

Further Painting Workshops Planning Planning for 2026 is also in the works and may include Paint Provence 2026 and Paint Maine 2026.

All the details including Detailed Informational Brochures and Registration Forms will be located under Workshops on my website ASAP.

Please consider joining En Plein Air with Virginia Fergus for a Painting and Travel experience like no other! “ Authentic, Intimate, Beautiful” is the ultimate goal for every day and guides my Painting Workshops Planning for 2026 in every way.

Virginia Fergus leads small group Plein Air Painting Workshops in Italy and France that are unique opportunities for creative immersion and personal transformation. Each workshop includes plein air painting experiences in curated locations, sensitive and personal instruction, experienced and empathetic guidance, artistic immersion, beautiful accommodations and delicious meals in authentic and particular locations, and new friends for the journey. Ginny's personal motto is “Authentic, Intimate, Beautiful” and is the creative and experiential goal of each workshop. To learn more, visit www.vsfergus.com Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.