Sat, Jun 26
|Marsala, Sicily
MANU SALUJA: The Nuance of Skin: Painting the Portrait Across a Range of Skin Tones
Expand your portrait palette with Manu Saluja. Work from three live models with distinct complexions and undertones, learning to adapt a controlled palette with confidence and sensitivity. Beyond the studio, explore remarkable Sicilian sites rich in history, culture, and visual inspiration.
Time & Location
Jun 26, 2027, 6:00 PM – Jul 07, 2027, 9:00 AM
Marsala, Sicily, 91025 Marsala, Free municipal consortium of Trapani, Italy
About the event
This immersive portrait workshop is designed to deepen your understanding of flesh color by exploring how a controlled palette can be expanded and adapted across a broad range of skin tones.
Working from three live models with distinctly different complexions and undertones, students will study how shifts in value, temperature, chroma, and reflected color affect the way skin is perceived and painted. Rather than relying on a fixed formula, Manu will help you understand how to adjust your mixtures thoughtfully while maintaining color harmony, luminosity, and a convincing sense of form.
Each model will offer a different opportunity to examine the relationship between light, local color, and underlying structure. Through demonstrations, structured exercises, and individualized feedback, Manu will guide students in making more intentional decisions about drawing, composition, value, color temperature, and palette control.
You’ll also explore strategies for achieving likeness and dimensionality without muddy color or excessive guesswork, an approach Manu has developed through decades of portrait painting.
As in all of Manu’s workshops, the goal extends beyond technical accuracy. Students will be encouraged to consider the individuality, presence, and narrative of each sitter, creating portraits that feel observed, personal, and alive.
Whether you are relatively new to portrait painting or an experienced artist looking to refine your color relationships, this workshop offers a focused opportunity to strengthen your understanding of skin tones while developing a more responsive and versatile approach to the portrait.
Meet Manu Saluja
Manu Saluja is a contemporary figurative and portrait painter. After receiving her B.A. in Psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University, Manu went on to study with John Frederick Murray privately and at the School of Visual Arts, graduatingwith a BFA in Illustration in 1997. For over 10 years Manu has been on the Painting Faculty at the New York Academy of Art,
where she received her MFA in 2013. She has also taught at Montclair State University and SUNY’s Fashion Institute of Technology.
Her current work shares narratives of women in her life, diverse in age and lived experiences reflecting on themes of femininity, familial bonds, cultural identity, and social perception. The figures are often shown in ethereal environments basedon Saluja’s lived experiences - inspired by childhood memories and spaces in and around her native city of New York. These environments also become the subject of her work. Saluja’s paintings have been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art in Wisconsin. Winner of the 2019 BP Portrait Travel Award, her resulting paintings celebrating volunteers at Amritsar’s Golden Temple in India were exhibited at the Aberdeen Art Gallery in Scotland in 2020.
In 2023 Saluja was unanimously selected by Worcester County Mechanics Association to paint a full-length portrait of Sojourner Truth who rose from slavery to freedom - a celebrated orator and civil rights activist. Unveiled in 2024, the painting is in the permanent collection of the Hall’s Grand Portrait Gallery.Her paintings have been featured in American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, Artists & Illustrators, the Huffington Post, and Fast Company Design. Saluja has participated in numerous group shows, and has work in public and private collections in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and India.
What to Expect from Your Week with Manu Saluja
On arrival day, there will be a late afternoon Orientation and Welcome Dinner.
We will paint daily, in the studio. Excursions to explore Sicily's magnificent Mediterranean landscapes and storied archeological sites are included.
Daily breakfast and chef prepared studio lunches with garden fresh ingredients.
A cultural farewell event on final day.
Meals are included --breakfast, lunch & dinner (except one free evening on Tuesday when the hotel's restaurant is closed).
Transporation to and from Palermo (PMO) airport See our pickup policy
Materials needed for the workshop: See Manu's material list.
What we provide in the studio: solvent, medium, rags, brush soap, studio easels, support boards, pencil sharpener, kneaded eraser, chalk, palette knives, and medium jars at no additional cost. Please see these provided items.
Rentals: Sicily Artist Retreats offers "Paint Pass" to our guests. For a flat fee you are given access to an unlimited use of paint . Paint Pass is available for purchase. You are welcome to bring your own materials or purchase ours.
