HOW WE RAN OUR GREECE PLEIN AIR RETREAT 2025
At the end of May, artists from different parts of the world (America, Great Britain, Hawaii, Albania, Cyprus) came to us in Halkidiki for inspiration and new paintings of beautiful Greece.
I will say right away that when we were preparing for this event, we tried to plan everything in detail and imagine how it would be. But I confess, the way it actually happened exceeded all my expectations! We gathered such a great friendly company of wonderful people that it could only happen by the will of God, and our friendly atmosphere set the tone for our entire creative week.
The plein air took place on the Sithonia peninsula (Halkidiki), which is a beautiful nature reserve. Even the Greeks themselves have a proverb, There is no place like Halkidiki"
Each time we painted in a new location. I wanted our sketches to be different and as if telling the story of Halkidiki: turquoise bays with fluffy pine trees on the shore, ports with traditional varki, golden sunsets at sea and breathtaking sunrises over the holy Mount Athos, ancient olive groves and ancient stone monasteries and churches.
After the plein air, we fortified ourselves with lunches and dinners in a local tavern, literally right on the shore. Our table was on the sand at the very edge of the crystal sea. We talked, laughed, discussed the adventures of each day, tasting freshly prepared seafood and traditional Greek dishes with a glass of local wine: fried squid, fish, octopus, moussaka, Greek salad, homemade sweet pie with nuts and much more.
Healthy Greek the kitchen won the hearts of our artists and gave them energy and health for new adventures!
Our participants especially remember the dinner at the farm of our Greek friends Dimitris and Sofia. They prepared for us the most delicious and truly traditional dish for Halkidiki "Goat with rice and vegetables baked in the oven in a clay pot". The goat was cooked in a traditional stone oven for more than 8 hours and simply melted in the mouth! For all the participants, it was a real discovery to try this dish for the first time. Dimitris and Sofia won the hearts of the artists with their warm welcome and true Greek hospitality.
We were also lucky enough to visit the local winery and try the varieties of wine that are produced only in Halkidiki! The aroma of the wine, its unique taste and color revealed to the participants even more the beautiful picture of Greece.
Each new adventure, like a piece of a puzzle, revealed the history of these places. We told ancient legends that keep these lands and the secrets of the Holy Mountain Athos, which is considered the abode of the Virgin Mary.
And of course, we couldn't help but set off at 5 o'clock in the morning to capture the incredible beauty of the spectacle, the sunrise over Athos. It was magical and we were able to touch this miracle with our brush!
The sea cruise among the Vourvourou islands made amazing impressions on our participants. The wind of freedom, the salty sea spray, swimming from the boat in an incredible turquoise bay and a picnic on one of the islands where we stopped: all this turned out to be a completely new and delightful experience for many participants!
Our program was truly rich and we managed to do so much in these 7 days that it seemed incredible!
On the final day, we organized an exhibition of our paintings in the lobby of the hotel and assessed the result of our creative week. The paintings of the participants reflected the beauty of sunny Greece, the uniqueness of these places and the inimitable style of each artist.
During these 7 days, we became friends, shared experiences, brought us closer, learned more about each other's lives and it was a little sad to part with each other! But those wonderful moments that we lived together in Halkidiki will stay with us for life and will be a real treasure in our memory.
I express my deep gratitude to all our participants, the most wonderful people and talented artists: Carlos Pascual, Boris Bobrov, Altin Ahmeti, Lana Bechtel, Kyoko Ishigami.
Friends, in conclusion of my story, I want to share one important thought that visited me during our retreat. Now, in the era of the Internet and digital technologies, we have the opportunity to communicate with each other at a distance of thousands of kilometers, share our paintings and successes on the Internet. This is wonderful! However, nothing will ever replace real live communication with friends, when you sit next to a person, at the same table, feel his energy, look each other straight in the eye, laugh and share your stories! This is amazing and it cannot be replaced by anything!
Let's visit each other, communicate, laugh and enjoy real life!
Submit your appliction for the next Greece Plein air Reatreats here:
Greece plein air retreat 2025 – YarovayaFineArt
Friends, come to us on Halkidiki for unforgettable and wonderful experiences!
With love from Greece!
