Students will work intensely under Two Teachers ~ focusing their efforts into two panels that reflect a profound grasp of the layered painting techniques: Acrylics and Mischtechnik.

Autumn Skye will guide her students on a personal journey into the creative process. Through conceptual dreaming, compositional theory, and practical technique, you will be supported and empowered at every step of the way, regardless of your experience or painting ability. Working in thin layers of Acrylics, you will build your painting up from a strong foundation using Autumn Skye’s “blocking and bridging” techniques to understand form and light/shadow, before moving forward to refining and nuance. Through the painting journey you will be invited to look deeply into the mirror of your artwork, with attentive presence, patience, and dedication, while listening to the mystery of the piece and where it might take you. 

Autumn Skye seeks to share her own creative process, which allows the artist “show up and do the work, follow through and stay present, while simultaneously releasing judgment, breathing and allowing, and find joy in each step along the way.” Her comprehensive and attentive instruction give equal emphasis to Creative Intuition & Skilled Technique.

As a self-taught artist, Autumn Skye has dedicated innumerable hours in creative exploration. Her style gracefully weaves together refined realism, iconic imagery, profound symbolism, and subtle energetics. She lives and has her studio on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of BC, Canada, while teaching and exhibiting worldwide. Her meticulous and poignant paintings continue to gain expanding recognition, attracting collectors and students from around the globe.

For Autumn Skye, students should be prepared with a Drawing on a Visionary Subject, 30 cm x 40 cm in size (12″ x 16″), and 3-5 loose thumbnail sketches, along with options of reference photographs (printed). 

Following the pathways & approaches taken by the Old Masters, Timea Tallian will introduce various methods of the Mischtechnik, such as those used by the Venetian Renaissance masters, Ernst Fuchs, Amanda Sage and other Visionary artists. This venerable technique gives paintings a rich luminosity, depth and complexity. By learning to pay close attention to lights & darks, your work will achieve greater depth & volume. Through a variety of presentations and demonstrations, we will explore the spiritual and contemplative power of image-making.

As a visionary artist, art technological researcher and practising art conservator, Timea Tallian brings her in-depth knowledge of historical artists’ methods and materials to her art and teaching. Born in Vienna, she graduated from The Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna with a Master degree in Painting and Conservation, then completed a four-year MPhil research degree in 2007 at The Royal College of Art in London. These experiences inspire her art, which uniquely combine Renaissance and more modern approaches to painting. Due to her rich knowledge of historical painting methods, Timea makes an ideal teacher for introducing students to the Mischtechnik.

For Timea Tallian, students should come prepared with a Drawing on a Visionary subject, 30 cm x 40 cm in size (12″ x 16″), along with multiple photocopies of the drawing (for transferring) and printed reference materials relevant to the colors, forms & concepts of their composition. A minimal line drawing is fine (and easier to transfer), though a more developed drawing may serve as a reference in the rendering process.

The number of Activities is endless, depending on what you, the student, can bring to the group. Nevertheless, a steady stream of events seems to happen spontaneously and almost effortlessly.

In previous seminars, one student led a Yoga Class, another gave Tai Chi lessons, and a third formed a Chanting Circle. Music was our constant companion, with impromptu collaborations between students, guests & residents. One night a group of musicians from Naples gave a concert of Tarantellas while the seminar students came up with a Live Painting. We’ve had Guided Visualizations, Drumming Circles, Trance Parties, Pizza Nights & Midnight Walks through the Alpine Hills. Torri Superiore is blessed to have a stunningly beautiful Swimming Grotto close by, where students often cool off in the late afternoon and get in touch with Nature’s majesty & grandeur.

Italian Beer is readily available through the ‘trust fridge’ and wine may be purchased with the meal Sitting on the large balcony overlooking the beautiful hills, conversation lasted late into the night. Sunsets were spent at the Village Ruins atop the hill, and painting in the studio went on all through the night.

The Students demonstrated how Visionary Art is indeed an international phenomenon. They have hailed from such diverse places as Argentina, India, Brazil, the Sinai desert, Australia, Turkey, Malta, New Zealand, & all quarters of Europe and the U.S.A (from Scandanavia to the Mediterranean; from Long Island to Hawaii!…) Each brought the distinctive taste of their own culture with them, and offered a global perspective on the present transformation of world-consciousness.

At the end, a Farewell Party is always held, including an Exhibition of the students’ works. The friendships forged during the seminar lasted long afterward.

After the Seminar, more activities naturally develop. In the past, groups of students have visited the Damanhur Temples or Ernst Fuchs’ Apocalypse Chapel in Klagenfurt, Austria. Another group toured Europe before going to the Boom Festival in August. After a vision at Torri Superiore, Jimmy Bleyer went on to found The Temple of Visions, a gallery in Los Angeles which exhibited many works from former seminar students.

The possibilities are endless…