When You Want to Relax…And Learn

Sometimes, it’s hard to commit to weekly, long-term classes. But it also seems like a one-or two-day workshop might go by so fast that you don’t retain as much information as you need.

Enter retreats.

Retreats are weeklong immersive workshops held in relaxing spaces that allow you to slow down, dive deeper and really explore a medium in a way you can retain it. Not to mention that it will expose you to a skill that you will have for a lifetime.

I have been invited to teach at retreats for years now, and for me, it allows me to think about what people new to the medium of pastel actually need – from the basics of what kinds of pastels there are and the types of paper that are available to the tips and techniques they can draw on to make work that is unique to them.

Hudson River Valley Art Workshops offers a luxurious porch you can sit on each day and have a glass of wine while catching up and talking art with your fellow retreat participants.

I was first invited to teach at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops in Greenville, NY in 2023; and I’m happy to say I have been invited back to teach pastels again this fall.

If you have any type of exposure to art, you have most likely heard the term Hudson River School. The Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by Romanticism. Early on, the paintings typically depicted the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, including the Catskill, Adirondack, and White Mountains.

Painters associated with the Hudson River School include Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, among many others.

Thomas Cole

Frederic Church

My workshop, The Poetry of Pastel, will be held at the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops in Greenville, NY (30 minutes from Albany) between Sunday, Oct. 26 to Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, and is open to all levels of artists. It will also be a combination of plein air painting and studio painting from photographs. It’s open for enrollment here by filling out this form: Enroll_Rates2019.pages or by calling toll free to (888) 665-0044.

This piece reminds me of the landscape around Greenville, NY in the Hudson River Valley.

The power of soft pastels as an artistic medium lies within their versatility. They are forgiving and dry, offering less mess and easier travel options. From landscapes to beaches, flowers to still life, the medium of soft pastels is both deep and broad I will guide you through these genres to help you get a jump on the medium or brush up on your current skills. Each day will include a full demonstration of various aspects of the subjects on offer. There will be opportunities for working from photos as well as in plein air, including time carved out for a “photo safari” in the local area.

A stream very near our location in Greenville, NY.

Day one will cover the basics of pastel – the supplies you need; the advantages and disadvantages of sanded versus unsanded papers; an overview of the foundational elements of composition and design, value and colors; focal points and cropping for stronger design; aerial perspective essentials, practice warm-ups and more.

Day two will include using sketches, studies and notans to help you prepare before painting to instill confidence in your subject matter. A review of the color wheel, why a limited palette works best, how to move away from local color into interpretive tints, tones and shades.

Day three will get down to the nitty-gritty of landscapes – tackling the nuances of skies, clouds and trees as well as knitting the foreground seamlessly and successfully with the background. We will also try different types of landscapes – working through water reflections, developing sea grasses and sand and the delicacy and drama of crashing waves.

Day four will explore flowers and fruit – both in nature and via still life. Learn about the importance of developing light falling on objects, cast shadows, reflections, how to use “Rembrandt lighting” in a still life setting and how best to set up still life forms – what you need and what you don’t, and more.

Day five will move beyond the basics and into experiments with underpaintings using water and alcohol washes to create atmospheric pastel compositions. The afternoon will culminate with a review of what we’ve learned, offering constructive critique and getting feedback from workshop colleagues. The last day will include a framing demonstration, saving yourself money from framers and how to keep your pastels clean.

And if you’re already coming, here’s the supplies list so you can bring things with you: Supply List.

If you’re traveling from the Mid-Atlantic region, it’s an easy drive up, but flights into Albany are also available and it’s then just a 30-minute Uber ride to the Greenville Arms where the workshop will take place.

I hope you’ll consider it. Even if pastel is not your medium, I think you’ll find the whole place – the venue, the studio, the food and the camaraderie – will leave you feeling creatively refreshed and re-energized, whatever medium you choose!