Cruise the Turkish Turquoise Coast and Paint with Saim Caglayan
September 7 – 18, 2010
Aboard “Gulet” traditional Turkish sailing vessel
We will all gather in Istanbul on or before September 7th to explore this ancient city. There are a lot of hotels in Istanbul for every budget to choose from. I like to stay in Sultanahmet, the old part of the city, which is within walking distance from the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, etc.
On September 11th we fly to Dalaman, about an hour’s flight. We board our Gulet (traditional Turkish sailing vessel) on Sept 11th at Marmaris Harbor and spend the night there. We sail the next five days into different coves and paint when we anchor for lunch and for the evening. This workshop at sea will not be as regimented as a workshop on land. It will be more relaxed and unstructured; we will paint, swim, eat, in a go-with-the-flow manner. I will work individually and have a group evaluation of your work at the end of the workshop.
Participants are responsible to arrange and pay for their flights, hotel reservations and expenses in coming to Istanbul and on to Dalaman Airport. I can recommend airlines and hotels. I would like to coordinate so that we are traveling together, especially in arriving at Dalaman Airport where a reserved bus will take us to our Gulet in Marmaris.
In 2008, my wife and I attended Saim Caglayan’s floating art class in the Mediterranean Sea as non-painting participants because we had never seen that part of Turkey and knew nothing of the area.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There were ten or twelve passengers aboard each of the two Gulets, the small sailing vessels we employed. Everyone had a cabin below deck but I never spent a night there since we slept on deck on firm mattresses which doubled as a place to relax during the day. Every night was a delight lying out watching the stars. There was little or no wave action even during one night when there was considerable wind and some did go below deck.
The crew was friendly and the food was invariably superb. During the day, I felt sorry for the painters because the water was perfect for swimming. It was absolutely clear and the exact temperature to jump into day or night which everyone did at some point.
A few times, our vessel would stop at some relatively remote town that provided a further enjoyment for us since these towns always had a shop or two with pastries and the ubiquitous Turkish coffee and tea.
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Bob Miller
Fair Oaks, CA
Single Occupancy
Cruise Fee:
$950 (all meals, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner)*
Bus Fare:
$100 (round trip from Dalaman Airport to Marmaris)
Workshop Fee:
$500 (five days during the cruise)
Total:
$1550
Deposit:
$400 ( $300 for boat, $100 for workshop)
Balance:
Remaining balance due on or before June 1, 2010
Double Occupancy
Cruise Fee:
$1200 (all meals, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner)*
Bus Fare:
$200 (round trip from Dalaman Airport to Marmaris)
Workshop Fee:
$500 (per person. 5 days during the cruise)
Total:
$1900 (with one workshop participant)
Total:
$2400 (with two workshop participants)
Deposit:
$300 (per person plus $100 for workshop participant)
Balance:
Remaining balance due on or before June 1, 2010
Remaining balance due on or before June 1, 2010
• Drinks and bottled water are sold on board. • There will be a 5% crew tip.
There are only seven cabins available.
To reserve, mail your deposit to:
Hanapepe Artworks
5810 Kahiliholo Road
Kilauea, HI 96754
Art Supplies: French easel (for outdoors), umbrella to keep your painting and palette in shade, hat with brim, sun block, drinking water and snack.
Palette or Paper Palette (get clips to hold down paper)
Brushes: Use the ones you’re accustomed to or get Filbert and Flat Bristles #1, #2, #4, #6, #8, #10, #2 Rigger
Canvas or Canvas Boards: 6”x8”, 8” x 10”, 9” x 12”, or 11” x 14 “ We will be using 2 canvases each day, Gamsol or odorless turpentine, Palette Knife, Can for Turpentine, Paint Rags or Paper Towels, Plastic Bags for dirty towels.
Palette in Oils: • Titanium White
• Cadmium Yellow Light
• Cadmium Yellow Medium
• Yellow Ochre
• Cadmium Red Light
• Alizarin Crimson
• Cobalt Blue
• Ultramarine Blue
• Viridian Green
• Mars Black
Recommended Reading: • Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson
• Hawthorn on Painting by Charles W. Hawthorn
• Fill your Oil Paintings with Light and Color by Kevin Macpherson
2008 September seven days of unforgettable experience of the southwest coast of Turkey where Aegean Sea meet the Mediterranean.
Saim Caglayan who is a master plein air painter, organized for us a trip to paint in the beautiful Turkish coast. 24 excited passengers were on board of two Gulets. The Gulet, traditional Turkish sailing vessel was comfortable for all of us. We all had our own cabinet. Each cabinet had its own shower and toilet. Cook and helping staff were very friendly and food they prepared for us were delicious. Most of us did not sleep in our cabin. They preferred to sleep on the deck under the stars of warm Mediterranean nights.
We painted and swam as much as we could. Other passengers who did not paint swam morning or afternoon while we were painting. As we were cruising cove to cove, we saw many other yachts and private boats, which indicated us this type of blue voyage is very popular in this region. Some of the coves adorned with little villages looked so beautiful specially, early in the morning or sun set time were indescribable.
The water was so warm and the salinity was so high, swimming did not take any afford, we floated on the water. Those night- swims were for me the highlight of trip. As much as I enjoyed painting the beautiful nature of this coast, those worm nights swimming were unforgettable. I enjoyed our camaraderie with other Gulet and joking and sharing some of their experiences made our trip more colorful.
I will go to next trip with no hesitation again. And, seven days is not enough. I need to be in there at least 15 days to prolong my life. Unfortunately, This September I have to be here in South California... Next time Saim. I promise next time I hope.
