7 Days . Food & Accomm . Small Groups
If a painting escape is on your bucket list then this is the transformational experience that will tick the box, immerse you in the painters lifestyle AND awaken, empower, heal, transform and enable the HERO in you to emerge!
Pilgrimage ……..
‘A journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life’
FREEDOM TO LOOSEN UP!
….and like a Pilgrim, we will leave what is familiar, and perhaps outgrown, and pilgrimage to a location for quiet reconnection, to self and the land, to awaken and support creative exploration and expression. Using our heart as our guide, we listen each day in a mindful practice and in the evenings we demystify some theory and inspire with discussion so then - like the Impressionists and the Fauves who responded to the beauty of nature in their own expressive, boldly colourful, vital, kindly impressionistic and even naive way - you will feel comfortable to explore and respond to our beautiful surroundings in any creative style you like!
Just the desire to paint!
Over 7 glorious days you will live the dream and fill your inner tank with a plein air experience, hearty food, great company & conversation, guidance & critique and the freedom to loosen up, embrace colour and get to know what ignites your artistic soul. You will be encouraged to express yourself in your own unique style while you work on your own body of work. Give yourself permission to escape your day-to-day and pilgrimage to explode in self expression that will revive your spirit and leave you feeling recharged PLUS take home a body of work and a folder of inspirational images. Who knows how your life will open up afterwards - watch that space!!!!
Healing in the
heart of Bali
Central NW, Bali, Indo
Bali's reputation as a place of profound spiritual significance is deeply rooted in its unique energetic properties. Bali lies at the intersection of two large ley lines and is identified as an energy vortex, giving it the status of “The Worlds Purification Center.” The island’s energy is believed to purify, rejuvenate and guide people back to their true selves through spiritual purification and awakening. Nestled deep in the energetic heart center of the island among the rich landscapes of the Balinese Jungle is BALI ECO STAY. Pristine and ancient forests, centuries-old temples and rice field terraces as far as the eye can see, and steeped in profound local customs, will become our sanctuary. With our food grown and prepared by hand we will be nourished body and spirit in the company of like minded souls. Daily meditation will remove the blocks that get in the way, gentle and unspoiled nature, bathing in the waterfall and the remoteness will call to you and, journaling will track your spiritual and practical learnings. Talks, guidance, critique and demo will open our eyes and heart to the environment and feeling a new freedom to express it in your unique way you will bring home a body of work that has both opened up new genres, elevated your technical ability and revived your soul.
Ditch the bra and bring your hat and bathers!
“‘Shani has a sacred gift of holding a special space for the pilgrim - both internally & externally. Her authenticity, generosity, wisdom, elegance and love gives you a safe haven to grow, explore, heal and bring forth creative expression in a way that both surprises and delights’ Narelle 25”
2025 May 9-14
2025 Aug 25-1 Sep
Pilgrimage includes:
Airport transfers
Accommodation for 6 nights
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Refreshments
5 days of painting
Nightly talks and critique
Demonstration, coaching & guided walk
Guidance, connection & inspo
Welcome & Farewell ceremony
Final showing and critique
Daily Meditation & Journal work
Limited to 18 people
But doesn’t include:
Flights & Travel Insurance
Materials
Extra personal purchases
You will need to bring
You will be sent a Materials List, and will include things like safe shoes, layered clothes suitable for painting, a hat and sunscreen, your painting surfaces & materials, beach seat, visual diary, journal & smart-phone
Mystery in the
Tarkine Rainforest
The Tarkine, NW TAS
Take a step back in time and experience the raw beauty of this 65 million year old rainforest with World Heritage significance. The Tarkine region (pronouned tar-kine, is named after the traditional indigenous Tarkiner people and known as Takayna) is in Tasmania's wild North-West and is highly significant on a global scale for its ecosystems and forests that date back to the ancient supercontinent, Gondwana Land with fossils between 100-700 million years old. The region has almost no permanent residents and most of the Tarkine is unprotected. The ancient rainforest is full of deeply forested valleys with cathedral-like groves in every shade of green with big old growth eucalypts, myrtle, leatherwood, pines, tree ferns, lush vegetation, mosses and fungi. The energy in the air alone, in this untouched paradise, rejuvenates at a cellular level and clears the mind. The coastline of The Tarkine is considered to be The Edge Of The World and also offers us insanely wild coastal painting too. Expect this to not only be transformational but a “life-altering” experience of wild, untamed, unspoiled nature in the lungs of the world and at its very edge and with a sisterhood and guidance so you can truly open your eyes and heart to a new freedom
Bring your thermals and woolens!
