Intuitive Painting Slowing Into Autumn

This one-day retreat invites you to immerse yourself fully in Hawkwood’s landscape and the atmosphere of autumn. The day is designed to help you observe, feel, and respond to the subtle shifts of the season, from falling leaves and softening light to textures, patterns, and movement in the natural world and translate these experiences into intuitive, expressive painting.

We begin with outdoor exploration, using the sights, sounds, and textures of the surroundings to ground and inspire your creativity. Quick sketches, mark-making exercises, and observational studies help you tune into patterns of change, movement, and release, capturing the season’s essence before moving back indoors to develop your work. If the weather is wet or overcast, reflections, rain patterns, and deeper tones become equally inspiring, revealing the richness within the season.

A major focus of the day is colour and its connection to autumn. Participants will explore, mix, and experiment with palettes drawn from the landscape: warm earth tones, deep greens, muted hues, and shifting light. These palettes form the foundation for paintings that reflect both the external environment and your personal, intuitive response.

The afternoon is dedicated to developing expressive works, building on your mark-making and colour studies. You’ll explore themes of change, slowing down, and being in rhythm with the season, leaving the retreat with paintings that capture Hawkwood’s landscape and your inner creative landscape, as well as inspiration to continue painting at home.