Renaissance Art Techniques
12th - 19th April 2026
11th - 18th October 2026
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2700€ per person single occupancy (MAX 5 PEOPLE)
950€ for a non-participating partner​
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Includes 6 days tuition, 7 nights accommodation, all meals and drinks (including local wine) and daily excursions to see frescoes and tempera paintings by Piero della Francesca .
Spend a week immersed in the world of Piero della Francesca; a unique opportunity to learn and apply the techniques used by Renaissance artists.
Excursions, Workshops and talks given by practising fresco artist and teacher Carey Mortimer.
Carey Mortimer is an artist based in Sardinia, Italy, working with fresco, egg tempera and natural pigments both in her own widely exhibited paintings and in collaborations with architects and designers. Carey gained a Master of Philosophy in Public Art and Design from Duncan of Jordanstone University and studied fresco painting with restorer Leonetto Tintori; she has taught Renaissance art techniques for many years at Bosa Art School.
The Week Schedule
Day 1
Arrival at Casa Ezio Marchi, traditional local Tuscan Aperitivo to welcome guests to the retreat followed by supper cooked by Anna.
Day 2
Morning: A trip to arezzo to see 'The Legend of the True Cross', a cycle of frescoes by Piero della Francesca . “What is a fresco?”: An explanation of the lime cycle and how a water based painting can turn to stone.
Lunch.
Afternoon: Fresco Workshop. The magic of fresco is in the use of natural pigments which become pure, bright and luminous as they are fixed permanently into the surface of a damp lime plaster – the painting becomes stone. You will coat a Terracotta tile with a lime plaster and then paint a fresco using natural pigments mixed with water, working from either printed out details of a Renaissance fresco or you own ideas.
Dinner.
Evening: Slideshow and discussion about natural pigments and how they are extracted from earths and rocks.
Day 3
Morning: a short walk in the Tuscan landscape to find coloured earths;a visit to the charming medieval hilltop village of Montefollonico.
Lunch.
Afternoon: Pigment workshop - the processing of the coloured earths found on the walk and the painting of a small fresco using these pigments.
Dinner
Evening: Discussion and slide show on egg tempera painting.
Day 4
Morning: visit to Piero della Francesca's fresco 'Madonna del Parto' at Monterchi;then on to the Museo Civico at Sansepolcro to see more of piero della francesca's masterpieces.
Lunch
Afternoon: Egg Tempera workshop. Egg tempera is a simple and direct medium that can create luminous surfaces richer in colour and transparency than almost any other medium. The excellent condition of the paintings from the fourteenth century demonstrates the durability of this medium. We will look at samples of egg tempera paintings; a demonstration of egg tempera painting, then we will prepare the egg tempera medium, mix it with pigments and paint on prepared gessoed panels, working from copies or your own paintings.
Dinner
Evening: Discussion and slideshow on silverpoint drawing.
Day 5
Morning: workshop continuing painting in eith fresco or egg tempera.
Lunch
Afternoon : workshop continuing painting in either fresco or egg tempera.
Dinner.
Day 6
Morning: visit to Siena to see the Duomo and some 14th century egg tempera paintings.
Lunch.
Afternoon: Silverpoint drawing workshop. Silverpoint is a quiet meditative medium;there is a peacefulness in its limited value range. Drawing with a stick of silver on paper prepared with an abrasive ground in three different shades.
Dinner.
discussion on Etruscan frescoes.
Day 7
Morning: workshop - finishing off work in all mediums. There will be terracotta tiles and gessoed panels available at all times during the week for you to work on, even after dinner for those keen artists!
Lunch.
Afternoon: a visit to see the etruscan frescoes in 'The Tomb of the Infernal Chariot' at Sarteano.
Dinner.
goodbye pizza evening!
