Bankhead provides accommodation for 6 people in 3 twin rooms. This warm, fully equipped and comfortable home occupies the two floors above Gallery 83, the Creative retreat's unique art and gift shop, in the heart of old Gardenstown. It is sited close to the bakery and general store and village pub. Bankhead has wonderful sea views, a wood burning stove in the living room and central heating throughout. Studio The Bankhead studio space has excellent sea views through West and North facing windows. It can accommodate two to three artists well, has a sink and coffee and tea facilities, easels and is centrally heated. This space is particularly useful in the winter months as a warm refuge with excellent views to work from. Large Groups? If you have a large group and it appears we can't accommodate you all, don't panic, please contact us as we have colleagues in Gardenstown with spaces to let. Physical Access Gardenstown is built down the side of a steep cliff, with many steps and steep slopes - if you have mobility problems please talk to us before you book. Our new High Street Studio is completely accessible with wheelchair access toilet and Stroma, our larger house, has two bedrooms, toilet and living/kitchen on the same level. Bankhead is reached by stairs, with all accommodation on the first and second floors. Absolute Beginners Tuition Packages Ever wanted to try some painting or drawing but didn't have the courage, time or materials? We can supply you with everything you need. During your holiday we'll provide you with the materials of your choice a short tuition session to get you started and a follow-up session to keep you going. Starting for as little as £20 we will get you into the flow with expert guidance. We offer you opportunities to explore a range of art techniques, in a supportive environment, guided by tutors and immersed in the extraordinary environment of the Banffshire Coast. Our courses have one major theme in common - they are designed to welcome experienced artists keen to refresh their practice as well as non-artists who want to explore creativity, but are not confident with specific techniques or media. The aim is not to be explicitly cathartic (although it might be), we certainly don't aim to find a meaning to your life (but who knows?). You will find challenge, and you'll need to bring with you a willingness to explore, learn and work alongside others. Courses May to June 2005 No in-depth arts skills required, but you will need a willingness to experiment with different art materials and fresh ways of looking and thinking. All art materials are included in the cost of the weekend, as well as your accommodation and all food. Art for performance - Tutor: Carla Angus Fri 20th to Sun 22nd May How would you take your visual arts skills and use them to create designs for theatre? This workshop will help you use your knowledge and experience as a starting point to explore ways of creating visual art that works aesthetically and practically, for performer, audience and you the artist. Suitable for practitioners from any medium, at any level, we'll look at making work for site specific and traditional theatre spaces. The workshop will look at: movement in the performance space working as an artist within a group of artists recording and demonstrating work in progress audience participation and interaction working to deadlines and budget A workshop using subjective drawing techniques to explore the images that run through your life and turn them into art. We take symbols from your imagination, dreams, or doodles, and turn them into pictures that speak of your own life. An excellent way to explore new ways of drawing and to refresh the old. Most if not all of us will doodle with a pen, daydream of places, things and people, or dream at night with iconic, striking images - some people are plagued by images that are always close to their minds. Most of us will let these pictures pass without giving them a conscious place in our lives. That's Ok, it's the working of our minds, sorting and managing everything it has to deal with. But what if you captured some of these ideas and learned how to make them into drawings? We'll take them from the raw beginnings of a simple shape or idea, and turn them into works of art. We will aim to give you the methods of expressing the non-verbal part of your mind, the bit that only thinks and lives in images. No drawing skills required, but you will need a willingness to experiment. Tutoring on the use of: painting drawing, photography, sculpture, found materials and writing will be provided, although the emphasis will be on communing and learning to see and feel what is really there. Your skill levels here are not so important as the desire to create and integrity to commit to working in this special place. We anticipate the work will be intense but good fun within a group of people with similar intentions with plenty of good humour and mutual support. We will ultimately create a small (or maybe large) exhibition of various interpretations of this location. Courses Autumn 2005 and Winter 2006 Information to come - on courses in visual and performing arts and multi-arts weekends for the really adventurous. Your weekend Workshop sessions will start on Friday evening after a group meal. On Saturday there will be a morning and afternoon session, with an optional evening one. The Sunday sessions will end at around 3pm, to give participants a reasonable return travel time. Catering Your two evening meals will be catered by the excellent local Hotel and Harbour Restaurant. Breakfasts and lunches are a serve-yourself, with food provided. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements. Accommodation All our accommodation is in comfortable, contemporary self-catering houses - there are no ensuite rooms. Rooms are shared unless specifically requested, with an additional charge for single room occupancy. Please click here for more information about the accommodation we can provide. Charges For weekend courses May - June 2005 Weekend £176 Requested single room occupancy - surcharge £50 Non-workshop partners receive a 10% discount on the weekend