Upcoming Retreats & Workshops
Our retreats and workshops are led by expert practitioners and typically run three to six nights. We provide overnight accommodations, healthy meals, and a 600 square foot practice studio for up to 16 participants.
PASSAGE—The Future of Contemporary Realism — ART SHOW
We invite you to attend our new exhibit of over 100 works by 20 artists from the renowned Grand Central Atelier in Brooklyn, NY. Meet the artists, see the portraits, figures, landscapes, and florals they’ve created from life. Go home with a museum-quality work of art.
Before and during the show, the artists will stay in residence at Willow and fan across southern Vermont to paint plein air landscapes. You may volunteer your property to be the featured subject of new paintings and drawings.
Capturing Likeness and Character in Portraits - A Painting Workshop
Join Laurel Stern Boeck, one of the nation’s foremost portrait painters, for a three-day workshop.
This workshop is for participants at all levels, from student to professional to hobbyist. Those who are fascinated with capturing the likeness and character of a person will thrive in this workshop. From observation of the live model, we will examine light, structure, and form to create faithful likenesses of the subject. We will study color and value to develop stunning compositions. Finally, we will discuss how to build a narrative that explores the subject's character.
Creating the Portrait from Life - A Drawing Workshop
In this 4-day intensive workshop, artists will learn fundamental techniques to capturing a likeness while drawing from a live model. Beginning with a linear block-in that focuses on both the visual impression as well as the underlying structure of the skull, students will employ optical and conceptual drawing methods simultaneously.
Painting the Vermont Landscape - A Painting Workshop
Join George Van Hook, a nationally recognized artist who has won numerous Plein Air competitions and awards from around the country for his oils and watercolors, for a three-day plein air workshop.
George stresses allaprima painting and using a loose and fast approach to capture the landscape in the first try. Each day begins with a demo by the artist. At that time, he will discuss composition, laying out the pallet, proper use of materials and all other aspects of plein air painting. We will then break up into groups and paint individually. He will then provide individual instruction helping solve the issues for each artist.
Techniques in Classical Realism - A Drawing and Painting Workshop
In this four day retreat and workshop, instructors Tyler Berry and Chelsea Bard will work with students to strengthen their understanding and application of techniques in contemporary realism while working with live models.