Oak Park Art League – Explore Umbria
La Romita is excited to be organizing a 10-day Retreat in collaboration with Oak Park Art League in Oak Park, IL a first-of-its-kind offer for both of us!
As with all La Romita Workshops, this Retreat will provide opportunities for participants to go on excursions around the hill towns of umbria, balanced with plenty of time at La Romita to relax, socialize, and work in the Studio. 10 days surrounded by beauty, supported by our staff, eating amazing food and experiencing an authentic part of Italy.
But the best part will be the three exciting art teachers from the Oak Park community who are coming along! Maria Gedroc, Tony Armendariz, and Richard Sheppard are well known artists from the OPAL community, and they’re excited to contribute to the retreat. They’ll be providing lessons on core concepts such as color, composition, perspective, to working with media, to techniques for working in the field – whether the approach is sketching, plein air, or journaling.
There’ll be something for everyone in the Oak Park Art League community, regardless of your experience level going in. If you’re just starting your journey as an artist, this will be a great opportunity to immerse yourself in a low stress, fun experience with other artists. If you have some experience and are looking for an opportunity to develop your skills and maybe incorporate something new into your practice, you’ll have plenty of exposure to interesting new subjects and the support of experienced teachers. If you’ve been breathing art for decades, this is an opportunity to find inspiration in a gorgeous, authentic part of Italy without need to worry about anything but your process.
What’s Included
- Full room and board for the duration, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- 6 trips to stunning locations in Umbria – see our 10-Day Sample Itinerary.
- Pickup from and Drop-off at Rome’s International Airport.
- 24/7 access to our beautiful studio.
- full run of our grounds, including the garden and olive orchards.
- plenty of space indoors and out, to work, socialize, or get away.
As part of this collaboration, Oak Park Art League will be organizing classes and events focusing on themes of travel, Italy, and the skills artists use to paint onsite or capture moments in the field.
Keep an eye on OPAL’s News & Events and Class List to stay in the loop!
In case you don’t know them already, here’s a little more about the instructors who’ll be joining us:
Maria Gedroc is an artist, designer, arts administrator, and educator whose work has been featured in more than 180 exhibitions and galleries. Her multidisciplinary practice spans fine art, graphic design, and photography, often integrating these mediums into cohesive mixed-media works. Using acrylic paint, paper, wood, photography, and found objects, she explores themes of personal space, spirituality, and human connection through architectural and natural imagery. Throughout her career, Gedroc has developed multiple bodies of work, each characterized by distinct symbolism and layered meaning that reflect her ongoing exploration of these themes.
https://mariagedrocart.weebly.com/
Tony Armendariz is an American artist living and painting in Palatine, Illinois. Born and raised in Chicago to a graphic arts family, he learned to create with textiles, photography, drawing and painting. Graduating from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, he studied under renowned watercolor instructor Irving Shapiro. While still attending the Academy, he began his employment in the corporate world for over 20 years as a graphic artist, illustrator and web designer.
Tony is a signature member of many national artistic societies including the American Watercolor Society (AWS), the National Watercolor Society (NWS) and the Illinois Watercolor Society (IWS) where he also served as director. His work can be seen at: www.armendarizart.com.
Sketching out-of-doors is one of my favorite activities. Whether I’m traveling locally or abroad, I’m always on the lookout for good places to sketch.
Although most of my weekdays are spent illustrating books for publishers, I enjoy spending my free time sketching and recording my travel experiences. At the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, I studied under sketch artists Barbara Bradley, Barron Storey, and Howard Brodie, whom I thank for passing on to me their love of sketchbooking.
In the fall of 2009 I spent three weeks drawing and painting in Greece. Upon my return, I illustrated, wrote, designed, and published the book “The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece.”
In the fall of 2015 I published my second book, “Impressions of Wine Country,” about discovering California’s world class wine industry.
As La Romita School caters to multiple levels of instruction and various forms of the arts, prices will vary by session, season, instructor, and offerings.