"Expressive Watercolour Art Retreat"
Puglia, Italy

Pick up from Bari airport at 1pm and Brindisi airport at 2pm- transfer to the Masseria Specula. On arrival to your accommodation, you will shown to your comfortable room, with time to settle in. Join Sarah Stokes for a welcome drink in the warm evening Sun before sitting down with the rest of the art group to enjoy an authentic Italian dinner, enhanced by a glass of locally produced wine.

Your third day unfolds with breakfast, fresh juices and coffee where we can chat about the day ahead. After breakfast, you will be taken to the sleepy little town of Nardò where you will be able to take your own photo references, or even indulge in some plein-air painting whilst sitting on the steps of a church or under the umbrella of a cafe, Sarah will be on hand to talk about composition and perspective when it comes to choosing and painting larger areas, such as street scenes. We will then head over to nearby seaside town of Santa Marina Al Bagno. This pretty little coastal area lines a beautiful sea front. On this part of the excursion Sarah will guide you through some of the best spots to observe and photograph the crystal blue ocean and the crashing waves as they hit against the nearby rocks. We will return back to the Masseria for a spot of delicious lunch before Sarah delivers a workshop demonstrating different approaches to depicting the Sea. During this enjoyable session, you’ll get to use masking fluid, gouache and gel pens to bring alive the majestic and complex nature of crashing waves and sea foam. Once the lesson has finished, there will be a couple of hours for relaxation followed by a drive out to a beautiful ancient town for a delicious evening meal amongst the cobbled streets and twinkling lights of an authentic Italian restaurant.

After a delicious breakfast, day 5 brings us the amazing opportunity to visit a local equestrian centre to observe, sketch and photograph a group of beautiful horses by the beach. For the horse riders amongst you, there will be the opportunity to ride along the stunning coastline and into the Sea. Once we return to back to the Masseria and punctuated only by a delicious lunch, Sarah will teach you ways of turning your drawings into incredible paintings, concentrating on bringing life into the eyes of the horses and depicting the textures of their glorious manes. At the end of the painting session, there will be the chance to relax or alternatively to take a stroll along the nearby nature reserve to spot flamingoes in their natural habitat. The day is completed with a splendid evening out, dining under the stars in a nearby town.

Having refuelled with breakfast, this is a great opportunity to transform memories from Lecce into captivating artworks. Dive into your photographs and be inspired to complete your previously started pieces or embark on a new artistic journey. With freedom in your choice of subject you might be inclined to paint a seascape or depict some of the animals that you’ve seen on your stay in Italy. To this end, Sarah will be on hand to help you bring your vision to life. After lunch there will be free time for you to continue painting or to spend time exploring the expanse of beaches in the local area. As the sun sets on our final evening, unique blends of cocktails will be served using locally sourced herbs and spices as a band of local musicians provide us with the perfect musical backdrop to our last evening meal together.

After a hearty Italian breakfast, you will walk in the vicinity of the venue to photograph and forage for objects suitable for our first art session. With olive trees, geckos, pine cones, cacti, and a beach close to hand, you won’t be short of inspiration. Using a mixture of charcoals and single colour watercolour, you will study the skills needed to bring a 3D object to life on the paper, examining tone, proportion and perspective. Light snacks, fruit and refreshments will be available throughout the lunch time period, after which we will dive into our first experiments with colour. Sarah will show you how to mix colours of your choice with just a handful of pigments. You’ll also gain insights into a couple of essential techniques for watercolour, where Sarah will show you how to desaturate colours, blend and lift paint, create soft and hard edges and explore mark marking with your brushes. This will put you in good stead for the myriad of colours that you will want to recreate over the coming days. With this practical session finished you will have time to relax and refresh ready for a beautifully prepared evening meal at the Masseria.

After breakfast, Sarah will lead the morning workshop in which you will get to depict a cafe scene inspired by your trip to Nardo. Sarah will explain the rules of perspective and composition as you map out the scene on the paper. Using a range of playful and experimental techniques, you will get to paint a bustling cafe scene, depicting the weathered masonry, rusting balconies and white umbrellas that make these scenes so iconic.This is your chance to explore the myriad ways to depict the beautiful textures that you will see on your travels; of weathered doorways, pitted masonry or even the rusting iron of old balconies, softened with tumbling bougainvillea. It is here that we can unleash our playful side and experiment with an abundance of materials and techniques. After a light lunch, Sarah will take you help you create your first animal portrait of the holiday. Sarah will lead a class on how to paint a wonderfully vibrant flamingo. You will learn how to depict feathers with an emphasis on the key skills of timing and pigment control. Their elegant forms and striking colours provide the perfect inspiration for exploring expressive brushstrokes and delicate layering techniques. At 4:30 you will take a well earned break from painting to hop onto the tour bus for a trip to Grottaglie, an ancient town famed for its ceramic heritage. This is an excellent opportunity to pick up quality, hand made souvenirs for the home or for loved ones. We will return to the Masseria in time for a beautifully and freshly prepared evening meal.

After a nutritious breakfast, we will embark on our day trip to the wonderful city of Lecce. With the option of a tour provided by a guide you will get the chance to spend the whole day in this Baroque inspired town. Famed for its stunning architecture, Roman amphitheatre, Cathedral and Churches, it is one of the most awe inspiring cities in the world. It is filled with ancient palaces and squares, vibrant cafes, museums and restaurants… ideal for painting plein-air, gathering photo references or simply for taking time out to absorb the atmosphere. On our return to the Masseria we will have a relaxing evening dinner over which we can share our experiences of the city and the retreat as a whole and make plans for our final day.

Enjoy breakfast together, exchange any last contacts and catch the 10 am transfer to Brindisi airport arriving there around 11am & Bari airport about 12pm. Please note that the Masseria is very much in the heart of rural Puglia. As such the majority of our trips will be via mini bus with the journeys ranging from 15 to 60 minutes in duration. All transportation is covered in the cost of your retreat