2026 calendar for art retreats
artist book history and making
JUNE 15-19
foraged books:
the art of place
Instructor: Cindy Parker
Delve into memory for your magical places and stories and forage the Château grounds for images and ideas to create your own artist’s book. Learn innovative book structures, experiment with various tools and mark making techniques, lettering, and ways of thinking about text and story.
STARTING AT $2850
1 SPOT REMAINING
OIL PAINTING
JUNE 22-26
THE HUMAN FORM IN OIL PAINTS
Instructor: Alex Soukas
This course offers instruction in painting the human figure from a live model. Students will explore color, anatomy, and expressive technique to capture the vitality and form of the human body. No experience necessary.
STARTING AT $2850
3 SPOTS REMAINING
MULTI-MEDIA ASSEMBLAGE
JUNE 29-JULY 3
THE SECRET LIVES OF MATERIALS
Instructors: Cindy Parker & Kathryn Cameron
We’ll experiment with a wide range of materials and mediums—engaging their Textures, colors, energies, and origins—while exploring multi-media assemblage, unconventional tools, and embodied mark-making.
STARTING AT $2850
2 SPOTS REMAINING!
painting and mark making
JULY 6-10
Color as matter: EXPLORING PIGMENT, sURFACE & FORM
Instructor Kathryn Cameron
Discover the physical and symbolic power of color through ways that bridge painting and sculpture. Participants hand-make pigments, explore traditional binders, and learn the historical meanings of color. The workshop culminates in a collective installation of paintings and sculptural studies.
STARTING AT $2850
5-NIGHT ALL INCLUSIVE STAY
OIL PAINTING
JULY 13-17
THE ART OF BEING: JOURNEY TO YOUR style of AUTHENTIC PAINTING
Instructor: Joalida Smit
Through mindful observation, material exploration, and connection to the landscape, learn to paint from within. This immersive retreat offers the tools and space to replace imitation with authenticity and trust in your creative process.
STARTING AT $2850
5-NIGHT ALL INCLUSIVE STAY
OIL PAINTING
JULY 20-24
TURNING RESISTANCE INTO CREATIVE INSIGHT - SOLD OUT
Instructor: Joalida Smit
Rather than silencing your inner critic, learn to listen for the wisdom hidden within its voice. This retreat blends mindfulness, nature, and studio exploration to help you transform fear into fuel and deepen your confidence in your artistic painting intuition.
-- SOLD OUT --
WRITING AND FILM
JULY 27-31
BEYOND THE FRAME:
AWAKenING THE INNER VISIONARY
Instructors: Joalida Smit and Kristina Darling
This retreat invites artists to move beyond their primary disciplines and uncover untapped dimensions of their creative voice. From merging text and image and writing to short films, you’ll awaken new ways of seeing and making.
STARTING AT $2850
5-NIGHT ALL INCLUSIVE STAY
writing, assemblage and sculpture
AUGUST 3-7
REDISCOVERING THE SENSES: POETIC EXPLORATION, ART & FILM
Instructor: Kristina Darling
What does the light smell like here, and if this moment became a poem, what would it say? Through poetry, filmmaking, assemblage, and sculpture, the week becomes a practice of noticing — no experience needed, only a willingness to arrive awake to the world around you.
STARTING AT $2850
5-NIGHT ALL INCLUSIVE STAY
OIL PAINTING
AUGUST 10-14
GESTURAL STILL LIFE PAINTING: FROM JOURNEY TO CANVAS
Instructor: Laura Brown
Discover how to transform your travel experiences into expressive, unfussy tablescape paintings. You'll learn how to arrange a balanced still life, capture mood through color, and use loose, intuitive brushwork.
STARTING AT $2850
5-NIGHT ALL INCLUSIVE STAY
OIL PAINTING
AUGUST 17-21
ALLA PRIMA PAINTING: LANDSCAPE
Instructor: Brandi McDermott
Immerse yourself in nature as you learn to observe light, color, and atmosphere. This plein air workshop strengthens your ability to translate what you see into expressive, confident paintings created outdoors.
STARTING AT $2850
5-NIGHT ALL INCLUSIVE STAY
oil painting
AUGUST 24-28
alla prima painting:
inside and out
Instructor: Brandi McDermott
Explore color, composition, paint application, and the foundational principles of oil painting while capturing favorite moments amid the beauty of the area. Experience growth in direct painting methods through intentional observation in the studio and outdoors.
STARTING AT $2850
5-NIGHT ALL INCLUSIVE STAY
MIXED-MEDIA
AUGUST 31 - SEPT 4
RARE MARK-MAKING:
TRACING BEAUTY THROUGH FOUND MATERIALS
Instructor: Ray Brand
This process-led workshop explores intuitive mark-making, where instinct and materials guide the creative process. Ideal for artists, makers, and curious beginners, participants reconnect with their hands and leave with experimental works and renewed creative intuition.
STARTING AT $2850
2 SPOTS REMAINING