31 March- 4 April 2027
Spend five inspiring days with illustrator Jutta Schneider in the medieval hilltop village of Monsaraz, Portugal, where art, landscape, and local culture come together to spark new creative possibilities. Surrounded by rolling plains, whitewashed streets, hand-painted tiles, ceramics, and centuries of Portuguese craftsmanship, you’ll discover how the character of a place can become a rich source of artistic inspiration.
Through guided drawing sessions, sketching walks, museum visits, and outdoor observation, you’ll explore the patterns, symbols, colours, and textures woven into Portugal’s visual heritage. Working with both traditional sketchbooks and Procreate, you’ll experiment with translating these discoveries into your own unique visual language. Rather than focusing on finished pieces, this getaway encourages curiosity, playful exploration, and the development of a personal visual library that will continue to inspire your creative practice long after this artistic experience ends.
Open to artists, illustrators, and creatives of all levels, this Curated Art Escape is designed for anyone who wants to slow down, reconnect with their creativity, and deepen their understanding of pattern, colour, rhythm, and visual storytelling in a supportive, pressure-free environment.
Jutta Schneider is an illustrator, artist, and educator based in Germany. She is known for her approachable teaching style and her focus on simplifying complex creative processes into accessible, playful workflows.
Her work is deeply influenced by mid-century aesthetics, folk art, and visual culture, with a strong interest in patterns, color, and expressive imperfection. Rather than chasing polished outcomes, Jutta encourages observation, curiosity, and experimentation as core elements of a sustainable creative practice.
As a long-time Skillshare Top Teacher, she has taught thousands of students worldwide, helping them build confidence in their creative voice through clear guidance and hands-on exploration. Her teaching bridges digital and analog approaches, often combining sketchbook work with Procreate to explore visual language in a relaxed, pressure-free way. In her retreats and classes, Jutta creates supportive spaces where learning feels calm, focused, and joyful, allowing creativity to unfold naturally and without comparison.
What they say about Jutta Schneider teaching:
Skillshare highlights Jutta as a Top Teacher, describing her classes as being known for:
To know more about Jutta visit her website here.
31 March- 4 April 2027
(5 days and 4 nights)
Single Room:
2033€ PP (+vat 23%) = total 2500€
You can reserve your spot today, and we’ll only charge you once the retreat is guaranteed.
Our event prices are based on single occupancy, giving each guest a private room. If you would like to share a room with a friend, please let us know when you register. We will be happy to provide the shared accommodation rate, as the fee will be adjusted for each guest. Hotel details bellow.
Booking Process:
Payment:
You can reserve your spot today, and we’ll only charge you once the retreat is guaranteed.
The event is guaranteed once the minimum group size has been reached and the retreat can be operated safely in accordance with applicable local, national, and other regulations.
In the unlikely event that a guaranteed retreat is canceled due to circumstances beyond our control, we’ll let you know as soon as possible, refund all payments you’ve made in full.
Get in touch for exclusive access: info@sofiainmonsaraz.site
3 full-day Art Classes days with Jutta Schneider
3 Dinners
3 Lunches
Visit to Estremoz and the tile museum.
Visit to an old rug factory
Wine and olive oil tasting session
4 Nights Accommodation (with breakfast included)
Luxury coach transfer to the hotel in Monsaraz, approximately 2 hours from Lisbon Airport, with return transfer to Lisbon Airport included.
Wednesday, 31th March 2027
Participants will be picked up at Lisbon Airport in the afternoon and transferred to Monsaraz (2 hours bus). After arrival and a light dinner at the hotel, we will gather for a relaxed welcome session. This first evening is dedicated to arriving, unwinding, and getting oriented. Jutta will introduce the creative focus of the retreat, walk everyone through the programme of the coming days, and set the tone for a calm, inspiring, and pressure-free creative week.No drawing is required on this first evening. The focus is on settling in, inspiration, answering questions, and connection.
Thursday, 1st April 2027 : Observing, Collecting, Translating
After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a leisurely 15-minute stroll to the event centre, Sofia in Monsaraz.
On the way, we will take time to observe and photograph patterns, textures, and architectural details. These observations will serve as visual references for our work. At the venue, we will begin our first guided drawing session, translating what we have seen into sketches, both in sketchbooks and in Procreate.
The goal is to build a personal visual library rather than finished artworks. The focus is on observation, simplification, and collecting ideas without pressure to produce “perfect” results.
Lunch break around midday. In the afternoon, we will visit a local rug factory. This visit is intended as an inspiration-focused experience, with an emphasis on color, repetition, rhythm, patterns, and material textures. No drawing is required during the visit.
