Exploring artisanal values in Oaxaca, Mexico
Crafts reveal the rich diversity of the people and history of this southern state, with many having been practised since the time of the Zapotecs and Mixtecs. The Central Valleys that surround Oaxaca's old town - dubbed the ‘magic route of crafts’ - are dotted with villages, each of which specialises in a trade. San Bartolo Coyotopec was put on the map by potter Doña Rosa during the 1960s. She developed the barro negro technique of applying black ceramics with a smooth metallic finish. It is now full of workshops selling this style of pottery, predominantly run by women like Candelaria Sosa, a third-generation potter who is teaching her daughters. In Santo Tomás Jalieza, history is woven in textiles. The telar de cintura method, in which the loom is strapped to the back of the weaver, is still practised by some local women. Another of the villages, Teotitlán del Valle, is known for its rugs made of wool from local sheep in natural dyes. It was in Oaxaca that dye was first made from cochineal insects and used by the Aztecs, later becoming Mexico's most important export after gold and silver, and coveted by the Old Masters of 17th-century Europe. Wealth from cochineal financed the elaborate Spanish colonial buildings that line the cobbled town centre - now a Unesco World Heritage site. Ceramics and textiles are sold in abundance in the Zócalo (main square) and at local markets, as well as galleries like La Cocina de Humo and La Chicharra Cerámica. Piedra de Río Tiendita de Barro is easy to miss, but it is worth visiting for pieces by makers based in Santa Maria Atzompa.
Pug Seal Zapoteco (pugseal.com) in Oaxaca's old torn is set around a courtyard, with murals by Rafael Uriegas; rooms from $265, B&B. Thread Caravan (threadcaravan.com) runs craft retreats in the Central Valley, including Oaxaca Textile + Ceramics; a five-night residency on December 11-16 costs $3,650 full board, including activities, but excluding flights.
Botanical painting in Transylvania, Romania
In Copsa Mare, in Saxon Transylvania, James and Rachel de Condole have opened up their home to host botanical painting and illustration retreats for those who want to learn more about the countryside in this part of Romania (pictured top). The six-night courses at the Transylvania School of Botanic Art & Illustration are led by various artists, each with their own specialism. They run from May to October and are limited to six students. 'We are building our own herbarium of flowering plants growing locally and illustrating these from life, working through some 300 species,' explains James. Students collect. identify and draw wild plants gathered during walks that take them across hills and grasslands, and through the forests surrounding the estate. Guests enjoy meals cooked by Rachel using homegrown and homemade produce - meat, vegetables, cheese and flours they grind themselves - paired with wines sourced from Romania, Hungary and Moldova.
A six-night masterclass costs €2,500, full board, including five days of tuition and transfers from Sibiu International airport, but excluding flights. Some experience is recommended and students must apply with a brief description of their background in botanical art: podart space.
Enjoy contemporary art in Marfa, Texas
Of the over 44,000 commercial domestic flights that take off in the US, none lands within 200 miles of Marfa. To get to the Texan town, vou have to drive for around three hours from El Paso or Midland Odessa, through the desert plains, where vultures soar ahead and tumbleweeds blow across the road. The remoteness is not just part of its charm. It was the deciding factor for minimalist artist Donald Judd, who arrived here in the 1970s in search of a creative respite far from New York. He recalled passing through West Texas as a soldier in the 1940s. 'The land was pretty empty, defined only by the names in the stories about Texas by J Frank Dobie, as the names in the Icelandic sagas substitute in that country for the monuments that don't exist.' Judd wrote in an essav in 1985. It stuck with him. By 1986, he had bought several properties in town and a former military fort outside it, with the idea to turn it into a museum for work by him and his peers, including John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin and Robert Irwin. Thanks to Judd's vision. Marfa has become an art mecca. The Chinati Foundation has a permanent collection of 100 works in mill aluminium by Judd, plus Dan Flavin's fluorescent light fixtures (pictured above). Ballroom Mara museum regularly commissions site-specific installations, such as Elmgreen & Dragset's Prada Marfa, a recreation of a Prada store with shoes and handbags from its 2005 collection. Yet, at this Prada, the lights are forever off and the door can never open. Visitors to Mara can enjoy gallery outings coupled with trips to excellent restaurants and watering holes, and hikes through spectacular Big Bend National Park.
American Airlines runs daily flights to Midland International and El Paso International airports, via a connection in Dallas, which can be booked through British Airways (ba.com). The Saint George Hotel (marfasaintgeorge.com) is the smartest option; rooms from $305. Find out more at visitmarfa.com.
Explore tales of women and art in Venice
It is no secret that Venice is one of the art capitals of the world, but less well known are the tales of the women who have spearheaded its creativity - artists, conservators, collectors and dealers. Art historian Giulia Martina Weston, who is a lecturer at The Courtauld Institute of Art, can shine a light on forgotten women artists of Venice, including Rosalba Carriera, whose A Young Lady with a Parrot, c1730, is pictured (top). Among possible activities on the three-night trip are: visits to storied palaces, such as Ca'Rezzonico and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in the former home of the American gallerist (pictured with her Lhasa Apsos), who settled there in 1949 having participated in the Venice Biennale for the first time the previous year; after-hours access to museums; and tours of artists' studios, galleries and churches in the northern area of Cannaregio. All the specialists are experts on female painters from different periods.
The Luminaire offers the three-night Untold Venice: Hidden Art trip, from £2,395 per person, based on two sharing, staying at The Venice Venice Hotel on the Grand Canal, and including all activities and transfers, but excluding flights. Trips can be tailored to suit specific interests - be it ceramics, architecture, design or painting: theluminaire.com
