Drawing and painting  give us an opportunity to participate in our surroundings in a personal and deeply felt way.  When we stop to draw, we begin to see what is before us as if for the first time. The cracks and crevices of a stone wall become lines  to be explored, its variegated palette of grey, purple, brown and ochre an invitation to experiment with paint.  Our keen engagement allows fear and worry to turn to  awe and gratitude as we feel more connection with what we paint and draw in the villages, cities and landscapes of Umbria.

As guests at La Romita, we have a unique opportunity to cultivate mindfulness and wonder in an ancient setting with modern comforts.

Without leaving our monastic home, we enjoy art-making at a leisurely pace in the former chapel studio. With background music playing quietly, we scribe words in the journals before us, unique  personal manuscripts  honoring our experience of the place.  Faded frescoes on the wall, a mosaic pattern on the stone floor,  a humble olive branch are enough to captivate our attention with paint brush, pencil and pen, and we need not be concerned with the mundane details of preparing food or cleaning house. When the cow bell rings, we walk the few steps to share breakfast, lunch and dinner with fellow artists, and are nourished by the healthy locally sourced food that is prepared especially for our  group.  It is hard not to think of the monks who came before us, similarly breaking bread together in communal fashion, tending to their inner as well as outer lives.  As it has for centuries, La Romita offers the rare gifts of sanctuary and community;  and t is a place for personal transformation. Here art becomes a way of experiencing a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us.