“There is none else I know that can put together an experience that has all, bar none, get an emotional and creative breakthrough, paint amazing pieces AND the sisterhood works from the first minute” Lynne”
2025 March (sold out)
2026 Feb
Pilgrimage includes:
Return airfare between Melb - Tas & transfers
Accommodation for 5 nights
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Refreshments
4 days of painting
Nightly talks and critique
Demonstration and coaching
Guidance, connection & inspo
Final showing and critique
Daily Meditation & Journal work
Limited to 19 people
But doesn’t include:
Travel Insurance
Alcohol & Materials
Extra personal purchases
You will need to bring
You will be sent a Materials List, and will include things like comfy shoes, warm layered clothes suitable for painting, warm hats and mittens, your painting surfaces & materials, visual diary, journal & smart-phone
Garden-Scapes at
Planetrees Estate
Stanley, Beechworth, VIC
Planetrees Estate is set within a magnificent, two- hectare European-style garden in the heart of picturesque Stanley, Victoria, a short drive from historic Beechworth in Victoria’s North East wine and gourmet food region. It is the vision of passionate owner, architect and garden designer, the inimitable Genevieve, who lovingly created the landscaped gardens and the accommodation to foster wellbeing through calming and private surrounds. The garden, inspired by the European gardens of Genevieve’s travels, comprises a series of terraces and “rooms” defined by bold hedges. The beds showcase rare and exotic plants in dense perennial borders arranged to celebrate every season in her full glorious colour, texture and scent. The accommodation reflects a Tuscan farmhouse made from locally salvaged, recycled materials and offers beautifully comfortable twin share, styled with French fabrics and original artworks. The natural pool is edged with beautiful trees and exotic flowers and the dragon flies and birds busy themselves amongst the water lilies, irises and bull rushes while the frogs serenade by night. With so many exciting pond study and garden plein air compositions we will feel like we are immersed in a Monet painting.
Bring your hat and bathers!
““A fabulous colour journey that’s taken me to a doorway I now boldly step through! I feel safe, inspired and I feel respected and I feel encouraged by my most wonderful experience to paint and now actually, keep painting. Something I have always wanted to do but have been way too scared” Suzanna”
2024: no dates
2025: no dates
Pilgrimage includes:
Airport transfers
Accommodation for 6 nights
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Alcohol & Refreshments
5 days of painting
Nightly talks and critique
Demonstration and coaching
Guidance, connection & inspo
Final showing and critique
Daily Meditation & Journal work
Limited to 12 people
But doesn’t include:
Flights & Travel Insurance
Materials
Extra personal purchases
You will need to bring
You will be sent a Materials List and it will include things like comfy shoes, layered clothes suitable for painting, a hat, a beanie & mittens, your painting surfaces & materials, beach seat, visual diary, journal & smart-phone
Landscapes in
Outback OZ
Macdonnell Ranges, NT
The MacDonnell Ranges stretch 644 km across Central Australia divided as Eastern and Western either side of Alice Springs. 115 kms out from Alice Springs, in the awesome “Eastern Mac’s”, is the Hale River Homestead which will become our comfortable base. From here we explore N’Dhala Gorge with its prehistoric rock carvings and Trephina Gorge completely surrounded by sheer red and purple quartzite rock faces and we marvel at the ghost gums along the sandy creek bed. This is Albert Namatjira country, significant to the Arrernte Aboriginal peoples, and the minerals in the earth throw purples, orange & pinks like you wouldn’t believe. With daily meditation to face and move blocks, you will journal to track your personal learnings and, when this harsh land eventually ignites in your very soul that is where you will settle and let your creativity express itself. After a hearty meal around a monstrously roaring hearth we will draw from the many who have painted before us with talks, guidance, critique and demo so you can truly open your eyes and heart to this ancient land with her deep spirituality and feel a new freedom to respond to her amazing colours and to express her with YOUR voice.
Bring your hat and fly net, not buts!
“ Shani new exactly what I needed to overcome my habit of painting over and over again. I celebrate my breakthrough and know exactly where I am now and that takes so much confusion away, thank you sincerely” Dianne”
2024: JUNE (sold out)
2025: JULY TBA
Pilgrimage includes:
Airport transfers
Accommodation for 6 nights
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Refreshments
5 days of painting
Nightly talks and critique
Demonstration and coaching
Guidance, connection & inspo
Final showing and critique
Daily Meditation & Journal work
Limited to 12 people
But doesn’t include:
Flights & Travel Insurance
Materials
Alcohol or extra purchases
You will need to bring
You will be sent a Materials List and it will include things like comfy shoes, layered clothes suitable for painting, a hat, a beanie & mittens, your painting surfaces & materials, beach seat, visual diary, journal & smart-phone
