Art Retreats and Workshops
I love doing art retreats and workshops!
Each one is different but there are always beautiful parts of the world to experience, exquisite meals created by brilliant chefs, luxurious amenities - and hours to focus solely on creating art.
My favourite part, hands down, is meeting the guests. For a few days every year, I get the opportunity to be with like-minded artists, see new things through a shared lens, talk endlessly about our passion for all things arty, get to know each other as friends - and laugh and laugh and laugh.
The guests come from all over the world and are always engaged, enthusiastic, and totally committed. They’re often at a crossroads in their artistic development, whether they’re working artists focused on a career, or hobbyists hoping to broaden their repertoire or take the first steps into running an art business.
I love watching them escape from daily life as they creatively let go and allow themselves to be who they are. The premise of what I teach is to discover the joy of taking a chance, jumping in without a plan, and following your curiosity. To me, this process of opening up to new (sometimes unnerving) techniques and approaches is the best way to build confidence, release perfectionism and self-doubt, and feel the freedom to explore without self-judgment.
As guests embrace new concepts, I see a tangible transformation take place. The end result is always a gallery of stunning, unique paintings and a renewed enthusiasm for creating art - but also an unforgettable, shared experience and new and lasting connections with absolutely lovely people.
Past Retreats and Workshops…
LES FLEURS DE PROVENCE
Victoria Johnson
Provence, France, July, 2023
I was back in Hyères les Palmiers in France, hosting another beautiful art retreat there with @simplelifeinprovence. We spent the week in a delightfully decorated villa, in the heart of the Provençal hills, with beaches, vineyards, and the town of Hyères a short ride away.
Mathieu (the owner of this gorgeous property) and his kind, welcoming family went above and beyond to provide a truly memorable experience for our guests.
During our week together, guests received one-on-one attention from me as they explored and learned. Both beginners and professionals felt inspired to try new techniques and approaches designed to spark their curiosity, help them trust their own judgment, and let go of self-doubt.
The theme was Provençal flowers. We looked at colour, composition, texture, and mixing media. I showed them how to work with the process in mind rather than the outcome and how this leads to exciting discoveries that start to define style.
Between painting workshops, we indulged in the most delicious Provençal meals, cooked by Mathieu and his mum Maria, and loved visiting the historic town, taking a bicycle tour of the island of Porquerolles, swimming in the sea, and enjoying a cooking workshop hosted by ladies from the village.
Visit the Simple Life in Provence website for more details about what they offer.
THE AUDACIOUS BLOOM
Victoria Johnson & Jennifer Orkin Lewis (August Wren)
New York, USA, Oct, 2022
Jennifer and I invited guests to a day of painting flowers in a fantastic art space in the distinctive and beautiful neighborhood of Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
Jennifer and I have been creating floral artwork throughout our long careers as surface designers and artists. Follow her on Instagram to see more of her gorgeous, joyful artwork. Both of us approach our art with a focus on the process, the pleasure of being spontaneous and curious, experimenting, and watching the magic unfold.
We explored this super-commercial and exciting subject matter, painting playfully and fearlessly and showing guests how to take risks with color, texture, mark-making, and layering. We encouraged them to experiment with a variety of media, including watercolor, gouache, pen and ink, pencil, markers, and collage.
While they were painting we were with them at every step, offering advice, answering questions, and making sure they felt motivated and emboldened.
We took a break to enjoy a delicious and healthy buffet lunch and ended the day with a glass (or two) of Prosecco while we admired each other’s work!
LES FLEURS DE PROVENCE
Victoria Johnson
Provence, France, July, 2022
This was my first art retreat in Hyères les Palmiers in France, in the beautiful villa of @simplelifeinprovence. We spent a glorious week in the heart of the Provençal hills, just a short ride from beaches, vineyards, and the town. Breathtaking views, a picturesque swimming pool, and fresh, delicious Provencal food helped us relax, unwind and explore our creative instincts.
The theme was Provençal flowers. I have years of experience, both creating and fostering creativity, and guests received focused, one-on-one attention from me as they explored and learned, feeling inspired to unearth their unique creative potential and try new techniques and approaches to creating floral artwork.
Between painting, we loved visiting the historic towns, taking a cycling tour of the gorgeous islands, and enjoying a Provençal cooking workshop.
Visit the Simple Life in Provence website for more details about what they offer.
CREATIVE FRUIT AND FLOWERS
Victoria Johnson & Ohn Mar Win
Agadir, Morocco, May/Jun, 2022
I teamed up with talented artist and designer, Ohn Mar Win, and the fantastic guys at Uptrek, for a magical art retreat in Morocco, spending a week at the award-winning Atlas Kasbah, a stunning eco-lodge nestled at the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, and enjoying authentic Moroccan cuisine and tea ceremonies. We loved unwinding and exploring our creativity in this beautiful environment with luxury amenities and spectacular views.
Ohn Mar and I lead our fantastic guests through a creative process, designed exclusively for our retreats, focusing on helping them release self-doubt and perfectionism and gain skills and confidence through embracing the happy accident.
The theme was fruit and flowers and we drew inspiration from the beautiful flowers and produce local to the Moroccan region. We guided our guests towards fresh and innovative approaches to this classic subject matter and everyone came away feeling relaxed and excited to continue their explorations.
We also found plenty of time for day trips - to discover the white-washed fishing village of Taghazout on the Atlantic coast and the fascinating bustle of the Moroccan souks.
It was a truly unforgettable, transformative week.
Visit the Uptrek website for details about what they offer.
CREATIVE FRUIT AND FLOWERS
Victoria Johnson & Ohn Mar Win
Le Marche, Italy, Oct, 2021
This was the first time I teamed up with artist and designer, Ohn Mar Win, and Uptrek, for an art retreat in Italy. We stayed at the luxurious Mediterranean Villa Oliveto Estate in Le Marche, Italy with uninterrupted views of the Adriatic coast, a dedicated chef who prepared incredible food, and a beautiful, airy studio. Surrounded by natural beauty and inspiration, we relaxed, painted together, and got to know our lovely guests.
We put together a week-long program intended to take our guests on a journey - from gentle experimentation to confident leaps of faith, showing them in bite-size chunks how to trust their judgment and not be afraid of the choices they make.
Serendipity was the word of the week - the happy accident. Ohn Mar and I both use mixed media and love the challenge of trying new materials that aren’t always predictable. We wanted to share this with our guests - the freedom of letting the magic unfold.
In between painting, we enjoyed trips to the historic town Ascoli Piceno and the stunning beach on the Riviera del Conero.
Visit the Uptrek website for details about what they offer.
BLOOMING IN BROOKLYN
Victoria Johnson, Helen Dardik, Carolyn Gavin, and Monika Forsberg
New York, USA, May, 2019
This was my first workshop and it was such a pleasure spending two days with fabulously talented artists, Carolyn Gavin, Helen Dardik, and Monika Forsberg in this bright, light-filled studio in Brooklyn, New York.
The theme was flowers. Each of us has our own art style and we showed our guests our distinctive approaches to creating floral artwork.
As our guests tried new approaches, we were with them at every step, offering advice, and answering questions.
We took a break to enjoy a delicious organic, vegan lunch and ended the afternoon with a chilled glass of Prosecco.
