A spirited venture: Lakeville couple opens retreat at winery
The retreat owners hope the landscape will serve as inspiration. Courtesy photos 
A scenic painting by retreat co-owner Dan Cooney. 
An evening scene.
Dan Cooney depicts the cat on the scene.
Visitors can also enjoy other activities. 
Cooney's image captures the rural character. 
A visitor chills with the cat in this image.
The chance to make new friends is another attraction.
The retreat owners hope the landscape will serve as inspiration. Courtesy photos
A scenic painting by retreat co-owner Dan Cooney.
An evening scene.
Dan Cooney depicts the cat on the scene.
Visitors can also enjoy other activities.
Cooney's image captures the rural character.
A visitor chills with the cat in this image.
The chance to make new friends is another attraction.
LAKEVILLE -- A Lakeville couple has popped the cork on a new venture that combines their love of France and their artistic experiences.
Dan and Christine Cooney have launched Le Cot Retreat Center, a new art retreat destination set within a restored vineyard compound in the heart of Cognac, France.
The center provides opportunities for artists such as painters and photographers to immerse themselves in the region and focus on their work.
“The word that comes to mind is tranquility,’’ Dan Cooney said.
Spending time amid 1,000 acres of vineyard represents a dream come true for many artists, he said.
“A lot of people have always been wanting to go to France, especially painters,’’ he said.
The setting provides a chance to settle in and focus, he said.
“What we kept coming back to is the idea of slowing down and focusing,’’ he said. “So many creative people we know are overscheduled and undernourished creatively.’’
The Cooneys are long-time lovers of France. In the mid-1990s they moved to France to restore a family farm in the area of Cognac. The area gives it name to Cognac, a specific type of high-grade brandy.
During that time they toured France’s major spirit-producing regions. They made personal connections with small and medium-sized family-owned distilleries.
These contacts helped when in 2008 they created Heavenly Spirits, an import and wholesale company that introduced these spirits to an American market.
As they spent more time in France, they grew even more fond of the lifestyle and pace and they hope that joy will spread to the artists.
“The traditions of eating and drinking and enjoying life’’ he hopes, will “make an impact on them.’’
The property has been renovated to maintain its rustic character while providing comfortable accommodations, shared meals, flexible studio space, and scenic outdoor locations.
Cooney understands the needs of artists. He is a former art professor at Bridgewater State University. He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Swain School of Design and a master’s degree from the University of California Berkeley.
“Le Cot was conceived of as a place where you can work deeply, observe closely, and reconnect with why you make art in the first place,’’ he said.
