JOIN US IN TAOS

May 25- May 31, 2025

Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico

Persephone’s Journal:
La Lisière: navigating the edge

The goddess Persephone travels between the dark places and the sun-warmed earth. Her life embraces both dark and light. In drawing and painting, we learn to see light in relation to shadow, a color in relation to its opposite, a line emphasizing a shape and more. In this all-media art-making adventure, we’ll delve into ‘learning to see’ exercises that build skills while freeing the mind and hand.

Sometimes one has to reach into another language to pull out a concept that’s been missing in one’s own. La Lisière is a French term I learned while treking on the Vietnam/Cambodia border with a Belgium friend. It describes the edge between states of being (such as our emergence from the vine-thick, damp dark of the jungle into the dappled sunlight on golden grass in a cashew orchard.) As artists and thinkers, we’ll explore this kind of territory; porous boundaries are places that are rich with creativity. Experiencing these places help us deepen our vision, and learn to trust in the process.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

Uniquely wonderful accommodation at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house, delicious breakfasts & lunches, 2 in-house dinners, 24 hour use of art studio, daily painting and drawing sessions both guided and unguided in the studio and/or on-site plein air, supportive art critiques and musing sessions, writing and story-share gatherings, admission to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, and supplementary art materials.

WHAT you’ll provide:

You’ll bring your art supplies, a stool, & optional landscape easel. The admission costs to optional visits to the O’keeffe studio and/or Taos Pueblo. We will be carpooling to Abiquiu and Taos landscape sites.
*Note: if you’re using watercolor, a suggested list materials list will be provided.

For more info, email Julia@jmorganart.com

If you’re ready to claim your spot with a deposit, please click the register button above. When you register you’ll list your top four rooms, and Julia will assign you according to your wishes and availability.

We stay at Mabel Dodge Luhan House, a gathering place where artists and writers have been gathering and creating for nearly a century, and where we dine together on out-of-this-world delicious food. We’ll take a day trip to Abiquiu visit Ghost Ranch, and sketch the White Place (Plaza Blanca) where O’Keeffe painted. There is the option to visit O’Keeffe’s studio…

Rooms are assigned with your registration; please write in your top three or four choices. Peruse rooms at the inn on-line.

Email for more info: Julia@jmorganart.com

Watch a short video on Instagram

PARTICIPANTS’ WORK

ARTISTIC DISCOVERY
This art retreat welcomes all levels of artists and media. Instruction and demonstrations will be in watercolor, and beginners might consider starting out with watercolor for that reason. Yet, the artistic conversation is even richer with a variety of media. We learn from each other, and it all helps us carve our own unique expressions. Julia has experience in teaching a range of media and it is “all about seeing!”

We’ll paint both in the lovely MDL studio and on location in the New Mexican high-desert and respond to the particular landscape known to many as the Land of Enchantment. Georgia O’Keeffe once described it as the ‘Faraway Nearby’ with its contrasts: such as the vastness of sky against the specific details of red adobe and a turquoise pick-up truck.

We’ll use journal writing and visual warm-ups prompts to fuel our explorations and connect our intellectual and creative intentions. A willingness to jump right in is all that is required. Through writing, making, and discussing art we gain so much from each other, simultaneously discovering the uniqueness of our own intuitions and abilities.

Pricing:

Private Room with Bath in Historic House: $2590
’Mabel’s Room’ with Bath: $2730
Private Room with Bath in Juniper House $2390
Companion Price: $950

Ask about Room Sharing and Commuter Pricing.

A $350 Deposit will hold your place.

Note: 3% fee on credit card or Paypal charges will be added to your bill. If you’d prefer to. pay by check or venmo, email for info.

Please read the cancelation policy. Registering for the workshop acknowledges you have read the policy. Thank you!

Julia has been teaching art travel workshops in Egypt, India, France, New Mexico and New England to rave reviews since 2011.  It is not just about technique, it’s learning to SEE color, form and light. And it’s about centering yourself and listening to your inner artist.

What participants had to say about Julia: 

"Warm, ebullient, loves her profession and generous with passing on skills- brings out the the positive in others and their skills.'"

"She really knew how to support many levels simultaneously of projects and skill-building that met the range of interest and needs."

"Fabulous instructor!"

"I am so impressed and grateful for Julia's thoughtful and inspired teaching."