Words matter.
Sometimes, words need clarification.
I try my best to be clear when describing my trips, to avoid misunderstandings and mismatched expectations. Most of the time, I believe, I get it right. Often, though, I receive enquiries from individuals who have little idea of what my holidays actually offer, entail or stand for. Very occasionally, the misconception continues even after being supplied with all the relevant information. I can send whole dissertations about what to expect on a Vistas trip, but if nobody bothers to read it, I’m not sure what else I can do.
After a spate of would-be clients asking for details of my ‘retreats’, I realise it starts with the title. To clarify, these people weren’t asking about my retreats. The trips they had clicked on were Sketchbook Journeys, an experience about as un-retreat like as you could imagine. Perhaps these enquirers simply use the word ‘retreat’ to mean any kind of holiday which involves painting. Call me pedantic, but it confused me so much I almost booked someone onto the wrong trip.
I do offer a couple of retreats. But they couldn’t differ more from the majority of Vistas holidays, so it’s probably time for further elaboration.
According to Collins dictionary, the word ‘retreat’ is a verb, a variable noun and a countable noun, which they outline like this:
Word forms: retreats, retreating, retreated
Verb: If you retreat, you move away from something or someone.
Verb: When an army retreats, it moves away from enemy forces in order to avoid fighting them.
If you retreat from something such as a plan or a way of life, you give it up, usually in order to do something safer or less extreme.
Variable noun: Retreat is also a noun. ‘The army is in full retreat’ (we wish)
Countable noun: A retreat is a quiet, isolated place that you go to in order to rest or to do things in private.
Synonyms: refuge, haven, resort, retirement
The online Vocabulary.com puts it more simply:
‘The noun retreat means a place you can go to be alone, to get away from it all. A spot under a shady tree might be your favorite retreat from the sun, or your bedroom in the basement may serve as a retreat from your siblings.’
These definitions put an Artists’ Retreat in marked contrast to a Sketchbook Journey, Adventure or Break, with an itinerary consisting of cultural immersion, interaction with the locals, travelling from location to location, painting advice, set challenges and exploring the area as a group.
Vistas holidays have also been referred to as ‘courses’ which, with one notable exception, is not the case.
I have produced a document – Which Trip? – which lays out the main differences, indicates which itineraries fall into which category, and also offers a grading system with scores based on comfort (whether the accommodation is basic or luxury, driving times, etc.); fitness levels required, and difficulty of the painting subjects and conditions. I strongly recommend asking for this document if there is any confusion about what an individual trip entails, or to see if there’s something more suitable offered in the same location.
For now, I’m concentrating on the types of sketching and painting holiday I offer, in the hope that the differences will become obvious. I am always available to answer questions, however random, about any of the trips. It’s vitally important you choose the right one for you, and if you feel that none of them are, that’s perfectly alright. There really are a lot of operators out there, and I’m aware my approach is not everyone’s cup of tea. Understanding exactly the type of experience you’re booking, and not just assuming the reality will match the images you have in your mind despite the descriptions I have laid out, will save a lot of grief for everyone.
TRIP TYPES
‘Which type of Vistas holiday should I choose, and what can I expect?’
Sketchbook Journeys
Morocco: Discover Morocco
Scotland: Around the Blooming Heather
Sri Lanka: Land of Smiles
Greek Islands: Realm of the Nesoi
These itineraries generally move from place to place, staying just one or two nights in each accommodation and visiting a large number of painting locations. In the case of Scotland, you stay in just one place (of your choice) but due to the trip’s active nature and the number of sketching places visited I have classed it as a ‘journey’.
On these trips there will be a fair amount of driving (or bussing) involved, and they are somewhat more adventurous in nature.
These are ideal trips for making an illustrated travel journal, with or without writing, and while the focus is on sketching, the travel experience itself is of equal importance. You can expect cultural immersion on these trips.
Sketching Breaks
Sri Lanka: Ocean Breezes
Italy: Enrosadira
Canary Islands: Mists of Time
These trips can be thought of as a ‘softer’ option; staying in one place throughout the trip, usually in slightly better quality accommodation, yet with equally spectacular scenery, these are rather more conventional painting holidays. However, we still visit new locations every day, sketching and painting outside in the landscape, and transport is usually required to reach those places. There will be some walking required, which varies from trip to trip, and we aim to have a thorough overview of the area; however, as staying around the accommodation and sitting out the day’s activities is possible, a Sketching Break could be thought of as similar to a Retreat.
Sketching Adventures
Canary Islands: Edge of the World
Scotland: Windswept Wilderness; The Bonnie Broom
Morocco: Painted Desert
Sri Lanka: Rajarata
Not as frenetic as a ‘Journey’ but a little more active than a ‘Break’, these trips involve travel between destinations and require a certain level of fitness. Walks and climbs are sometimes avoidable, but in doing so, highlights would be missed.
Artists’ Retreats
Morocco: Argans & Almonds
Scotland: Where the Corncrakes Sing
The retreats are designed for practising artists who are happy to pursue their own agenda within a small group of like-minded people with travel logistics taken care of.
There are optional hour-long demonstrations/workshops each morning which can provide a focus for the day’s painting, and we get together in the late afternoon to share what we’ve been doing, and to offer helpful critique. The hours in between are yours to fill as you please. Excursions are scheduled, but also optional.
The retreats are situated in places rich in inspiring subject matter which offer us natural beauty, peace, quiet and solitude, if desired.
Intensive Courses
Morocco, Scotland and tailor-made: Lines in the Sand
The intensive course is aimed at complete beginners, though I can accommodate other levels also, and focus on a particular skill set if desired. This structured course is designed to take you from the very beginning up to completing a watercolour painting you feel pleased with.
The courses run alongside the retreats. We are all part of the same group, meeting morning and evening; those on the course stay with me during the day (approximately 5 hours tuition/guidance daily). I can take a maximum of two on the course, and they must be at a similar level, and studying the same syllabus.
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