Ireland Art Retreat With Joan

Your retreat will be a blend of studio time, landscape study, cultural excursions and time to explore on your own. When you arrive, unpack and make yourself at home. Our entire group will be making its home at the stunning Essence of Mulranny compound, under the guidance of Irish Artist and International Host Lora Murphy.

Your week will include pencil and watercolor studies of the surrounding landscapes, where we’ll slow down and connect with the natural rhythms of the land, filling our sketchbooks/field journals with color swatches, and notes to bring into the studio along with the photos we take to create impressionistic landscapes. We will paint using acrylic paints in an impressionistic style which Joan will teach you. 

Together we will also create “Inspirational Trading Cards” combining Irish quotes, with printed materials we collect throughout the week along with painted papers we make during our studio time. We will gather all these material and collage into thoughtful and inspirational cards we can trade and gift to family and friends alike.

You will leave Ireland with a renewed sense of self, a refreshed creative spirit, finished paintings, a set of “Inspirational Trading Cards” and a sketchbook/Field Journal filled with memories and inspiration to help you keep your refreshed creative spirit alive once you return home. 

Details:

1.  This retreat is for those interested in learning to paint like an impressionist with loose brush strokes using vibrant colored acrylic paint.

2.  Students will create impressionistic landscape paintings while learning how to build a painting, layer by layer, using both transparent and opaque acrylic.

3.  My approach to painting impressionistically with acrylic paints is based on studying how the impressionists of the late 1800’s painted using oil paint and the importance of transparent paint for the underpainting and adapting that process to acrylic paints.

4.  You will complete landscape paintings based on inspiration gathered in the fields of Ireland.

5.  You will learn the difference between transparent acrylic paint and opaque acrylic paint and their importance in building a vibrant and luminous painting.

You will create:
1. A field journal/sketchbook while on location in Ireland’s rugged landscapes to be used as a source of inspiration to work from while in the studio to create your impressionistic landscapes.

2. Three impressionistic landscapes:

A. One master study of an artist’s landscape painting of the Wild Atlantic Way.

B. One based on our time on Achill Island.

c. One based on our time near the lakes by Westport. 

3. “Inspirational Trading Cards” based on printed material, quotes and Irish sayings you will gather throughout the week, to collage together with painted papers you will make.

Bonus:

1.  Book review: “The Art Spirit” by Robert Henri

2.  Artist’s talk

3.  Gentle Yoga

4.  Studio Visit while on Achill Island 

A US $500 deposit will secure your place.

It is advisable to have insurance to cover your travel to Ireland and to cover your workshop fees for your possible cancellation in the event of illness. There are no exceptions for this policy.

Each student will be responsible to bring the following supplies.

Brushes: 

Bring a few acrylic (I recommend flat or bright brushes) and watercolor brushes to be used in both the studio and on location in your sketchbooks/field journal.

Surfaces to create on:

1.  Sketchbook –We recommend a Canson 11 x 14 inch spiral bound 140lb watercolor pape.

2.  Three - four, 8 x 10 inch and/or 11 x 14 inch canvas wrapped boards for your landscape paintings

Acrylic Paints: 

(Please note I use Golden Brand Acrylic paints in both heavy body and open formulas. You are welcome to bring student grade and other brands.)

Transparent paint:
(all colors I am referring to are Golden Brand Paints* unless otherwise noted.)

1.  Van Dyke Brown Or Raw umber

2.  Transparent Red Iron Oxide

3.  India Yellow Hue

4.  Quinacridone Red or Naphthol Red Medium

5.  Quinacridone Magenta

6.  Dioxazine Purple

7.  Green Gold

8.  Sap Green

9.  Turquoise

10. Phthalo Blue or Ultra Marine Blue

11.Manganese Blue Hue

12. Golden Brand Retarder

Opaque Paint:
(all colors I am referring to are Golden Brand Paints* unless otherwise noted.)

1.  Titanium White

The Following are optional but highly recommended.

2.  Cadmium Yellow

3.  Cadmium Orange (I like the Liquitex heavy body from their professional line.)

4.  Light Phthalo Blue or Charvin’s Linen Flower (Charvin is a French company and you can get this on Amazon.)

Watercolor Paints:

1.  Any standard set you may have. ( I use a travel kit and travel brushes)

Misc.:

1.  Spray water bottle

2.  Two Palettes – acrylic paints and a small watercolor palette (I use a silver platter for my acrylics) 

4.  Backpack for when we are in the landscape gathering inspiration.

5.  Graphite pencils

6.  Kneaded eraser

7.  Apron

8. Feel free to bring any other art supply you wish to create with.

We will supply:

1. Palette paper

2.  Clear Mat Medium

3.  Clear Gesso

4.  Gloss medium

5.  140lb watercolor paper for your inspirational trading cards

6. Painter tape

7. Chalk pastel

8. Acrylic markers