Painting the Tuscan Garden in Watercolor – May 10 – 16
With Linda Warner Constantino
The Tuscan views and organic gardens surrounding Spannocchia make it the perfect place forthe painting immersion workshop that I am offering. We will explore expressing the garden through the language of drawing and watercolor painting. After each day of painting, we will enjoy delicious, home-style Italian meals. You will find the pace of life in this quintessentially Italian landscape is sure to make your stay memorable.
I have found watercolor to be uniquely both a sketching and painting medium and because of this, basic drawing skills are requirement for this class, though it is open to all watercolor skill levels. Daily sessions will take place in the Museo studio with some also taking place in the surrounding gardens. There will be daily demonstrations focusing on both how to see color and form while also learning to master specific techniques that make watercolor so distinctive and expressive…(more info)
ITALY 5 DAY PLEIN AIR PAINTING RETREAT – May 24 – 30
With Todd Bonita
Join us for 5 days of outdoor painting, eating, drinking and living in the ancient Tuscan village of Spannocchia. We will gather with our paint boxes on the rolling hillsides of an 1,100 acre sustainable farm and onsite cooking school with an historic Villa and rustic farmhouses. We will enjoy traditional Italian cooking prepared from the working gardens. Paint in the shadows of some of the most celebrated artists, capturing the color and spirit of this romantically alluring location.
There will be a daily demonstration and discussions on composition, design, value and capturing light and atmosphere in your paintings. Beginners, experienced artist and those who have never painted… (more info)
Stone and Sky – Painting workshop – June 12 – 19
With David Skinner
Many years ago, as an undergraduate studying fine art at the University of California at Santa Barbara, I spent a semester in Europe as part of a study abroad program that focused on art. Twenty students along with two professors took over a pensione in Florence for a month, immersing ourselves in the art and culture of the Rennaisance. It was a life-changing trip and the beginning of my love of all things Italian. So it is with great excitement that I am returning to Tuscany—this time as a teacher—for my inaugural Stone and Sky Workshop in Italy. I’ve had tremendous success with the workshops I’ve taught in Ireland and in my home studio of Asheville, NC, and I know that the Italian workshop will be equally fulfilling. — David Skinner… (more info)
Visual Explorations – June 26 – July 2
With Jerrod & Jeseie Partirdge
Visual Explorations is a week-long creative retreat in the heart of Tuscany, Italy led by professional artists and designers, Jerrod and Jessie Partridge. This experience is designed for creative engagement offering art instruction from Jerrod and a floral design demonstration by Jessie. Included are excursions to Siena and Florence as well as a mid-week trip to one of the area’s breath-taking hill towns… (more info)
Painting in Italy – August 28 – September 13
with Dean Fisher
- This will be a 7-day intensive landscape painting workshop based in the magnificent Tuscan countryside in the mesmerizing setting of the Tenuta di Spannocchia, perfectly suited for the plein air painter. The landscape around the villa has enough subject matter for many lifetimes of painting!
- A minimum of eight hours of personalized instruction is provided daily, coupled with full days of hands-on painting.
- Three nighttime portrait painting sessions per week from live models
- Bus transportation from Florence to Spannocchia and back again (about an hour’s ride)
- 13.5 miles north of Spannocchia is Siena, known for its rich cultural heritage and arts, such as the Santa Maria della Scala, Palazzo Pubblico and Museo Civico, home for many of the most important Sienese paintings
- 44 miles north of Spannocchia is Florence, perhaps the heart of Italy’s greatest art treasures.
Watercolor Plein Air in Tuscany – September 27 – October 4
with Doris Rice
Join Doris for a painting adventure in beautiful Tuscany! We will work on location, learning the fundamentals of watercolor and capturing the many moods of Spannocchia. This is a ‘destination vacation’ where you will soak up the culture, the food, the historic surroundings as you work on your skill development with painting in watercolor! Tours of vineyards, wine making, cooking Tuscan style, heritage gardens, heritage line of pigs and the famous prosciutto….all at your fingertips.
The trip to Tuscany offers 7 nights at Spannocchia, accommodations in the Villa. Daily, 3 meals, wine with meals included. With the use of the painting studio in the Museo, art may be worked on day and night! Plein air demonstrations each day, guidance in developing your own style, supported with afternoon critiques. Doris will arrange auto rentals for field trips to local Siena, San Gimignano, perhaps a wine estate tour. An action filled week! After the program (or prior), you can make arrangements to visit other Tuscan locations on your own. Close by are Florence, Pisa, Lucca, and so on! … (more info)
Painting Tuscany, Inside and Out – October 5 – 12
With Erin Lee Gafill & Tom Birmingham
Join us for a Tuscan Sketch Holiday. We’ll spend some days at Spannocchia practicing sketch techniques, then put our skills to use on day trips around the area to Siena and Montalcino.
Together with a small group of like-minded people we will interpret the Tuscan Countryside and the 800-year-old architecture of Spannocchia in line and color.
Spannocchia is the perfect enviornment for our time together. We’ll share family style, farm-to-table meals in the birthplace of the slow food movement. We’ll have plenty of time each day to relax; with quiet time alone, sharing with new friends, exploring the 1000+ acre property, and diving deep into our creative practice. (more info)