top of page
LUMINOUS BODY: HUMAN FORM EXPRESSED IN LIGHT with Diane Rappisi
LUMINOUS BODY: HUMAN FORM EXPRESSED IN LIGHT with Diane Rappisi

Sun, Jun 01

|

Marsala, Sicily

LUMINOUS BODY: HUMAN FORM EXPRESSED IN LIGHT with Diane Rappisi

Package: $3,500

Time & Location

Jun 01, 2025, 7:00 PM – Jun 07, 2025, 7:00 PM

Marsala, Sicily

About the event

OVERVIEW

  • Arrival: Sunday, June 1st, 2024 with Orientation and Welcome Dinner in the evening.

  • Studio days: Monday, June 2nd - Friday, June 6th, with Farewell Dinner on Friday evening.

  • Checkout/Departure: morning of Saturday, October 7th.

  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (except on Wednesdays; the hotel's restaurant is closed)

  • How to Reach Us: Pickup from Palermo (PMO) airport See our pickup policy

  • Materials needed for the workshop: Oil paint, brushes, primed surfaces.   

  • What we provide: solvent, medium, rags, brush soap, studio easels, support boards, sandpaper, pencil sharpener, kneaded eraser, chalk, palette knives, and jars at no additional cost.  Please see these provided items.

  • Rentals: Sicily Artist Retreats provides Paint Pass and Plein Air Kit rentals.  You are welcome to bring your own materials or rent ours. Paint Pass gives you unlimited use of paint for a flat fee.  Plein Air Kits provide equipment for the field.  

  • Purchases: In addition, painting surfaces (like paper and linen) are available onsite to purchase.

  • Rental Car: Car rental is not necessary but recommended if you'd like to explore the area after class.


ABOUT DIANE RAPPISI

Diane Rappisi is a contemporary realist painter whose work fuses the light and chroma of the Cape Cod colorists with the form and structure of the traditional Italian and French academies. Diane seeks to portray the beauty of each individual subject with grace and reverence.


Recent honors for her work include awards in the Pastel Journal’s “Pastel 100” competition and the Pastel Society of America’s “Enduring Brilliance.” She was a finalist in the 16th International Art Renewal Center Salon, and she was invited to exhibit at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, OH.

Diane has achieved Master Circle status in the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), Signature Membership in the Pastel Society of America and the Maryland Pastel Society, and was selected for membership in the Salmagundi Club in New York. She also holds memberships in the Oil Painters of America and the Pastel Society of Colorado. Diane served as Executive Director and Interim President of Studio Incamminati, and as a member of the Board of Directors the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS).


Diane is an active supporter of arts education, both at the institutional level and working directly with students. She is uniquely qualified to offer high quality professional art instruction, after studying at Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, PA, which was founded by renowned artist Nelson Shanks. There, Diane deepened her understanding of color, form and anatomy, and discovered her innate love of figure painting.


Diane has presented demonstrations and taught workshops at various arts organizations across the US, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the IAPS biennial convention in Albuquerque, NM. She currently teaches at the Academy Art Museum in Easton and at her private studio “Diane Rappisi Fine Art” in Chestertown, MD, where she brings together her painting practice and love of teaching. She offers workshops, weekly classes, commissioned works, and consulting services alongside exhibits of her original work in her gallery space.


WORKSHOP DETAILS

Join Diane for a fresh perspective on the ever-challenging, always beautiful, human figure. Working from the live model, participants will manage the critical components of composition, gesture, shape, structure and color. We will especially look at the color relationships that express the light key and environment, and explore pastel handling to achieve desired effects. Participants begin monochromatically in charcoal and proceed to full color work in pastel (oils may be used if preferred).  Studio work will be complemented by outdoor studies if weather permits. All levels are welcome.


