Unparalleled wildlife safari workshop with Carla Grace.
WILDLIFE ARTIST
SAFARI RETREAT
Carla Grace
Join award winning wildlife artist, Carla Grace, in an unforgettable artist retreat at the Monarto Safari park. Experience the wilds of the African safari, sunset and sunrise photography sessions, plain air painting around the waterhole, one-on-one coaching and more as we create realistic wildlife paintings.
About
THE RETREAT
A RETREAT UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE...
​This retreat is about creating art that goes far beyond the reference photo — it’s about capturing the soul of the wild through firsthand experience. By becoming the photographer of your own moments, you’ll not only witness the raw beauty of wildlife but feel the atmosphere, emotion, and energy that make each scene unique. In the studio, we often settle for surface-level references, but here, surrounded by nature, we’ll unlock the deeper story behind every image.
Through immersive fieldwork and guided instruction, you’ll gain the confidence to infuse your paintings with your own visual language — using colour theory in expressive, rule-bending ways, mastering the psychology of light and hue, and learning to evoke motion, temperature, and mood with intention. This is a transformative experience designed to elevate your work from technically good to truly exceptional — a redefinition of how wildlife is seen, felt, and expressed on canvas.
INCLUDED
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3 nights at luxury Monart Hotel Resort
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All meals and snacks
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Sunset Photography session
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Sunrise Photography session
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Tour around Monarto safari park & incredible animal encounters
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All painting materials - artists do not need to bring any painting supplies.
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Each artist will received a their own brush set, note book and two gesso panels to take home.
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6 weeks access to my tutorial platform and a course tailored to the retreat, and guided coaching before the workshop & 1 month access to the course after the workshop.
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2 live classes before the workshop
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All reference material
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(Full list of content to be confirmed)
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NOT INCLUDED
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Travel to and from Monarto Zoo
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Alcohol
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Cameras for your personal use (I will have my own camera and lens to take reference photos for those who do not have the available gear)
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Ipads or tablets for viewing reference material on, please BYO devices. We will be able to print references off at the hotel if needed.
Artist
PROGRAM
Day 1
Arrival
Set up and Tour
10:00 AM – Arrival & Welcome Brunch
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Meet & greet, settle into accommodation.
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Welcome packs distributed (custom brush set, notebook, schedule, map).
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1:00 PM – Safari Drive 1: Wildlife Photography & Observational Sketching
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Guided drive with a focus on observing animal movement, form, light. Provide handouts regarding form and composition (prep for photography session) (2 hours)
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Photo reference gathering.
3 PM – Sunset photography session & sundowner
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Group outing for a sunset photography session
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7:00 PM – Dinner
8:00 PM – Group Talk: “Painting with Presence”
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Talk on storytelling through wildlife painting + Q&A. Cover the expectations for the workshop, get to know one another. Give handout for colour theory studies and practices.
Day 2
References &
Compositions
6:00 AM – Sunrise Safari Drive 2 (optional)
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Focus: photographing animals in the field, discussing camera settings, lenses and any questions that arise
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9:00 AM – Breakfast
10:00 AM – Studio Session: reference to composition
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begin sorting through the references, choosing the right ones for paintings and creating the compositions. Sketches/procreate/canvas pad (acrylic)
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1:00 PM – Lunch
2:00 PM – Plein Air Painting on the Grounds
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option to paint plein air around the water hole, or to work on developing draft sketches and paintings from refereces.
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5:00 PM – Sundowner plein air painting session by the water hole
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a fun outdoor painting session to capture bright light with drinks and nibbles.
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7:00 PM – Dinner
8:00 PM – Open Studio Night (Optional) reviewing all references
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Quiet painting time or private mentoring.
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Day 3
Beginning the
MasterPiece
8:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Guided Painting Session: Final Piece Begins
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Work on large gesso panels (provided).
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Focus: Block-in shapes, values, and forms in Acrylic
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12:30 PM – Lunch
2:00 PM – Studio Time Continues + One-on-One Mentoring
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Individual help on technique, refining detail, color mixing in Oils (or acrylic for those continuing in acrylic.
4:30 PM – Break / Optional Group Critique
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7:00 PM – Dinner
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review of the weekends work, final private tutoring and coaching
Day 4
Finishing
Touches & Farewell
8:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Studio: Final Details & Finishing Touches
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Glazing, refining edges, final adjustments and highlights
10am - Pack up rooms, meet in the studio room for final meetings & finishing touches for those needing it
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12:30 PM – Lunch
2:00 PM – Final Piece Showcase & farewells
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Certificate presentation, group photo, thank-you gifts.
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Artists keep their final painting, brush set, and notebook.
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