Wild Places -Art Retreat – Ireland –
April 6th - 11th 2025
‘Lake Allua’ .
This is Gougane Barra. A very special place that we will visit! It will recharge your creative batteries that have taken a hammering recently with world events that we cannot control!
“Wild Places” Abstracting from the landscape
Surprise yourself every day with what you will paint under the guidance of internationally acclaimed art teacher Pauline Agnew.
Join me in stunning West Cork, a most popular and celebrated part of the Wild Atlantic Way, where we will explore how to create dynamic abstract responses to the landscape.
This is not a copy the teacher style workshop, even though I do demo my processes. It’s much more about YOUR personal response to the landscape. My role is to release that in you, and I have a very good track record on that score.:)
I start every workshop with one question: Name two things you would love to takeaway from this workshop? The answers are varied but painting more loosely and with confidence, comes up a lot. I have taught all over the world, and have never once had a workshop goal that I couldn’t help a student with. It’s my job to ensure that everyone walks away feeling it was worth the trip to come and paint with me, as people travel long distances to get to me, and I travel long distances to teach workshops too. Non of us have time to waste here. We want to have a great learning experience and a great time. Period. :)
This art retreat will start in a very special wild place this year. A place that is full of soul and wilderness. Especially chosen as an antidote to a very tough two years for all of us!
Check out our fabulous Venue ‘Fernhill House Hotel’ set in 13 acres of gardens!!
Take a peek art my workshops. :)
Prepare for an assault on your senses,
as we draw and paint, for four days of intensive play and exploration, using Ireland’s beautiful landscape, and it’s wonderful wealth of poetry, writings, and song, to feed our imagination.
This workshop is tailored to enable you to have an unforgettable immersive experience of Art AND Ireland. :)))
Our base for this Art Retreat will be the beautiful 4 star Fernhill House hotel in the award winning town of Clonakilty. Family owned and intimate, you will be looked after as if you were one of our own!
Each day we will create our art in a spacious Marquee that is set in 4 acres of landscaped gardens and 13 acres of wild gardens, a work in progress, under the guidance of Mary Reynolds, the Irish woman who brought a wild Irish garden to the famous Chelsea flower show in London, won a gold medal for here daring design, and changed what gardens could look like if nature was allowed a bigger say! You can read about Mary HERE
‘Gorse on the hill ‘ oil on canvas
“Pauline’s non-prescriptive approach to painting leads us by the hand….. shows us what she tries, what she does, what she achieves, what has worked and what has not worked so well for her, linking everything to artists past and present and reflecting her deep knowledge of art history. She gets us all jumping in with both feet….. engaging our hearts, minds and hands…. encouraging us to give things a go, to see how they work for us from where we stand.”
During this Art Retreat with Pauline you will:
• Explore mark-making and how to get respond to what you make
• Learn how to use your sketches and photo’s as a jump start to great paintings
• Begin to see the world around you as a series of interlocking shapes and colour as light.
• Discover how to quieten the logical left brain to allow the magical right brain to do it’s thing!
• Learn tips and techniques on how to use apps to get ideas for paintings
• Learn how to work quickly with confidence
• Start and finish several paintings.
This trip includes:
All materials except for a small easily portable drawing materials list.
Opening night reception and dinner party.
5 nights bed and breakfast in a PRIVATE room with bath, in award winning, 4 star Fernhill House Hotel.
4 day workshop with lots of one on one time with Pauline to push our work to the next level and clarify your processes.
Gathering inspiration trip to Gougane Barra, a magical location.
Final night celebration dinner in Fernhill House.
4 delicious lunches catered by Fernhill House.
Please note: Fee does not include travel costs to this destination.
Our Studio is HUGE, bright, airy, and has heating!
ONE OF MY SEASCAPE DEMO’S FROM AN EARLIER ART WORKSHOP THIS YEAR.
The art retreat starts with a dinner party at 7.30pm on 6th April and Hotel departure is on the 11 th April after breakfast.
A full timetable and travel info is provided immediately after registration, but these are the arrival and departure times, to help you plan.
ART RETREAT FEE €2190
A Deposit of €400 is required to secure your place and you will be invoiced for the balance in October:
CANCELLATION POLICY
Booking fees and all other fees paid will be refunded in the event of a workshop cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances. For your peace of mind, I highly recommend that you get travel insurance to cover any unforeseen circumstances that could affect your ability to attend the art retreat.
WITHDRAWAL & REFUND POLICY
Withdrawal must be made in writing via email.
The €400 booking deposit will be deducted from refunds. Payments are non-refundable 40 days prior to the retreat