DIANE'S MATERIALS LIST

Supports:

· 2-3 rigid plein air pastel boards such as:

o  Colourfix Optimum Board in Rose Gray or Blue Haze

o Ampersand Pastelbord in gray

· 3 sheets of Canson Mi-Tientes 9 x 12” in a neutral gray such as “Felt”or “Steel”

Note: If you prefer to work on paper rather than a rigid board, you can bring a drawing board with clips and substitute 2-3 sheets of medium-toned sanded paper SUCH AS:

o Art Spectrum Colourfix Pastel Papers, colors: Elephant or Aubergine

o Pastel Premier 12 x 16”  in a mid tone gray

o Canson “ Touch,” colors: “Steel Gray” “Flannel Gray” “Sky Gray” or “Twilight”


Drawing/Painting materials:

• Vine Charcoal sticks

Selection of soft pastels (“half-sticks” work well). Vibrants and Darks should be included in your palette. Please try to have most of the recommended colors as these are brilliant and pure, and can’t be created by mixing other less-saturated colors. I use a lot of Terry Ludwig Pastels so I’ve included inventory numbers for his brand, but bring what brands you wish and as many pastels as you like.

• SEE ATTACHED PAINT PASS FOR RECOMMENDED COLORS

(Note: Terry Ludwig Pastels will assemble & ship sets of the recommended colors to Sicily for participants if needed. They would have to be pre-ordered)


Miscellaneous

• Bulldog or spring clips to adhere paper to drawing board

• Rigid portfolio for transporting papers

• Glassine paper/masking tape for transport

• Paper towels (Viva Signature Cloth is highly recommended) & baby wipes

• Baseball cap (or other brimmed hat) in case of glare


WHAT'S INCLUDED

For your convenience, essential materials for the workshop are available for rental or purchase to facilitate your travel. In addition, you'll enjoy several excursions to gorgeous local sites during the week.


Refreshments are available during studio breaks.  Delicious home-cooked Italian lunches are provided on studio days.  Box lunches are provided on most excursions.  Dinners are provided at the hotel except on Wednesdays (when the hotel's restaurant is closed). You will have the option to eat at a local restaurant or pizzeria with Diane and other participants on this day.  This dinner is not included.


For those bringing a Non-Participating Partner, we highly recommend that they book local excursions or tours while you are in the studio here! We recommend that Non-Participating Partners rent a car or arrange car services through Baglio Custera in advance so they can easily travel around on their own. Since there is no lunch service at Baglio Custera, Non-Participating Partners are encouraged to eat lunch at a local cafe.


ACCOMMODATION

You will be staying at Baitan, a boutique hotel along the water in the historic Contrada Spagnola, just down the road from our studio.

Baitan is one of the newest boutique resorts in Marsala. Family-owned, it prides itself on its warm, attentive service, as well as its spa, cocktail bar, wine cellar, and restaurant. (No Sicilian hotel worth its salt has anything less than an exquisite restaurant!)


We also like Baitan’s respect for tradition: the architecture is Sicilian vernacular, like the centuries-old building around it, and the name itself comes from Marsala’s ancient Greek name, Lilybaitan. If you have free time during your workshop, and crave something more active than an Aperol spritz by the water, Baitan’s staff will be happy to arrange a kitesurf lesson or a guided horseback ride for you.


You’ll be right on Marsala’s new scenic bikepath, which takes you past the salt flats and vineyards of the Stagnone lagoon to the Bay of the Phoenicians, where cactus grows half in the water and half on the rocks, and violets and pine needles line the asphalt. Take a sketchpad in your backpack!


From start to finish you will enjoy the extraordinary cuisine of the region influenced by the unique flavors of the Mediterranean including garden-fresh vegetables, ancient grains, and seafood.  The majority of meals, accommodation, and ground transport are included in your package, including a celebratory welcome dinner with Diane.


Package

  • Regular Priced Tickets

    Sale ends: May 25, 7:00 PM

    Package $3,500

    From $1,250.00 to $3,500.00
    • $3,500.00
    • $1,750.00
    • $1,250.00

    Total

    $0.00

    Share this event

    bottom of page