Italy
March 27 - April 3, 2025
with TERRI FROELICH and SUSAN MELRATH
Sold out!
Join Terri and Susan for an 8 day / 7 night intimate retreat experience in a magical, thirteenth century medieval hamlet in Tuscany, surrounded by more than 600 hectares of forest, olive grove and vineyards, overlooking the Val di Chiana.
You’ll sleep in an enchanting, picturesque castle at the hilltop of the hamlet. Enclosed in the ancient walls, your room will have the imprint of peasant life that prudent restorations have preserved. You’ll dine on authentic Tuscan meals made of simple, local fresh ingredients prepared daily.
Your days will be spent painting and discovering all the nuances of color contrasts and applying them to your work. You’ll learn from coaches Susan Melrath and Terri Froelich, who see you, connect with you, laugh with you, and walk beside you.
Our retreats are kept small and intimate for a reason.
This magical, thirteenth century medieval hamlet in Tuscany will be your home for the week.
Terri Froelich & Susan Melrath
WE FEEL YOU…
Color is in your soul.
Cool, muted colors bring a sense of calm. Warm, saturated colors give us energy. Color, like music, reaches us on an emotional level. It can convey moods and hidden meanings, and even influence people. Simply put, color is life. It surrounds us. It stirs us. It communicates to all of our senses instantly.
MORE THAN A FEELING
For artists, color can make our viewers “feel” something. It can capture the feeling of a warm summer night or a fleeting moment in time. Given that composition is built on contrasts, color provides many ways to evoke those feelings including contrasts of hue, value, saturation, opacity and temperature. Just imagining all these components might feel overwhelming, let alone mastering them.
WE KNOW THE FEELING
The Color Cure retreat is dedicated to helping you do just that, along with the guidance of two artists who have immersed themselves in this field. Practical exercises, hands-on experience, and personal feedback will ensure that your art-making becomes a richer process and you have a deeper connection between what you want to say and how you say it.
What You Will Learn
Color offers so many forms of contrast: hue, value, saturation, complementary, opacity, and temperature contrasts. That’s a lot to unpack, and that’s just what we’ll be doing.
We’ll cover:
Composing with color.
Mixing any color you want.
Limiting your palette for greater emotional impact.
Finding new palettes for expression.
Understanding how the principles of art apply to color.
Mastering color contrasts.
Recognizing the limits of the color wheel.
Mastering a skill isn’t about memorizing facts or learning formulas. It's about understanding why things work and then applying them. During our week together we’ll be your guides. Our morning exercises are guaranteed to strengthen your mastery of color contrasts, allowing you to have total control of your composition. Our afternoon painting prompts and one-on-one guidance will provide the experiential learning that sticks and applies to YOUR art.
What’s Included
Morning and afternoon teaching sessions with
Susan and Terri
7 nights accommodation
All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)- authentic, farm to table, tuscan style cuisine made fresh daily. (Tuscan wines and cocktails available for purchase!)
Indoor painting studio
Transportation assistance to/from the airport
How it Works
At the time of booking, you pay a US$500 non-refundable deposit.
The remaining balance is split into half.
The first half is due 30 days from the date of booking.
The remaining balance is due 30 days after that (60 days from the date of booking).
Note that images shown of rooms are for reference only and may not be the exact room you reserve.
Accommodations & Costs
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Single Occupancy
Queen Bed / Private Bath
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Double Occupancy
Twin Beds / Shared Bath
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The workshop is located in the Tuscany region of Italy. We recommend flying into Amerigo Vespucci Airport / Florence (FLR) or San Francesco d'Assisi Airport / Perugia (PEG). These airports are 1 to 1.5 hour drive respectively from the retreat venue. A few months before the retreat, we will send you options for transportation services from the airport to the retreat center. Each attendee will be responsible for the cost of transportation to and from the retreat venue.
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This retreat accommodates 20 artists with instructors Terri Froelich & Susan Melrath. There are 16 single rooms and 2 double shared rooms (total 4 people). All rooms have ensuite bathrooms. Accommodations are on a first come, first basis and all reservations must be completed through this website.
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Accommodations for 7 nights, painting instruction with Susan and Terri (morning and afternoon sessions each day), meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and some fun and laughs!
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Airfare, travel insurance (required), transportation to and from the venue, supplies, alcoholic beverages, tips for staff, art supplies, travel before or after the workshop and/or any personal purchases made.
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We accept all major credit card. If you prefer an alternative payment method, please reach out to us at info@artfuelstudio.com. All payments are billed in US Dollars.
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Yes, to reserve your spot for the retreat, we require a US$ 500 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit. The remaining balance will be billed as follows:
The remaining balance is split into half
The first half is due 30 days from the date of booking
The remaining balance is due 30 days after that (60 days from the date of booking). All retreat fees must be paid in full 90 days before the start of the retreat.
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Your US$ 500 deposit is non-refundable, non-transferable. If you need to cancel after additional payments have been made, we are happy to refund the amount paid (less your deposit), once the retreat is full and a replacement person takes your spot and has paid in full - (we’ll be keeping a waitlist).
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Our retreats can often accommodate vegetarian, gluten free and other common food sensitivities. We will send a questionnaire prior to the workshop asking for your requests at that time so the venue is prepared.
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Yes, travel insurance and proof of purchase is required for all workshops. Please do your research to determine if you should purchase standard travel insurance or if CFAR travel insurance (cancel for any reason) is better for you.
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Below is a short list of supplies needed, but you'll receive a full list in advance of the retreat.
Acrylic Paint (this workshop is taught in acrylics only)
Smaller nylon brushes flats and rounds
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To view the ARTfuel Studio Retreats Terms & Conditions, please click HERE.