BIRD PAINTING WORKSHOP IN GALAPAGOS!
January 17 to 24, 2009

John Ruthven, called the "20th Century Audubon", and one of the most acclaimed wildlife painters in the world, will be leading an extraordinary bird painting workshop in the Galapagos in January 2009. John Ruthven's works have been displayed in the White House, the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, the Smithsonian Institutions' Preservation & Research Center and numerous other museums throughout the world. www.JohnRuthvenArt.com

In this special workshop, John will be sharing with a small group of students the skills and vision that have made him a consummate master of wildlife art. The workshop also offers an opportunity to experience the Galapagos in an unusual way with the ability to actually live on and experience Isla Isabella from land based accomodations, not just from a boat.

Isla Isabella is the largest, most volcanically active and diverse island in the Galapagos. Our lodging will be in a small hotel and private home on a fantastic white sand beach at the edge of a unspoiled traditional fishing village located in the middle of the Galapagos National Park. We will have our own cook, but conditions will be basic as the Ecuador government does not encourage tourism on the outlying islands such as Isabella. The setting is spectacular and unspoiled and we will be surrounded by unusual birdlife and marine iguanas.

Besides painting days, the workshop will include two days touring Isla Isabella (potential activities include kayaking to the lava tubes, snorkeling with white reef sharks, horseback riding to the volcano, and visiting the tortoise breeding center and many other options) and visits to other islands by fast boat.

Tentative Schedule

Friday 1/16/09
Guests arrive from the US in Quito. Overnight at the Hotel Patio Andaluz or Hotel JW Marriott.

Saturday 1/17
Transport to airport and the fly to Baltra in Galapagos archipelago. Lunch in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz and board a boat to Isabella.

Accomodation in Isabella will be at Hotel Albermarle and Casa Rosada, a private home on the beach. Everyone will meet for a welcome dinner and orientation.

Sunday 1/18
Breakfast provided. This is the first of three days devoted to painting instruction by John Ruthven. This day should be the least intense of the three as John will get things started and the artists could still be a little jet lagged. Painting lectures and meetings will be at Casa Rosada. Lunch and dinner provider.

Monday 1/19
This is the first of two non-painting days to tour Isla Isabella. Over the two touring days we will have the opportunity to visit the tortoise breeding reserve, walk to the prison ruins, snorkel with the white tipped reef sharks, snorkel in the lava caves, walk the boardwalk through the wetlands to observe birds, tour by boat or kayak to observe birds, and horseback to the volcano lava fields, etc. Lunch and dinner provided.

Tuesday 1/20
Day number two of the painting workshop. Lunch will be provided and dinner is on your own in town.

Wednesday 1/21
Day number two to tour Isla Isabella. Lunch and dinner provided.

Thursday 1/22
Day number three of the painting workshop. Lunch and dinner provided.

Friday 1/23
This morning is an early checkout of Isabella. We board a fast boat to Floreana Island or Santa Cruz Island at 6:30AM. We then continue on, by boat, to North Seymour Island which is known for its bird life. The end of the day finds us back at Santa Cruz where we enjoy a farewell dinner together and spend the night.

Saturday 1/24
Check out of the hotel in Santa Cruz. Return flight to Quito for connections to the US.

General Comments

We encourage you to register early as the trip is limited to 12 people.

We are checking with Casa Rosada to see how much service and meals they will be able to provide.

The tour days should remain flexible so people do not feel pushed and can take the day or part of the day to explore on their own or to paint.

Over the next couple of weeks we would like to work up the details of the trip and include and comments the involved parties might have.