Other purchases: In addition, paper and canvas selections are available onsite to purchase.
Car rental is not necessary but recommended if you'd like to explore the area after class or if you are traveling with an accompanying guest.
About Sicily Artist Retreats
Sicily Artist Retreats offers intimate, master-led art workshops in western Sicily, combining serious studio instruction with the beauty, history,
food, and slower rhythms of the island. Based in Marsala, our retreats are designed for artists who want focused study, meaningful cultural immersion, and the time and space to deepen their work in an unforgettable setting.
Participants will work in Sicily Artist Retreats’ ample, professionally furnished studio, with space for painting, discussion, demonstration, and individual development. The studio is designed so artists can settle into the rhythm of serious work without the distractions of ordinary travel.
Studio lunches will be prepared by a local cook with garden-fresh ingredients and traditional vegetarian offerings, giving participants time to rest, refuel, and return to their work without leaving the creative environment.
Afternoons will offer time to unwind after a day of painting — whether relaxing poolside or enjoying a sunset aperitif along the Stagnone Lagoon, with views toward the Egadi Islands. On two afternoons during the retreat, we will also step beyond the studio to visit archaeological sites and important works of ancient art, deepening our connection to the history, beauty, and layered culture of western Sicily.
What Can I Expect From a Week in Sicily Artist Retreats?
Arrival day scheduled airport pick-up, orientation, aperitif, and welcome dinner
Daily studio sessions with Manu, including presentations on historic pastel paintings
Guided painting instruction, demonstrations, and individual feedback
Private, chef- prepared studio lunches
Excursions to nearby archeological sites and places of interest
Boutique hotel accommodations at Baglio Custera Resort with private rooms and en-suite bathrooms
Most meals and all ground transportation included
Time for rest, conversation, poolside relaxation, cultural immersion, and unhurried exchange with Manu and fellow artists.
Dinners at award-winning Baglio Custera Restaurant; one free evening with dinner at Marsala's historic center
Cultural farewell event.
Departure day scheduled airport transfer
Materials
MANU SALUJA'S MATERIALS LIST:
Canvas
● Frederick’s Canvas Pad 18x24 inches (10 Sheets of Acrylic Primed Cotton Canvas) -OR-
● Centurion Professional Linen Canvas Pad 16x20 inches (10 Sheets of Acrylic Primed Linen)
Other Essentials:
● Recommended Value Scale: https://ebay.to/3nMGION
● 2 Palette Knives (triangular metal shaped, 2-3 inches long - more flexible, or bendable the better)
● Paper Towels
● Soft Cotton T-Shirts or Rags
Oil Paints: recommended brands Williamsburg, Old Holland and Gamblin
(37 ml tubes are fine)
● Titanium White (37 or 150 ml)
● Raw Umber
● Ivory Black
● Burnt Umber
● Yellow Ochre Domestic (Williamsburg)
● Naples Yellow
● Cadmium Red Medium (Terra Rosa also perfectly acceptable)
● Quinacridone Magenta or Alizarin Crimson
● Ultramarine Blue
● Viridian Green
● Cerulean Blue (Cerulean Blue Hue is fine too)
● Cadmium Yellow light or Lemon Yellow
● Cadmium Orange
● Cadmium Green or Permanent Green
● Dioxazine Purple
Palette:
1. Richeson Grey Matters disposable paper palette pad: https://www.dickblick.com/items/03092-2506/
2. New Wave Posh Glass Tabletop Palette - 12x16 inch
https://www.dickblick.com/items/new-wave-posh-glass-tabletop-palette-12-x-16-clear/?
clicktracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=03481-1026&country=us¤cy=usd&srsltid=AfmBOoqUcOz5MnxLOoPvmxy3Vzxy_69MNVLBFRIJhCzzeCDruRgbqQGXr-
s
3. Masterson Sta-Wet Palette Seal Box 12x16 inches
https://www.dickblick.com/products/masterson-sta-wet-palette-seal/
Brushes:
● Soft synthetic brushes: 2-4 round brushes (size 1, 2, 4), 6 flat brushes (2 in each size: 4, 6, 8). Recommended
brand: Winsor & Newton Monarch or Blick Scholastic Wonder White
● Bristle brushes: 4-6 flat brushes (1 in each size: 6, 8, 10, 12), long handle for oil painting Recommended brands:
Isabey specials, and Silverbrush Grand Prix
*If you already have a variety of sizes and shapes of 4-6 brushes, and they are in good condition (not stiff or frayed too
badly) then you can use them of course!
