After I was widowed it hit home for me how my approach to travel would change. My husband and I were extremely close, and for much of the last ten years we were with each other 24/7. After he died I thought a lot about all the trips we never made together, but the idea of traveling alone to those places held no appeal. No one I could share dinner with, snorkle with, laugh with.
That bothered me. I'd always been independent, not one who needed a partner for fulfillment. I was a little surprised that I wasn't up to travel as a singleton. Which is why I've been looking for vacation art retreats. I can travel to a new place and renew my soul while expanding my artistic skills. At the top of my list are those offered by Elizabeth St Hilaire at PaperPairings.com. She offers retreats at a number of very appealing locations, including Orlando, Puerto Vallarta, Tuscany, Sedona, and Whidbey Island (WA). She's a mixed media artist and watercolorist, and her chosen subjects (pets, florals, birds) are very similar to mine.
Although Sedona is one of my top travel destinations, I'll probably go to Whidbey Island for the retreat because I've lived here in Washington more than a year but still not ventured out to do any PNW sightseeing, and Whidbey is on my must-visit list. In these uncertain times, an option that doesn't require air travel and an interaction with hoards of unmasked strangers is pretty appealing.
Only drawback is the length of the workshop. I'm more of a 3-day person, so 5-days is a little bit of a stretch, but I will contemplate it and decide shortly! Wanna join me? Check out workshops offered by Elizabeth Hilaire at the PNW Art School. They also offer quick online-only courses, including one in pet collage portraits that I'm considering.
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