# Explorations in Watercolor Retreat with Artist Kelly Ventura in France Join artist Kelly Ventura for a life-changing art retreat in the Loire Valley, France. Dive into exciting watercolor explorations alongside your favorite artist and create a vivid catalogue of botanical paintings, inspired by the surrounding countryside's rich flora.The retreat welcomes artists of all experience levels. Kelly will teach daily classes filled to the brim with demonstrations, one-to-one guidance, tailored advice, and fun exercises. Overcome the fear of the blank page and rediscover your playfulness and curiosity.In addition to improving your technical skills (like color mixing, creating backgrounds, painting complex pieces as well as a mini-series, and planning composition and arrangement), Kelly will encourage you to set your creativity loose. Venture out during the week to the gardens of Château de Villandry and to a vibrant French market filled with flowers, fruit, and local color.The retreat takes place at a 19th-century château with gardens, woodlands, and painting spaces both indoors and outside. Share meals each day, unwind in the evenings, and connect with a small group over process, paint, and the joy of making. ## Details - **Dates:** September 14 - 21, 2026 - **Location:** Concourson-sur-Layon, France - **Starting Price:** $4,650 - **Category:** Painting ## Program ### Explorations in Watercolor Retreat Experience a transformative art retreat with artist Kelly Ventura in the enchanting Loire Valley, France. Over the course of the week, work closely with your favorite artist in daily watercolor workshops, receive individualized feedback, and enhance your painting skills. This retreat also features two enriching art trips, where you’ll explore France’s breathtaking sights and immerse yourself in its celebrated botanical treasures. Open to artists of all levels, this retreat is perfect for those looking to become more experimental in their watercolor painting, get over creative blocks, and paint beautiful floral subjects.Under Kelly’s attentive guidance, you’ll explore a looser painting style, painting botanical snapshots inspired by the Loire’s flowering gardens, orchards, and wild blossoms. Your backdrop is the Loire Valley, often called the Garden of France for its fertile landscapes and elaborate Renaissance gardens overflowing with flowers, herbs, and seasonal color. Kelly’s dedicated one-on-one guidance will help you fine-tune your skills and foster confidence in your artistic journey. By the end of the retreat, you’ll have created multiple mini-paintings as well as larger pieces documenting the region’s floral abundance.The week includes a visit to Château de Villandry, where the Renaissance gardens are famous for their ornamental flowerbeds, aromatic herb gardens, and intricate designs that bloom in vibrant patterns throughout the seasons. You’ll also spend time at a French market, alive with stalls of flowers, fruits, and herbs that bring the colors and textures of the Loire Valley to life. Sketch, paint, and let the region’s flora guide your watercolor explorations!Over the week, you will explore:Developing confidence in color mixingBuilding a balanced compositionCreating from natural elementsCrafting a mini-botanical seriesBecoming looser and more experimental in your styleFeeling comfortable creating larger, complex floral piecesGetting over the fear of the blank pageCharting a solid painting plan...and many more!You will work both indoors and out, surrounded by blooming gardens, open skies, and the layered charm of the château. Meals will be shared each day in good company, with time set aside for reflection, laughter, and making new connections. By the end of the retreat, you will leave with a collection of finished works and a deeper connection to your voice as an artist along with a piece of the shared warm-up artwork to carry forward. ### Day 1: Arrival Arrive at Angers' St. Laud train station with enough time to catch the 4:00 PM group transfer, arriving at the beautiful château by 5:00 PM. Upon arrival, you'll be warmly welcomed by Kelly Ventura and the other artists participating in the retreat. After settling into your comfortable room, take part in an orientation tour to get familiar with the incredible venue, including its picturesque gardens, serene woodlands, historic salon, and cozy library.In the evening, join Kelly and the art group for a special welcome dinner. Indulge in a delicious, three-course meal accompanied by a delicious glass of French wine and delightful cheese platters. ### Day 2: Art at the château Start your morning with a delightful breakfast and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Join a brief check-in with Kelly and the venue hosts, then get ready for the first class of the retreat.In the spacious studio, spend the morning getting familiar with your materials. Kelly will explain the fundamentals of watercolor, color mixing, palette setup, and brush techniques. Learn the different ways of tackling large versus small paintings, and figure out which brushes, paper types, and colors you like using best.Break for lunch with a light meal, then return to your watercolor exploration in the afternoon.Moving on from theory to practice, Kelly will demonstrate some simple exercises meant to get your creative flow going. Play with color layering, dry and wet techniques, color lifting, controlling transparency, and a suite of other watercolor basics. Using flowers at the château as your reference, work on small botanical studies and widen your repertoire of techniques. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to Kelly for help.As the afternoon fades, walk the orchard path or stretch out in the shade of the fruit trees. In the evening, gather again for a seasonal dinner and watch the last light dip behind the vines. ### Day 3: Art trip to a French market Enjoy a delightful breakfast with freshly brewed coffee before heading out for the day.A visit to a bustling French market in a nearby Loire Valley town awaits, a cherished regional tradition. Explore the vibrant stalls overflowing with seasonal flowers, fruits, herbs, and handmade goods. Bright bouquets of peonies, roses, and sunflowers sit beside stands of strawberries, cherries, and figs, offering inspiration for both color and form. Antique dealers display frames, vases, and decorative pieces that can add a touch of history to your artwork.As you wander the market, capture inspiration from the lively displays. Take photos and create sketches of blossoms spilling from wicker