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About Us
Sicily Artist Retreats is a one-of-a-kind art school based in Marsala, Sicily, in the heart of the Mediterranean. We curate art workshops in painting, drawing, and sculpture that bring world-class instructors to practicing artists and students.
Take your art to the next level with five complete days of intensive instruction, with our faculty by your side every step of the way. Our workshops explore various media, from oil and watercolor to pastel, charcoal, and clay sculpture. In studio based workshops, we draw and paint from life in our spacious, professionally-equipped studio; other workshops focus on plein air sessions around scenic Marsala. Your class experience will include daily demos, one-on-one feedback, and a customized learning plan for each participant. Classes are open to all skill levels.
Materials needed for your workshop will be available for rent or purchase on-site for your convenience. Most meals are included, made fresh with local ingredients and wines, and our proprietary organic olive oil.
Sicily Artist Retreats is proud to partner with boutique hotels and resorts in the countryside around our studio. We choose each workshop’s hotel based on a number of factors, including group size and time of year. All of our partners offer transportation to and from the studio, top-of-the-line rooms and amenities, restaurants, and warm, attentive professional staff.
Sicily Artist Retreats’ workshops are unforgettable cultural exchanges and adventures. You will have the opportunity to explore this breathtaking corner of Europe with a cohort of fellow artists from around the world.
Come to where the colors are. We can't wait to see you!
Our Studio
Sicily Artist Retreats maintains a [x sq ft] facility that includes two studio spaces, a kitchen, and an outdoor patio for all studio-based workshops to enjoy. Our state-of-the-art facility has two distinct studio spaces: the painting and drawing studio and our sculpture room. The studio grounds include three private apartment spaces for visiting models or instructors arriving early.
Painting Studio
The painting and drawing studio is equipped with materials for students to use free of charge, such as easels, canvases, and solvents, as well as palettes and other items for rent or sale. There is a podium for live models with sophisticated lighting for various, customizable effects.
This studio includes two restrooms, one with a shower for any guest or model who would like to wash up after a day of class.
Sculpture Studio
Our studio’s sculpture space includes industrial-grade lighting with two large doors that face onto a courtyard (one sliding, one a rollable serranda). We have 15 modeling stands and include all necessary sculpting tools, clay, and armature wire with boards needed for a workshop with clay. We have two stands available, one rotating model stand and a stationary model stand. This sculpture studio also includes its own restroom to keep the clay clean-up local to this area only.
The space lends itself equally well to stone and clay sculpting workshop, although so far we have only used it for clay.
Art Shipment
After our workshops are completed, we give students the option to pack up their paintings and sculptures with them, or ship these works out at a later date. For sculptures, we offer two options. We collaborate with a commercial ceramics studio that fires our sculptures, after which we professionally package and ship them out. We also offer the option to create molds of the students’ work, working closely with a master moldmaker from Pietrasanta, Italy.
Kitchen
The studio features a kitchen, where students take lunch, and an outdoor patio for off-hours recreation and sketching. We bring in a local chef and provided a curated meal for students, all allergy and dietary restrictions considered. This includes a variety of dishes at the studio throughout the week (mostly vegetarian) complete with small appetizers, a main course, and coffee and fruit for dessert.
