Este is a free-spirited artist with a background in textile design. She has been teaching on-line art courses since 2015, focusing on processes and concepts to make individuals' creativity blossom. These courses have gained an incredible following, as Este combines carefully-selected materials and techniques and shows different methods to be used for continued exploration. 

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"When I teach, I keep guidelines tight and simplify processes, the knowledge gained enables the flourishing of new ideas when applied to individual art practices."

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Este is a professional artist and designer. In addition to her paintings sold in galleries in the UK and internationally, her work is used in a variety of products ranging from wallpapers and textiles, homeware, ceramics, puzzles, stationary and book illustrations.

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Born in South Africa, Este has been living in the UK since 1999.

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Her educational background includes: HND Textile Design, Fine Art Printmaking, BA Hons Ceramics and Glass, MA in Contemporary Jewellery Design.

Creative Living Retreats really are just that. Living to create, whilst we take time out for ourselves to retreat from all the concerns of our daily lives within an easeful environment to relax, restore, revive and experience the intoxicating pleasure of making art.

 

Yoga is a foundation element in Creative Living Retreats and one of the reasons that Anna created the retreats in the first place. The yoga teachers invited to participate with us must bring a constellation of very special qualities with them. 

 

Angelina La Miette joined us in 2019 and we are delighted to welcome here back for 2021. Living in Bali, and originally from eastern Australia, Angelina brings deep heart, poetry and passion to her solid yoga teaching experience. Supportive and authentic, we’ve all felt so connected to one another as a result of time shared in Angelina’s classes … and for those who yearn to dance and float on the evening breeze …  you won’t be disappointed - Angelina is a soulfully inspired dance instructor too!

 

With our small groups, you’re assured of plenty of individual attention. The yoga will test those who like to find their edge and extend, and nurture those who may be coming to yoga for the first time, after a long time, or with injuries.

Please connect with Anna or Angelina to enquire if you have any concerns – there are always alternatives if yoga isn’t for you this time.  

 

We extend to you a warm welcome to join us on all of the painting retreats in Bali in 2021

Even before I'd completed building Villa Nilaya in 2012, I knew that it was a perfect place to share with creative people who yearned for some peace and quiet to hear themselves think. At that time I was a full-time art gallery director, short of time, surrounded by artists, and a dedicated yoga practitioner.

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It was from here that Creative Living Retreats evolved. I designed what I  was yearning for and invited friends to join me. Now, 20 retreats later, we have refined our offerings to ensure that the essential reason for the retreat remains foremost - time to come to rest, find one's centre, and surrounded and inspired by this beautifully authentic part of Bali, exercise that innate creative instinct that we all have.

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These retreats  bring me great happiness and now, as I write this here in the midst of the COVID crisis, I realise how much!  But it is a real pleasure to anticipate 2022's Creative Living Retreats with Este MacLeod 

 

I hope that you'll be able to join us on a Creative Journey.   

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Anna has a B.Sc in Medical Technology and an M.A. in Sienese Art History from the Courtauld Institute, University of London. She owned a fine art gallery for 18 years and has been creating Art Retreats in Bali and Sri Lanka since 2011.

Jenni has been teaching adults for 30 years, and continues to do so, saying “I love teaching and have worked out I love it more most of the time than working for me. The joy of seeing their success feeds me. “

 

She has been a practising artist for as many years and has participated in many solo and group shows, nowadays Jenni usually has a solo show each year at Linton and Kay in Perth and is represented by Yallingup Galleries.

 

Private commissions are numerous, and Jenni’s Public Art Commission can be seen throughout the state of Western Australia, the most recent being for 4 large works for the Lotteries Commission’s new building - including the ‘Winners’ Room’, she adds “ I said goodbye to them forever when they were hung, guessing I am not ever going to win Lotto!”

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Renowned for her detailed techniques involving mixed media, stitchery, fabric collage, a variety of inventive printing techniques and, increasingly, ephemerally beautiful painting in oil and acrylics, Jenni's many years as an arts educator means you will received intensive and effective tuition in some of Jenni's most idiosyncratic techniques, as well as  expert guidance in composition and design. 