Participants are encouraged to observe, take photos if they wish, and gather visual impressions to potentially use later in their work. Around 7 pm we go to the castle and the dinner is served at a local restaurant.
Friday, 2 April 2027 : Context & Creative Depth
In the morning, we will visit the castle of Monsaraz for an outdoor sketching session. Participants can work in sketchbooks or digitally, focusing on atmosphere, shapes, and personal interpretation rather than detailed accuracy.
After a lunch at SIM we will have our second guided drawing and painting session. This session will focus on developing tile-inspired artworks, turning sketches into patterns, exploring color palettes, and discussing color theory.
There will also be time for questions related to Procreate workflows, brushes, and individual creative challenges.There will also be time for questions related to Procreate workflows, brushes, and individual creative challenges. The evening is free and unstructured.
Saturday, 3 April 2027 : Free Drawing & Reflection
In the morning, we will visit the Tile Museum in the city of Estremoz (1 hour bus) to explore the history, motifs, and visual language of Portuguese tiles and ceramics.
The focus is not on memorizing facts, but on understanding patterns, color choices, and recurring visual themes. Around 12.30 we will go to SIM (BUS) and have “olive tasting” session.
After lunch, we return to the venue for our guided drawing and painting session.This session will focus on developing tile-inspired artworks, turning sketches into patterns, exploring color palettes, and discussing color theory.
We will come together to reflect on the creative work of the week and will talk about individual highlights, creative discoveries, and personal takeaways from this restorative experience. The day concludes with a wine tasting experience followed by a shared dinner at a local restaurant, celebrating the days and the work created together.
Sunday, 4 April 2027
After breakfast, participants will be transferred back to Lisbon Airport, with an estimated arrival time around midday. On the way, we will stop briefly at a local pottery shop.
P.S. A heartfelt thank you to our past participants whose beautiful photos bring Sofia In Monsaraz to life!
We ensure that everything is well organised with attention to detail, so that nothing will prevent you from enjoying all the peace and quiet of the Alentejo.
Each participant is given their own room with air conditioning, full and private bathroom, shared or private balcony and outdoor access.
This accommodation is an enjoyable 15-minute walk from the workshop venue (SIM) and passes by the Bulhoa menhir (National Monument) and the Alentejo plain.
Note: The Shared rooms will be staying in the “Double Twin Rooms” and the Single rooms will be staying in the “Studio Suit” and “T1 Suite”.
Booking Process:
Get in touch for exclusive access:
Internacional roundtrip airfare, alcoholic drinks, activities not included in the itinerary, hotel incidentals including room service, expenses during free time, laundry service and hotel bar, food and beverages not included in the itinerary. Partners are welcome with an extra fee of 500€.
We require all participants to have a personal travel insurance that at minimum covers medical emergencies and cancellations. We do not provide travel insurance for the retreat and each participant is required to have their own individual travel insurance. The place, where the retreat happens, has an Insurance that covers accidents. We will not be responsible for refunding any lost trip funds if you have to miss your scheduled trip.
We accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten free or dairy/egg free, and some allergies. We are unable to accommodate participants with severe food allergies or severe food intolerances. Please contact us in advance of registering if you have any dietary questions
It will start when arriving at the hotel, Wednesday evening and finish when you leave the hotel, by Sunday morning. We are not responsible for any non-retreat activity that a participant decides to purchase outside of the retreat and such activity will not form part of the participant’s contract with us. The bus transport is covered by insurance.
This retreat includes a walking tour where the ground may be uneven. You may be on your feet for several hours at a time and should be comfortable with walking.
The supplies list will be communicated a few months before the event, and each student will bring their own. The materials can be shipped to our place before you arrive.
Cancellation Policy
You can reserve your spot today, and we’ll only charge you once the retreat is guaranteed.
Your retreat is guaranteed once the minimum group size has been reached and the retreat can be operated safely in accordance with applicable local, national, and other regulations.
In the unlikely event that a guaranteed retreat is canceled due to circumstances beyond our control, we’ll let you know as soon as possible, refund all payments you’ve made in full.
If you need to cancel your participation in a guaranteed retreat, the following cancellation terms apply:
If you are unable to attend, please notify us as soon as possible so we can process your cancellation and discuss any available alternatives.
Payment can be made by Bank transfer or PayPal in euros. Additional costs may apply where special accommodations are made available to participants.
In this event we will accept up to 15 people. The event does not include spouses, partners or friends if they are not taking the workshop. Please contact us if you would like to bring a non-participant partner.
If we cannot gather the minimum participants of 8, the event can be cancelled, and the payments refunded to the participants.
Other questions about this retreat please contact: info@sofiainmonsaraz.site
For more info or questions please consult here our Terms & Conditions.
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