The Moody Blues: Encaustic, Indigo & Cyanotype

A COLLABORATIVE TEACHING VENTURE WITH LORRAINE GLESSNER & BRENDA HOWELL, TEACHING ASSISTANT

Blue is the only color which maintains its own character…in all its tones it will always stay blue.

— Raoul Dufy

AUGUST 4-8, 2025 AT LAREAU INN & FARM, WAITSFIELD, VERMONT

Limited to 10 participants

The lush greens of Vermont’s forests, hills and mountains are complemented by azure skies, silvery rivers and crystal clear lakes, casting the land in a dreamlike reflection of nature's quiet eternal. The serene surroundings of Lareau Farm enhance the calm of working with the color blue, while participants engage in hands-on sessions that delve into the history and methodology of indigo and cyanotype, two distinct yet complementary processes. Using the verdant palette of Vermont in late summer as our muse, this workshop explores all of the exciting ways in which the unmistakeable blue/green hues of Indigo and the rich cobalt blue of cyanotype can be combined with encaustic. Pre-reduced indigo is a unique, extremely versatile material that can be used as a dye or a paint on paper and fabric as well as a paint applied directly to the encaustic surface in layers of lines or thin pools of translucent color. The process of cyanotype is enhanced by the strong Vermont summer sun, botanicals of the garden and meadow, as well as combining the process with experimental natural materials such as salt, tea, coffee and turmeric. Collage, mark-making, rust printing on paper and fabric and other natural inclusions such as horse hair in combination with encaustic is also explored.

**Please note that participants should be prepared to spend time outside as well as in the studio. Any participant unable to take part in the outdoor activities are welcome to opt out and alternative indoor creative exercises will be provided.

Retreat Information

The Retreat fee includes accommodations for 4 nights at Lareau Inn, daily breakfast and lunch, one dinner, daily afternoon snacks and first night orientation, plus most workshop materials. A list of available rooms with links to images is listed on each of the Retreat pages below.
$2500 Per person includes all of the above accommodations, food, snacks, most workshop materials and FUN.
Payment of 50% of the workshop fee ($1250 if paying via check or Venmo, $1294 if paying via Paypal is due at the time of registration with the remaining 50% ($1250) due approximately 6 weeks before the workshop date. Please contact Lorraine for payment details.
Not Interested in Lareau Inn Accommodations, breakfast or lunch?
$1400 includes workshop fee and most materials.
Registration Instructions if staying at Lareau Inn:
1. Review the list of available rooms below and choose your room-each is linked to images and a brief description.
2. DO NOT book your room from the Lareau Inn web site. All rooms have already been booked in advance for our Retreats.
3. Contact Lorraine via email with the name of the room you’d like to book and for payment details.
Please Note Although the workshop continues through Friday, you must check out of Lareau Inn on Friday morning. If you would like to stay in the area Friday evening or beyond, there are many places in the town of Waitsfield and in nearby Stowe as well as Additional Accommodations in Waitsfield (see menu item below).
Wonder
Beauty
Hope
Kindness
Available at Waitsfield Inn and Featherbed Inn which are within one mile of Lareau Inn.
Please Note Although the workshop continues through Friday, you must check out of Lareau Inn on Friday morning. If you would like to stay in the area Friday evening or beyond, there are many places in the town of Waitsfield and in nearby Stowe.
In the event that you need to cancel your workshop, please notify Lorraine via email.
Cancelations made 30 days or more from the workshop start date will be refunded their deposit (minus $100 processing fee).
Cancelations made 30 days or less from the workshop start date will be refunded their deposit (minus $100 processing fee) only if the space can be filled. If the space cannot be filled, no refund will be issued.
In this circumstance, a credit of 50% of the deposit may be applied to another Vermont Retreat Only. The other 50% of the deposit will not be credited or refunded.

