Synopsis

Painting the Land: A retreat in Rural Maine is an intensive, six-day landscape painting retreat set on a beautiful organic farm in central Maine. We'll paint in gorgeous meadows and fields, and in shaded oak groves and by trickling streams -- as well as along the nearby coast, where we'll go for two day-trips. The workshop runs from August 16 to 22, and includes three delicious home-grown and home-made organic meals a day (two hot meals plus breakfast), served by our hosts Paul Bernaki and Elisa Ross. Painting instruction, demonstrations, and critiques are led by landscape and figure-painter Michael Knud Ross. After dinner each evening, we'll convene for a discussion of the day's painting, and on some nights, a short slide lecture or guest talk.

Michael's lessons touch on the philosophical as well the technical, revealing secrets he has learned through his own painting practice as well as from his own lineage of teachers. The topics covered will include: getting into a calm, meditative state before beginning a painting; selectively choosing and connecting with subject matter; composing active yet balanced pictures; selecting and mixing colors; layering opaque as well as transparent paint; brush and knife handling; and of a host of other issues.

The retreat is limited to eight people (minimum five), so there will be plenty of individual attention and critiques. And of course, lots of time to make terrific paintings -- paintings that resonate with and expand our personal visions. At the end of the week, we'll come home inspired and refreshed, with new ideas running through our heads and several beautiful paintings to show for it.

Plan to arrive on Saturday, August 16. Shuttle service from Belfast is included in tuition, as is shuttle service back to Belfast on Friday, August 22. (Click here for bus schedule from Portland to Belfast). The retreat fee is $1200 and includes three organic meals a day, local transportation, and painting instruction. Accommodations vary in price, see fee section for details.

More information:
About the Instructor
About Wayback Farm
What to Bring
Dates
Fees
FAQ
Contact

Above: Meadow in Sunlight by Michael Knud Ross, 30x24 inches, oil on canvas, 2007

About the instructor

Michael Knud Ross is both a plein-aire painter and a studio painter; he often takes the same canvas from the field to the studio and back again so he can blend insights gained from nature with insights gained from imagination. His bachelors degree is in anthropology and his teaching focusses as much on the philosophical and psychological as on the formal and technical. Michael took his degree in anthropology at the University of Maryland, and also studied with the landscape painter Walt Bartman and with the narrative painter Odd Nerdrum in Norway and Iceland.

Michael grew up in Scandinavia, spent much of his life in the Washington, DC area, and currently lives in San Francisco. Twelve of his public sculptures remain on view in Washington DC, where he also regularly exhibits his paintings. His recent solo show at Geras-Tousignant gallery in San Francisco highlighted 20 paintings of the sea; Michael is currently working on paintings of meadows, marshes, and bird life. For more details, visit www.michaelrossart.com

About Wayback Farm

Elisa and Ferdie

Wayback farm is a small, off-the-grid organic farm a ten minute drive from Belfast, along Maine's central coast. It's run by Paul and Elisa, who live there year-round. Paul is a professional carpenter/stone mason/organic farmer, and Elisa is an organic farmer/gardener/nutrition enthusiast.

The season at Wayback starts in April, with seedlings planted in the greenhouse. By July and August, the fertile fields brim with just about everything from apples to zucchini. Colder fall weather means it's time to chop firewood -- enough to last the winter -- and time to start canning and preserving the harvest.

Paul built all of the structures on the farm -- using lumber hewn from the farm's many acres of forest. In addition to the private farm house, the farm features two rustic cabins, some work buildings, and a huge cider press. The summer kitchen -- adjacent to the farm house -- has an authentic brick oven perfect for making pizzas, and as well as a dining hall / meeting room that we'll use for meals and meetings. Other year-round residents include Ossa, the resident dog, Ferdie, the dairy cow, Joey, the ox-in-training, and lots of laying hens. Wild turkeys, deer, and the occasional moose roam in and out of the nearby fields and forests. Paul and Elisa host a few apprentices throughout the year, as well as a number of workshops on organic farming and homesteading.


