KAREN DAIGLE
Flowers. Teacups. Silver.
The subjects Karen Daigle is known for - taught in person, for the very first time.
TWIN SHARE From €4,087 per person
PRIVATE ROOM FROM €7,442
ONLY TEN PLACES AVAILABLE
A still life MASTERCLASS in oils
Karen Daigle has inspired thousands of painters online. The flowers, the teacups, the silver, the quiet drama of light on familiar objects. She has never taught in person. Until now.
Six nights at Chateau Charente. Five masterclass mornings. Ten painters only.
Each morning, Karen sits beside you. Not demonstrating from the front of the room. Looking at your canvas. Sharing the way she truly sees: the light, the restraint, the discipline of really looking before you ever pick up a brush.
She understands what you specifically need and teaches from exactly that.
Afternoons and evenings are yours. To wander, to rest, to let the morning's work settle.
The setting is not incidental. Southwest France in May is all light and flowers. The very subjects Karen is known for surround you. It gets into the work.
The Chateau provides the rest: a dedicated studio, seasonal French cuisine, curated excursions off the tourist trails, and morning wellness sessions. Everything designed so the only thing you need to think about is your painting.
Five mornings of that quality of attention changes how you paint.Everything is designed to allow real creative work to happen.
The Quiet Language of Flowers & Tea Cups
Spring | 21-27 April 2027
Study with a Recognised Master of STILL LIFE IN OILS
Thousands have followed Karen Daigle's work for years. Ten painters will finally paint alongside her.
This is her first in person experience, exclusively at Chateau Charente, for ten painters only.
KAREN DAIGLE MASTERCLASS HIGHLIGHTS
Foundations
Before paint touches canvas, Karen teaches you to truly see. Painting theory, the envelope of big shapes, tonal drawing, the discipline of establishing values that hold a painting together. Karen demonstrates with a single flower. You work through the same principles, and already something shifts in the way you look.
principles.
A Weeklong Masterclass of Still Life Techniques
Form & Harmony
A still life arranged around a tea cup becomes the vehicle for understanding how form is built through value and edges, and why colour harmony is structure, not decoration. Karen demonstrates, then works alongside you - watching, adjusting, asking the questions that push your eye further.
Surface & Light
The first of two days devoted to the things that separate competent painting from painting that stops you cold. Karen demonstrates with a metal object and peonies - materials chosen for what they demand from a painter. Shine on metal, the interplay of warm and cool colour, how to simplify without losing truth.
Brushwork & Confidence
The second day deepens what yesterday began. The focus turns to brushwork - how a single mark, made with conviction, can do the work of ten. Karen works alongside you, pushing you to trust your eye and commit to the stroke. By the end of the day, something has loosened.
the magnificient property itself.
Putting It All Together
Karen paints a complete work from start to finish, every decision made aloud, nothing held back. Then it is your turn - a larger, more ambitious setup, painted alongside Karen, or built around an object found at the local flea market earlier in the week. Something chosen by you. Guided every step of the way.
turning the charm of everyday scenes into evocative, painterly stories.
Please note that the masterclass workshop plans may change due to weather and lighting conditions.
No kit list.
No luggage anxiety. No compromise.
Everything you need is waiting for you. Professional-grade materials chosen specifically for this retreat by this artist. Easels for every format. Every supply at the quality level you'd choose yourself.
The materials are part of the experience. Everything chosen. Everything ready.
Nothing to source, pack, or carry through an airport. You arrive. You paint.
Materials Included
Morning Wellness
Begin the day with an optional Tai Chi session or gentle stretching in the gardens. Breathe in the crisp country air as the sun warms the chateau’s stone walls.
Gourmet Breakfast
Savour a beautifully prepared breakfast featuring eggs made to order, house-made granola, creamy chia pudding, seasonal fruit, artisan breads, and freshly-baked pastries, alongside cold-pressed juices and an elegant espresso and tea bar.
Intimate Masterclass with Master Artist
Picnic Lunch
Gather with fellow guests for a relaxed picnic-style lunch al fresco - or take a beautifully packed basket back to the studio to linger in the flow of your painting.
Evening Aperitifs
Gather as golden light falls across the gardens. Each evening features a signature cocktail inspired by the season, accompanied by elegant hors d’oeuvres.
Chef's Dinner with Wine Pairing
Dinner is candlelit and unhurried. Each evening, the menu travels to a different region of France - Burgundy, Alsace, the Basque Country, Provence - the food and wine chosen together to tell the story of a place. It is a way of seeing France without leaving the table.
The evenings are otherwise unstructured. The garden, the studio, early to bed, more time in the studio. Whatever the week needs.
WHAT TO EXPECT - A DAY ON RETREAT
Choose Your Afternoon
Immerse yourself in the rhythms of French life: meander through a local brocante or market, join our chef for a hands-on cooking workshop, relax in the chateau with a book, or continue painting at your own pace.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 5 immersive half-day masterclasses with our master artist
- One-on-one guidance and group critiques
- Professional studio materials and plein air setup.
- 6 nights in refined accommodation
- Choose from deluxe suites with ensuites and sitting areas, suites with ensuites, or beautifully appointed rooms
- All include Parisian linens and the same unhurried care as the rest of the house.
- Seasonal breakfasts, picnic lunches, refreshments, snacks and 3-course dinners
- Evening aperitifs with a daily seasonal cocktail or mocktail
- Wine pairings with dinners.
- Curated excursions to brocantes, village markets, family-owned vineyards, and the storybook towns of the Charente
- Nature walks, wellness sessions, and painting en plein air
- All transport included.
- Easels & Tripods
- Paints (specific to the artist)
- Canvases / Boards
- Paintbrushes
- Everything you'll need, so you can just arrive and paint.
"I've wanted to teach in person for a long time.
I just needed it to feel like somewhere I'd want to spend a week myself.
This is that place.
I hope you can join me."
— Karen
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM KAREN DAIGLE
See more of Karen's work on Instagram
ABOUT CHATEAU CHARENTE
Why painters come here
Chateau Charente was built around one idea. That ten painters, one celebrated artist, and six nights of genuine individual attention is the combination that actually changes how you paint.
Not a large group with a demo at the front. An intimate week where the artist knows your name, your work, and exactly what you need to hear.
Southwest France, where the light changes with every season and rewards it every time. A studio stocked with professional materials. A garden, a brocante, and evenings that feel like they belong to another era.
Discover more
Exclusive pre-sale registration for waitlist members starts on Monday, April 27, at 12 noon ET.
Retreat places are limited and fill quickly.
KAREN DAIGLE
