Top 5 Reasons to Take an Art Break
by Anne Kupillas.
#5 - Nature.
Paint-outs and retreats allow us to simultaneously explore the beauty of nature and our creative sides. Glorious locations, fresh air, trees and flowers, and grand and small vistas are all what we’re after when we venture outdoors for an art break. Plein air captures often carry more emotional attachment to the moment – the act of creating has a way of doing that to our brains, and making art en plein air particularly does , as we slow down and taking our time to capture the feeling of the moment and the large and smaller details. It’s amazing how many more senses you will engage, and how those sensations can be brought back by looking at your artwork made in nature. More than just a visual experience, you can recall the sounds, the smells, feeling of the grass beneath your easel, and be transported. My favorite watercolor isn’t my best - it’s one I did on an art trip to Mallorca, Spain. I biked solo to a beach and used the saltwater and my pocket palette to sketch a quick oceanscape. What it lacks in skill it more than makes us for in charm and in the pleasant recall of memories of that special adventure in the natural beauty of the place.
#4 - Find your People.
At an art retreat or workshop, you’ll meet like-minded artists from beginner to advanced, learn from your leader(s), yes – but also learn from your peers! A lot can be gained by osmosis when you spend time with other creatives. Making new friends is as much a part of our workshops and retreats as creating art. Many of these friendships continue beyond the timeframe of the retreat. A peer group or group of mentors can be extremely valuable for artists, who often work solo out of their studios and may lack the regular interactions and camaraderie typical of the workplace .
#3 - Indulge in “me time.”
The term “break” is an important part of the equation in an art break. Not all art is born of chaos and the tortured artist stereotype is overrated, IMHO. Relax, give your left brain a day off (or a weekend, or a week), and spend time away from the day-to-day, whether it’s a desk and your emails, laundry and yard work, or the cycle of Instagram and TikTok posting. Most art retreats are quite time-structured, but it’s all about creating art. At our Eat Paint Live retreats, we carefully curate all the sketching and painting opportunities, the lodging and meals, plus special events like wine tastings and sunset viewings. So you can relax and know that everything is planned for you – even some built in free time.
#2 - Fill your sketchbook (or portfolio, or Instagram account). Ie Make Lots of Art
In an immersive art experience, you will typically sketch and paint a LOT! From smaller warm up exercises and thumbnails, to tonal studies and quick sketches on the move, to larger fully fleshed-out works, you will use a lot of paper and can fill one or more sketchbooks. Whether you’re looking to make art to sell or share, or purely for other reasons, an art vacation will help you create a lot of art. And as we’ve said before, it’s all about practice. The more you create, the more wins you’ll have - both in terms of learning and in sheer amount of good finished work.
And our top reason for taking an art break…
#1 - Skill building
Ramping up your on-location painting skills in a short period of time is in our perspective, the biggest benefit of any immersive art experience. And nothing beats an art break for this opportunity for growth. By spending lots of time focused on your artwork and getting plenty of instruction, demonstrations and feedback from the artistic leaders, you’ll take your practice to the next level. Want to see this kind of growth? Join one of our Eat Paint Live workshops or immersive small-group art retreats!
Thinking of booking an art break?
Check out our blog about how to make the most of your art retreat here.
Eat Paint Live
If you’re interested in drawing and sketching on location, with a group of great artists, then I hope you’ll check out the art retreats we’ve planned, with Charlie and I as leaders at www.eatpaintlive.com We host same-day workshops and art retreats with small groups (no more than 9) in stunning locations. I invite you to join us in Ojai in September - we have a few spots left, but they’re going fast!
