From Lens to Landscape – Capturing and Painting the Lake District 3 day retreat

From Lens to Landscape – Capturing and Painting the Lake District

9th to the 11th April 2027

£400 including course, accommodation, meals and refreshments

Georgina Hartley-Willows

This immersive 3-day retreat invites participants to explore the Lake District’s rich and varied landscapes through both lens and brush. The course begins with a short, guided walk through the surrounding countryside, woodland, or gardens. Along the way, we’ll take photographs to capture the light, mood, and atmosphere of the setting.

Editing Your Lake District Photographs

Back at Rydal Hall, Georgina will guide participants through digitally editing their images to enhance colour, tone, and composition. We’ll use accessible tools such as Photoshop, Photopea or Snapseed, which all work on smartphones, tablets or laptops. These edits serve as valuable studies. In turn, they help participants better understand the colours and layers they’ll translate into paint.

Painting the Landscape

From here, we’ll prepare our canvases properly using gesso and sandpaper. This is a key part of understanding surface quality and how it affects paint handling. We’ll then build up our paintings in layers using professional-grade, colourfast acrylics. First comes the sky and background, and then we’ll work forward to foreground elements and details.

To finish, we’ll use palette knives to add texture, energy, and depth. This bold final layer encourages expressive mark-making and helps capture the drama and atmosphere of the landscape.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced painter, this Lake District course encourages observation, creativity, and a joyful engagement with nature and colour.