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| Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland |
If you've been following my blog, you'll know that once or twice a year I host a painting retreat in some beautiful place. So, get ready—I am scheduling retreats for Maine, Nova Scotia and Scotland!
Just as reminder, I always give my students first chance at the painting retreats. If you've not taken a workshop with me yet but would like to join me on these retreats, I invite you to check out my workshops page. Once students have had their chance, I occasionally open up the retreat to other experienced painters. Retreats usually fill very quickly, so make sure you let me know which retreat interests you, and I will send you information once I finalize details.
How does a painting retreat work? It's just as it sounds—it's a painting retreat for artists who want to get away from the daily grind to paint with some like-minded folk and nurture friendships. (For the best group dynamics, we prefer to have painters only.) Mornings start off with breakfast and critiques, followed by an organized morning where I lead you to some fantastic locations. Usually, the rest of the day is more free-form, with artists going off on their own or together to paint more or explore the area. If there are local artists, galleries or museums, I try to arrange a visit. There's always a kitchen, so we can make communal meals. Also, we are early-to-bed and early-to-rise to make the most of the daylight. Participants always tell me again and again how much they enjoy these retreats.
With that in mind, here are the upcoming retreats. Please note that the Maine retreat is this year, and the Nova Scotia and Scotland retreats are for 2020.
Maine, Lubec. August 11-16, 2019
I call Lubec the "quiet end" of Maine. Beautiful, with bold cliffs, stunning views, old boats and fish buildings, it is quiet even in August, when only two hours west Bar Harbor is jam-packed with tourists. (I think the lobster tastes better in Lubec, too!) We did this retreat last year, and it was a great success, with everyone staying at a beautifully-renovated US Coast Guard campus. Details have been finalized for this retreat, and I am already taking deposits. For full details, please download the brochure here.
Price: $300. Not included: lodging, meals. (See brochure for lodging details.)
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| Painting Lubec, Maine |
Lunenburg Area, Nova Scotia. June, 2020
We did this retreat a couple of years ago, and we were very pleased to discover that there are many quiet nooks for the painter. Lunenburg is close to famous Peggy's Cove, where one can paint old boats and fish buildings, but there are other, equally beautiful spots the tourists haven't yet discovered. I'll gladly share these with you on retreat! I haven't finalized dates or lodging for this one yet, but it will be on Nova Scotia's South Shore, about an hour from Halifax. You can read about the last retreat in Nova Scotia here.
Price: $700 USD is what it cost last time, and 2020 will be about the same. Includes lodging, breakfasts.
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| Painting Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia |
Isle of Skye, Scotland. June 13-20, 2020
We had such a great time last June painting around the Isle of Skye that we couldn't wait to go back! With that in mind, I have already secured lodging and have lined up two wonderful local artists to serve as our guides and drivers. We'll be based in scenic Portree and from there venture to locations such as Sligachan, with views of the Black Cuillins, and historic Eilean Donan Castle. There may also be an opportunity to extend the trip to other locations (at shared additional cost) on either end of the week. I like to consider this retreat to be more of a sketching trip—you'll want to bring only your sketching materials and not the full plein air setup. You can read about the last retreat in Scotland here.
Price: $1500 USD. Includes lodging, breakfasts, and transportation for painting trips.
Special note: This retreat is limited to only THREE participants due to lodging and transportation restrictions.
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| Painting Isle of Skye |
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| Sligachan |
