Live figure painting session, Paris Paris, September 2026
September 18–25, 2026  ·  Paris, France

Paint Paris.
This is
the year.

Seven soulful Parisian days painting the figure in the most beautiful city in the world. A live model every morning — beside the Seine, through the Tuileries, in the Luxembourg Gardens. Thirty hours of instruction. The joie de vivre of the 6th arrondissement.

Reserve Your Seat — $700 Refundable Deposit
6 painters maximum Hotel Bonsoir Madame All-inclusive
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6 Painters Maximum
30 Hours of Instruction
1:6 Instructor Ratio
7 Days, All-Inclusive
$700 Refundable to Hold
The Invitation

Please join me
for seven soulful
Parisian days.

For years, you have been the kind of painter who says someday. Someday you will go to France. Someday you will study with someone who understands how light and the figure orchestrate a story together — and what that story truly asks of you to paint it. Someday, when you feel ready, brave enough, worthy of Paris.

This is that invitation. Seven luxurious, soulful Parisian days — six painters, thirty hours of instruction from one of the most praised figurative pastel instructors working today. The Luxembourg Gardens. The Tuileries. The Rodin Garden, the banks of the Seine. A live model, every day, outdoors, in the exquisite light that shaped Sargent, Cassatt, and Degas.

What you will gain

Over five painting days, working in the gardens, beside the rivers, and through the great outdoor spaces of Paris where the Impressionists solved these exact problems, you will develop the skills that are hardest to build alone: how to place the figure as focal point in a complex Parisian scene; how to read and render the distinctive quality of French outdoor light; how to simplify ruthlessly toward a harmonious design; how to capture accurate skin tones and turn form with value and temperature; how to build the color relationships — temperature, saturation, the particular harmony of French light — that make a painting glow; and how to unify figure and environment into a complete, living scene.

You will leave Paris with five or more original paintings made here — an unrepeatable record of this specific week, this specific light, this specific September. You will leave a different painter than you arrived. And you will do it alongside five other serious painters who chose exactly what you chose. The connections that form in a week like this outlast the workshop.

"Six painters. Paris in September.
Someday is now available."

The $700 deposit is fully refundable through August 15, 2026. The only thing at stake in reserving your seat now is another year of waiting.

Mary Aslin painting plein air in France
Figures in France: Plein Air in Paris September 18–25, 2026  ·  6 painters maximum  ·  $700 refundable deposit holds your seat
Reserve Your Seat

"Sargent painted the Luxembourg Gardens in the 1880s. In September, you will paint them too — figure in the foreground, afternoon light on the distinctive and timeless architecture of Paris, pastel in hand. The same light. A different painter. Your painting."

The Experience

Seven days in which being
a painter and living like one
are inseparable.

Each painting day unfolds in full. A lovely petit déjeuner at the hotel, then out — painting gear in hand — to the exquisite backdrop of Paris. A live model in the morning light: the Luxembourg Gardens, the Tuileries, the Rodin Garden, the banks of the Seine. Two three-hour sessions — morning and afternoon — with Mary demonstrating first, then working at each easel in turn. A long Parisian lunch between sessions, unhurried. By early evening, an aperitif and the quiet pleasure of the city settling around you. Then dinner — wine, French cooking, and five other painters who understand exactly what kind of day you just had. On Wednesday, the group visits the Musée d'Orsay and Sennelier — Paris's legendary art supply shop — a day built entirely around the painter's eye.

Mary Aslin demonstrating plein air in France
Daily Instruction
Mary Demonstrates First

Every session begins with a group demonstration — Mary paints before anyone else does. She then works your easel throughout the morning and afternoon: capturing the essence and gesture of the figure, turning form with value and temperature.

Musée d'Orsay Paris
Day Five — Wednesday
Musée d'Orsay & Sennelier

A structured visit through the Impressionist collection — and an afternoon at Sennelier, Paris's legendary art supply shop on the Quai Voltaire since 1887. After four days painting in the same light as Sargent, Monet, and Cassatt, you will stand before their paintings with a reckoning no previous museum visit has given you.

Workshop dinner in France
Every Evening
Seven Dinners, All Included

An aperitif as the 6th arrondissement settles into evening. Then seven dinners of wine-paired French and international cuisine, all reserved. The vibrant but peaceful joie de vivre of Paris, every night.

Luxembourg Gardens Paris
The Setting
The 6th Arrondissement

The Luxembourg Gardens. Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The Rodin Garden. Notre Dame. Two minutes from your hotel door — the quarter that has drawn painters for a hundred and fifty years and still earns it.