The main house


Paul and Ferdie


Tilling in the herb garden

What to Bring

Here's a list of things you'll need to bring...but if you forget something, no worries, you can get everything from art supplies to a spare toothbrush in nearby Belfast.

Art supplies:
· A landscape painting easel
· Four medium-sized canvasses or panels (16x20" to 18x24")
· Three small-sized canvasses or panels (8x10" to 12x14")
· Oil paints: your favorite colors or email for a recommended list
· Paint brushes: your favorites or email for a recommended list
· Palette
· We'll supply turpentine, linseed oil, containers, and paint rags
· If you're so inclined, a small watercolor set and watercolor paper

Personal gear:
· A flashlight or headlamp for nighttime
· Clothes for six days; assortment of hot and cooler-weather gear
· A light, waterproof or windproof jacket
· Toiletries
· Sunblock
· Sunblocking hat
· A small towel
· Insect repellent
· Water bottle
· Camera, cell phone and charger, etc.

That's it!

Dates

The workshop runs from Saturday evening, August 16 to Friday afternoon, August 22, 2008.

The nearest airport is Portland (PME). Plan to arrive sometime between 11am and 4pm on the Saturday the 16th, and then take the next bus to Belfast. We'll pick you up at the bus station in Belfast. The workshop officially begins that evening with dinner and a lecture starting at 6pm. Full moon that night -- optional night painting if you're not too tired!

Plan to depart on Friday, August 22nd anytime before 3pm. Our shutle van will take you to Belfast, where you can catch the bus to Portland Airport; we'll provide breakfast that morning.

Email for driving directions.

Fees

The workshop fee is $1200, and includes shuttle service to and from Belfast, three delicious, organic, self-service meals a day, local transportation, and painting instruction. A $400 deposit reserves your space; the $800 remainder is due in full by August 1st. Email Michael for paypal account information or mail a check or money order to:

Michael Knud Ross
1460 Golden Gate Avenue #10
San Francisco, CA 94115

There are three choices for accommodations:
-Camping: free (bring your own camping gear)
-Rustic cabins: There are two rustic cabins on the farm. One has room for one couple or one individual. The second has room for one couple or two individuals. Cabin rental is $50/day ($300 total). Rustic means rustic -- charming wood cabin...plan for candlelight, solar showers, and a composting outhouse.
-Local b&b, prices vary. Check here for one of several nearby

Retreat is limited to eight participants; reserve early to ensure space. Minimum four participants. Because of timing and administrative challenges, deposits and fees are non-refundable after August 1st.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we get there?
If you're flying, the closest airport is Portland, Maine. Take the bus from Portland to Belfast, and we'll pick you up If you're driving, contact us for directions.

Where do we stay?
There are three choices for accommodations:
1. Camping: free (bring your own camping gear)
2.Rustic cabins: There are two rustic cabins on the farm. One has room for one couple or one individual. The second has room for one couple or two individuals. Cabin rental is $50/day per person ($300 total). Rustic means rustic -- charming wood cabin but no electricity. Plan for candlelight, solar showers, and a composting outhouse.
3.Local b&b, prices vary. Check here for one of several nearby.

How "off-the-grid" is the farm?
The farm is way way off the grid -- it's a gorgeous and dramatic escape from our daily modern lives. That means no electricity or advanced plumbing (yes, that means outhouses!), but there are lots of benefits, too. At night, step outside and stand under literally thousands of stars, and fall asleep to a rhythmic chorus of crickets and frogs. And you get a vacation from internet-addiction! Enjoy nature!

Is there cell phone reception on the farm?
Yes, most cell phones get reception here.

What if it rains?
If it rains, we simply move under the eaves of some of the barn buildings, and keep painting. We can also use the barn animals as models. If it rains a lot, we'll find a model to paint from.

For more questions, feel free to contact us.

Contact

For general questions and art-related questions, contact instructor Michael Knud Ross:
michaelrossart (at) gmail.com
202.460.5569

For questions about food and accomodations, contact Paul Bernaki and Elisa Ross at:
elisalero (at) aol.com
207.342.5052

Send payments to:
Michael Knud Ross
1460 Golden Gate Avenue #10
San Francisco, CA 94115