A 14 day painting holiday in North India with artist Paul Stangroom

April 20 – May 4 , 2024

There is nowhere more memorable to paint than India. As Mark Twain wrote it is “the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the world combined.” More than 150 years later daily life in India still provides a constant flow of visual feasts that delight the artist and onlooker alike.

Basunti provides a kaleidoscope of scenery. It is surrounded on three sides by a vast lake with the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayan foothills as a back-drop. Eagles soar overhead, mongoose bustle across jungle tracks, peacocks roam the meadows below and cows wander home in the dappled sunlight each evening past simple roadside shrines. The simplicity and tranquillity of rural Indian village life is on your doorstep while Basunti’s tropical garden provides panoply of vivid and unusual plants and flowers.

In between painting sessions there is the relaxed lifestyle of Basunti to be enjoyed with swimming, canoeing, bird watching, fishing, and jungle walks. Basunti can be a your base for stay visits and excursions to destinations that provide a variety of contrasting scenery and cultures. Basunti is situated a few hours drive away from McLeod Ganj, a vibrant, bustling hill station that is home to HH The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community in exile; the sunken 8th Century Bathu Temples (only revealed as the lake waters recede) are 1.5 hours away; then there are Masroor Rock Temples, Kangra Fort and the city of Amritsar & The Golden Temple. Other extension tours are available on request.

Building on the success of previous painting retreats lead by various artists – Helen Halliday, Sonia  McNally & Jenny Blake, Lucy Nesbitt-Comaskey and Dorothy Morris – Basunti is welcoming self motivated artists to come and paint at Basunti.

Paul Stangroom will be leading a 14 day painting tour in 2024 . It is suitable for professional and amateur artists, who will have the opportunity to draw onto Paul’s extensive experience in painting and teaching, together with touring and exploring different parts of North India.

P.Stangroom art

P.Stangroom art

Paul Stangroom art

About Paul Stangroom: Paul is a well-known artist, currently residing and working in Madeira. He studied fine arts at the Central School of Art and Design (London) and the Sunderland Polytechnic of Art and Design. After a lifetime of painting, Paul has opened his own art gallery in Prudhoe, Northumberland, where he had been painting and teaching for many years. In 1973, Paul received the Canadian Elizabeth Greenshields Award which facilitated his travel to the Himalayas for two years, where he produced works of art of the local scenery and people. In 2009, he became a Royal Watercolour Award winner, and continued to paint and teach in UK and now in Madeira.  

More information about Paul Stangroom and his extensive body of work can be found on his website www.paulstangroom.co.uk 

The holiday:  under the guidance of Paul, you will be travelling, visiting places of interest and you will be drawing & painting. You will be staying 2 nights in the city of Amritsar, visiting The Golden Temple (city scapes & Golden Temple), enjoy 8 nights at Basunti Resort (landscapes, views of the lake and the Himalaya (weather permitting), traditional villages, local people and traditions, Bathu Temples (pending water levels receding well enough), followed by a 4 nights stay in the town of McLeod Ganj (visit HH The Dalai Lama residence and temple, participate in the Cora with other devotees, explore some mountain trails and ..do plenty of shopping). You will also visit Norbulingka, the Institute for the Preservation of Tibetan Arts and Crafts. 

For additional information about the painting tour with Paul Stangroom, please contact by email –

paulstangroom.fineart@gmail.com or info@basunti.com

Paul Stangroom at his studio and gallery

Tibetan Prayer Flags, Paul Stangroom art

Indian Window, Paul Stangroom art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you teach painting and wish to bring your own group to paint at Basunti and the surrounding area, please email us via the contact page. We can assist you with planning and arranging your itinerary.

 

 

 

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