Sketching in Paris
The Craft
Your Medium, Your Work

Participants work in their medium of choice — soft pastel, oil, gouache, watercolor, acrylic, or charcoal. Mary works in pastel and gouache. Thirty hours of instruction focused on composition, light and value, simplification, edge control, and color temperature — the skills that separate a painter who studies from one who grows.

Paris in September
September 18–25
Paris at Its Best

After the summer crowds thin and before the city turns. The light in late September is particular — golden, unhurried, and exactly the quality that clarifies a palette and yields an interesting story in a painting.

Only 6 seats available All-inclusive · Hotel Bonsoir Madame · $700 fully refundable deposit holds your place through August 15
Reserve Now
Hotel Bonsoir Madame Paris Hotel Bonsoir Madame room French breakfast at Hotel Bonsoir Madame
Paris 6th arrondissement
Where You Stay

Hotel Bonsoir
Madame

Romantic, luxurious, and elegant. Family-run for more than forty years, 4-star, set in the heart of the 6th arrondissement with the Luxembourg Gardens two minutes away.

"As soon as you enter the hotel, you will be seduced by the unique universe of Bonsoir Madame, directly inspired by the treasures of the famous neighboring Jardin du Luxembourg. Like a good evening whispered in your ear, the decoration is subtle, captivating, elegant."

— The proprietor, founded by his grandfather

Every morning begins with a lovely breakfast downstairs before we venture out, painting gear in hand. Every evening you return already where you want to be — inside the most beautiful, soulful quarter of Paris. Solo and shared rooms are both available, and both are fully included in the workshop price.

All-Inclusive

Everything Included.
Nothing left to arrange.

You arrive in Paris and you paint. Where you sleep, what you eat, which model poses in the morning light throughout the great outdoor spaces of Paris, where dinner is reserved tonight — all of it is handled. The $7,200 solo price ($6,400 shared) is the complete price. There is no list of expenses waiting at the other end.

Hotel Bonsoir Madame
Seven nights at a romantic 4-star boutique hotel, founded by the current manager's grandfather, right next to the Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th arrondissement. Solo and shared room options both included.
30 Hours of Instruction
Two three-hour sessions daily — morning and afternoon — over five painting days, at a 1:6 ratio. Mary demonstrates before every session and works at your easel throughout — capturing the essence and gesture of the figure, turning form with value and temperature, building a harmonious design.
Live Figure Model — Every Painting Day
All model fees included. A professional live figure model, outdoors — across Paris: the Luxembourg Gardens, the Tuileries, the Rodin Garden, Notre Dame, and the banks of the Seine — all five painting days.
All Meals
A lovely petit déjeuner at the hotel every morning. All Parisian lunches — unhurried, seated, part of the day. Six evenings of French and international cuisine, wine-paired, all reserved. Nothing left to book or budget.
Musée d'Orsay & Sennelier
A full break day on Wednesday: a structured visit through the Impressionist collection (entrance included) and an afternoon at Sennelier — Paris's legendary art supply shop on the Quai Voltaire, open since 1887. After four days painting in the same light as Sargent, Monet, and Degas, you will stand before their paintings differently. This is not a tourist visit.
All Logistics
Mary handles every reservation, every model booking, every site selection, the daily agenda, airport transfers, and guidance on Paris beyond the workshop. You arrive with one responsibility: paint.
Your Instructor

Mary Aslin

"I love the way light, in concert with a human figure, beautiful objects, flowers, and faces, orchestrate a story," Mary says. "That story yields an experience of beauty greater than the sum of its parts." Her workshops are built entirely around this belief — and around the conviction that Paris, with its soulful ambience and the particular quality of its light, is the perfect place to pursue it.

She is not a workshop instructor who happens to travel. She has led destination workshops in France, Spain, and Greece for years — and she has built her entire teaching framework around the specific anxiety that brings a serious painter to a workshop: the fear of being the least capable person in the room. Mary removes it before the first pastel touches paper. She demonstrates first, in the same light, with the same model, so you see that the struggle is not a sign you do not belong. It is a sign you are painting.

Her international standing is documented: featured in Pratique des Arts, France's leading bimonthly fine art magazine (13,900+ Facebook followers), and reprinted in Le Manuel de l'artiste (Editions du Chevalet). When she teaches in Paris, it is not a foreign setting. It is a homecoming to the city she believes is the most beautiful, soulful, and aesthetic in the world.

"A rare instructor — whose focal point is the participant's complete experience."

— Past Workshop Participant

Every session — morning and afternoon — begins with a group demonstration. Then she works with each painter directly at their easel, one at a time: capturing accurate skin tones, turning form with value and temperature, simplifying shapes toward a harmonious and impactful design. At 6 painters maximum, no session ends without knowing exactly what your painting specifically needs next.

