Omschrijving
Thangka Teken- en Schilderretraite in Italië
12-19 April 2024

Dit is een teken/schilderretraite met cursisten uit verschillende landen.
De cursus wordt gegeven in het Engels, maar omdat de leraar Carmen Mensink Nederlands, kan de persoonlijke begeleiding ook in het Nederlands gegeven worden. Ook is het mogelijk de lezingen en meditaties naar het Nederlands te vertalen (graag vooraf aangeven) zodat je mee kunt lezen.

Onderstaande beschrijving is in het Engels, ga naar de website voor een vertaling in het Nederlands.


I am so happy to announce my next Italy Thangka Retreat in the gorgeous new location in Tuscany, near Florence!
The course venue lies next to the green forests of Casentino, 25 minutes away from south Florence. It’s roughly 700 meters above sea level.
April is one of the best months to visit Tuscany as the weather won’t be too hot yet, but the surrounding fields and nature will be blooming wild flowers and lush spring greens.
The hills surrounding the retreat place are entirely covered in woods and vineyards, ideal for long immersive walks across an extremely wild natural landscape, despite being a stone’s throw from Florence.
You can fly to Florence, Pisa or Bologna, and reach this location easily by public transport. There are beautiful single, double and triple rooms, each with their own bathroom.

We’ll be drawing and painting in a great work space, eat yummy vegetarian organic meals, and will be enjoying the wonderful company of students from all over the world. In the middle of the week we’ll have time off so you can explore the incredible beauty of Florence (or other parts of Tuscany), the city where the Renaissance was born. And of course this retreat is perfect to combine with vacation.

About the Retreat
In this wonderful 8-day thangka drawing & painting retreat in Italy you will learn to draw (and color or paint) a Buddha according to the Tibetan Buddhist thangka tradition. The course is suitable for everyone, from beginners (even without any drawing experience!) to advanced:

New and Intermediate Students
First time thangka students learn the basics on the first day and learn to draw the Face of the Buddha.*

From the second day on they will work on a new subject of their choice: The Buddha (Buddha Shakyamuni), the Historical Buddha of our time, the Medicine Buddha, the Buddha of Healing, the Mandala of the Five Elements(balancing your body and mind), or the Eight Auspicious Symbols , that you either can create in the form of a Lotus-shaped Mandala or all Eight Symbols separately
Students who have already joined one or more courses with Carmen can also choose one of the above mentioned subjects if they haven’t drawn them yet.
Before the retreat, Carmen will be in touch with all participants about their chosen subject in order to prepare them. You will also receive a list with art materials to bring.
*To save time and immediately start with the bigger subject you can also take the Online Buddha Face Course beforehand

Intermediate to Advanced Students
More advanced thangka students are welcome to start painting one of their existing drawings or continue to work on their artworks.

Other
During the retreat, Carmen offers a lot of individual guidance, each student at their own level – and she will bring you to a higher one!

The teachings will be offered in clear English. If you need translation, the used texts (meditation/lectures etc.) can be translated for you in Italian or any other language free of charge. If you request this please make this clear on your registration form.

This retreat offers you a complete experience: besides the art sessions you will start each morning with a (guided) meditation and will learn all about the subjects and their iconography/symbolism through lectures. There will also be a movie night, and sufficient time to go for hikes, explore the surroundings, and visit Florence or other places.
This retreat offers you much more than just a beautiful drawing or painting. The art of Thangka is a meditation in itself and creates joy and inner peace – something you will definitely experience this week.

https://www.tibetan-buddhist-art.com