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ENCAUSTIC RETREAT IN CATALONIA 2025
Welcome! Here you'll find all the information of our encaustic retreat!
OCTOBER 12 - 18, 2025
OLLERS, GIRONA, CATALUNYA
5 days of
ENCAUSTIC WORKSHOPS
with excursions to
BANYOLES, GIRONA & COSTA BRAVA
the first encaustic retreat in Spain
Escape to Catalonia for a unique encaustic retreat!
Dive into the ancient technique of encaustic. Experiment with texture, mixed media, and different kinds of locally sourced art supplies, while experiencing the Catalan culture and gastronomy.
5 DAYS OF WORKSHOPS IN SALA TRAMUNTANA
Sala Tramuntana is the old barn of the farm estate, with direct access to the gardens. Its stone structure and wooden beams have been preserved. It is a diaphanous space, without columns, with large windows, high ceilings and very bright.
WORKSHOPS
Layering & Mark Making
The first class of the retreat will cover encaustic fundamentals of fusing layers and intuitive mark-making using a variety of tools and R&F Handmade Paints supplies.
Accretion
Learn a number of different dry brushing techniques that can be done to achieve stunning surface textures with encaustic. Students will dive into different types of scraping techniques to enhance the natural properties of encaustic.
Dynamic Composition
Explore ideas of composition using the Sala Tramuntana surroundings, and enhance your encaustic with water-based mixed media underpainting techniques.
Mini Monotypes
Using encaustic paint on paper from a local paper maker, you will lose yourself in creating luminous colors that dance across your heated surface and pull beautiful one-of-a-kind prints. Learn how to add different mark making tools to embellish your monotypes and how to mount them on panels.
Cloth & Wax
Combine cloth and encaustic paint, using locally sourced fabrics to create unique collages. Learn how to layer textiles, wax, and pigments to craft textured, mixed-media artworks that blur the line between textile and painting.
Foraged Leaf Stencils
Press and layer local botanical leaves with encaustic techniques to craft textured, nature-inspired prints full of depth and detail.
Encaustic Photography
Learn how to preserve and transform your photographs of Catalonia, using the ancient art of encaustic. By layering wax and oil paints, you'll add texture and depth to your images, blending reality with imagination to create truly unique works of art. The class will cover paper selection, mounting techniques, painting methods, glazing, scraping, image transfers, and adding texture and color to the encaustic process.
* Workshops may vary in some details before the start of the retreat. Additional information about the workshops will be emailed in mid-2025.
THE CLASSES ARE FOR ALL LEVELS
AND TAUGHT IN ENGLISH
HOTEL CASA ANAMARIA
Casa Anamaria, Hotel & Villas is an eco-friendly boutique hotel surrounded by verdant fields, forests and 22,000 square meters of gardens and fountains. An idyllic and relaxed place to find inspiration in nature and create with encaustic. It is located just 15 minutes from Banyoles, half an hour from the best beaches of Costa Brava, and the city of Girona.
HOTEL ROOMS IN CASA ANAMARIA
CAN MOTES RESTAURANT
The Can Motes Restaurant is managed by the prestigious chef Pere Arpa, who has remastered classic Catalan recipes with local products.
EXCURSIONS
We will visit these three locations close to our venue where we will use our sketchbooks to gather inspiration and know more about the Catalan culture and gastronomy. At the end of the day, we will have dinner at a restaurant before returning to Casa Anamaria Hotel.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
COST
PAYMENT PLAN
DETAILS
WHAT IS INCLUDED
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6 nights in a hotel room with private bath at Casa Anamaria Hotel with rural surroundings.
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Breakfast + lunch + dinner for each day.
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All encaustic workshops + 2 open studios.
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All art supplies.
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Bus transportation from and to the airport.
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Excursions and bus transportation to Banyoles, Girona, and Costa Brava.
DEPOSIT & PAYMENT PLAN
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A 500€ deposit is required to save your spot.
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The hotel and studio rental is due May 1, 2025.
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Encaustic workshops, meal fees, and transportation are due August 1, 2025.
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All payment links will be sent to your email.
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Read the cancellation policy HERE.
COST
The cost of this retreat is 3,875€.
The deposit is 500€ to save your spot, which is included in the total price.
