# Painting Retreat with Artist Nick Alm in Spain Join artist Nick Alm for a painting retreat in the enchanting region of Andalucía, southern Spain. Expand your creative boundaries and take your portraiture ability to a whole new level, while exploring a variety of techniques, materials, and topics, aided by Nick's one-to-one tuition throughout the retreat. Visit the picturesque and history-laden city of Granada in an exploration of Spanish culture across the eras, and marvel at the fiery beauty of nature, during a trip to the Cabo de Gata lighthouse at sunset. Stay at a premium Finca built in the middle of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, admire the variety of life found in the natural landscape, and enjoy delectable chef-made meals paired with Spanish wines. ## Details - **Dates:** October 24 - 31, 2023 - **Location:** Níjar, Almería, Spain - **Starting Price:** $3,850 - **Category:** Painting ## Program ### Painting in the South of Spain Join artist Nick Alm for a painting retreat in the South of Spain that will push your creative boundaries and take your portraiture skills the extra mile. While you can join regardless of painting level, this retreat is best suited to those who already have some experience with their chosen medium (either acrylics, oils, or watercolor). Learn from a master of our times, and gain invaluable insight from Nick through one-to-one tuition and live demonstrations throughout the retreat. You'll learn to create stunningly expressive portraits, incorporate elements of landscape and nature painting, and discover your own artistic mark. Get into Nick's "zen master" approach to painting and let the essence of a portrait flow through you. Meet a group of artist travelers, who will accompany you on your artistic journey and with whom you'll build lifelong connections. Your art classes will take place indoors, in an art studio equipped with professional lights (including a live model), or outdoors, in the gardens teeming with life at the Finca Maltés del Fraile. You'll have even more opportunities to find interesting subjects during your trip to Granada, an extraordinarily diverse city with a rich history, or during your outing to the Cabo de Gata lighthouse, where the sunset light dances in dramatic flares over the oceanside cliffs.Nick will be focusing on a variety of techniques, materials, and topics, including:portraiturelandscapelight and shadow playcohesive compositioncolor mixing and pickingcontrol of your chosen mediumsketching on the spottaking reference photostransposing the spirit of a scene into a paintingextracting the essentials from visual clutterIn addition to painting alongside Nick every day, you’ll also have relaxing afternoons to ask further questions and share your experiences with fellow creatives over a glass of wine. ### Day 1: Arrival Get transferred from Almería Airport (LEI) and arrive at Finca Maltés del Fraile. Settle in your premium accommodation and take some time to prepare for the upcoming week. Explore the property on a lovely orientation tour and discover the workshop spaces, charming gardens, beautifully designed common spaces, and terraces. Join the group and Nick Alm, your instructor, for a welcome drink followed by a three-course dinner prepared by the in-house chef. Discuss the week ahead with your guests over a glass of delicious Spanish wine. ### Day 2: Painting at the Finca Following breakfast, you'll start the first class of the retreat in the spacious studio. Nick will present the course curriculum, introduce you to the art of figure painting and portraiture, and do a live demonstration. Use this class to become familiar with your materials and to set creative objectives for this retreat. You'll get a brief lay-down of all the techniques employed in portraiture and figure painting, which you'll explore in a deeper manner over the course of the retreat. Paint alongside Nick, or observe, ask questions, and take in the information presented.You'll have a lunch break, then continue your intro to the course. Afterward, spend your leisure time relaxing in the gardens, lounging by the pool, or chatting with your fellow retreat participants on the terrace. End the day with a delicious three-course dinner prepared by the private chef, paired with a glass of delectable Spanish wine. ### Day 3: Trip to Granada Meet Nick and your art group for breakfast, then embark on a trip to the city of Granada. This landmark of Andalucía has an unmistakably Moorish flavor, present in its architecture, gastronomy, craftwork, and urban planning. A cultural hub of both Christianity and Islam, the city distinguishes itself through the marble fountains dotting the streets, impressive vistas, and the "Cármenes", a type of house emblematic for Granada, unique through its gardens of grape vines and fruit trees (the name itself comes from the Arabic "karm", meaning vine). After a two-hour bus journey, get to know the city through a brief walk, then dip into Andalucían cuisine with a lunch break, served at a local restaurant with amazing views of the Alhambra. After lunch, prepare to immerse in the mesmerizing Moorish architecture of the Alhambra, an unmissable UNESCO World Heritage Site.The Alhambra is a 13th-century palace brimming with gorgeous sculptural details of geometric patterns, plant motifs, and Arabic inscriptions. Your guide will walk you through the palace, sharing fascinating stories