with Rita Kirkman
"Paint the Light in Pastel"
July 15-19, 2019
at The Abby of the Hills Inn and Retreat Center
among the eastern South Dakota Glacial Lakes
Immerse yourself in the tranquility of this former monastery while stimulating your creativity with a Rita Kirkman Pastel Workshop! The 5-day workshop will give you plenty of time to exercise and improve your pastel abilities (all skill levels welcome) in the classroom, while leaving extra hours to explore the beautiful grounds, paint outside, sketch and take photos, or simply relax!
One price includes the workshop tuition, on-site lodging and daily home-cooked meals. (Extra peace and inspiration are thrown in for free!)
About the Workshop
Learn to capture light with Rita's innovative underpainting technique. Receive helpful hints and tips from Rita’s 40+ years of experience with pastel. Lots of individual attention given!
Instruction will emphasize composition and techniques for a small format, value and temperature control, how to creatively interpret your photos and how to stay productive with your art within a busy lifestyle! Plenty of discussion and advice on "Daily Painting." You can work at your own pace and might complete 1-3 paintings each day.
You'll work from your own photos that you bring, or use photos that you take around the Abbey. After hours will provide opportunity for some early morning or evening plein air painting for the willing and eager, and weather permitting, an optional morning or afternoon plein air session might be worked into the curriculum if there's popular demand!
Rooms and Meals
The Abbey has reserved the Retreat Wing for the workshop participants, which includes 20 rooms with private bathrooms. 17 rooms have two twin beds and 3 rooms each have a double bed. (Room preference is prioritized by date of registration.) The rooms are simple, clean, and quiet.
The workshop is limited to 20 students, but you may share your room with another artist, or with a (non-artist) friend, spouse or partner if you wish, for reduced fees. Just choose your options when registering!
The meals have been described as "..just like Grandma's cooking!" No menu, just basic, whole foods that are grown at the Abbey or sourced locally and prepared by the Abbey's excellent cooks! Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included each day, along with coffee, tea, and water throughout the day. (Most common dietary restrictions can be accommodated; let us know when you register.)
Schedule
Sunday, July 14 - You can check in any time after noon, and enjoy the Abbey and the grounds until dinnertime. Sunday evening will be our get-acquainted dinner for the group.
Monday, July 15 - The workshop starts at 9:00 am with a morning talk and a demo featuring Rita's complete underpainting and pastel process. After lunch, students will work on their own painting with personal instruction time.
Tues through Thurs, July 16-18 - The workshop continues with demos to start off your morning and afternoon sessions, followed by personal instruction time, creative insights, and random bursts of knowledge arising from student questions and instructor observations.
(Wednesday, July 17 - There's a zoo in Watertown, SD, a 45 minute drive from the Abbey! (Rita loves zoos!) Weather permitting, we may take a trip this morning for sketching and photographing the animals, and the Abbey will supply a sack lunch.)
Friday, July 19 -A final morning demo will be followed by instruction time. After lunch we will finish up our work for the day and have a gathering of students and paintings from the week for an informal critique and review. At 4:00 the workshop officially ends.
Other Scheduling Info
Mid-July in South Dakota, the sun rises at 6:00 am and sets at 9:10 pm. Lots of great early morning / evening painting time for anyone into plein air!
We will have a hot home-cooked breakfast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (buffet style - set out from 7:30 - 8:00 am) and a cold (continental) breakfast on Tuesday and Thursday (set out from 7:30 - 8:30 am.) Lunch is at Noon, and we'll take an hour break to enjoy it. Dinner is at 6:00 pm.
The nights included with the workshop are Sunday night through Thursday night with checkout on Friday afternoon when the workshop ends. (Those wishing to stay over Friday night or additional nights may arrange the extra nights with the Abbey directly.)
Pricing
All-Inclusive Rates for 5 days. Price per person in US dollars.
| Single occupancy (artist) | $990 |
| Double occupancy (two artists) in the same room | $807 ea. |
| Friend/spouse/partner (non-artist) in the same room | $332 |
| Local artist not rooming at the Abbey (tuition and meals only) | $624 |
Please read and print the Registration Form and Cancellation Policy. These will need to be mailed or emailed with your information.
For your convenience, you can buy now with the PayPal button below, or mail the Registration Form with your check.
(Including Terms and Cancellation Policy)
