Walking, Drawing, Writing in the Algarve, Portugal

Course date is Sunday September 1^st - Saturday Sep 7^th 2024 (teaching course Mon-Fri)

Cost - from £1995 ( + £200 single room supplement ) for accommodation, food, tuition and materials.

This retreat is set in the beautiful coastal Nature Reserve at the Western end of the Algarve. A short walk from the fishing village of Salema, and the rugged untouched coves nearby, you will be staying at the villa of artist Ros Hodges where you will be treated to the most delicious food and relaxing surroundings including a pool. During the 5 days you will be immersed in this spectacular, expansive landscape, using walking drawing and writing to travel through it, absorb it, and engage creatively with it. You will be gently guided and supported in the space throughout by Katie NB. All of your materials, food and shared accommodation* are included in the price.

This is an unmissable opportunity to escape, breathe, walk, draw and write freely to see where your thoughts and observations take you. Meditation, reflection and writing are an integral part of the experience and will inspire the drawings directly over the 5 days. Writing, like walking, like drawing, is a continual thread, a movement in thought, forming how we interpret the world. This course is a brilliant way to experience a place creatively and with awareness. To make the most of the cooler ends of the late summer days, we will be starting early, leaving the hottest part of the day for rest and reflection, with evenings left open for optional yoga, starlit walks, and following your own practice.

You may take it as a stand alone course; or, you might want to combine it with the course running the following week – Expressive Painting in the Landscape with Emily Ball 8th - 13th September 2024. A magical combination, as one will feed so beautifully into the other. (There is a 10% discount if you book for both courses).

How wonderful to be able to visit somewhere different, with purpose, and like minded people, in an inspirational location, with nothing else to interrupt your creative flow! Whilst we will be sharing meals together, with the option of working into the evening, the grounds are large enough to find a space to retreat by yourself whenever the need arises. There is space to work in the shelter of the open veranda, tucked into the shade and shelter of the villa, as well as in the garden and grounds, depending on the weather, with space to make larger work for those who wish.

Be aware that being physically able enough to walk confidently for a few hours each day will be important. Armed with a pocketful of tools and a clipboard of paper or sketchbook we will set off each day to respond, notice and connect with our surroundings. We will find out as we go, celebrate the beauty, the physicality, the surprises; taking time to rest and reflect along the way.

 

Read the Course Details for more information