#painting-holiday

#painting-holiday

The immersive five-day retreats invite participants of all backgrounds—not just professional artists—to step into a world where art, nature, and personal reflection intersect.

Her practice uses clay to bring people together with the "therapeutic aspects of tactile making". She first came to ceramics during university, where access to the department allowed her to fall in love with the practice. And so, Ciara is deeply cognisant of the importance of supporting those who struggle to access a ceramics studio due to various social factors.

"Piano piano" is an old Italian saying that sounds nonsensical, but is actually full of wisdom, especially if you, like me, are finding yourself wishing away these frigid winter days and hoping spring and summer gets here fast. These days, I've found myself rushing from one thing to the next, frustrated at the smallest things, from post office lines to just missing my train. And I'm ready to make a change.

In Auvergne, France, some 200 volcanoes have shaped the landscape into rolling hills, meadows, lakes, and waterfalls. Though dormant, volcanic energy still pulses through the region, and mineral-rich springs have created one of Europe's most distinctive-though overlooked- wellness destinations. France's tradition of thermalism dates back to Roman times, but its tradition of hydrotherapy, known as les cures thermales, is not simply about soaking to relax.

As I stepped off a train in Florence into heat so brutal it felt like the city was actively trying to kill me, I wondered if I'd made the right decision. This was my first time in Italy, yet I'd already committed to leaving the US and calling it home. I'd dreamed of living in Europe ever since my semester abroad in college, but here I was - overstimulated, sweating, and on my way to move into an apartment I'd only seen through WhatsApp video calls.

High above the Naggar valley in Himachal Pradesh, Eila reveals itself slowly. It is not the kind of resort that announces its presence with grand façades or rigid terraces. Instead, it feels as if the architecture has quietly grown out of the mountainside. Soft, organic forms follow the contours of the land, echoing the rhythms of the terrain rather than resisting them.

Adults ages 18 and older are invited to welcome the season of renewal with a Jan. 17 watercolor session at the Milpitas Library inspired by fairytale mushrooms and spring landscapes. This guided workshop, part of this year's Silicon Valley Reads, is meant to help participants relax and create through watercolor art. The session is set for 10:30 a.m.-noon. All necessary supplies will be furnished. Registration is not required. Seating is limited to the first 30 attendees and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3LhOWPC.

We'd been dreaming of a girls' trip for the past two years, but nothing had ever materialized because of our clashing schedules. Luckily, though, we finally found a time when we were both available. Because we aren't huge planners, we were excited about the idea of a last-minute trip. After a truly exhilarating week, here are three things I enjoyed about the experience and three I'd do differently next time.

Last summer, I found myself in Venice during peak tourist season. The crowds were suffocating. Every piazza felt like a theme park, every restaurant seemed designed for Instagram rather than actual dining. Standing on the Rialto Bridge, packed shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other visitors, I couldn't help but wonder: is this really Italy? That question stayed with me long after I returned to London.

"We had just moved to Seattle, and I started drawing. Like every day I drew the commuters on the bus, I would draw the mountains, the buildings," remembered Campanario.

At the end of November of 2011, I saw my dad take his last breath. I came back to the United States after participating in all the death-related rituals that helped organize my pain in México. New York City was not a place to live my mourning, and right around December of the same year, I felt an intense longing to become small again. I needed to work with children.

The studio is at my house within a ranch, surrounded by nature. It's on the second floor of the house, where there's better light. My routine all day shifts between studio work and housework, including outdoor garden work. I get up a bit before 7am, drink coffee in the yard, and get morning sunshine. Then my husband and I eat breakfast and do a bit of cleaning or some chores in the garden.

Mornings are best for concentrated work. In the winter, I turn on the heat at 8am and get started around 10am. Summer, I start around 9am. I have two areas in the studio for projects. The large, heavy wood sculptures are carved in the front section of the studio, closest to the roll-up wide door. Smaller sculptures are placed on a hydraulic workbench. Before I start, I focus, connect with the Source, and ask for guidance.

Join a community of dedicated artists for full-time study in drawing, painting, and sculpture. The New York Studio School was founded in 1964 with an emphasis on artists learning from artists, working from perception in extensive studio sessions, and the pursuit of drawing as the most direct means of describing one's ideas or experiences. At NYSS, students cultivate distinctive visual languages and develop personal studio practices that last a lifetime.