What’s on at The Walnut Barn
Each season we host a select number of residential creative retreats, designed to give you time and space to slow down and connect with the simple rhythms of French country life. Our retreats are designed for small, intimate groups of 6–10 people over 5–7 days. We work with our visiting tutors to design retreats that strike exactly the right balance between learning, exploring, and relaxing.
Join nature photographer Corey Kinnan for a week of slowing down, connecting with nature, and developing your own unique photographic voice. Set in the beautiful Dordogne, this retreat combines field photography, creative discussion and image review, with a focus on light, composition, observation and storytelling. Suitable for enthusiastic beginners through to intermediate photographers.
During this retreat you will learn how to recreate the beautiful medieval buildings of the Dordogne in ink and watercolour. There will be an emphasis on how to achieve a strong sense of sunlight as well as learning techniques to add charm and character to your work. Projects will start off by sketching or photographing a suitable subject. You will then be supported to simplify and improve the composition during the drawing stage. You can expect to gain advice and demonstrations on how to add more expression into your sketches and linework. There will also be in-depth tuition on fundamental watercolour techniques that you will use throughout out the retreat and beyond.
Join Meg for a creative week in the beautiful Dordogne countryside. Take time to slow down, relax and see what unfolds in your hands as you work with paper, wire and glue to create your own beautiful life like flowers. We’ll explore shape, colour and texture, inspired by the wild gardens in Cadiot. You don’t need any previous experience, just come as you are and be curious. By the end of the week, you’ll have a beautiful sculptural piece of handmade blooms to take home, along with new skills, ideas and the confidence to keep exploring further.
A rounded introduction to the fifteenth century and the background of the Tudor Dynasty – discover just how one bold Welsh family emerged out of Wales to become England’s most famous royal family, and how their legacy remains today.
A mindful week of hand printing and hand stitching in the beautiful French countryside with acclaimed textile designer, Karen Lewis.
