The Art of Identity and Abundance

A five-day painting and mixed-media retreat with Ayo’lamide

19th to the 23rd September 2027

Cost: From £1150 per person

Join visual artist Olamide Adesola, known as Ayo’lamide, for a five-day creative painting retreat at Rydal Hall. Together, we’ll explore identity, personal stories and the richness of our individual experiences through figurative painting and mixed-media textiles.

The Art of Identity and Abundance invites you to discover the “wealth” within your own story. Through painting, textiles and creative exploration, you’ll reflect on heritage, family history, faith and personal identity. Then you’ll transform these ideas into expressive works of art.

A central part of the retreat will be The Expressive Portrait. Here, you’ll explore oil and acrylic painting techniques to create portraits that go beyond physical likeness. Through colour, expression and painterly techniques, you’ll explore how a portrait can communicate the peace, strength and story of the person within.

You’ll also explore Tapestries of Life, combining textiles with painting to create layered, meaningful compositions. First, you’ll draw on your own experiences, heritage and memories. Then you’ll learn how fabric and paint can be woven together into a personal visual tapestry.

Throughout the retreat, Ayo’lamide will create a supportive and inclusive environment where participants can explore their creativity, develop technical skills and find individual ways to express their inner stories.

Above all, the retreat is an invitation to slow down, experiment and consider what makes each of us unique. In this way, it celebrates identity, diversity, resilience and the stories that shape who we are.

What You’ll Explore

• Figurative painting using oils and acrylics
• Expressive portraiture and capturing emotion
• Colour, composition and painterly techniques
• Combining painting with textiles and mixed media
• Exploring personal identity, heritage and family history
• Using art to communicate personal narratives
• Creative approaches to diversity and inclusion

Perhaps you are an experienced painter, or perhaps you are looking to develop your creative practice. Either way, this painting retreat offers time and space to explore your ideas in a welcoming, supportive environment.

Bio:

Olamide Adesola, known professionally as Ayo’lamide, is a Nigerian-born visual artist whose figurative paintings explore identity, heritage, gender and social change.

She works mainly in oil and acrylic. In particular, her vibrant, naturalistic paintings focus on Black women, celebrating their resilience, strength and individuality.

Ayo’lamide holds a BSc in Fine Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University and a master’s degree in Fine Art from Teesside University. Her professional practice spans the UK and Nigeria, including exhibitions, live painting, community workshops and commissioned artworks.

She is passionate about creating inclusive and supportive spaces where people can explore their creativity and express their own stories through art.