Enjoy a weekend with your instructor, Chris Toy, the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian-fusion cooking for several Maine community education programs. Learn how to prepare a variety of recipes from Asia, Europe, and the Americas incorporating traditional and local ingredients. Each meal will actively engage cooks with the tools, techniques, and stories behind the dishes being created.   

Step back to a time when President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor, and their family escaped to their “beautiful little island” in the Canadian maritimes, Campobello Island. We will be exclusive guests of the international park, staying in historic Victorian cottages. Workshop participants will be immersed in the same coastal scenery enjoyed by the summer residents at the turn of the 20th century. Register for the retreat then call Sherry Mitchell at 506-752-2922 to make room reservations. Only Acadian Arts Retreats participants will be allowed to reserve overnight accommodations in the park.

Please note:  Included in the registration is a $40 non-reffundable fee whould you have toi cancel.

Enjoy a weekend retreat with Mary Laury, an accomplished watercolorist and highly esteemed teacher.  She encourages all her students to believe they can be successful .  Painting is an exciting medium; it flows and moves and does beautiful things. If you have never painted in watercolors, we'll start at the beginning. If you have painted before, you will pick up some new tips and tricks as well.  We all learn together!

Step back to a time when President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor and their family escaped to their “beautiful little island” in the Canadian Maritimes, Campobello Island.  We will be exclusive guests of the international park, staying in historic Victorian cottages.  Workshop participants will explore and paint the same coastal scenery enjoyed by the summer residents at the turn of the 20th century! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus specially planned evening activities designed to extend your learning from the day’s workshops. 

Register for the retreat then call Sherry Mitchell at 506-752-2922 to make room reservations.  Only Acadian Arts Retreats will be allowed to reserve overnight accommodations in the park.

​Please note: Included in the registration is a $40 non-refundable fee should you have to cancel.

Enjoy a weekend with your instructor, Chris Toy, the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian-fusion cooking for several Maine community education programs. Learn how to prepare a variety of recipes from Asia, Europe, and the Americas incorporating traditional and local ingredients. Each meal will actively engage cooks with the tools, techniques, and stories behind the dishes being created. 

Escape to a Grand Victorian Inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine, with an intimate group of artist, cooks and creatives! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private house concert by Grammy balloted sing-songwriter, storyteller, and author Gordon Ward. Day students are welcome. For more information about the workshop, call Mary at 207-632-2251. To book your stay at the inn call 207-963-9122 or visit https://harborviewhousellc.com/.  This is an in-person retreat.

Painting Flower Portraits in Watercolor

Paint flower portraits realistically. You will paint pictures of flowers in detail, but more painterly than a scientific illustration. We won’t count veins, but we will count petals! Painting flowers is a wonderful exercise in observation.

Learn brush stroke and value

White on white flowers

Leaves, long and short

Iris, narcissus, orchids, tulips, and other spring flowers.

 Materials list;

We will paint on smooth paper; Strathmore Series 500, one hundred percent cotton paper, either plate or vellum. This paper can be bought at Artist and Craftsman in Portland in large sheets, which we will cut up.

Bring a #2 round brush and a #6 round brush, pencil, palette, tube watercolors in the 3 primary colors and perhaps a green. Paper towels and water container. And bring a plant or flower specimen with no more than 9 petals. This is a slow and careful process and 9 petals and some leaves is enough happiness for us all.

Escape to a Grand Victorian Inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine, with an intimate group of artist, cooks and creatives! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private house concert by Grammy balloted singer-songwriter, storyteller, and author Gordon Ward. Day students are welcome.

For more information about the workshop, call Mary at 207-632-2251. To book your stay at the inn call 207-963-9122 or visit https://harborviewhousellc.com/.