Lisa Solomon Bali Art Retreat 2024

Colour Meditation

Watercolour Painting
+ Yoga Retreat in Bali

with

Lisa Solomon (USA)
& Anna Kwiecinska

Dates to be announced so
Express your interest! HERE

DAY 1 - arrival day, no program (AIRPORT is DENPASAR BALI)

DAYS 2 - 8 - art plus culture program all days

DAY 9 - departure day, no program

ABOUT

THE NEW ART + YOGA RETREAT in BALI with LISA SOLOMON

A retreat for the soul.

A deeply immersive discovery though the mediums of painting with watercolours and sound therapy to embody the powerful relationships between colour, sound and mind.

Color is an incredibly personal and intimate thing. We interact with color on numerous times on a daily basis. We all have favorite colors (even if they change from time to time). Color also influences our mind and emotions. Studies have proven that our bodies viscerally react to the colors that surround us – why do you think fast food restaurants are predominately red, orange, yellow and hospitals are crème, mint, and pale blues?

The beginning of the retreat will focus on your own personal relationship to color - Lisa calls it 'palette perceptions' - and from there, develop beyond that through thoughtful, creative and meditative workshop sessions to broaden your relationship with colour and send you home with fabulous Colour Confidence!

Lisa Solomon's 'A Field Guide to Colour' is a well-loved handbook for artists in all media and quickly became the #1 watercolour book on Amazon when published in 2019.

Her 'Colour Meditation' deck (as seen in the header image above), introduces the sheer joy of playing with colour, and the pleasure in understanding how it works, through her meditative journeys which enhance every colour discovery.

On retreat, each day opens with a curated program of gentle and inspiring yoga practices by our specialist Nada yoga teacher, Eva Kroes, leading you through the dynamic rainbow of the chakra flute - your own body - drawing on the pure notes of crystal sound bowls to relax the mind for inspirational imaginings. You do not need any prior experience of painting or yoga to derive joy from this week (and don't worry - there's no singing!!)

Whether you are an experienced artist or just getting started, this retreat will not only lead you into a new relationship with paint, colour and sound, but will offer you tools for meditative breaks that can open you up for ideas and inspiration in all areas of your life.

THE BACKGROUND

Anna has been travelling with Lisa Solomon's Colour Meditation Deck since she first discovered it in a bookshop in Perth, Western Australia (home). Now it happily accompanies her on solo dinners, whilst she's researching the destinations for Creative Living Retreats. After months of prevarication - should I? Will Lisa think I'm presumptuous? - and self-doubt, Anna reached out to Lisa, who thought a painting retreat PLUS YOGA!! in Bali was a brilliant idea!

We can't wait .... we're just waiting for you!

The Background

Many thanks for a magnificent experience!

Glenda W. Melbourne Australia, Florabunda Rereat 2022

INCLUSIONS

This 9-day/8-night retreat offers you an expansive week to focus on making art with the guidance and inspiration of internationally renowned artist, teacher and author, Lisa Solomon and our Bali-based yoga instructor, as well as cultural explorations into beautiful East Bali (away from everything you've seen on social media!) .... have a look at where you'll be based

Not only a deep-dive week into watercolour technique and colour work with 35-hours of tuition sharing Lisa's renowned techniques for discovering colour, this really special retreat also includes:

All your artist-quality paints, brushes and specialist papers are supplied.
PLEASE BRING A WATERCOLOUR SKETCHBOOK - full descriptions will be sent once you've enrolled
A full day tour into the beautiful East Bali region of Abang for guided plein air drawing of botanicals, and a swim in the royal bathing ponds fed by natural spring waters, before a hidden gem lunch treat of gourmet Balinese delicacies as you view the majestic Mt Agung, Bali's famous, most revered volcano (yes, we have three here!)
Boating and snorkeling with a guide - optional, of course
Cooking'n'Cocktails with our executive chef - cook your own 7-dish megibung with tips and recipes to be able to make it at home - plus our Signature Nilaya cocktails and snacks as you stir the sauce!
A stylish night out on the town with fine dining, cocktails and live jazz
Daily yoga , restorative active, yoga nidra will all be explored, and all levels of experience are welcome and catered for.
A 60-minute deliciously restorative Balinese massage or reflexology treat with our expert masseuses using Sensatia's pure sweet almond oil infused with restorative essential oils where you choose your favourite scent - Meditation or Relaxation - and you'll receive a little souvenir bottle to take some home too
A 90-minute heavenly, live sound-bathing experience (some call it 'sound therapy' or 'healing' - we just call it divine) that will have your senses and imagination floating ...
plus your choice of accommodation and breakfast for 8 nights + airport collection + most meals

