Join LightScapes Studio for a secluded island getaway for our PleinAir Painting Retreat to Captiva Island. Captiva is located north of Sanibel Island and an hour from Fort Myers on Florida’s Southwest Coast. The flight from Newark is approximately three hours to this exclusive paradise.

 

If you haven’t been to Captiva Island you will fall in love with the old school rustic nature of the island, minimal tourism and a real chill vibe conducive to relaxation. Long stretches of white-sandy beaches with gorgeous calm turquoise waters and plenty of sun and fun water activities. 

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We will be staying at the charming Tween Waters Island Resort and Spa which is well equipped with so many amenities three restaurants, gift shops,  several pools, whirl pools a gorgeous spa with all the exciting water sport rentals, excursions, kayaking, shelling and much more. There are more amenities than we have time to try them all out we also have cabanas twenty feet from our suites to relax and take in all this beauty at one peaceful tranquil location. 

 

What will be included for you the artist and guest...!!!

Well we start our oasis off by having a suite with two double beds you can choose to share a room with your friend or keep it for yourself. The rooms are all on the second and third floors and I have reserved 12 exclusive suites for our artists. 

 

Group lessons on composition, color theory and value studies along with step by step demonstrations in oils and pastel outside and inside the facility will be offered by me all day everyday. I will be at your service from 9:00am till 5:00pm daily. One on one attention and direction, along with group step by step lessons and full demonstrations daily. Informal critiques are a great way to explore your skills and receive open minded educated advice to improve your approach to creating. I will offer that as each individual artist feels the need. 

 

You will be able to loan our light weight pochade boxes, easels, tripod and pleinair chairs for the entire week.  You will also receive two online classes including the following lessons on composition, pleinair techniques and color theory all prior to our departure from New Jersey.  We will go to different locations every day morning and afternoon and we will take a mid-day lunch break back in different locations daily. We are always close to our accommodations and will be free to always come and go as we please. 

 

We will have informal onsite group critiques and most of all enjoy ourselves outdoors in good company with fun adventurous like-minded artists. Spouses, bff’s, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers are also welcome to participate as artists or come explore this breathtaking paradise as non-artists. Remember I teach all artistic levels and as always welcome everyone.

 

Upon our arrival you will receive an itinerary of all our adventures we will be having while vacationing on our peaceful island. While on Captiva some of our Highlights will be painting the Sunrise during early morning predawn hours the sun rises over our marina boats will be silhouetting our painting with the gorgeous Floridian sunrise. We will then another day take a walk up to a more reclusive part of our island to capture the most gorgeous sunset with our scrub trees on the ungroomed beaches right on the breathtaking gulf of Mexico. These experiences will take your breath away. 

 

We will paint such a wide variety of subject matter, including Sanibel’s local lighthouse right on the island, the downtown village of Old Captiva is an ideal place to learn some urban sketching with watercolor and fine micron pens or a pastel sketch on some sanded paper.  

 

The highlight of our trip will be our full day private excursion out on the peaceful waters of our island experience on the gulf of Mexico. Captain Jenny a native to the island regions of southwest Florida has mapped out an unforgettable adventure for us. Jenny will take us on our private PleinAir Painting tour which will include shelling, snorkeling painting photographing and dinning, all while nestled on the shore of these breathtaking uninhabited reef islands in the gulf.  Painting these phenominal moments  on these natural uninhabited  beaches has been a dream finally come true. We will be barefoot relaxed and in our element a bit rustic in nature but defiantly the highlight to our entire Vacation. Our adventure for the day will then be wrapped up with an deliteful island lunch at a private beach club. 

 

Some more excursions are we will then frequent the marina to learn how to paint a local docked boat and capture it’s reflection in the marina. We will take a one day trip to Naples waterfront shops a quaint little village on the bay to enjoy Tin City and a local Gallery after having a yummy lunch out on the docks. Naples and Fort Meyers both have may local fine art galleries which I think will be an added bonus to our day excursion off the Island. I will find a contemporary gallery to visit for our day trip. This is also an ideal time to bring your sketchbook and we can do some urban sketching at the waterfront galleria sketches are always great for future painting. 

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Our final evening on the island we will take a sunset cruise enjoy a glass of wine and relax  watching  dolphins get ready to settle in for the evening and we get ready to return home in the morning.