Nature will be our starting point, but rather than copying what we see, we will look for the underlying structure, rhythm, color relationships, and emotional character of our subject. Guided exercises and demonstrations will help participants simplify complex natural forms, take creative risks, and move beyond predictable solutions. We will explore how colored grounds and expressive underpainting can establish mood; how Notan and value patterns can strengthen impact; and how cropping, repetition, and variation can generate compelling new compositions. The emphasis is on exploration, discovery, and building a process that can continue long after the retreat. Students gain a clearer understanding of how to move from observation into abstraction; and practical strategies for beginning, revising, evaluating, and extending their work into a cohesive series.
 
Location: Glastonbury, Connecticut
Instructor: Debora Stewart
Cost: $2,500
Sponsor: Artists Rising Creativity Retreats
Website, email, 860-781-4389

Who is this workshop for? If you are a beginner, you’ll be given the opportunity to learn composition, color mixing, mark making and more, all in a welcoming environment. If you are an advanced artist, Jodie will help you create your most honest work through understanding the personal energy you bring to your art, embracing your personal mark making and how you choose color combinations in a more intuitive way. Either way, this workshop will help you and your art advance to a new level in a judgement-free, joy-filled zone.
 
Location: Glastonbury, Connecticut
Instructor: Jodie King
Cost: $3,500
Sponsor: Artists Rising Creativity Retreats
Website, email, 860-781-4389

An immersive, play-filled workshop experience creating texture-rich, colorful papers, beautiful hand-dyed fabrics, and intuitive stitched elements, all coming together in a layered art journal. This mixed media, textiles, and art journaling experience will be full of creative demonstrations, with an emphasis on learning to let go of perfectionism, loosen up, and play. Feel the cycle of inspiration that comes from working closely with fellow artists and a hands-on instructor.
 
Location: Glastonbury, Connecticut
Instructor: BB Henry
Cost: $2,500
Sponsor: Artists Rising Creativity Retreats
Website, email, 860-781-4389