Ardith Goodwin Chateau Retreat
11 – 20 October 2027
The Gatherwell Experience | Southwest France 2027
“Pull up a plane, train, and chair and join me for ten unforgettable days of creativity, curiosity, and delight in the Dordogne region of Southwest France.”
What if creativity isn’t something we do, but rather, a way in which we move through the world?
The Gatherwell Experience is unlike any workshop I teach because it begins long before we ever pick up a paintbrush. It begins with paying attention.
Together, we’ll wander through ancient villages and bustling markets, sketch in cafés, gather stories and beautiful oddities, and learn how to tap into the rich creative fodder that exists all around us. We’ll ask better questions, notice what most people walk past, and discover how our daily experiences can become the foundation for meaningful and imaginative work.
My hope is that when you board the plane home, you won’t simply have created a collection of paintings, you’ll have developed a richer relationship with curiosity itself. You’ll begin to understand that a creative life isn’t built only in the studio. It’s built while wandering cobblestone streets in search of an interesting shadow, collecting delicious words overheard at a French market, noticing the color of weathered shutters against limestone walls, or imagining the story behind an ordinary object tucked away in an antique shop.
Throughout our ten days together, we’ll paint daily in watercolor and acrylic (with the majority of supplies included), experiment with textiles by altering a jacket or pair of jeans, and engage in creative exercises designed to help you see far beyond the obvious.
Daily Painting Sessions
Delicious Gourmet Dinners
Daily Excursions
To Beautiful Locations
And then, there’s Bophiesella.
Last year, the Gatherwell Experience gave birth to Bophiesella LaRue and the Secret Dress, a children’s book written and illustrated by our retreat participants and later published on Amazon. Our students became published illustrators by contributing their own interpretations and artistic voices to the story. This year, Bophiesella returns for another delightful adventure, and you’ll help bring her world, and perhaps a few curious characters from The Land of Ardithian to life through your illustrations and imagination.
No two artists will create the same work because no two artists will gather the same experiences.
This isn’t a “paint this painting” workshop. It’s an invitation to build a creative life rooted in observation, wonder, and story.
Whether you’re drawn to painting quiet beauty or wildly imaginative worlds, Southwest France will become both your classroom and your muse as we explore places like Sarlat, Rocamadour, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Gourdon, and the surrounding villages of the Dordogne.
Together, we’ll gather more than photographs and souvenirs. We’ll gather stories, ideas, memories, and moments of delight that will continue informing your creative practice long after you’ve unpacked your suitcase.
After all, the most interesting thing you’ll bring home won’t fit inside your luggage.
It will be the way you’ve learned to see the world.
Example Itinerary:
Flights – You can fly into Paris or Toulouse and get the train to our local station from there.
Day 1: Transfers from the local train station in the early afternoon. Welcome snacks & evening meal at the Chateau.
Day 2: Visit to Chateau des Milandes, picnic lunch with an amazing view and some sketching. Dinner at the chateau.
Day 3: Visit to Saint Cirq Lapopie, picnic lunch, sketching. Dinner at the chateau.
Day 4: Visit to Sarlat market. Afternoon in the studio, Restaurant in the evening.
Day 5: Visit to Rocamadour, sketching outdoors or in the studio in the afternoon. Dinner at the chateau.
Day 6: Guided tour of a fortified watermill, picnic lunch, sketching outdoors or in the studio in the afternoon. Dinner at the Chateau.
Day 7: Day painting in the studio/outside at the chateau. Restaurant dinner.
Day 8: Painting/exploring the panoramic landscape at Domme. Afternoon in the studio.
Day 9: Visit to a local site/sketching/packing/farewell evening.
Day 10: Transfers to the local train station in the morning.
There are equally lots of other activities we can organise depending on your group. More plein air painting, more studio time, more guided excursions.
The Accommodation
What’s included
Excursions
Daily trips to tailored locations chosen by the artist and their group. Opportunities to explore, shop, paint plein air or gather inspiration for studio work.
Tuition
Every day you will receive group and one-to-one tuition outside or in the studio in the form of demonstrations and individual feedback.
Food
Fresh baked goods, fresh fruit salads & continental style breakfasts every day. Locally produced, freshly cooked lunches and evening meals. We will visit a couple of restaurants at your own expense.
Accommodation
9 Nights lodging on the Chateau domaine with use of the swimming pool, tennis courts and grounds.
Farmhouse Suite
€4600
This is a bedroom in the farmhouse on the Chateau domaine with it’s own ensuite bathroom.
Chateau Suite
€4900
This is a bedroom in the chateau with its own ensuite bathroom
Couple’s Suite
€7250
This room is a for a couple with their own ensuite bathroom.