Donna Downey Workshop 2025

Donna Downey is coming to Perigord Retreats from the 07 – 16 October 2025 for a plein air watercolour workshop.

Donna considers herself to be on a creative journey that continues to surprise her every time she steps in front of her canvas. Donna’s paintings continue to evolve in style and technique, but one thing stays constant: she is in love with painting the human figure. She uses unfinished lines and painterly strokes to express the emotional vulnerability of human existence in everyday life. The impermanence and fragility of life is the essential focus of my work.

Plein Air & Studio Painting

Delicious Homemade Dinners

Daily Excursions

To Beautiful Locations

You Time With

Donna Downey

I love to experiment with either a monochromatic palette or an explosion of vibrant colors, depending on my mood. The process of applying paint to canvas is an emotional experience for me and I even find it a bit sexy. Exploring the use of shadow and light as a push and pull of interest for the viewer is a constant theme in my art. I often start each painting with a simple concept or idea in mind then I start placing color throughout the canvas, letting the colors intuitively reveal the composition. The paintings develop in response to the energy created between myself and the paint. I use painting as a meditation and I deeply enjoy the never ending challenge to evoke a particular mood or emotion for the viewer.

At this workshop you will:

- Learn how to create pastel portraits and expressive landscapes
- Learn how to be more expressive in your work
- Improve your painting techniques
- Learn more about color
- Infuse your art with old-world beauty and character
- Heighten your sense of observation, sense of color, form and aesthetics
- Learn tips on how to sketch and paint on location