of the lives of kings, emissaries, and courtezans living in the fortress complex throughout the ages. Take pictures in the iconic Court of the Lions and get inspired by the rainbow-colored light filtering through the stained glass ceilings adorning the palace and the intricate lace-like motifs and woodwork that cover the walls. Whenever you feel inspired, you can stop and take pictures of the variety of visitors at this spectacular sight (which you can use as references back at the retreat venue), or sketch on the spot if you want to capture a feeling then and there. In the late afternoon, you will be transferred back to Finca Maltés del Fraile for a delicious dinner served with wine. ### Day 4: Painting at the Finca Start the day with a nutritious breakfast, then join Nick and your art group in the gardens at the Finca for the day's first class. Inspired by the verdant garden of the Finca Maltés del Fraile, you'll practice incorporating landscapes and floral elements into your portraits, blending the subjective, human element, with the all-encompassing influence of nature. Work on shape and composition, using Nick's guidance in creating realistic and expressive portraits, learning how to complement the facial features of a subject with the interesting shapes created by leaves and flowers. Nick will perform live demonstrations, and give individual feedback and tips throughout the whole process. Break for lunch and enjoy a refreshing meal, then continue your classes in the garden, polishing your portraits and playing with lights and shadows.Use your leisure time to relax, review your artistic goals, chat with your fellow creatives, then end the day with a scrumptious three-course chef-made dinner paired with Spanish wine. ### Day 5: Painting & lighthouse trip Begin the day with a rejuvenating breakfast, then join Nick and the art group for a day of painting in the art studio. Develop wonderful paintings using the reference photos you took in Granada, or follow along with Nick's demonstration, painting the live model in the studio. Nick will be there to offer one-to-one tuition and give advice on how to improve your use of composition, light, shadow, color mixing and theory. Take a break and enjoy some tasty lunch, then gear up for a lovely 5-hour visit to the Cabo de Gata lighthouse to see the gorgeous sunset over the Mediterranean Sea. Admire the stunning view of mountains sloping down into the sea and fascinating reefs that peak dramatically from the waves. The Reef of the Sirens, as it is known, is a fantastic rock formation dotting the water with beautiful shapes to create a dramatic landscape. Its name was given by the sailors who mistook the cries of Monk seals populating the area with the cries of the mythical Sirens.The lighthouse adorning the peak of the hill was built in the first half of the 18th century. From there, you can admire an impressive view to the east and west over the Park: the Saltworks, the Campillo de Gata, Cala Raja, Finger Reef (el Arrecife del Dedo), Punta Baja, San Miguel, and much more. Enjoy the majestic views, take reference pictures or paint, see the beauty in your environment and capture it on canvas or on paper.After sunset, return to the Finca for a delicious chef-made dinner paired with fine Spanish wine. ### Day 6: Painting at the Finca After breakfast at the Finca, join Nick and your group for another day of painting in the studio, continuing to work on the sketches (or photos) you made during the trip to the Cabo de Gata lighthouse or practicing live model painting. This is your chance to put all of the landscaping techniques you've learned so far to good use, in order to harmoniously integrate the natural background into your portraits. Take a lunch break, then continue your classes in the afternoon. Nick will be available to give you custom advice, suggest areas of improvement, and evaluate how you've evolved over the course of the retreat. Spend the rest of the evening relaxing on the terrace, chatting with your fellow creatives, then treat yourself to a delicious three-course dinner prepared by the private chef, paired with a glass of fragrant wine. ### Day 7: Painting at the venue After breakfast, use the morning class to polish your paintings and get them ready for the final day. Use this opportunity to ask Nick any remaining questions about improving your technique, as he will be there to offer individual tuition and perform demonstrations. After lunch, join your fellow creative travelers for a final exhibition (however, participation is not compulsory) of everyone's work. Take the chance to offer and receive constructive feedback, celebrate each other's work over a glass of wine, and enjoy a delectable farewell dinner, sharing impressions about your artistic journey during the retreat. ### Day 8: Departure Enjoy breakfast with Nick, say your farewells to your art group and get ready for your transfer to Almería Airport (LEI). Check-out is at 10:00 AM. ## Instructors - **Nick Alm** - Painter ## Accommodation ### Finca Maltés del Fraile ### Shared standard ensuite room ### Shared superior ensuite room ### Single standard ensuite room ### Single superior ensuite room ## Book This Retreat Visit [https://uptrek.com/retreat/painting-retreat-with-artist-nick-alm-spain](https://uptrek.com/retreat/painting-retreat-with-artist-nick-alm-spain) to make a reservation. *Provided by [UpTrek](https://uptrek.com)*