Itinerary & Materials

Monday 6-9pm Orientation
Tuesday-Friday, 9am-4:00pm Workshop Hours
Tuesday-Thursday, 6:00-9pm optional night studio hours
*NOTE* A Detailed Daily Itinerary including optional evening activities is emailed to participants a few weeks before the Retreat start date.
Monday 6-9pm Orientation
Meet & Greet Wine, Cheese, Snacks and Smores by the Lareau Farm Fire Pit and a short demo/art making activity to get us started.
Tuesday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
We will begin this exciting day of exploration, journaling, sketching and gathering with a walk through the garden and wildflower meadow. Back at the studio, we will begin our first round of cyanotypes and while we wait for the sun to do it's magic, Lorraine will lead a series of mark making exercises on paper and fabric using rust, indigo, inks as well as materials and inspiration collected from the morning hike. The rest of the afternoon is devoted to making marks and experimenting with new techniques.
Wednesday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
After a brief morning discussion, we will continue indigo dyeing on paper and fabric, along with cyanotype as well as introduce experimental materials such as rust, salt, water, bubbles and turmeric into both of these processes. After lunch, Lorraine will demonstrate covering a board with paper or fabric as a basis for encaustic painting as well as a brief discussion of layering and collage. The rest of the afternoon is devoted to refining the morning drawings, free painting time and inspiration gathering through individual discussions with Lorraine and Brenda.
Thursday 9-4:00 Workshop, 6:00-9:00pm Optional Night Studio
After our morning discussion, we will continue with uninterrupted work time to further explore the printing of natural materials in combination with encaustic, collage and mark-making to build a series that expresses your personal connection to the landscape at large.
Take the rest of the afternoon to experiment with marks, make color studies, ask questions, request informal demos, and continue with individual discussions with Brenda and Lorraine.
Friday 9:00am-1:00pm Workshop
Morning work time to complete projects, look at books, journal your thoughts and continued individual mentoring with Lorraine and Brenda. Before lunch, we will have a brief show and tell, then Lunch, clean up and good-byes.
All encaustic paints, encaustic medium, tools and equipment
Sumi ink & other misc. drawing media
Misc. drawing papers
Paper towels/rags
Extra encaustic brushes
Stencils and other textures
Misc. collage materials
Indigo
Dye Thickener
Plexiglass
Cyanotype Paper & Fabric
Tea, Coffee, Iron water, salt, tumeric
Textile soap
The following is a list of materials to bring to the Retreat—Visit Lorraine’s Amazon Store for Art Supply/Portable Art Supply Ideas
Watercolor or Mixed Media sketchbook (lay flat, size 9 x 12 or 11×14, heavy stock to withstand wet media, encaustic sketching-at least 117 lb or above)
1-2 drawing media of your choice in black or earth tones (pencil, pastel, conte charcoal, oil pastel, Crayon, graphite, Sharpie felt pen, etc.)
Sharp scissors to cut fabric
Closed toe shoes for safety in the studio
3-5 hake or hog’s bristle natural hair brushes in 1-2 inch sizes for encaustic painting (1 brush will be designated your medium brush, so it must be free of color if you are bringing used brushes)
Materials for collage (fabric, papers, magazine images, photos, etc.)
4-6 wooden painting panels (your preference of 8×8 or 10×10 or 12×12, but no larger or smaller, please)
Pressed botanicals, flowers, photo negatives, flat objects, stencils, etc to create a cyanotype
Optional Materials
Smock, any encaustic paint color or pigment stick color you favor, Iwatani torch with extra butane, any tool or material for any technique that you normally employ while working with encaustic, textured objects and/or sharp ended tool for pressing into/incising/writing/drawing into wax, flat edge Catalyst wedge, silicone tipped clay tools or Catalyst tools, 1-2 inspiring books to share with the class, sweatshirt or sweater for chilly evenings and mornings, head lamp or battery operated desk lamp. If you would like to share your current work with Brenda or Lorraine, bring 2-4 actual OR images of your work, digital prints or phone/iPad sharing is fine. Thermos or Water Bottle-I will no longer be supplying single use water bottles and will instead use 2 gallon jugs of water.
Sturdy hiking shoes/boots
Small waterproof cushion or portable chair
Butt pack or small backpack
Comfortable clothing
Light rainwear
Hat
Water bottle
For art supply/portable art supply/hiking or travel ideas, visit Lorraine’s Amazon Store

Questions? Email Lorraine

FAQ's

Vermont Retreats General Info

About Lorraine & Brenda

Brenda Howell has explored her passion for color, texture and beauty through different materials and mediums. Her desire is to produce beauty but not in the traditional sense. Attracted to the quirky and overlooked she uses anything discarded yet lovely --rust, old books, burned wood, nails.... These unconventional materials are the basis for her encaustic paintings, sculptures and installations. Brenda has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and has taken coursework at Temple University, Tyler School of Art.Her work has been included in juried exhibitions throughout Pennsylvania and New Mexico and is included in public and private collections. She is a member of Artessa Alliance, InLiquid, DaVinci Art Alliance and the Cheltenham Center for the Arts. Brenda lives and maintains a studio in Philadelphia, PA

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Lorraine is a former Assistant Professor at Tyler School of Art (2003-2016), a workshop instructor and an award-winning artist. She has a diverse art background with skills that include painting, sculpture, photography and digital imaging. Recent professional achievements include curating, With Wax: Materiality & Mixed Media in Encaustic at Chester County Art Association in West Chester, PA, a Grand Prize Award from the show (re)Building, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY and a recently appointed position as an Artist Instructor at R&F Paints. Her work is exhibited locally and nationally in galleries, museums, craft centers, universities, Fine Art Shows and more. Lorraine brings to her teaching a strong interdisciplinary approach, mixed with a balance of concept, process, experimentation and discovery.

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