Casa Buena Art Retreat
Nayarit, Mexico
Casa Buena is a Canadian-owned, magical place, filled with mosaics, Mexican pottery and tiles, flowers and jungle plants and the sound of the surf. I was there last February and am thoroughly smitten.
Better than February in Canada
We'll be painting a variety of subjects beginning with a still life demo in the evening of arrival. The following day will be devoted to still life and, after that, we'll branch out into landscape painting. Our final subject will be portraiture and we'll have a local model sitting for us.
Three subjects in a week sounds like a lot, but they're actually all related. I use the same logical approach whether I'm painting a person, a landscape or a bowl of fruit. Once you learn the method, you can paint anything.
Our focus will be the same for each as well: composition, simplification, massing, glowing colour, and expressive brushwork.
I'll do a demo each day and spend the rest of the day hustling from easel to easel, helping you to problem solve your way to a good painting.
In the evenings, I'll either demo or hold discussions about painting techniques and history for those who want to join me.
This year will see some new subject matter and locations as well as the option to experience some of last year's highlights, notably, the jungle boat tour with it's exotic birds and alligators. Returning painters can choose to skip the jungle, but they'll be pleased to hear that we have a new excursions is a trip to what our hostess, Jane, describes as a market that has great shopping like Sayulitas but at lower prices. We'll also be visiting a hot spring that day.
It's a balanced retreat with a lot of painting and a bit of the stuff that regular folks love: shopping and sights.
The Casa's comfy veranda
I hope you'll sign up and join me for an adventure!
Painting the fishing boats
