The classes are an eclectic mix of study, painting and vacation based at two luxurious hotels and have been designed by Dr Shirley Sherwood, one of the world’s pre-eminent collectors of botanical art.  Students will cover many important aspects of botanical painting and by the end of each class will have completed a number of sketches and colour works.

The Botanical and Flower Painting Class at Reid’s Palace takes place between 27th April – 1st May 2010 and will be taught by Siriol Sherlock, who has mastered the skill of watercolour to perfection, creating superb plant portraits that are both fluid and accurate.  She has had solo exhibitions at Kew and the famous Hillier Gardens, and won numerous RHS awards for past work.  The price is €560 (approx. £496*) per person (not including accommodation), which includes painting classes for five days, airport transfers, breakfast and lunch daily, a farewell dinner, a visit to the Arcos St. Jorge Rose Garden, a levada walk and a morning tour to Monte Gardens with cable car ride.  Accommodation starts from €240 (approx. £212*) per room per night based on double occupancy, as an additional cost.

Reid’s Palace has also launched a Designing with Plants Master Class from 21st – 24th April 2010, which can be taken before the Botanical and Flower Painting Class.  Guests can learn how to create imaginative garden borders by combining plants for structure, form and colour.  The aim of the four day master class to help participants create and draw up an individual planting plan with memorable, lasting groupings suited to personal inclination and location.

Rosemary Alexander, Principal of the English Gardening School, and Simon Pyle, Vice Principal, will lead the Designing with Plants Master Class.  The price is €340 (approx. £301*) per person (excluding accommodation), which includes welcome cocktails, a tour of Reid’s Palace’s gardens, classes for four days, breakfast and lunch daily, and a Gala Dinner on the last evening.  Participants who book the both Designing with Plants and the Botanical Flower Painting Classes at Reid’s Palace, will receive a 15% discount off the class cost.

The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, Maryland, will host a Botanical & Flower Painting Class from 9th – 15th May 2010, which will be led by Carol Woodin, who is one of the most outstanding botanical artists working in the USA. Carol specialises in painting orchids and has won major awards both in the USA and the UK.

The price of the class starts from US$3,622 (approx. £2,159*), which includes six night’s accommodation, painting classes, a welcome cocktail and dinner with Carol Woodin, breakfast and lunch daily, one Botanical Complex Facial in the Linden Spa, afternoon tea, a ticket to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, an evening sunset cruise and a farewell dinner.

Orient-Express has worked with Dr. Sherwood and the artists to design these classes in such a way that they are suitable for both beginners and accomplished artists, with class sizes restricted to give students opportunities for one-on-one tutorials.  To complement the classroom sessions, the classes include fascinating tours which can also be enjoyed by non-student companions.

Ends/…
Notes to editors:

• Reid’s Palace epitomises the spirit of travel, from the heyday of luxury, style and adventure.  Opened in 1891 by William and Alfred Reid to accommodate passengers of the great ocean liners, it now stands for contemporary luxury and elegance.  Perched on a cliff-top amid 10 acres of semi-tropical gardens, providing its own brand of personal service to all generations, today’s Reid’s Palace offers relaxation and indulgence, romance and activity on the exotic, temperate island of Madeira. www.reidspalace.com

• The Inn at Perry Cabin is an elegant circa 1816 waterfront property located on 25 acres overlooking the Miles River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.  The hotel is a short stroll from the history-steeped town of St. Michaels, Maryland and an easy one hour drive from either Baltimore or Washington, DC.  It has 80 guest rooms, each individually decorated in either a traditional style indicative of the historic section of the Inn, or in a style that evokes the contemporary Maryland seaside with a mixture of modern and period furniture and a palate of taupes, soft blues and ivories. www.perrycabin.com

• Orient-Express, (NYSE: OEH, www.orient-express.com) the name behind an elite collection of travel experiences, first came into being in 1883 as one of the world’s most exciting and indulgent train journeys.  Today those same two evocative words also embrace hotels, cruises and other luxury rail adventures in 25 countries, across five continents.  The Company has offered exceptional luxury travel experiences since 1976, when it first purchased Hotel Cipriani in Venice and then shortly afterwards, recreated the celebrated Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, linking London, Paris and Venice, along with other European cities.  Today, the Company owns or part-owns and manages 49 businesses, 39 of which are highly acclaimed hotels, each unique in style, from the Mount Nelson in Cape Town and Rio’s Copacabana Palace, to the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg and Maroma Resort & Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya.  There are two restaurants, including ‘21’ in New York, two river cruise operations and six luxury trains. 

*The sterling price guide is based on the exchange rate at the time of going to press, but the final price, payable in local currency, will depend on the exchange rate at the time of booking. 

For further press information and images please contact:
Vicky Legg      Louise Toye     
Director of Public Relations    PR Executive
Orient-Express Hotels   Orient-Express Hotels
Tel: 020 7921 4067   Tel: 020 7921 4069
Fax: 020 7921 4776   Fax: 020 7921 4776
Email: vicky.legg@orient-express.com Email: louise.toye@orient-express.com
Web: www.orient-express.com