Join me in this fabulous 6 night Botanical Art Retreat at Casa de los Cuadros situated in the stunning Andalusian mountains of Sierra de Grazalema.

ART RETREAT IN ANDALUSIA - September 2026

Andalusia is one of the most florally diverse regions in the world, so what better place to come and spend a week learning the skills and techniques of botanical art, with Karen Green in the boutique guest house Casa De Los Cuadros. Situated in an unspoiled and authentic white village, Villaluenga Del Rosario, Casa de los Cuadros (House of Pictures) is a beautiful, spacious, typical Andalucian house, where you can enjoy the fabulous surroundings of Sierra de Grazalema and the rare Spanish Firs, from your doorstep.

Explore nearby authentic towns such as Grazalema and the famous Ronda, one of the most visited towns in Andalusia.

Botanical Art Tuition

Working from the flowers, fruits and plants from the local area, Karen will guide you with plenty of demonstrations and one-to-one support to compose, draw and paint from observation, using various watercolour techniques. Enjoy playing with textures in watercolour; learn how to use pen and the ‘stippling’ technique; practice mixing accurate colours and have fun with exercises to improve your observational drawing. All whilst building up your botanical knowledge to understand your subject. No prior experience is necessary and Karen’s teaching expertise enables her courses to be welcoming, relaxing and fun. With a maximum group size of 8 students, lessons will be tailored to suit the needs of the group and their interests.

‘Karen {is} very informative, explanatory and a brilliant teacher. I like her style and forth-comingness. It’s my second class with her and I’d do another without hesitation.’

Whether you are new to painting, or experienced, this art retreat will offer you the inspiration to delve into the world of botanical art, immerse yourself into watercolour painting without worrying about anything else.

There is one free day mid-week when guests can choose to explore the nearby towns, do their own painting or simply relax in the guest house and enjoy the garden and cooling pool.

Dates – Sunday 6th September (arrival day) - Saturday 12th September (day of departure) 2025

£1395 - 5 full days,  6 nights - With the option to extend your stay.

£1100 for shared room - (two twin rooms available) This is the price per painter, for two painters sharing a room.

£390 - £500 for a non-painting partner to join you in a shared room

What is included

  • Four full days of expert art tuition with one free day to explore a nearby village or simply relax

  • Transport to and from Malaga airport

  • Private (or shared if preferred) room with private ensuite

  • Full board - breakfast, varied buffet lunch and 3 course dinner

  • Access to two guest kitchens

  • Use of a small cooling pool in the guest house gardens

  • Use of some shared art materials

  • Pre-retreat Whatsapp group with Karen and participants

What is not included

  • Flights

  • Insurance

  • Art Materials - see Materials list below

  • Optional excursions

  • Lunch and dinner on the free day

There are 5 rooms available at Casa de Los Cuadros, if any additional rooms are needed they will be reserved in a traditional and comfortable hotel 3 minutes walk from the guest house. Here is a link to the nearby hotel - https://www.booking.com/hotel/es/la-posada-villaluenga-del-rosario.en-gb.html?)

These will only be reserved once the guest house rooms are full.

30% deposit will secure your place, the rest to be paid 2 months before the event. Paid via PayPal or bank transfer.  Please contact Myself or the guest house for any further information or to book your spot.

£75 for each extra night to extend your stay.

SCHEDULE:

Day 1 - A mini bus will collect you from Malaga airport or Malaga historic town, depending on arrivals of other participants, with a scenic 1 hour and 45min drive to the guest house.  If your flight arrives earlier than others, you may want to use the time to explore the historical city of Malaga.  We can help organise luggage storage.

Day 2 and 3 - Initial sketches of local flora either in the garden or a short walk away, taking notes and colour swatches. Art tuition in the guest house with chosen flowers. Observational drawing exercises, botany of flowers, titling your work, colour theory to help with accurate colour mixing, pen work (fine-liner and dip pen) using the stippling technique and different watercolour techniques.

Day 4 - Free Day - Options to take a local bus to the beautiful white-washed town of Ronda with breathtaking views or the smaller, quieter village of Grazalema. Explore the mountains on foot and take a hike straight from the village, or simply relax in the guest-house garden.

Day 5 - Art tuition in the guest house with a focus on fruits and trees -figs and pomegranates. Experiment with different textures with watercolours. Learn some fruit botany. Paint a cross section of your fruit.

Day 6 - Final art tuition day, working from your own choice of plant, play around with composition and elements of design before creating your final piece using the learnt techniques from the week.

Day 7  -Minibus to transport you back to Malaga airport, or you may wish to extend your stay.

Tuition begins at 9:30am and continues until 4:30pm with breaks for coffee and lunch. You are welcome to continue painting into the evening though.

Catering:

Buffet breakfast Homemade/village bread, eggs, yogurt, fruit, cereal, jam, pate, juice, tea & coffee.

Buffet lunch Different salads, tortillas, ham, chorizo, Frittata, cheese… Fruit or fruit salad and/or home made cake/biscuits.

Dinner - Three courses, for example:

Soup, or types of shared salad eg. goats cheese, walnut, honey.

Main dish such as a local produce casserole with greens.

Desert (home made).

Two nights we will have a BBQ & Paella in the garden, subject to weather.

Photographs taken by Steve Catchside, owner and in-house photographer.