Portugal
October 7 - 14, 2025
with TERRI FROELICH and SUSAN MELRATH
Join Terri and Susan for an 8 day / 7 night intimate retreat experience in the Alentejo Region of Southwest Portugal, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the protected area of Costa Vicentina.
Note: This retreat venue is rustic and not suitable for people with mobility issues.
Surrounded by nature, rolling pastoral hills with stretches of citrus, cork oak, and pine trees, you can unwind and breathe the fresh air. Even our studio is nestled in the woods. Enjoy a morning hike, and homemade meals with local produce and regional wine.
Your afternoons will be spent painting and discovering all the nuances of color contrasts and applying them to your work. You’ll learn from coaches Susan Melrath and Terri Froelich, who see you, connect with you, laugh with you, and walk beside you.
Our retreats are kept small and intimate for a reason.
This private, tranquil paradise will be your home for the week.
Terri Froelich & Susan Melrath
WE FEEL YOU…
Color is in your soul.
Cool, muted colors bring a sense of calm. Warm, saturated colors give us energy. Color, like music, reaches us on an emotional level. It can convey moods and hidden meanings, and even influence people. Simply put, color is life. It surrounds us. It stirs us. It communicates to all of our senses instantly.
MORE THAN A FEELING
For artists, color can make our viewers “feel” something. It can capture the feeling of a warm summer night or a fleeting moment in time. Given that composition is built on contrasts, color provides many ways to evoke those feelings including contrasts of hue, value, saturation, opacity and temperature. Just imagining all these components might feel overwhelming, let alone mastering them.
WE KNOW THE FEELING
The Color Cure retreat is dedicated to helping you do just that, along with the guidance of two artists who have immersed themselves in this field. Practical exercises, hands-on experience, and personal feedback will ensure that your art-making becomes a richer process and you have a deeper connection between what you want to say and how you say it.
What You Will Learn
Color offers so many forms of contrast: hue, value, saturation, complementary, opacity, and temperature contrasts. That’s a lot to unpack, and that’s just what we’ll be doing.
We’ll cover:
Composing with color.
Mixing any color you want.
Limiting your palette for greater emotional impact.
Finding new palettes for expression.
Understanding how the principles of art apply to color.
Mastering color contrasts.
Recognizing the limits of the color wheel.
Mastering a skill isn’t about memorizing facts or learning formulas. It's about understanding why things work and then applying them. During our week together we’ll be your guides. Our morning exercises are guaranteed to strengthen your mastery of color contrasts, allowing you to have total control of your composition. Our afternoon painting prompts and one-on-one guidance will provide the experiential learning that sticks and applies to YOUR art.
What’s Included
Morning and afternoon teaching sessions with
Susan and Terri
7 nights accommodation
All meals - made fresh daily with organically grown ingredients on property or sourced locally (local wines and beers available for purchase)
Indoor painting studio with stunning views
Sustainability tour
Afternoon excursion - visiting local artisans
Transportation assistance to/from the airport
How it Works
At the time of booking, you pay a US$500 non-refundable deposit.
The remaining balance is split into half.
The first half is due 30 days from the date of booking
The remaining balance is due 30 days after that (60 days from the date of booking)
Note that images shown of rooms are for reference only and may not be the exact room you reserve
Accommodations & Costs
-
Single Occupancy
Queen Bed / Private Bath
US$ 5,250
-
Double Occupancy
Twin Beds / Shared Bath
US$ 4,750
-
The retreat is located in the protected area of Costa Vicentina, in the Alentejo Region of Southwest Portugal ~ ideally situated among the countryside and the beach. The retreat center is approximately 1.5 hours south of Lisbon, Portela airport . Once you have registered, we will send you options for transportation services from the airport to the retreat center. Each attendee will be responsible for the cost their own transportation to and from the retreat center.
-
This retreat accommodates 16 artists with instructors Terri Froelich & Susan Melrath. There are 6 single rooms and 5 double shared rooms (total 10 people). All rooms have ensuite bathrooms. Accommodations are on a first come, first basis and all reservations must be completed through this website.
-
Accommodations for 7 nights, painting instruction with Susan and Terri (morning and afternoon sessions each day), meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and some fun and laughs!
-
Airfare, travel insurance (required), transportation to and from the venue, supplies, alcoholic beverages, tips for staff, art supplies, travel before or after the retreat and/or any personal purchases made.
-
We accept all major credit cards. If you prefer an alternative payment method, please reach out to us at info@artfuelstudio.com. All payments are billed in US Dollars.
-
Yes, to reserve your spot for the retreat, we require a US$ 500 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit. The remaining balance will be billed as follows:
The remaining balance is split into half
The first half is due 30 days from the date of booking
The remaining balance is due 30 days after that (60 days from the date of booking)
All retreat fees must be paid in full 90 days before the start of the retreat.
-
Your US$ 500 deposit is non-refundable, non-transferable. If you need to cancel after additional payments have been made, we are happy to refund the amount paid (less your deposit), once the retreat is full and a replacement person takes your spot and has paid in full - (we’ll be keeping a waitlist).
-
Our retreats can often accommodate vegetarian, gluten free and other common food sensitivities. We will send a questionnaire prior to the retreat asking for your requests at that time so the venue is prepared.
-
Yes, travel insurance and proof of purchase is required for all workshops. Please do your research to determine if you should purchase standard travel insurance or if CFAR travel insurance (cancel for any reason) is better for you.
-
Below is a short list of supplies needed, but you'll receive a full list in advance of the retreat.
Acrylic Paint (this workshop is taught in acrylics only)
Smaller nylon brushes flats and rounds
-
To view the ARTfuel Studio Retreats Terms & Conditions, please click HERE.