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

A luxurious week where all you need do is turn up each day after breakfast (and perhaps an early-morning dip? ... the snorkeling is fabulous), having taken the short walk in our pretty village to Villa Nilaya, where our first 45 minutes of the day are spent with our yoga teacher leading us into a refreshing and focusing consideration of colour through sound and breath before we head downstairs to make art with Lisa.

Flowers are integral to Balinese spiritual life; colours signify cosmic directions and the gods residing there. The many-layered spiritual world of the Balinese people - Hindu, Buddhist and animist traditions all combined into a distinctive form of island Hinduism. This week, you too will embrace these beautiful blooms to create an abundant and multi-layered vision of tropical flora with Lisa.

And at the end of each day? A deeply restorative, full, luxuriant yoga class on our beautiful teak-floored yoga space.

Stretch, breathe and relax deeply ... drift off to sleep, perhaps, to the sound of the lapping sea at the end of the garden .... before padding downstairs as evening gathers, for a healthy, delicious buffet dinner prepared by our own Villa Nilaya chefs, with alternate evenings all yours to spend discovering the seaside dining venues in our village of Mendira near Candi Dasa.

Choose from one of three accommodations - from cute Balinese bungalows to luxe-plus resort suites, all venues have dining facilities if you fancy a night at home. Your 8-nights' accommodation with breakfast is included in the retreat price. There is nothing else to pay. See the Accommodation

Lisa and I warmly invite you to join our group in 2024 for this exceptional art experience by the sea in East Bali.

WHO WILL THIS RETREAT SUIT?

If you have some prior art-making experience at any level, then this retreat will be a revelation for your practice
if you're new to water colour painting, well, you couldn't ask for a better teacher! Read about Lisa Solomon
The YOGA is suitable for ALL LEVELS of experience, including novices and for those with restricted movement we'll have a 'chair yoga' alternative for you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Over 11 art sessions across 7 days of tuition, interspersed with tours, of dedicated tuition time with Lisa you'll expand your skills in:

colour swatching
chroma colour matching
creating personal colour swatches
understanding tints and shades
creating textures with watercolour
creating ombres with watercolour
creating blooms with watercolour
painting with watercolour washes
understand design elements to create your paintings (of still lifes, for example)
understanding the role of light on picturing colour
mixing colours straight from your palette onto your paper (without it becoming brown sludge!)
Painting still life
painting landscape

ALL ART MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED - just bring a sketchbook with you

LISA

MEET LISA SOLOMON

Lisa Solomon was born in Tucson Arizona, but has lived most of her life in California. She currently resides in Oakland.

She received her BA in Art Practice from UC Berkeley in 1995 and her MFA from Mills College in 2003.

Her work is shown internationally and is in numerous public and private collections.

Profoundly interested in the idea of hybridization [sparked from her Hapa heritage – she is ½ Japanese and ½ Caucasian -, Solomon’s mixed media works revolve thematically around discovering her heritage, the notion of domesticity, craft, feminism, and the pursuit of art as science/research.

She is frankly obsessed with color/color theory and is drawn to found objects, tending to alter them conceptually so that their meanings and original uses or intents are re-purposed. She often fuses “wrong” things together – recontextualizing their original purposes, and incorporating materials that inherently question and skirt the line between ART and CRAFT.

Some publishing highlights include:

Work was featured in a monograph entitled Hand/Made published by MIEL press in 2013.
2019 A Field Guide to Color - a watercolor workbook all about color and color theory was published by Roost Books, quickly became the #1 watercolor book on Amazon
A Color Meditation Deck followed
2021 her pandemic writing project Crayola: A Visual History of the World's Most Famous Crayon was released by Black Dog and Leventhal.
2012 she authored Knot Thread Stitch., a book on embroidery published by Quarry press
2006 her illustrations were used for a book entitled Draw 500 Everyday Things
2015 20 Ways to Draw a Chair and 44 other Magnificent Every Day Objects

Lisa has also been an educator for 20+ years teaching extensively in college classrooms, online and all over the world in all kinds of workshops.