Mary Aslin — Figures in France workshop instructor
Pratique des Arts — France Le Manuel de l'artiste France, Spain, Greece workshops Salon Int'l de Pastel du Grand Sud — 2014 Pastels of the World, Bourbonnais — 2022 Salon Int'l du Pastel, Saint Brisson — 2025
Study with Mary in Paris — September 18–25, 2026 6 painters · 30 hours · All-inclusive · $700 holds your seat, fully refundable through August 15
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The Week

September 18–25, 2026

Seven soulful days structured entirely around the serious painter — and around Paris.

Day 1 — Sept 18
Arrival & Opening Dinner

Check in to Hotel Bonsoir Madame. Settle into the 6th arrondissement — the Luxembourg Gardens two minutes away, Saint-Germain-des-Prés in every direction. The group gathers for the first dinner together: wine, introductions, and the beginning of a week that will recalibrate what you think is possible in a painting.

Days 2–4 — Sept 19–21
Painting — Three Full Days

A lovely breakfast at the hotel. Then out into the exquisite beauty of Paris — the Luxembourg Gardens, the Tuileries, the Rodin Garden, the banks of the Seine, Notre Dame. Mary demonstrates first: capturing the essence and gesture of the figure against the backdrop of Paris, reading the light, orchestrating a story from what is directly before you. Two three-hour sessions — morning and afternoon — she works at your easel in turn, as the painting deepens session by session. By early evening, an aperitif and the quiet pleasure of the city settling into itself. Then dinner, wine, and the gentle revelation of what it feels like to live like a painter.

Day 5 — Sept 22 (Wednesday)
Musée d'Orsay & Sennelier

A structured visit through the Impressionist collection at the Musée d'Orsay — entrance included. After three days painting in the same light as Sargent, Monet, and Degas, you will stand before their paintings with a reckoning no previous visit has given you. Then, an afternoon at Sennelier — the legendary Parisian art supply shop on the Quai Voltaire, open since 1887, where Cézanne and Picasso sourced their materials. Browse, replenish, and take home something beautiful. Dinner in the evening, as always.

Days 6–7 — Sept 23–24
Painting — Two Final Days

Back to the canvas with fresh eyes — and with what the Musée d'Orsay gave you. The same rhythm: breakfast, then out into Paris, two sessions of three hours each, Mary at your easel, the figure in the light of the city. An aperitif, then dinner. These are the days when the paintings come together — when the skills practiced in the first half of the week become something you can feel rather than think about.

Day 8 — Sept 25
Final Morning & Departure

One last breakfast in the 6th. You leave Paris carrying paintings made here — in September, in this specific light. You leave a different painter than you arrived: permanently recalibrated to a higher register of perception and beauty. You leave with the memory of five other serious painters who chose exactly what you chose. No future trip replicates this particular week. It happened once, directly witnessed and directly felt, and you were in it.

Now is the time
to say yes to your art.

Paris offers a rare combination of beauty through all the arts, soulful ambience, and peace that can only inspire and elevate your creative life. September 18, 2026 comes once. The $700 deposit holds your seat and is fully refundable through August 15. The only cost of waiting is the year itself.

Reserve Your Seat
Reserve Your Place

Six seats.
September 18.

The deposit holds your seat and is fully refundable through August 15, 2026. Nothing prevents you from reconsidering between now and then — except the seats filling before you decide.

"I'm not sure I'm good enough."
Carolus-Duran — Sargent's own teacher — said it plainly: "Sincerity of treatment is better than any amount of cleverness. The awkward are the lucky ones. However unskillful you may be, if you work sincerely and study Nature, you will do a thing that is fine." Mary demonstrates before anyone else picks up a pastel, so you see that struggle is part of it before you begin. At 6 painters, no one gets lost. Feedback is one-on-one, every session, every day. This workshop is designed for the painter serious enough to attempt something hard — not accomplished enough to coast through it.
"Is everything really included?"
Everything. Hotel Bonsoir Madame (7 nights), all daily breakfasts, all Parisian lunches, all seven wine-paired dinners, all model fees, the Musée d'Orsay visit, the Sennelier store visit, airport transfers, and all logistics. The price you pay is the complete price — nothing extra to arrange or budget for, at any point.
"Maybe next year."
September 18–25, 2026 happens once — this specific light, these six specific painters, this soulful Paris in this particular September. The $700 refundable deposit means holding a seat costs nothing financially. The only decision with a real cost is the one not to hold one.
Workshop Investment
Solo Room
$7,200
Per person, fully all-inclusive — private room at Hotel Bonsoir Madame
Shared Room
$6,400
Per person, fully all-inclusive — shared room
$700 Holds Your Seat

Fully refundable through August 15, 2026.
No financial risk to reserving now.

Reserve Your Seat — Register Now

Questions? Mary is standing by.
mary@maryaslin.com