Awaken the Artist Within: Sketchbook Immersion in Umbria

with Tom Birmingham & Erin Lee Gafill - September 19-26, 2025

Awaken the Artist Within: Sketchbook Immersion in Umbria

with Tom Birmingham & Erin Lee Gafill - September 19-26, 2025

Break through creative barriers during this dynamic workshop!

Dates: September 19-26, 2024
Instructors: Tom Birmingham & Erin Lee Gafill
Location: Castello di Petroia, Gubbio, Umbria, Italy
Level: All
Mediums: All 

Tom Birmingham and Erin Lee Gafill have been teaching art classes in Italy for almost 20 years. Under the guidance of these two award-winning artists, you’ll have the chance to explore a variety of mediums and techniques, including:

  • “Alla Prima” Watercolor Sketch
  • Color-mixing for harmony and sizzle
  • Finding your voice and mark-making language
  • Observational sketch with line and wash
  • The Power of Simple Design

 

Inspired by the natural beauty and culture of Umbria, you’ll explore techniques and design principles in a personal and intuitive way without fear of criticism or failure. Every day we will face down the terror of the blank page, adopting an attitude of experimentation and play. Your sketchbook will serve not just as a place to practice techniques, but also as a record of your experiences in Italy and your personal artistic discoveries.

Even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush, these immersive sessions will awaken the artist within you and help you make peace with your inner critic.  Above all, we will have a blast!

Winslow Art Center will arrange a Zoom meeting in advance with participants and the instructors to help you get ready for the best possible experience – preparing your materials, packing your gear and developing the right mindset for painting with ease and satisfaction.

About the Instructors

About the Instructors

Erin Lee Gafill is an award-winning artist, teacher, and author, from Big Sur, California. Her abstracted landscapes, plein air and still life paintings are collected internationally. Erin teaches creativity and painting workshops online and in person. Her workshops include The Passion of Painting, Awaken The Art Within, and her Art of Now series exploring the connection between art-making and mindfulness. In 2008, Erin was honored as a Champion of the Arts by the Monterey Council for the Arts and the State of California. She is an artist member of the Carmel Art Association.

Tom Birmingham is an artist, photographer, and teacher who lived and worked in Big Sur, California for over 30 years, only recently relocating to Connecticut. As a founding director of the Big Sur Arts Initiative, Tom has provided instruction and enrichment in the creative arts in a variety of mediums. He has taught photography and drawing at Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, and for years he and his wife Erin taught painting and sketch on their annual retreats to Italy. Tom is the founder of 26Letter Press, a small publishing company dedicated to printed materials celebrating and inspiring creative expression. In the summer of 2020, he designed the museum exhibition and accompanying book, Color Duets – Kaffe Fassett | Erin Lee Gafill, which was the headlining show for five months at the Monterey Museum of Art.

Luxury Accomodations at Castello di Petroia

The venue for this week-long art immersion is the 10th Century Castello di Petroia, an authentic medieval fortress perched on a hilltop between the towns of Perugia and Gubbio, with inspiring views of the surrounding landscape. The castle, birthplace of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino (b.1422), is surrounded by a 600-acre traditional Umbrian farm with beautiful olive groves, hiking and horse-riding trails, meadows, woods and abundant wildlife.

The castle’s 16 bedrooms, each with ensuite bathroom, feature original wooden beams, stone arches, antique furniture and painted ceilings. The luxurious accommodations have been restored with an eye to modern amenities, while preserving the authentic medieval structure. The 13th Century dining room is warm and refined, with historic furnishings, soft light, fireplaces and candles. Breakfasts, which include homemade yogurts, breads, pastries, jams, fresh fruit and local meats and cheeses, are served in the historic Guidobaldo Hall, an elegant book-lined, wood-beamed room with magnificent views of the Umbrian countryside.

Itinerary

Friday, September 19
• Pickup at meeting spot in Rome at 2:00
• Arrive Castello di Petroia, Gubbio
• Orientation/Welcome, Aperitivo and Dinner
Saturday, September 20
• Breakfast at the castle
• Morning painting instruction
• Lunch at the castle
• Afternoon painting instruction
• Aperitivo and Dinner at the castle
Sunday, September 21
• Breakfast at the castle
• Morning painting instruction
• Lunch at the castle
• Afternoon painting instruction
• Aperitivo and Dinner at the castle
Monday, September 22
• Breakfast at the castle
• Morning painting instruction
• Lunch at the castle
• Afternoon painting instruction
• Wine Tasting and aperitivo
• Dinner at the castle
Tuesday, September 23
• Breakfast at the castle
• Excursion to town of Gubbio
• Aperitivo and Dinner at the castle
Wednesday, September 24
• Breakfast at the castle
• Morning painting instruction
• Lunch at the castle
• Afternoon painting instruction
• Aperitivo and Dinner at the castle
Thursday, September 25
• Breakfast at the the castle
• Morning painting instruction
• Lunch at the castle
• Afternoon painting instruction
• Farewell aperitivo and exhibit of work
• Farewell Dinner at the castle
Friday, September 26
• Breakfast at the castle
• Depart for Rome – 9:00 AM
• Arrive in Rome at drop-off spot – 11:30 AM-12:00 PM
(Planned itinerary is subject to minor alterations.)

Awaken the Artist Within: Sketchbook Immersion in Umbria

with Tom Birmingham & Erin Lee Gafill – September 19-26, 2025
at Castello di Petroia, Umbria, Italy

Total cost is based per room and number of occupants:

Solo workshop participant: $4,850.
Two workshop participants sharing a room: $7,550.
Workshop participant with travel companion: $6,950.

What’s Included:  

  • 8 days, 7 nights accommodation, private room with ensuite bathroom at Castello di Petroia
  • Ground transport from Rome to venue and return
  • All breakfasts, 5 lunches, all dinners with wine
  • 5 full days of painting instruction
  • Additional activities include: Welcome aperitivo, excursion to Gubbio, wine tasting, closing reception.
A deposit of $750 per person will reserve your room and space(s) in a workshop. You may cancel your reservation for a full refund of the deposit within 24 hours. After 24 hours, the deposit is non-refundable. Full balance and signed contract are due four months before the beginning of the workshop.

There are limited spaces available in this workshop. Please contact martha@winslowartcenter.com to register.

Choose your Room Option:

Solo Workshop Particpant - $750 deposit

Two Workshop Participants - $1500 deposit

Workshop Participant with Travel Companion - $1500 deposit

Please read the contract for complete terms and conditions.

Experience Counts

Martha and the Winslow Art Center team have over 10 years of experience organizing destination art workshops. We personally participate in every travel workshop to ensure the quality of the accommodations and cuisine as well as to coordinate the special needs of the 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.

There are limited spaces available in this workshop. Please contact martha@winslowartcenter.com to register.

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