baskets, fruit piled high in wooden crates, and arrangements that catch your eye. Find textures, palettes, and patterns that spark your creativity and carry them back with you, along with a small souvenir for your loved ones at home.Upon returning to the château, savor a satisfying lunch. In the afternoon, use your finds from the market as the foundation of your painting session. Create shadow studies of the flowers, building a background layer before working loosely on form. This practice will help you abstract your subject and focus less on fine details, while still honoring the natural beauty of your chosen blooms.As the day concludes, you will have leisure time at your disposal. In the evening, enjoy a three-course dinner prepared by the private chef and accompanied by a glass of fine wine. Share stories from the market and reflections from your afternoon work, enjoying the company of your fellow artists in the heart of the Loire Valley. ### Day 4: Art at the château Ease into the day with a relaxed breakfast and a steaming cup of coffee, letting the calm rhythm of the morning ground you.Settle into the studio with Kelly and begin working on a series of new botanical studies. You'll spend the first class creating multiple types of washes for your backgrounds. While they dry, Kelly will show you how to block out the main areas of your painting using masking fluid. You'll learn more about building a balanced composition, whether it is for a flower arrangement or a landscape, how to find the focal point of your artwork, and experiment with various floral arrangements.After a refreshing lunch, continue developing your pieces. Incorporate all the techniques you've tried out so far and assemble a more complex floral scene. Kelly will demonstrate her methods of building layers and creating contrast, removing the masking fluid and painting on top of it. Work at your own pace, asking Kelly for one-on-one feedback whenever you wish.As light softens, step outside and notice how the Loire landscape shifts with the evening glow. Walk among the gardens, rest beneath the fruit trees, or leaf through your sketches. End the day together with a warm and delicious dinner, paired with a glass of wine. ### Day 5: Trip to Château de Villandry Begin the day with breakfast and coffee before setting off toward the Château de Villandry, where sculpted hedges, blooming parterres, and rows of fruit trees stretch out in every direction like a living painting.Once the home of a noble family close to the French crown, Villandry has been shaped by centuries of design, neglect, and restoration. What you see today is a meticulous blend of geometry and bloom, brought back to life in the twentieth century by a Spanish doctor and artist with a passion for French heritage. Tour the grounds with Kelly in the morning. Walk the ornamental parterres, follow the water garden, and move through the long alleys shaded by lime trees. Sketch, photograph, and jot down palettes, blossoms, and shapes you want to return to. Notice the geometry of boxwood borders, the fragrance of roses, and the softness of vines climbing along stone walls.Unpack your lunch in the garden. Sit by the moat or under a centuries-old wall. Share your ideas with Kelly, compare patterns, and discuss the colors that caught you off guard.Stay at Villandry in the afternoon and paint on location. Choose a corner that inspires you and work into your sketches from the morning. Layer washes, build contrast, and use gesture to shape your floral studies. Paint with the fragrance, color, and atmosphere of the gardens feeding directly into your work.Return to the château as the light turns golden. End the day with a three-course dinner and wine, sharing the art and impressions gathered among Villandry’s flowers. ### Day 6: Art at the château Refuel with a tasty breakfast and a cup of coffee, then get ready for another full day of classes at the château.Study the forms of French wildflowers and local herbs such as thyme, lavender, rosemary, and basil, including non-flowering plants and fruit. Guided by Kelly, create a mini series of watercolor paintings that documents the botanical variety found in the Loire Valley.Pause for lunch, then return to the studio for the afternoon session. Combine the techniques you have explored so far, from background washes and masking fluid to composition and value studies. Begin with the herb studies from the morning and push yourself to complete a more complex botanical piece.As the sun begins to dip, rest, reflect, or continue painting at your own pace. Enjoy a delicious dinner in good company, and share the flow of conversation over a glass of wine. ### Day 7: Art at the château Share a quiet breakfast and take time to reflect on your creative journey. Return to the studio for one final morning class under Kelly's guidance.This last session is freely structured, giving you the chance to polish your paintings and add any finishing touches. Kelly offers one-on-one guidance and shares pointers shaped by the week together. The class ends with an open Q&A. Ask any lingering questions, seek advice about the next steps in your artistic path, and consider how to carry these lessons back into your practice at home.After lunch, finish any remaining details in your work, then prepare for a special event: a celebratory mini-exhibition. The showing is optional, but it is a wonderful opportunity to share your favorite pieces, exchange feedback with Kelly and your peers, and recognize the progress made over the week.Close the retreat with a farewell dinner surrounded by flowers, conversation, and the pages and paintings that now carry the memory of your time in the Loire Valley. Raise a glass to what you created and how you grew, marking the end of the week with warmth. ### Day 8: Departure Enjoy breakfast with your art group, exchange any last contacts, and get ready for your 8:00 AM transfer to the St. Laud train station, arriving at about 9:00 AM. ## Instructors - **Kelly Ventura** - Fine artist, designer, teacher ## Accommodation ### French Château ### Shared room - shared bathroom ### Shared standard ensuite room ### Shared superior ensuite room (female only) ### Shared bathroom - single room ### Single standard ensuite room ### Single superior ensuite room ### Single deluxe suite ## Book This Retreat Visit [https://uptrek.com/retreat/explorations-watercolor-retreat-artist-kelly-ventura-france](https://uptrek.com/retreat/explorations-watercolor-retreat-artist-kelly-ventura-france) to make a reservation. *Provided by [UpTrek](https://uptrek.com)*