Creative Layering: Watercolor & Embroidery on Paper
Lot Valley, Southwest France| September 12-18, 2027
Artist Highlight
Ana is a Brazilian-born, Canadian-based textile and mixed media artist whose work resonates with a profound connection to fibre and paper. Holding a Bachelor of Craft and Design with a specialization in Textile Design, she brings over 15 years of dedicated art instruction experience. Her past as a hand-bookbinder further informs her tactile approach, shaping her unique creative process. Her artistic vision is often inspired by amplified aerial views, revealing the subtle patterns and rhythms typically visible only from above. Ana masterfully explores the fascinating contrast between texture and surface, employing the fluidity of watercolor and the precision of hand embroidery to craft truly tactile, expressive pieces.
Insta: ana.falceta
website:
anafalceta.com
Retreat Highlights
Throughout the retreat, you’ll learn how to build expressive compositions with watercolor and mixed media, develop your own visual language through mark-making, and add depth and detail through embroidery. You’ll be encouraged to experiment freely, play with materials, and shape your own creative voice through curated sample-making and final project development.
Each day blends studio time, live demos, and one-on-one instruction, all set in a peaceful and inspiring environment. Whether you’re new to mixed media or looking to push your practice further, this retreat offers a space to slow down, go deeper, and create work that feels personal, layered, and alive.
- Daily workshops with Ana
- Exclusive private chateau estate not publically available
- Accommodations throughout the estate across the main chateau and three houses
- All Meals, aside from two during excursions; seasonal and prepared fresh daily
Retreat Outings
Inspiration for your art is omnipresent at the Chateau, Cahors, and Saint-Cirq-Laopie
- Morning at the French Cahors Market in the Place Chapou, at the foot of the cathedral. 60–100 producers: foie gras, Rocamadour cheese, Malbec wine, and local crafts.
- Visit to the magnificent Pont Valentré and iconic medieval fortified bridge and the Old Town of Cahors, Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, and the winding medieval streets of Cahors. End the afternoon with a Malbec Tasting.
- Explore the village of medieval Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and wander around the cobbled streets, artisan shops, fortified church, and château ruins. Perched 100m above the Lot River.
Retreat Package & Pricing
Single Occupancy:
- $4,300-4500 USD, private bedroom and bathroom
- $3700-3900 USD, private room shared bathroom with one other person
Maximum Participants: 14
Length: 6 nights / 7 days
Deposit: $1,500 at time of booking
Final Payment: 180 days from arrival
Deposit: A deposit of $1,500 is required to reserve your spot and becomes nonrefundable once the retreat is confirmed/guaranteed.
Balance Payment: The remaining balance will be due 180 days before the retreat start date. This final payment and the deposit is nonrefundable.
We required all travelers purchase travel insurance
What's Included
- Art workshops with Ana and individual tuition
- 6 nights of accommodation at a private chateau estate
- Exclusive use of the entire property with 3 pools, studio space, private gardens, and terraces. A lovely hike the Chateau vineyards and wine tasting
- 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 6 dinners prepared fresh daily by a private chef
- Coffee, tea, water, and snacks available throughout the day
- Arrival welcome with fresh juice, fruit, and snacks
- Fulltime concierge from arrival to departure, including planned outings
- Private transportation throughout
- Roundtrip private transfers from/to Toulouse-Blagnac airport at prearranged times
- All local tourist taxes and fees
- Two Zoom meetings prior to the retreat once the retreat guarantees
- Private WhatsApp group
- Retreat Concierge onsite
Not Included
- Airfare/transportation to Toulouse-Blagnac
- Travel insurance
- Art supplies - a detailed list of art materials recommended by the artist will be provided three months before the retreat
- Two lunches in Cahors and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
- Extra costs guests might incur on their own
The Property
Tucked into a quiet corner of the Quercy in southwest France, our home for the week is a private château estate with deep roots — a place that has belonged to the same family for generations. Its origins trace back to a fortified bastide and watchtower whose remains stood abandoned for centuries after the French Revolution, slowly reclaimed by weeds and brambles. Patiently restored, the château and old bastide have been brought back to life, and today the estate is a serene retreat of honey-colored stone, half-timbered façades, and gardens that open onto the rolling countryside.
Guests are accommodated across the château — home to six bedrooms — and three charming stone houses on the estate, each house with its own private terrace for morning coffee in the sun or a quiet moment with your needlework. Among the property's most enchanting features is a troglodyte house carved directly into the rock and finished in the medieval style — the kind of detail that makes this place feel like a story you've stepped into.
Set in the heart of vignoble country, the estate looks out over a patchwork of rolling countryside and distant vineyards — views best taken in from the terraces, coffee in hand, as the morning light moves across the hills. A gentle daily walk leads to the vines themselves, about twenty minutes away, where the family once produced their own organic wines.
Accessibility Note: Due to the historic nature of this property, accessibility is limited. Rooms are only accessible via stairs, and there is no elevator. If you have specific needs, please contact us before booking — we’ll do our best to assist.