en

Art Holidays in Sweden

Autumn - Spring

Fir: Art retreat in the wilderness

Värmdö, SWEDEN, dates to be confirmed in 2024

For as long as there has been art, artists have been thrilled by nature. Not only because nature can provide endless inspiration, fuel memories, teach harmony and proportion, but also because most of the materials artists use are products of nature: pigments, dyes, graphite, charcoal, wood...

This workshop is a celebration of this everlasting liaison between art and nature: we will immerse ourselves in the environment, watch the changes in the landscape, let the light dictate our pace... and after all the observation, when we are ready to trace our lines or brush strokes, we will bear in mind that all what we are using comes from nature and that all what we will accomplish is the meeting point between the expression of what we have in mind and what nature allows.

A beautiful, exciting alliance between us and the world around us.

The Stockholm archipelago is a cluster of some 30000 islands, skerries and rocks where rugged nature blends with wooded atolls, rocky cliffs and sandy beaches. It all begins just a few minutes away from the city, unspoilt but also easily reachable.

We have secured a series of top-rated cottages, all with the same features: traditional wood building from around 1900, a romantic vibe, access to the forest and to a pier.

We will keep the group size small (6 art students). We could accommodate a few "non participating travel partners" (1/2) but, in any case we will keep the total number of people below 8, to grant an intimate atmosphere, large personal space in the house and constant and caring support to every each of you. In these turbulent times, this course aims to find the right balance between leisure, sociability and safety.

If you are travelling by plane, please fly to Arlanda Airport - we can arrange a comfortable minivan transfer to the property and back if we can all converge there. If you are travelling by car, we will meet you directly at the property - we will give you name e contacts of the property's owner beforehand, just in case you arrive first.

We will return the property clean and tidy, we kindly ask you to respect the house, the garden and all the spaces involved.


↑ A preview of our cottage in Värmdö.

The Programme

Our workshop will welcome people of all backgrounds and of all levels of experience. If you are a beginner, you will find accurate tuition and a supportive environment. If you are a professional, you can work with your own tools and with your own style in a new, well organised, quiet workspace. The retreat includes:

 ❀ 7 nights accommodation in a top-rated seafront cottage/villa

 ❀ Daily programme of walks, talks and art lessons, movies, excursions.

 ❀ 7 evening meals

 ❀ 7 breakfasts

 ❀ 6 lunches

 ❀ Minibus transport from/to airport

 ❀ All art supplies

With guidance from academic artist Elena Governo we will learn the secrets of using plants, minerals, essential oils, honey, wax, chalk to create stunning paintings, prints and drawings and we will return home with a rich and diversified body of works.

In particular we will dedicate ourselves to:

ONE GRAND PLAN - Each of us will focus on one main project.
5 painting lessons, 4 hours each, and we will create a fine oil painting on wood from priming to polishing. You will travel home with a great piece to hang!


SOME FUN SIDE PROJECTS - Every day we will have a 2-hour experimental, relaxed, joyful side project. We will explore the realms of image making from different perspectives. Elena will travel from Italy to Sweden with as many tools, paints and papers as possible in order to give you the chance to be creative and prolific.
All materials are included. We will use professional fine art supplies from Italy.


COST AND INCLUSIONS:

Cost: £965/€1130 per person, based on two people sharing a room.

Come-with-a-friend fee: £915/€1080 per person (invite a friend and get £50 discount) or come-with-two-friends fee: £885/€1040 (invite two friends and get £80 discount).

If you book early, you are very welcome to bring along a travel companion who will not be participating in the workshop. We only have one or two double rooms with kings beds, so please check availability first. Non-participating partners fee: £500/€580.

Flights and travel to/from Stockholm are not included. Personal travel insurance is recommended, considering these uncertain times, we will gladly reimburse your insurance fee up to £30/€35.

By joining our Art Retreat in the Wilderness in Värmdö you will be helping a small business to come back to life. Progetto Ecate Print Workshop is a small art school, based on Lake Como, Italy, that for 16 years has been providing quality art tuition to the public, but it has found it impossible to run its classes and activities during the pandemic.

We are trying our best to resist and by showing your interest in this adventure, you are helping us.

THANK YOU!