NOTES
- There are 12 spots for this retreat.
- Upgrades are not available. Hotel rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Menus are established for groups, with a choice of options.
- Extra food, drinks, or cocktails outside of the package meals and workshops are not included.
- Download the FAQs below.
SCHEDULE
SUNDAY 12
Around noon - Arrival at Barcelona and shuttle bus to Hotel
2:00 pm - Check-in (Lunch option)
4:00 pm - Welcome and Orientation
Around 7:00 pm - Dinner
MONDAY 13
8:00 am - Breakfast
9:00 am - 1:00 pm - ENCAUSTIC LESSONS (snack break at 11:00 am)
1:00 pm - Lunch, Free time
3:00 - 6:00 pm - ENCAUSTIC LESSONS
6:00 - 8:00 pm - OPEN STUDIO
8:00 pm - Dinner
TUESDAY 14
8:00 am - Breakfast
9:00 am - 1:00 pm - ENCAUSTIC LESSONS (snack break at 11:00 am)
1:00 pm - Lunch, Free time
3:00 pm - Bus to Banyoles
8:00 pm - Dinner in Banyoles
Around 9:30 pm - Bus to Hotel
WEDNESDAY 15
8:00 am - Breakfast
9:00 am - 1:00 pm - ENCAUSTIC LESSONS (snack break at 11:00 am)
1:00 pm - Lunch, Free time
3:00 - 6:00 pm - ENCAUSTIC LESSONS
6:00 - 8:00 pm - OPEN STUDIO
8:00 pm - Dinner
THURSDAY 16
8:00 am - Breakfast
9:00 am - 1:00 pm - ENCAUSTIC LESSONS (snack break at 11:00 am)
1:00 pm - Lunch, Free time
3:00 pm - Bus to Costa Brava
8:00 pm - Dinner in Costa Brava
Around 9:30 pm - Bus to Hotel
FRIDAY 17
8:00 am - Breakfast
9:00 am - 1:00 pm - ENCAUSTIC LESSONS (snack break at 11:00 am)
1:00 pm - Lunch, Free time
3:00 pm - Bus to Girona
8:00 pm - Dinner in Girona and Wrap-up Party
Around 10:30 pm - Bus to Hotel
SATURDAY 18
Final breakfast, Check-out and shuttle bus to Barcelona Airport
YOUR HOST AND TEACHER
Andrea Carracedo (1988 Comillas, Spain) resides in Banyoles, a small city in Catalonia, where she teaches encaustic and cyanotype to her students. Her artistic style favors abstracted landscapes, with an emphasis on accretion, fields of color, and experimental techniques. She's an R&F Paints Core Artist Instructor and a member of International Encaustic Artists. Her work is collected in Europe, Australia, and the U.S.
Andrea is graduated from University of Girona with a License in Art History and a Masters in Communication and Art Criticism. She has curated and organized art shows, including benefit shows and auctions, through Tint XXI gallery and Taller Joan de Palau in Banyoles, the same studio where she studied painting as a child.
She took an autodidactic approach to encaustic because she couldn't find anyone in Spain to teach it in person, so her learning process was through online videos, attending workshops when she was in the U.S., and trial and error in the studio. She has exhibited at the Susquehanna Art Museum (PA), Anonymous Society Gallery (CT), Muse Vineyards (VA), and the 41 West Gallery (MD).
GUEST TEACHER
Alaina Enslen (1977 Oscoda, Michigan) holds a BFA from the University of Montevallo. She currently resides in the Hudson Valley, New York, and has been painting and teaching for over twenty years. Enslen has exhibited at Caleidoscópio at the University of Lisbon, the University of Coimbra, the Folio International Literary Festival, the Susquehanna Art Museum (PA), and the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (NY), among others. She is a recipient of grants from the International Encaustic Artists and the Luso-American Development Foundation. Her work has been described as “part artifact, part event, [as] she emancipates a fixed past with a limitless present” (Art Spiel). Her work has been published by the Paul W. Bryant Museum and in Chiricu journal (Indiana University Press).
Alaina is a Certified Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints and a Freelance Educator at the Garrison Art Center and Storm King Art Center in New York. She has taught workshops and given presentations in the U.S., Portugal, and Brazil. Enslen is represented by Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, New York.
Contact us for questions
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