Join us on an art retreat in the heart of Umbria, Italy!
Next Workshop Dates:
September 26 - October 4, 2025
October 4 - 12, 2025
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS ⋆
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Painting instruction
Join us for unforgettable painting workshops with our talented New York artists. Choose from still-life and plein-air workshops, and elevate your artistic journey, while immersing yourself in the richness of Italian culture and history.
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Cultural excursions
Engage in guided excursions to explore the rich history of the green region of Umbria, with its medieval villages and artisan shops. Panicale (pictured) is a charming, medieval little town, just 14 km from Castello Monticelli, overlooking the Lake Trasimeno. For such a small town Panicale has some remarkable art from the artist Masolino da Panicale, Perugino and Raffaello.
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Culinary delights
Savor unforgettable wine pairings, alongside immersive art instruction en plein air, in a scenic local vineyard by lake Trasimeno. All meals focus on typical Italian regional flavors and use preferably raw materials from organic farms of the neighborhood, including our own farm at the bottom of the hill!
Venue Spotlight
Castello Monticelli is a historic residence, protected by the Italian Ministery of Art and Culture.
From 593 to 774 A.D. it was a fortress to defend Perugia from the Longobards, then it became a Benedectine Monastry for about 500 years and from about 1470 was a summer and hunting residence of aristocratic families.
STILL LIFE IN MOTION
with Avital Burg
In this workshop, artists will immerse themselves in the living tradition of still life, while utilizing the surrounding landscape and its rich history, to create personal and dynamic images. Working from observation, instruction will address formal issues, including scale, geometry, color mixing, spatial relationships, perspective and measuring, composition, line, form, light, value ranges and mark-making techniques.
Late Fall Flowers - 2021 - Oil on canvas
EN PLEIN AIR LANDSCAPE
with Pete Sinjin
Join me this coming Fall for a plein air painting adventure in the beautiful light- filled Umbria region of Italy! We’ll be based in a 17th century restored castle, surrounded by sweeping vistas, woodlands, romantic narrow pathways and structures and homes stretching back centuries. Over 8 glorious days we will take full advantage of the myriad painting opportunities! Each day, I’ll begin with a short demonstration combined with a talk based on the location we find ourselves in. From understanding proper perspective to capturing color and atmospheric concepts, that bring a distant landscape alive with depth.
Plein Air painting allows us to slow down and really have a look, to really see. We will challenge ourselves to create the color, the flow, the temperature, the very air in front of us, so that when we walk away we have a new piece of personal art and a memory of the experience that will never fade.
All levels are encouraged and welcome! I will be engaging with each participant individually and we will work to further your skills and vision.
Umbria Landscape - 2025 - Oil on wood panel
