PAINTING & DRAWING
with ADRIANE STRAMPP

MOROCCO
27 September – 11 October 2025

 

This 14 day tour will traverse a large part of southern Morocco, from the ancient city of Marrakech over the High Atlas Mountains to the edge of the Sahara. Perched on the North West tip of Africa, Morocco is endowed with a rich and complex cultural history where the indigenous Amazigh (Berber) people maintain a strong connection with the land and their ancient traditions and lifestyle.

Adriane Strampp will share her skills and expertise in drawing and painting, finding a balance between site seeing and art making. Some days will involve guided tours or long drives through spectacular landscape, while other days will devote more time to art making and discussion.

For this tour we will work with drawing mediums and watercolour paints or gouache on paper to create a series of drawings as well as some more resolved paintings that will be made in response to our experience. You can work en plein air, from photographs or from your imagination. Subject matter will include landscape, architecture and interiors, people, traditional crafts and motifs.

The tour is not an intensive workshop as we aim to give you an immersive experience of this unique place, together with an opportunity to travel and work with Adriane.

The warmth and good humour of the people in Morocco is immense and the insights into the Islamic world, Amazigh spirituality and contemporary life fascinating. Accommodation is provided in the most comfortable traditional guesthouses, where we will enjoy the extraordinary delights of Amazigh food, hospitality and traditional music.

Traveling with like-minded people and an experienced team of co-hosts including Australian artist/curator Rita Lazauskas and professional Amazigh Guide Abdenabi Imelouane, the program offers an innovative and creative way to explore a new place that is stimulating, supportive and safe.

ABOUT ADRIANE STRAMPP

Adriane Strampp is a Naarm/Melbourne-based contemporary artist. Drawn to finding connections from the past to the present, Strampp gathers imagery from across time to create scenes that are imbued with both personal meaning and collective familiarity. Hers is the emotional journey of a landscape remembered, and the search for the familiar that helps us connect with the past.

Strampp completed a BA in Fine Art at Prahran College, an MFA (by Research) at Monash University and has held over 40 solo exhibitions as well as participating in many group and curated exhibitions. She has been short-listed multiple times for the Sulman, Geelong Contemporary, Paul Guest, John Leslie, McGivern, and Möet & Chandon prizes, and her work is held in public collections including Artbank, City of Yarra, Hamilton Regional Gallery, The Kedumba Collection, Macquarie University , Maitland Regional Art Gallery and Nillumbik Shire. In 2016 Strampp was awarded a Hill End residency through Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, in 2011 was a Zoo AIR Artist in residence at Taronga Zoo and in 2009 was awarded a Travel Scholarship from Monash University.

‘In this tour I would like to look at the light and colours of the areas we visit and keep a journal of colour notes with either watercolours or gouache, along with quick compositional sketches and photographs taken along the way. These can later be developed into more substantial studies when we have time.

John Singer Sargeant’s studies from Morocco are an inspiring example of light, shadow and local colour. Journals provide a deeper memory aide when back in the studio than just photographs, often the sounds, smells and incidental moments are recalled by revisiting.’

“I am absorbed in the magic of color, color that captivates your senses, color that tells stories.”
John Singer Sargeant

‘I recommend bringing a Moleskine notebook or similar, a range of water-soluble fine-liner pens and a synthetic brush with built-in water reservoir and cap for quick tonal sketches.’

CONTACT ACT