The Art of Travel: Planning Workshops in Remote Locations

SCOTLAND

Dunskey Castle, Scotland

One thing I love to do is to organize workshops in gorgeous retreat centres or lodges or castles in remote areas of the world. The intention in each of the workshops listed below, is to invite students, through various exercises and outdoor meditations, to connect with the landscape, to carry home that connection and translate it into abstract paintings. Contemplation, writing and painting are ways of connecting with and honouring the land.

My friend Rebecca Crowell and I are finalizing plans to co-teach a workshop in a magnificent castle in Scotland, south of Glasgow in September 2019. Located near the sea, it has stunning views from the art studio on the top floor and 2000 acres of beautiful grounds to wander, including 2 lochs. We will stay in the West Wing. Registration for this workshop will open in September 2018. www.dunskey.com

NEWFOUNDLAND

I'm in the process of planning a cold wax painting workshop in Newfoundland, Canada for June of 2019. That's the season when icebergs break off the glaciers in western Greenland and the Gulf Stream floats them down along the east coast of Newfoundland, a route known as Iceberg Alley. As well, sometimes whales can be seen off the coast. On our day off from our painting workshop, we'll catch a boat to see if we can find icebergs and whales. The workshop will be held in The Doctor's House in early June 2019. Watch for an ad for this workshop in June 2018.

The Doctor's House, Newfoundland

ICELAND

I'm also in the process of planning another cold wax painting workshop at the Baer Art Center in Iceland for the summer of 2019. Stay tuned for more on this.

Baer Art Center, Iceland

MONGOLIA

And finally, Rebecca and I are also planning to co-teach a small class of 8 people, in a remote outpost in Mongolia, probably in August of 2020. There we will stay in the Three Camel Lodge where our accommodation is in luxury gers (or yurts) in the Gobi Desert, each with it's own bathroom. We'll hold our workshop in a ger, eat gourmet meals in the dining room and spend 2 days on out-trips in land rovers to see this area of Mongolia. There will be a tour of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia the day after we arrive. Out-trips from our lodge would include a visit to the Yol Valley National Park, the Singing Sands, a meditation temple and the Flaming Cliffs. How exciting is this??

The Flaming Cliffs

The Singing Sands

We would appreciate your letting us know if any of these workshops are of interest to you. We'll put your name on any list or lists you like! janicemasonsteeves@gmail.com

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”― Mark Twain

Meet the Owners of a Scottish Castle

Anne Tristine Nguyen, Ali Orr Ewing, their children, Ava, Atticus and their dog, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Dunskey Estate, Portpatrick, Scotland Anne Tristine Nguyen and her husband, Alistair Orr Ewing are the owners of Dunskey Estate near Portpatrick, Scotland where I will teach a painting workshop in September. Dunskey is a splendid Edwardian castle on 2000 acres of ocean-front land with miles of walking trails. As well as daily workshop sessions in the studio on the top floor of the castle, our small group of artists will enjoy breathtaking hikes, superb accommodation and fabulous meals. Not having met owners of a castle before, I asked Anne if I could interview her to hear a little of their background story and that of the castle. Can you tell me a little of your personal story and that of your husband, Alistair Orr Ewing? Anne emigrated to America when she was ten years old, but it was at an art gallery in Saigon, her birthplace, where s...

The Importance of Silence in Art

Gathering Light 60x60" Oil on canvas © 2014 Janice Mason Steeves Michael David Rosenberg, the musician known as Passenger, sings, "See all I need is a whisper in a world that only shouts." In the workshops I teach, I find that one of the most common problems with paintings is that they shout. Most have too much going on: too many small shapes, too much texture, extremes of colour, too many lines, too much, too much. One thing I say most often as I walk around the classroom working with students individually, is 'make bigger shapes'. But not only bigger shapes. Quiet shapes. Where can your eye go and rest in the painting? That isn't a consideration in much of contemporary painting or much of contemporary life. Ours is a noisy world both visually and auditorily. Ours is a world that shouts. People are afraid of silence. I wrote a blog post 3 years ago about planning a retreat in my own home, where I shut off the computer ...

Liminal Time

The word liminal comes from the Latin, limen meaning threshold. an in-between place, a place of transition, a time of waiting and not knowing. Dawn and dusk are considered liminal places. Crepuscular animals, like foxes and coyotes are most active at this time of day, a time that is considered a magical time in Celtic spirituality and to Indigenous people which is perhaps the origin of their designation as tricksters. As I write this, the northern hemisphere has just passed the vernal equinox, where day and night are of equal length.We are in a liminal space between winter and spring right now, unsure if we will have one more storm or snowfall before spring finally settles in. We're also in a liminal place as we live through this pandemic with the anxiety and discomfort of not knowing. A time of great transition for the entire world, wondering what we've learned from this and what lessons we'll carry forward. Author and Fr...

Janice Mason Steeves

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