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ARTIST WORKSHOP
PUGLIA, ITALY

April 1 - 8, 2027 Book Now

Carla Grace Wildlife Artist

THE EXPERIENCE

NOT JUST A WORKSHOP RETREAT

Immerse yourself in the landscapes, light, and wildlife of southern Italy on this artist retreat in Puglia, hosted in collaboration with Olive and Plum. This experience is centred around one of my favourite subjects to paint… flamingos. Together, we’ll explore the salt lakes to observe and capture reference material in the field, giving you the opportunity to study movement, light, colour, and atmosphere in a way that directly feeds into your work.

Back in the studio, I’ll guide you through my full process of turning those moments into strong, resolved wildlife paintings. We’ll focus on the foundations that actually improve your work, including value, colour, edges, and brushwork, so you can build paintings with more control and confidence. Alongside the painting, we’ll explore a little of Puglia each day, creating a balanced experience that combines learning, inspiration, and time to reset creatively.

MASSERIA SPECULA

Masseria Specula is a retreat venue in Puglia, Italy, designed for yoga, wellness and art retreat organisers. Surrounded by nature and close to the sea, it offers a simple and inspiring setting for hosting retreats in southern Italy.

THE ITINERARY

OUTLINE OF THE SCHEDULE

01

ARRIVAL & MEETING

Welcome dinner, and kick-off meeting

Artist welcome gifts and studio notes handed out. Lesson plan and plein air sketch book kits.

02

REFERENCES AND COMPOSITION

Morning experience: Flamingo Excursion and photography session to collect reference material

Afternoon studio session

 

Dinner in Manduria
 

03

PRELIM PAINTING AND PREPARATION

 

Morning Studio session

 

 Second Flamingo Excursion

 

Afternoon studio session

 

Evening outing into Grottaglie (ceramics town) and sunset
 

04

FULL COMPOSITION STUDY

 

Morning Studio session

 

Lunch

 

Afternoon Studio Session

 

Dinner and evening meal at Masseria

05

ESTABLISHING FORM

Sunrise experience: Watch the sunrise and capture light and building atmosphere.

Full day studio session

Evening experience: Oria Tour and dinner

 

06

MID PHASE PAINTING

 

Optional Excursions to Lecce - tour and shopping 

 

Afternoon & Evening  Studio Session

 

Or free time if needed - wine tasting in the Olive Garden
 

07

TAKING IT FURTHER

 

Morning Studio Session 

 

Lunch 

 

Prepare exhibition boards

 

Botanical cocktail evening with informal art exhibition 

 

Dinner at Masseria
 

08

DEPARTURE

Final farewell breakfast and departure to the airport.

All artist materials created and used during the workshop can be taken home.

PRICING AND INCLUSIONS

 

PRICING

7 NIGHT, 8 DAY ALL-INCLUSIVE PACKAGE

Pricing for 2027 to be confirmed

INCLUDES:

  • 7 nights, 8 days of accommodation at the beautiful Masseria & neighbouring villas

  •  Exclusive use of the property including all common areas, workshop spaces and gardens 

  • Daily Art workshops with Carla Grace as outlined in the itinerary 

  • Daily freshly prepared meals cooked by a private chef at The Masseria on most days 

  • Two evening meals at local restaurants 

  • Wine and non-alcoholic beverages during dinner service

  • Unlimited supply of tea/coffee/water during Art Workshops at The Masseria

  • Roundtrip airport transfers from Brindisi & Bari airport if you adhere to our flight parameters. These will be emailed to you once the retreat is guaranteed. 

  • 5 x excursions including: trip to Nardo town, trip to a local flamingo lake & trip to Lecce. 

  • Private transportation for all planned trips/English speaking interpreter 

  • Access to a private WhatsApp group with Carla Grace before the retreat

  • Unlimited Access to Carla Grace Creative tutorial platforms from the date of your booking

  • All Art Materials except for personal sketch/note books

NOT INCLUDED

  • Roundtrip airfare to Brindisi airport 

  • Airport transfers outside of our flight parameters (which will be sent to you when the retreat is guaranteed) 

  • Required Travel Insurance- this is compulsory 

  • Alcoholic beverages outside of the evening dinner service

  • Additional excursions or taxi journeys you may wish to take outside of the itinerary 

  • Pasta making, pottery classes and horse riding are available to do in your own time, bookable via The Masseria and not included in the Olive & Plum package. 

  • Tips — tipping isn't the norm but it's appreciated by the local service providers 

  •  Other expenses guests might incur on their own

  • ETIAS travel authorisation fees  

  • The non-participating artist package (when sharing a double room with a participating artist) excludes all art workshops

GALLERY

ENQUIRE NOW

Please complete the form below to register your interest in the workshop and I'll be I touch with more information.

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Frequently asked questions

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