Lisa is also a successful exhibiting artist.

Here's her latest exhibition in 2023 Lisa Solomon - Artillery Magazine

Creative Living Retreats by Anna Kwiecinska

With a background as an art historian and art gallery owner, my collaboration with artists continues to be a fascinating career which evolved into specialist art retreats designed to combine seriously good art tuition with authentic cultural experiences.

The practice of yoga has under-pinned Creative Living Retreats, as a source of focus for creative inspiration - so whether you join us as a novice or a yogi, each day presents a new yoga journey with our intuitive teachers to Live Creatively.

Over a decade, many retreatants have returned for our thoughtfully curated weeks of supported creativity, and I genuinely look forward to welcoming you to experience the depth of wellbeing that Creative Living Retreats have become known for, More info

Loved the whole thing. Food was amazing and plenty of variety. Staff amazing ... I just thought you did the retreat so well. I felt totally satisfied with the way you made it all happen and made us all feel very special. You really were the glue. Very professional.

The exhibition was just so beautifully put together.

Lyn Mowday, Busselton, Australia, 2019

People, Paintings and Places - see all the things we love about Bali Retreats >>

How does the retreat work?

With our varied evening programs, each day is a little different, but the working part of our program is like this:

What does your Retreat include? Practically everything except your airfare !

see all the inclusions >

A/C Airport Taxi collection with name board on arrival at the International Airport
Accommodation with Breakfast for 8 nights in your choice of beachside hotels and bungalows
Art tuition with Lisa Solomon over 11 sessions / 7 days
All Art Materials these are the same professional materials that Lisa any level uses in her professional work.
You should bring a sketch pad - more details in pre-retreat information
Daily Yoga – gentle stretchy, restorative and deep relaxation yoga suitable for experienced yogis as well as those looking forward to trying yoga for the first time, and more advanced for those wishing to extend their practice.
Breakfasts 8
Lunches 6 - buffet, provided at Villa Nilaya during the retreat. We serve really fresh food, with an emphasis on vegetarian, tofu and seafood protein, and not too starchy (quinoa and red rice often replaces white rice).
Morning and afternoon teas each day
Bottled Water available throughout the retreat
Dinners 4 including:
‘Welcome Dinner BBQ' at Villa Nilaya (dietary restrictions catered for - please advise)
Exhibition Night Dinner and concert performance
Cooking and Cocktails with our executive chef Pak Dewa Ardika
A fine dining and jazz dining experience in town
Balinese Massage or reflexology treatment in house at Villa Nilaya
a sound-bathing event (some call it 'sound healing or sound therapy ... we just call it divine!)
and surprises along the way,,,,,

You made Florabunda a multisensory success. The program was beyond special.

I thank you Esté for your professionalism, your generosity in sharing all of your secrets and of course, your amazing talent.

Thank you Anna for convening this fabulous experience.

Your style, grace and attention to detail made everyone feel important. Sharing your home for those days of art and food and armchair yoga will be a special memory for me to hold.

You have gathered an amazing staff around you ... thank you again.

I loved Florabunda.

Gloria C. Queensland, Australia. Florabunda Retreat 2022

Florabunda 2022 in Review

COSTS

What's not included

airfare
travel insurance
personal expenses
return taxi (you can pre-pay this when you book )
4 dinners and 2 lunches - our village of Mendira has several excellent 'warungs' - local restaurants

YOUR RETREAT STARTS at 10 am on DAY 2 ( We recommend booking an extra night before the retreat start date so you can get over jet lag and really relax at the start of your retreat).

The retreat FINISHES after breakfast on DAY 9 and the check-out time from your hotel is 12 pm.

Extra nights are easily booked with Anna - please mention this on your booking form.

Other curated excursions and activities are offered for pre- and post- retreat days. There is usually a small group who wish to participate and share the transport costs. The brochures will be sent to you when you have secured your retreat place, or on request.

Accommodation details for Bali available HERE

I'm interested