The Alchemy of Transformation:
ENCAUSTIC, BOTANICALS & STAINS w/ NATURAL PROCESSES & MATERIALS
Art is embedded in nature and they who can extract it,
have it.
—Albrecht Durer
August 13-18, 2027 AT LAREAU INN & FARM, WAITSFIELD, VERMONT
Limited to 10 participants
Nature is a generous collaborator, offering an endless vocabulary of color, texture, pattern, and form. A leaf leaves its imprint, a flower releases its pigment, and time transforms organic matter into something entirely unexpected. In this workshop, we’ll explore the alchemy of these natural processes, discovering how botanical materials and their ephemeral qualities can be captured, altered, and transformed.
Through eco-printing, flower pounding, botanical printing, and the incorporation of pressed flowers, we’ll investigate the expressive possibilities of transferring plant pigments, shapes, and delicate details onto paper and other surfaces. We’ll then bring these impressions into the encaustic process, building layers of beeswax that preserve, obscure, reveal, and transform the original imagery. As botanical forms become embedded in wax, they take on new dimensions, shifting between presence and absence, representation and abstraction.
We’ll experiment with the interplay of organic stains, translucent layers, surface textures, and the unexpected marks that emerge when natural materials meet heat, pressure, and wax. Each process offers its own element of chance, inviting us to loosen our expectations and embrace the discoveries that occur along the way.
Set within the beautiful landscape of Vermont’s Mad River Valley, this retreat invites you to slow down, observe more closely, and draw inspiration from the rhythms and transformations of the natural world. Through experimentation, layering, and thoughtful exploration, we’ll develop new approaches to working with encaustic while considering how botanical imagery can speak to memory, impermanence, growth, and the passage of time.
Come prepared to experiment, follow your curiosity, and discover the unexpected beauty that emerges when nature and wax become collaborators in the creative process.
**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.
NEW Pricing
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Contact Lorraine with interest and list what requirements below you satisfy.
What You Get…
Pay only $1200 for the retreat…Includes accommodations, breakfast/lunch, materials.
A seat at the demo table and your own griddle.
Access to more supplies.
An opportunity to sell your work.
Take the class as a participant OR bring your own project to work on. (Minimal assistant duties during class work time and night studio)
What I Need from You…
Arrive early on Monday for set up day, demo assistance, food setup and clean up.
Help taking people one mile to town for evening activities. (Not always needed)
Assistance setting up/cleaning up Thursday night dinner.
Assistance cleaning up on Friday. (An extra hour after retreat ends)
Assistance in either opening the studio in the mornings or closing the studio at night.
Important, but not Imperative…
A repeat retreater who knows Lareau Inn is ideal, but not necessary.
Some encaustic painting experience, as either an individual artist, student or teacher.
Should have a car, (this may or many not be needed).
Especially on the first day, you will need to be on your feet for some time, so you will have to have good physical stamina.
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Contact Lorraine with interest and list what requirements below you satisfy.
Pay only $1850 for the retreat-40% off the regular price.
This opportunity is open to anyone who has wanted to attend the retreats and found it financially difficult.
Must be a subscriber of Lorraine’s to receive this scholarship.
Must have some encaustic painting experience.
Priority will be given to anyone who has taken an in-person or virtual workshop or retreat with Lorraine, however, this is not necessary.
Includes everything a retreater receives: class instruction, night studio, accommodation, breakfast and lunch, 2 dinners and most of the materials needed for the retreat.
Each room is booked individually with its own private bath, there are no shared rooms unless this is requested.
There is no extra work required for this scholarship opportunity.
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$2800 per person-$300 off of the regular retreat price
Open to anyone who has previously attended a Vermont Encaustic Retreat.
Please mention the most recent retreat you have attended when registering.
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Pay only $2900-$200 off of the regular retreat price.
Choose based on your income.
Honor based-no financial information is required.
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Pay $3100
Choose based on your income.
Honor based-no financial information is required.
Thank you for choosing this option, you are the reason these retreats continue to thrive.
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$1900 for the retreat
For those who are seeking accommodation other than Lareau Inn.
Includes lunch at Lareau Inn. Breakfast is not included.
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 foodies, 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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All pricing choices include all of the above accommodations, food, snacks, most workshop materials and FUN.
Payment of 50% of the workshop fee to reserve your space, paying via check, Zelle or Venmo. The remaining 50% fee is due approximately 6 weeks before the Retreat start date. Please contact Lorraine for payment details.
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Registration Instructions if staying at Lareau Inn:
Review the list of available rooms below and choose your room-each is linked to images and a brief description.
DO NOT book your room from the Lareau Inn web site. All rooms have already been booked in advance for our Retreats.
Choose your retreat from the NEW Pricing menu above.
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. We will hit the ground running with a demonstration and samples sharing discussion of rust printing, Shibori (Japanese tie-dye) and eco-printing, After the demo, we will begin to tie and lay out our fabrics and papers to create our first samplesTuesday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
Lorraine will lead a short hike to begin our first day of experiencing the land, brief meditation, breathing, listening, drawing, journaling, collecting inspiration and materials suitable for brush making, as well as pointing out aspects of the environment that may be recorded while outdoors. Back at the studio is a focus on translating our gathered information using pyrography, scorching, handmade brushes and found objects on wood, paper and fabric.We will also begin to unwrap and rinse our rust and eco prints from Monday evening and learn how to cover a board with these fabrics and papers using encaustic.
Wednesday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
Lorraine will demonstrate covering a board with fabric or paper to ready it for encaustic painting as well as a brief discussion of texture using flower printing and pounding, encaustic and stencils as well as composition-how one might go about responding to these dramatic natural patterns with content and sensitivity. The rest of the morning is devoted to free work time experimenting with the new techniques, creating additional fabric samples and expanding on your encaustic paintings. Continuing individual discussions with Lorraine.
After lunch, we will discuss interesting ways to add personal marks to our encaustic paintings using alternative drawing media and basic encaustic collage.Thursday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
After a morning demonstration of basic encaustic collage, more mark-making, content and composition discussions, we will continue with uninterrupted work time to further explore the layering and printing of natural materials in combination with encaustic, collage and mark-making to build a series that expresses your personal connection to natural elements and the landscape at large.Friday 9:00am-1:00pm Workshop
Morning work time to complete projects, look at books, journal your thoughts and continue individual mentoring with Lorraine. Lunch, clean up and good-byes. -
All encaustic paints, encaustic medium, tools and equipment
A variety of R&F Drawing Oils
A variety of R&F Pigment Sticks
Sumi ink & other misc. drawing media
Misc. drawing papers
Paper towels/rags
Extra encaustic brushes
Stencils and other textures
Misc. collage materials
Extra Disposable gloves
Tracing paper
Graphite transfer paper
Gamsol
Extra Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Crayons
Parchment Paper
Wax Paper
Silverdollar Eucalyptus
Printmaking paper
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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.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, caran d’ache neocolor II crayons, etc.)
1/2-1 yd RTD 8mm silk habotai or cotton print fabric from Dharma Trading Company OR an old white T-shirt OR an old cotton pillowcase OR found fabrics such as doilies, laces, silks or cottons. Please note that because of the starches and finishes on many commercial fabrics, results of eco-printing may vary. To avoid these unpredictable results, purchase RTD fabric.
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.)
2-4 wooden painting panels (your preference of 8×8 or 10×10 or 12×12, but no larger or smaller, please)
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 Lorraine, bring 2-4 actual OR images of your work, digital prints or phone/iPad sharing is fine.
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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
