Image Credit: Craig Nelson
Image taken on the first painting session at Euterpe Farms in Ojai.

A professionally guided art experience over three days in the beautiful Ojai Valley with award-winning painter Julio Panisello. Fulfill your longing for painting in nature while enjoying a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere.

The three-day painting program will provide four opportunities of short journeys to inspiring locations around the Ojai Valley to capture four different types of outdoor light and landscape, all specially chosen for their beauty and accessibility.
Dates: Friday July 14th through Sunday July 16th. We begin on Friday, July 14th at 4 PM for welcome wine and snacks at Wild Rice Ranch. We end the retreat on Sunday, July 16th at 1 PM after the last painting session.

Location: Ojai Valley, California. Group limited to 10 easel spots only. First-come first-served.

Cost: $500 includes the items on the list below. Please be aware that accommodations are not included in the price of the painting program. Participating painters are responsible for lodging costs during the weekend which would require a Friday check in on July 14th  and a Sunday checkout on July 16th (two nights total).
What's included in the cost:
  • Two-course evening meal (+drinks) on the day of arrival (July 14th) cooked with locally sourced produce by Ojai resident artist and host extraordinaire Julie Grist.
  • Access to Wild Rice Ranch, a retreat base camp with extensive outdoor grounds and free wifi.
  • Early morning Coffee Social and light continental-style breakfast at Julie’s Kitchen at Wild Rice Ranch.
  • 4 separate painting sessions to capture 4 different lights (morning, noon, sunset, and night) in 4 different locations.
  • Beer, wine, refreshments, and light snacks offered during the 4 painting sessions. All the materials needed for painting (easel, canvas, oil paint, brushes, supplies).
  • Set up and clean up on each session.
  • Instruction and individualized feedback for each outdoor painting session.
  • A relaxed, safe, nonjudgmental, and requirement-free environment.
  • Tons of free time to explore and discover what the Ojai Valley has to offer.

We are currently working with the Ojai Art Center to exhibit a curated selection of the work produced during the weekend in their gallery space in downtown Ojai.
What to bring:
  • Layered clothing (it may get chilly early morning and in the evening
  • Sunhat
  • Sunblock
  • Swimsuit & towel
The Ojai Valley is a scenic little agricultural area surrounded by hills and mountains located just 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara.  A thriving community of visual and performance artists, the valley is also known for its abundance of citrus orchards, equestrian lovers, extensive hiking and biking, and its history as a center for those interested in spirituality and healing. Travel and Leisure says “One of Southern California’s prettiest escapes is just a short skip from Los Angeles. All you need is three days and the right itinerary.”  Roofless Painters will organize that perfect itinerary for you and bring you directly to some of Ojai’s best painting spots. We have gained access through insights from locals and feel welcomed by the stewards of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy.
Julio Panisello, the recipient of the Grand Prize and the Audience Choice Award in the 2016 Los Angeles Plein Air Festival, earned his BFA (cum laude) in Painting and a postgraduate degree in Pedagogy from the University of Barcelona, Catalonia. He has exhibited widely in Los Angeles and Spain including a solo exhibition with ShoeboxLA, THE LODGE, the Los Angeles Arboretum, the main branch of the New York Public Library, and Gallery 825. He is the creator of The Havisham Hour, a multi-media, visual arts and literature project based on Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, Julio with a P, a collection of recorded conversations with local artists, and the founder of Roofless Painters which hosts educational painting sessions in iconic locations. He lives and works in Los Angeles. www.juliopanisello.com
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