Accommodations
Participants will stay at Hotel Baglio Custera, a charming boutique resort nestled among olive groves in the countryside surrounding Marsala. Combining traditional Sicilian character with modern comforts, the property offers private rooms with en-suite bathrooms, elegant common spaces, and a relaxed atmosphere of understated luxury. From the upper terrace, guests enjoy sweeping views across the Stagnone Lagoon and its islands—an inspiring setting in which to unwind, connect with fellow artists, and experience the beauty of western Sicily.
Cuisine
In Sicily, food is part of the experience. Guests will enjoy fresh, seasonal, garden-to-table meals rooted in the flavors of western Sicily, with menus designed to be vegetarian or pescatarian. Studio lunches will be prepared by a private cook, allowing artists to relax, gather, and return easily to their work. Dinners will hosted at the award winning Baglio Custera restaurant. We will also visit local eateries and participate in a special evening with folkloric dancers.
Traveling with an Accompanying Guest
Accompanying guests are warmly welcome for an additional retreat fee. While studio instruction is reserved for registered workshop participants, guests may enjoy the beauty and comfort of the retreat experience, including shared accommodations at Baglio Custera, scheduled excursions, airport transfers, and time to relax by the pool or explore the surrounding area.
This is a wonderful option for a spouse, partner, or friend who would like to experience Sicily alongside you while you take part in the workshop. Guests will be included in studio lunches, group dinners, cultural outings, and excursions to local cultural and historic sites.
A rental car is recommended for accompanying guests who wish to explore independently. The hotel is set in a quiet rural area within easy reach of Marsala's historic center, and group transportation is reserved for scheduled retreat activities.
Payment Options
Retreats are paid in full at the time of booking. All prices and payments are in U.S. dollars.
For guests who prefer to spread payments over time, flexible payment options such as Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm “book now, pay later” services are offered at checkout. These payment options are provided through third-party payment platforms and are subject to their approval, terms, and availability. All bookings remain subject to Sicily Artist Retreats’ cancellation and refund policies.
Cancellation Policy/FAQs
Participant Cancellation Policy
Because commitments for accommodations, transportation, staffing, and operations are made well in advance, we ask that you plan accordingly and register only when you are confident in your attendance.
Before the six-month cutoff:
Cancellations received more than six (6) months prior to the workshop start date are eligible for a full refund, less the 2.5% non-refundable ticket service fee.
After the six-month cutoff:
All payments are non-refundable. We are unable to make exceptions to this policy regardless of circumstance, which is why we strongly advise all participants to obtain travel insurance.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is strongly advised for all Sicily Artist Retreats participants and should be obtained prior to or at the time of registration. Given our non-refundable policy after the six-month cutoff, a comprehensive travel insurance policy is your best protection against the unexpected — including illness, injury, family emergencies, and travel disruptions.
Please see below for information on our Cancellation Policy and Travel Insurance suggestions. If you have questions, please dont hesitate to contact us at: Info@artistretreats.com
Package
Early Bird Artist
Every extraordinary journey begins with a single decision. Thank you for considering this thoughtfully curated artistic journey through western Sicily. It includes workshop instruction, boutique accommodations, meals included in the retreat program, airport transfers, scheduled cultural excursions, and the full Sicily Artist Retreats hospitality experience.
$4,100.00
+$102.50 ticket service fee
Artist Registration
The greatest journeys do more than take us somewhere new—they change us. Thank you for considering this thoughtfully curated artistic journey through western Sicily. It includes workshop instruction, boutique accommodations, meals included in the retreat program, airport transfers, scheduled cultural excursions, and the full Sicily Artist Retreats hospitality experience.
$4,300.00
+$107.50 ticket service fee
Accompanying Guest
Some of life's most memorable journeys are shared. Thank you for considering joining us as an accompanying guest. Your participation includes boutique accommodations, meals included in the retreat program, airport transfers, scheduled cultural excursions, and the full Sicily Artist Retreats hospitality experience. Accommodations are shared with a registered workshop participant.
$2,100.00
+$52.50 ticket service fee
Total
$0.00