Join artist and retreat creator KATO WAKE and special guest artist CATHERINE WELD, for an inspiring, intimate week-long painting retreat at a gorgeous working winery, Château Canet. This painting holiday is a rare opportunity to hone your painting skills, paint looser, and indulge your senses in the stunning Languedoc region in southern France. OCTOBER 1 to 8, 2027.
Catherine and Kato have over 50 years combined teaching and art practice, and you will benefit from dual perspectives that encourage open discussion and problem-solving. This painting holiday is designed for artists wanting to step out of their comfort zones and explore art making through intuition, markmaking and conscious play. It’s ideal for those wanting to loosen up and quiet their inner critic. Open to all skill levels, especially those new to painting. If you have always wanted to paint, this week is a perfect choice.
Each morning starts with focused exercises, while the afternoons are dedicated to applying these concepts to your own work, with gentle guidance and feedback. The day concludes with recap sessions, Q&A, and lively discussions to deepen your understanding and foster a collaborative learning environment. Experiment with any medium and style – but acrylics will be the ‘go-to’. A supply list will be available upon registration, and some supplies will be included to help make your travels stress-free.
The venue is exceptional, so of course there will be chill out time to soak it up! A few excursions are planned – a visit to Carcassonne Cité, and a private barge ride (with lunch!) on the Canel du Midi. This is an ALL INCLUSIVE holiday – ALL your meals, WINE with lunch and dinner, and PRIVATE COACH transportation to and from Toulouse airport are included. Expect to experience a well organized, FUN and inspired week, with beautiful accommodations, and delicious food and wine.
Limited to 14 to 17 participants.
This is non-smoking and non-vaping workshop.
LEARN MORE! READ THE BROCHURE HERE.
SIGN UP NOW and get the EARLY BIRD PRICING!
EMAIL katowake@gmail.com
State your name, email. whatsapp phone number, and your skill level – beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Want to share a cottage with a particular person? Let me know!
Catherine worked in the UK as a social documentary photographer, then facilitated hospice-based projects making books and films with people at the end of life. A graphic design degree followed, then a move to West Cork in 2012 – where solitude, risk and freedom suited her artistic temperament.
Catherine loves life drawing and teaching adults the principles of markmaking and colour, with play as a means of experimentation and exploration. She also enjoys the challenges of exhibition curation and has been involved in several environmental campaigns.
She has exhibited at the RA Summer Show in London, the RUA in Belfast, and the Vue Art Fair, RHA, Dublin. Her paintings are inx the OPW and Cork County Council art collections, and in private homes in Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, USA and the UK.
