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"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your
one wild and precious life."
-Mary Oliver
Drawn to the Wild
TUSCANY, ITALY
SET YOUR WILD CREATIVITY FREE
with Natalie Eslick
April 27-May 3, 2025
MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT
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Do you remember your wild heart?
Welcome to an incredible opportunity to empower and celebrate the creative within, in this enchanting retreat focused on drawing with (and from) nature.
Together we will explore the beautiful grounds of our retreat home and the gorgeous landscapes of Tuscany, drawing from life (drawing into life), watching birds (unfurling our own wings), and seeing deeply (inside and out). We will spend half of the day outside, and the other half in the studio making art, freeing our creative souls, and allowing ourselves to fall deep into the rabbit hole of wonder and delight. In the studio we will focus our sketching our reference photos we have taken, honouring our wild kin with reverence and reciprocity, and untangling some of the unhelpful thoughts that stop us from rooting deep into the confident, curious, and compassionate creative we are.
Natalie Eslick
Natalie Eslick is a fine artist and creative guide living north of Sydney, Australia. Her previous life was academic, managerial, high stress and pressure, and at 45 she knew she needed to follow her heart and calling to sing the song of the wild - and empower others to do the same. Natalie draws and paints wildlife-focused pieces that celebrate the unique individual beauty of all of our wild kin, telling their story so that you, too, can welcome them into your heart and home. She also works on personal projects such as the {wild+woman} series, celebrating the wisdom of our elder women imagined as conduits to the power of nature through wildlife. Natalie has published illustrations for renowned author Sharon Blackie’s book Hagitude, is a member of Artists for Conservation, and her classes are celebrated by participants as life changing opportunities for personal and artistic growth. Perhaps most importantly, Natalie considers herself a strawberry connoisseur and can usually be bribed with dark chocolate.
ABOUT THE RETREAT
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Using the simplest and most portable of supplies, we will craft a sketchbook of beauty and memory, a personal gallery and secret garden we can keep contributing to and creating a practice we can forever delve deeper into. This retreat, this practice, is about compassion and connection - compassion for ourselves and the wild world that we are a part of (not apart from) and connection to our own animal bodies, connection to our wild animal kin and nature, and connection to the profound self-care act of creativity.
This very special retreat is perfect for all levels of creatives, from the very beginner to those with years of playing with pigment. We will be working on learning and honing the skills of realistic drawing, observation, process, and patience. We will be breathing clean air deeply, planting our feet (and bums) on the ground, and being really present. Natalie will walk you through all the steps it takes to find the shape and form of anything organic (and inorganic), and walk beside you as you find your own path into realistic wildlife and nature drawing. Using a sketchbook, graphite, coloured pencil, and watercolour there is an unending well of possibility between the page and your wild heart, and we are here to celebrate it all.
Unfurl. Ground deeply. And set your wild creativity free.
