Dates: May 3-10, 2027
Instructor: Sarah B. Hansen
Venue: Hotel Hydroussa, Island of Hydra, Greece
Medium: Watercolor & gouache
Level: Open to all levels of experience. Some experience in drawing and painting is helpful.Â
Experience the luminous beauty of Hydra, Greece, through expressive painting in watercolor and gouache. This immersive workshop invites you to slow down, look more deeply, and move beyond a literal interpretation of the landscape to capture the island’s distinctive light, vibrant colors, and timeless atmosphere.
From sunlit stairways and weathered stone pathways to whitewashed buildings, wildflowers, colorful doorways, and the brilliant blues of the Aegean, we’ll explore how to simplify what we see into compelling shapes, thoughtful compositions, and expressive passages of color. The goal is not simply to record a place, but to discover your own response to it through paint.
Instructor Sarah will demonstrate in watercolor, in combination with gouache, balancing transparency and opacity to convey light, mood, texture, and movement.
Workshop focus includes:
• Creating engaging compositions and simplifying complex scenes
• Establishing strong value relationships and expressive shapes
• Exploring transparency, opacity, and the interplay of light and dark
• Mixing harmonious colors and working with a limited palette
• Developing lovely brushwork, layered passages, and intentional edges
• Painting on location
• Playing with a loose, expressive, splashy expression of color
Each day will combine instructor demonstrations, guided painting sessions, and individual feedback in a supportive and inspiring environment. Sarah brings a thoughtful, hands-on approach to teaching, helping students recognize the possibilities within their work while encouraging experimentation and personal expression.
Through plein air painting and immersive views, you’ll build confidence in your materials, loosen your approach, and deepen your connection to the place around you. With Hydra’s distinctive architecture, Mediterranean light, and ever-changing views of the sea as our inspiration, we’ll discover new ways to translate experience into expressive paintings.
The Greek island of Hydra is a mountainous island located off the coast of the Peloponnese in the Saronic Gulf. Although less than a two-hour ferry ride from Athens/Piraeus, Hydra is a long step back in time. The inhabitants of Hydra elected over 60 years ago to preserve the character and architecture of the island by banning wheeled vehicles including cars and motorbikes, as well as new construction, permitting only restoration of older buildings. The result is an island of largely 18th and 19th century architecture that travels at the pace of donkeys, the only means of transportation available other than by boat.
The port of Hydra, where our venue is located, is considered one of the most picturesque in Greece, a keyhole harbor ringed by waterfront cafes with the town rising steeply behind. Our hotel, the Hydroussa, located on a winding street set back from the hubbub of the port, is a striking example of Hydriot architectural style, a large mansion with soaring ceilings built around a central courtyard shaded by lemon trees where breakfast and evening aperitivos are served.
What’s Included: Â
With over 10 years of experience organizing art tours, and with part of our team, my daughters Anne and Amy, living in Europe and fluent in Italian and Spanish, we maintain long term relationships with the owners and staff of our favorite venues. We personally participate in every travel workshop to ensure the quality and to coordinate all the needs of an art instruction program.
If you have any questions, please use the form below, phone 206-715-6663 or email martha@winslowartcenter.com to contact us.
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