Experience the Joy of Creative Painting in Venice

The work of art that is Venice will inspire the artist in you.

Sign Up Now

Venice…there is no place on earth like it.

You can feel it from the very first minutes you are there. The detail, the beauty, the vibrant plazas and quiet canals and unique bridges. Everything fills your heart with an eagerness to explore and discover, to see and taste and listen to the music, which is everywhere.

“Joy in Creativity” is our theme as we collect moments to savor in this breathtaking city, which is filled with spectacular architecture, priceless art, and deep history.

A huge advantage to our time here is that it is wrapped in the delightful inclusive experience that Il Chiostro provides. You’ll be sharing the week with other artists in a small group setting.

Our class time will be fun – and easy, especially for a beginner. You’ll learn how to do quick drawings and add watercolor to capture your impressions of this visually stunning city.

This will be a comfortable intro to watercolor, where you’ll learn how to use a limited palette to achieve a full range of color. Classes will also include simple drawing lessons so you can confidently sketch, and you’ll see how a few well-placed lines can define and simplify a scene. We’ll also collect ephemera and use brief descriptions in our journals to capture the places, the sounds, the scents, and your feelings.  You’ll fill your journal with your experiences and return home with a beautiful, personally painted record of your time in the Most Beautiful City in the World.

We’ll be sure to combine artmaking with a great-big-heaping-serving of PLAY! Class will be in the mornings, and then we’ll have plenty of time to do just that.

I can’t wait to ride a vaporetto, to see the stunning colors on the island of Burano, to fiddle around with one of Leonardo DaVinci’s machines, to shop the unusual produce at the Rialto fish market! I want gelato and Italian pastry and pizza. As the days fly by, we will form new friendships as we revel in all that beautiful Venice has to offer. Around every corner it has so much to offer…and once you fill your eyes with its color, and your lungs with its salty, moist air, and your ears with the rippled sounds of its canals, your sweet memories will call you back again and again.

Come and join me!

An artist learns that creating is play, and in playing there is no failing. It is simply learning to play better through trial and error. There is also a release of creativity as you relax and learn to play without trying to impress someone else. Play helps lift you out of yourself. –Dorsey McHugh

Accommodations: The week will be spent in the a brightly renovated ex-convent on the Zattere in the Dorsoduro sector. When you register you can choose either a single or double room with ensuite bathroom in the complex where our studio is.  Rooms are clean and comfortable, but simply furnished.  If you would prefer to find your own accommodations in a nearby hotel or AirBnB, no problem.  Just click that option on the registration page.

We’ll enjoy traditional cuisine at local restaurants or prepared by our personal chef. It will be an ideal place to improve your painting skills.

General Activities: Our first activity will be an orientation at 6pm on the first day followed by dinner with the group.  After that, most activities for the week, like museum visits with Elaine and an intimate walking tour of the back canals of this ancient city, will be organized around the workshop. It’s easy to be independent in this entirely walkable city, but all participants will come together for meals and excursions. Then, at the end of the week, you may participate in an exhibit of class work to share our personal impressions of enigmatic Venice.

Dinners: During the week we will have 5 meals together: 3 dinners at local restaurants, 1 dinner in a palazzo and 1 Sunday lunch. To experience a good cross-section of typical Venetian cuisine we will sample diverse neighborhood trattorie and Michael and Linda will host our group for two home-cooked meals with ingredients we find at the outdoor market. Two nights of the week you will be on your own to follow your nose to restaurants or concerts or the opera or whatever else might pique your curiosity. There is plenty of time for independent exploration.

Sign Up Now

Price: $3,150 p/p

Non-painter partners/friends are always welcome for a reduced fee of $2,750

• Options:
• single room supplement – $485 (limited number available)
• Find your own accommodations – $800 p/p discount

Includes:

• 7 nights at refurbished convent – double or single (with supplement) room with ensuite bathroom and shower (Note: departure is after breakfast on the final Saturday.  The last class activity will be Friday evening.)
• 5 meals at local restaurants or at home, including wine
• Workshop tuition, daily classes
• Selected other museum entrance fees with Elaine
• Guided art history tour of Venice with local art historian
• Selected excursions with class

   

  

Price does not include:

• Airfare
• Lunch
• Independent meals and sight-seeing
• Workshop materials (a supply list will be provided by Elaine when you register)
• Local transportation: vaporettos, water taxis

To Register: just click on the Sign Up Now button. A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to secure your spot in the workshop. Payment can be made on line with a credit card, or you can follow the instructions to send in your registration and payment by mail. Once we receive your deposit we will send you a formal Registration Confirmation with further information about the program. You will receive 2-3 other correspondences by email prior to the workshop with information about Italy, a supplies list and an electronic invoice for the balance. Final Balance is due by August 15th. Any time prior to your arrival, if you have questions about anything regarding the trip or the program, you can contact us by email or phone and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Cancellation policy:  

$500 deposit is non-refundable. For cancellation:

• 60 days prior to workshop, full refund due less non-refundable deposit.
• 30-60 days prior to workshop, 50% refund of balance paid allowed, less non-refundable deposit.

Less than 30 days prior to workshop, no refund due.
Il Chiostro recommends personal travel insurance to cover the possibility of unexpected or last-minute cancellation.

Contact us for more information: info@ilchiostro.com or speak to us live at 800-990-3506.