The Vermont Landscape as Muse:
ENCAUSTIC ON PAPER & THE MARK
A CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH LORRAINE GLESSNER & BRENDA HOWELL, TEACHING ASSISTANT
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength
that will endure as long as life lasts.
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.
— Rachel Carson
JUNE 22-26, 2026 AT LAREAU INN & FARM, WAITSFIELD, VERMONT
Limited to 10 participants
This workshop invites you to explore the immediacy and process-rich possibilities of encaustic monoprinting, paired with expressive mark-making. Together, we will use mapping, journaling, and image-gathering — along with inspiration from Vermont’s wildly varied landscape — to spark ideas, guide areas of focus, and develop a series-based body of work that reflects your personal artistic voice.
Through guided journaling, readings, and engaging mark-making exercises, we will consider the body’s sensory connection to place and its direct relationship to landscape. These practices will help deepen both your awareness and the content of your work.
In the studio, we will combine these explorations with encaustic monotype techniques including masks, stencils, powdered charcoal, graphite bars, earth pigments, and botanicals. We will also experiment with inventive approaches to layering and sculptural treatments of paper — folding, cutting, pop-ups, and peek-a-boos — to add depth and interactivity.
Participants will be encouraged to create a cohesive series on paper or develop an interactive sculptural book or journal that celebrates nature, landscape, craft, and connection through the tactile beauty of paper, beeswax, and the hand.
**Please note that participants should be prepared to spend time outside as well as in the studio. Any participant unable to take part in the outdoor activities are welcome to opt out and alternative indoor creative exercises will be provided.
Retreat Information
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The Retreat fee includes accommodations for 4 nights at Lareau Inn, daily breakfast and lunch, one dinner, daily afternoon snacks and first night orientation, plus most workshop materials. A list of available rooms with links to images is listed on each of the Retreat pages below.
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$2900 Per person includes all of the above accommodations, food, snacks, most workshop materials and FUN.
Payment of 50% of the workshop fee ($1450 if paying via check, Zelle or Venmo, $3005 if paying via Paypal is due at the time of registration with the remaining 50% ($1450) due approximately 6 weeks before the Retreat start date. Please contact Lorraine for payment details.
Not Interested in Lareau Inn Accommodations, breakfast or lunch?
$1900 includes workshop fee and most materials.
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Registration Instructions if staying at Lareau Inn:
1. Review the list of available rooms below and choose your room-each is linked to images and a brief description.
2. DO NOT book your room from the Lareau Inn web site. All rooms have already been booked in advance for our Retreats.
3. Contact Lorraine via email with the name of the room you’d like to book and for payment details.
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Please Note Although the workshop continues through Friday, you must check out of Lareau Inn on Friday morning. If you would like to stay in the area Friday evening or beyond, there are many places in the town of Waitsfield and in nearby Stowe as well as Additional Accommodations in Waitsfield (see menu item below).
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Available at Waitsfield Inn and Featherbed Inn which are within one mile of Lareau Inn.
Please Note Although the workshop continues through Friday, you must check out of Lareau Inn on Friday morning. If you would like to stay in the area Friday evening or beyond, there are many places in the town of Waitsfield and in nearby Stowe.
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In the event that you need to cancel your workshop, please notify Lorraine via email.
Cancelations made 30 days or more from the workshop start date will be refunded their deposit (minus $100 processing fee).
Cancelations made 30 days or less from the workshop start date will be refunded their deposit (minus $100 processing fee) only if the space can be filled. If the space cannot be filled, no refund will be issued.
In this circumstance, a credit of 50% of the deposit may be applied to another Vermont Retreat Only. The other 50% of the deposit will not be credited or refunded.
Itinerary & Materials
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Monday 6-9pm Orientation
Tuesday-Friday, 9am-4:00pm Workshop Hours
Tuesday-Thursday, 6:00-9pm optional night studio hours
*NOTE* A Detailed Daily Itinerary including optional evening activities is emailed to participants a few weeks before the Retreat start date.
Monday 6-9pm Orientation
Meet & Greet Wine, Cheese, Snacks and Smores by the Lareau Farm Fire Pit & Lorraine will demonstrate basic encaustic mono-printing, including a discussion of paper and tools.Tuesday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
We will begin by seeking our muse through a short walk, taking in the various areas of Lareau Farm- river, meadow, forest and garden-stopping periodically to write and meditate. During this walk, Lorraine will lead us in several multi-sensory journaling/writing exercises and walking meditations designed to capture, gather and convert our experiences into written and visual expression. After lunch, we will take a deep dive into encaustic monotype and paper. The rest of the afternoon is devoted to experimenting with this process and combining it with the sketches and writings from our hike, free painting time and/or more inspiration gathering. . Brenda and Lorraine will begin conducting personalized individual mentoring sessions.Wednesday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
We will take a deeper dive into encaustic work on paper, making connections to journaling, imagery, layering, cutting, including a brief discussion of interesting mark making products suitable for encaustic.
