Reclaim Your Childlike Wonder of Creation
Led by Amy WaltonGuanacaste, COSTA RICA
THE VITALS
Date: January 7 – 13, 2024
Location: Guanacaste COSTA RICA
Presenter: Amy Walton
Investment: USD $2,400 – USD $2,695 depending on room selection per person Dbl. Occupancy. Single occupancy, click on Rooms/Cost below.
Participants: Maximum Number 15
Register Today at bottom of page
Amy Walton’s Invitation
Reclaim Your Childlike Wonder
of Creation
Beyond the technical aspects of painting, the workshop fosters a sense of fun and collaboration among participants. It will provide a platform for artists of all skill levels to connect, share insights, and inspire one another. The journey will conclude with a celebration of the artworks created during the workshop, a reflection of the artistic growth that each person experienced and an invitation to continue exploring your enthusiastic, curious inner child!
The workshop will venture into the realm of acrylic and watercolor painting: learning about materials and tools, introducing unusual and creative approaches to painting in these two mediums. Watercolor painting embraces a captivating and translucent charm. Its delicate pigments create a unique luminosity and ethereal quality. The opaque quality of acrylic paint, on the other hand, lends itself to a vibrant, rich color that allows for many levels of layering.
We will explore hands-on, fun techniques to achieve surprising results. During our time together, we will set up several still life compositions to paint from life, which encourages the artist to truly see and focus on what is in front of them. Participants can sketch on site and use their photographs during the workshop to capture the beauty of Costa Rica. Participants will have the freedom to choose what inspires them to create their paintings.
Program Essentials
Reclaim Your Childlike Wonder of Creation
What is the structure of this retreat?
The workshop will encompass a comprehensive exploration of both watercolor and acrylic painting techniques. For watercolor, participants will delve into a range of brushwork methods that unveil the medium’s distinctive qualities, such as wet into wet, wet on dry, and layering techniques. They will have the opportunity to experiment with the captivating interplay of water and pigment, discovering how it can generate stunning effects and textures on paper. Additionally, the workshop will also provide a fundamental understanding of color theory, including color mixing techniques specific to both mediums, enabling participants to achieve their desired results. In parallel, acrylic painting techniques will be introduced, allowing attendees to explore the unique characteristics of this medium, such as its vibrant colors, layering possibilities, and versatile brushwork techniques.
Amy’s Personal Invitation
I personally invite you to join me in Costa Rica for a week of painting and relaxation. Whether you’re experienced or a beginner, this opportunity will help you to embrace your creativity, connect with like-minded individuals, and unleash your artistic potential. This transformative journey will forever change the way you perceive and express the world through art.
Amy Walton
In addition to engaging in the act of painting itself, this workshop will also guide you in addressing self-limiting beliefs regarding your artistic abilities, recognizing their impact on various aspects of our daily lives.
You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonders of nature surrounding you, both in its grand scale and intricate details. My painting approach revolves around perceiving the exquisite beauty present in nature, be it a delicate bird’s nest, a subtle shift of color in a flower petal, or a breathtakingly expansive sky. Throughout the workshop, you will delve into the practice of observing your subjects with deep attentiveness, fostering an intimate connection, and then employing fluid colors to capture fragments of that remarkable beauty, creating lasting keepsakes for yourself.
Playful Benefits
This workshop is open to people of all skill levels. All you need is your Inner Child and a curiosity to do something new.
Painting is a beautiful form of meditation. It is relaxing, and it gives you time to immerse yourself completely in the present moment without distraction. I’m always amazed at the intensity of my students once they get immersed in the process.
One fun and playful technique I will share involves the crumpling up a plastic bag, dipping it into acrylic paint and using it as the “brush” to create a foundational base layer of surprising color combinations. I will then teach you how to fully develop an image using value and color on top of this interesting base layer.
We will do other creative exercises as we venture out into nature, doing quick thumbnail sketches or taking photographs of our subjects, then coming back inside to explore with brush strokes and color what we observed outside
Approaching an unknown activity with your “inner explorer “, your curious child inside that simply says, “what would happen if I tried this”, is a creative form of expression that we will delve into.
While some may perceive artists as completely confident in their skills, genuine artists are always open to stumbling and embracing mistakes. It can be daunting to confront a blank canvas, unsure of the next step to take—a sentiment that echoes the uncertainties of life itself. In such moments, I imagine holding the hand of my inner child and encouraging her, saying, “Let’s simply begin… let’s grab that paintbrush and follow where it leads us. There’s something magical awaiting us—let’s discover the magic together!”
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
(You will be officially registered after we receive your deposit)
This retreat is limited to 15 participants, so register today!
Please note, if you register and then you cancel, there will be NO refunds given under any circumstances, so be sure to obtain proper travel insurance.
For the total cost of this retreat and to see what is included, please click on: COST
Before you register, email us at info@globalj.org or fill out the form below to make sure there is space available for your accommodations.
Once we confirm availability, follow these two simple steps:
1. Send us a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 per participant via one of the four options below. Half of the remaining balance is due on September 7, 2023. The final payment is due on November 7th, 2023.
2. Wait until you receive an official registration confirmation from us before you book your flight.
Payments, Dates, Terms and Conditions
Payment : You have 4 payment options…
Option #1 – Recommended form of payment with no fees… Write a check, only from a U.S. bank account, with the appropriate amount made out to Global Journeys Inc. On the back of the check, on the endorsement line write- “For Electronic Deposit Only”. Take a clear picture of the front and the back of the check, and send both images to info@globalj.org After we receive your images and your check clears our bank, we will inform you and you can then write “Deposited” on your check so it doesn’t get used again.
Option #2 – Wire the money in U.S. dollars to the following bank account: Name and Address – Global Journeys Inc. P.O.Box 21092 Floral Park, NY 11002
Bank: JP Morgan Chase 770 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10065
Bank Account Number 3061935109
Routing Number 021000021 (if Domestic payment)
Swift/Aba Code CHASUS33 (if International payment)
Option #3 If your account is at J.P.Morgan Chase or another commercial bank, you may make a ‘Quick Pay’ or ‘Zelle’ payment to the account of: info@globalj.org
Option # 4 (Temporarily Not Available) You may pay by using PayPal. If you select option #4, please note that you are responsible for paying the processing fee: 3% if paying from the U.S and 4.6% if you are paying from outside the U.S. Through PayPal you may use your credit or debit card. Our account for a PayPal payment is: info@globalj.org