Three Sisters Art Retreat

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Oct 5 - Day 1 Welcome Day!
After settling in to our accommodations we will gather at Susan’s Welcome Rock Studio for a wonderful New England dinner cooked by the sisters. Cheers!

Oct 6 - Day 2 Getting to Know the Materials
We will spend the day in Welcome Rock Studio.
Participants will create a portable plein air kit and will receive a beautiful hand-sewn journal filled with watercolor paper and adorned with a canvas cover to be personalized at whim.
We’ll learn how to create a personal palette and start making the first marks in our sketchbooks. Using pen and watercolor we will illustrate our tools, learn about annotation styles to incorporate text into our work, and explore composition and color.

Oct 7 - Day 3 To the Seashore
We will gather at Welcome Rock for some instruction on plein air sketching and using gouache and creating a seascape palette. Later, with plein air kit in tow, we will head to a local beach on Quonochontaug Neck, the narrow barrier island that separates Block Island Sound and Ninigret Pond. While there we will sketch, paint, photograph, and breath the sea air . Before leaving, we will do some beachcombing, collecting specimens, shells, and seaweed to bring back to the studio.
In the afternoon, instruction will be given in nature illustration so we can paint our beach finds in our journals.

Oct 8 - Day 4 To the Farmlands and Woods
We’ll begin the day at the studio for more instruction on plein air sketching and creating a woodland palette.  Then we will head out to explore South County, known for its stone walls, meandering brooks, and old barns. We’ll bring our journals and plein air kit to paint and draw. We will forage for natural specimens to bring back to the studio.
In the afternoon, we’ll head back to Welcome Rock Studio to paint our leaves, stones, pinecones, and other treasures.

Oct 9 - Day 5 Urban Sketching in Wickford Village
We’ll begin in the studio for an exploration of urban sketching techniques and exercises before heading out.  Our destination is Wickford, a quintessential New England coastal village and harbor established in 1709, in full fall foliage glory.  We’ll spend the afternoon sketching and photographing, then return to the studio to complete ink and watercolor details.
In the evening, a special dinner is in store at the renowned Matunuck Oyster Bar where fresh local seafood is served as well as farm-to-table vegetables.

Oct 10 - Day 6 A Trip to Providence
We will travel to Providence for a walking tour of historic College Hill, and a continuation of our urban sketching.  At midday, we’ll meet up with another Sward sister, photographer Audrey Monahan. She’ll join us on a tour the very special Providence Art Club and enjoy a hosted lunch. Time permitting, a visit to the Rhode Island School of Design’s Museum and Nature Lab completes our day.

Oct 11 - Day 7 Pulling It All Together
This will be a studio day for reflecting on the week and finishing up our sketchbooks. We will add pockets to hold ephemera gathered during the week and we will  preserve fall leaves in wax to tuck within the pages. We will fill vials with beach sand to dangle from ribbon as bookmarks. A goodbye dinner at the Charlestown Rathskeller, an old New England speakeasy, caps our week.