We will continue with uninterrupted work time for refining drawings, painting, working toward a series and individual discussions with Lorraine & Brenda.Thursday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
After a brief demonstration on mounting encaustic work on paper, we will continue with uninterrupted work time to further explore journaling, sculptural paper, encaustic mono-printing, translucency, layering and mark-making to build a series that expresses your personal connection to natural elements and the landscape at large.
Take the rest of the afternoon to experiment with marks, make color studies, ask questions, request informal demos, and continue with individual discussions with Brenda and Lorraine.Friday 9:00am-1:00pm Workshop
Morning work time to complete projects, look at books, journal your thoughts and continue individual mentoring with Lorraine and Brenda. Lunch, clean up and good-byes. -
All encaustic paints, encaustic medium, tools and equipment
A variety of R&F Pigment Sticks & R&F Drawing Oils
Sumi ink & other misc. drawing media
Misc. drawing papers
Paper towels/rags
Extra encaustic brushes
Stencils and other textures
Misc. collage materials
Extra mulberry/printing papers for mono-type
A selection of silicone encaustic mono-printing tools by Elizabeth Schowachert
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The following is a list of materials to bring to the Retreat—Visit Lorraine’s Amazon Store for Art Supply/Portable Art Supply Ideas
**Note If it presents a hardship to bring any of these supplies, please Contact Lorraine.Watercolor or Mixed Media sketchbook (lay flat, size 9 x 12 or 11×14, heavy stock to withstand wet media, encaustic sketching-at least 117 lb or above)
1-2 drawing media of your choice in black or earth tones (pencil, pastel, conte charcoal, oil pastel, Crayon, graphite, Sharpie felt pen, etc.)
1-2 water based drawing media of your choice black or earth tones (Small, portable watercolor set, India ink, walnut ink or India ink pen, Tombow markers, artgraf water soluble graphite, Stabilo Woody or All-pencil, etc.)
Closed toe shoes for safety in the studio
3-5 hake or hog’s bristle natural hair brushes in 1-2 inch sizes for encaustic painting (1 brush will be designated your medium brush, so it must be free of color if you are bringing used brushes)
Materials for collage (fabric, papers, magazine images, photos, etc.)
1-2 wooden painting panels (your preference of 8×8 or 10×10 or 12×12, but no larger or smaller, please)
Inexpensive Rice Paper Pack for encaustic mono-printing OR This Paper
Exacto knife, straight edge, extra blades and cutting mat package OR precision scissors
(Optional) Additional absorbent papers for encaustic monoprinting (mulberry, masa, other printing papers (Lauren at Paper Connection can recommend some excellent printing papers if you're feeling adventurous OR Arches Oil Paper
(Optional) encaustic mono-printing tools by Elizabeth Schowachert
Optional Materials
Smock, any encaustic paint color, pigment stick or Drawing Oil color you favor, Iwatani torch with extra butane, any tool or material for any technique that you normally employ while working with encaustic, textured objects and/or sharp ended tool for pressing into/incising/writing/drawing into wax, flat edge Catalyst wedge, silicone tipped clay tools or Catalyst tools, 1-2 inspiring books to share with the class, sweatshirt or sweater for chilly evenings and mornings, head lamp or battery operated desk lamp. If you would like to share your current work with Brenda or Lorraine, bring 2-4 actual OR images of your work, digital prints or phone/iPad sharing is fine. -
Sturdy hiking shoes/boots
Small waterproof cushion or portable chair
Small backpack
Comfortable clothing
Light rainwear
Hat
Water bottle
For art supply/portable art supply/hiking or travel ideas, visit Lorraine’s Amazon Store
About Lorraine & Brenda
Brenda Howell has explored her passion for color, texture and beauty through different materials and mediums. Her desire is to produce beauty but not in the traditional sense. Attracted to the quirky and overlooked she uses anything discarded yet lovely --rust, old books, burned wood, nails.... These unconventional materials are the basis for her encaustic paintings, sculptures and installations. Brenda has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and has taken coursework at Temple University, Tyler School of Art.Her work has been included in juried exhibitions throughout Pennsylvania and New Mexico and is included in public and private collections. She is a member of Artessa Alliance, InLiquid, DaVinci Art Alliance and the Cheltenham Center for the Arts. Brenda lives and maintains a studio in Philadelphia, PA
Lorraine is a former Assistant Professor at Tyler School of Art (2003-2016), a workshop instructor and an award-winning artist. She has a diverse art background with skills that include painting, sculpture, photography and digital imaging. Recent professional achievements include curating, With Wax: Materiality & Mixed Media in Encaustic at Chester County Art Association in West Chester, PA, a Grand Prize Award from the show (re)Building, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY and a recently appointed position as an Artist Instructor at R&F Paints. Her work is exhibited locally and nationally in galleries, museums, craft centers, universities, Fine Art Shows and more. Lorraine brings to her teaching a strong interdisciplinary approach, mixed with a balance of concept, process, experimentation and discovery.
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Please enjoy these images of artwork and fun scenes from recently taught workshops and retreats similar to this one