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In 2021 we offer you 2 possibilities for expanding your experience with working on paper (the same gorgeous 600gm paper than Jenni uses).

Choose from 6-day Botanical Bounty Retreat and a 2-day intensive workshop, or choose both and fast-track your progress in the following retreat week.

Nadine is a highly experienced Arts Educator and very skilled communicator. Her 30-year career has been a combination of practising art and teaching art to both adults and teenagers in Perth, country WA,  and internationally.

 

She is currently Head of the Arts at St Marks Anglican School in Hillarys Western Australia, and also teaches Visual Art to secondary students.   

 

For 4 years she and her family lived in China, where she taught Visual Art in an IB International school.

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Nadine has been part of a number of group exhibitions around Perth, one in China and a solo exhibition in Fremantle and her work is now in collections in Singapore, Norway, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and China. 

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Her great love is mixed media painting, portraiture and sculpting clay portrait narratives and thematically her work reflects the ebb and flow of her own life and the big moments faced.

 

Passionate about arts education, Nadine brings formidable skills of organisation with her, ensuring that even her ambitious 'Portrait of Bali' retreat, which we are presenting for the 5th year, will achieve a result that you are thrilled with

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Shelley Kenigsberg is a prominent freelance editor, writer and trainer who’s worked in publishing for over 30 years. She works in most genres (except scientific books) for publishers (including Penguin Random House, Murdoch Books/ Pier 9, TAFE NSW, McGraw-Hill, Brandl & Schlesinger) and authors preparing to submit to publishers and those doing their own independent/self publishing. She works with commercial and government organisations and has, more recently, been co-writer/ ghostwriter on memoirs. Her favourite? Being a true collaborator on a writing project, as editor/writing mentor.

Shelley worked (as editor and publisher) at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Harper Collins, John Wiley, and Macquarie University. Since 1998, she’s been freelance as proprietor of S K Publishing, in Sydney.

She was Head of Macleay College’s Book Editing and Publishing Diploma for 27 years and, since 2009, has led long and short courses in editing and writing. She presents at literary festivals (Ubud Writers and Readers), writers’ conferences (Asia Pacific Writers and Translators), and at writing centres in Australia, Indonesia and Singapore (Academy of Literature and Publishing).

She was president, NSW Editors Society 2000–‘03; vice president ‘03–‘06) and chaired committees for the Institute of Professional Editors (IPED), Australia.

Read more about Shelley Kenigsberg: www.writinginparadise.com.au

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After many years of presenting writing retreats in Bali, this is her first presentation at Villa Nilaya, with Anna Kwiecinska

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CATE is a professional artist, illustrator and arts educator, recognised for her enchanting drawings, detailed watercolours and storytelling skills with paint, be it on paper or canvas. She is a gifted and intuitive designer with many commercial outcomes in print, on textile and ceramic.

 

Cate's teaching skills effortlessly take you past that scary 'blank page moment' with  clever techniques to have you painting from the  moment you arrive - literally. You will be amazed at what you can paint with Cate's guidance, even if you've never painted before. 

 

Cate holds weekly painting workshops that have awaiting list of years to join, so these Bali retreats offer rare opportunities to work closely with guidance, inspiration and joy from the artist who has been working here with Anna since our very first retreat in 2012   

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Cate's Signature 6-day retreat is now in its 9th year and includes all of the extra activities that people keep returning to enjoy, year after year. You have my personal guarantee that you will LOVE the paintings you produce, as well as go home armed with lots of  techniques to keep you painting! 

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We offer you two different 6-night retreats with Cate Edwards in Bali in 202. The first is our Signature Retreat most suitable for those new or not too familiar with painting and will focus on making two mid-size works on canvas, and the following retreat, Large, Layered and Lavish is especially for those who want to really throw some paint around and tackle a single, large canvas. Both are open for making your reservations now.