Art and Herb Retreat
29th May - 3rd June 2025
Quinta Galegas, PORTUGAL
5 night botanical art and herb inspired retreat with artist Julia White and herbalist Vivienne Campbell
Just an hour from Porto airport, Quinta Galegas is nestled in a quiet rural location where you can truly immerse in nature.
What to expect
-
Beautiful, rural location
-
Full use of the grounds including art studio
-
Daily botanical art workshops
-
Daily herbal walk and talk through the grounds
-
Delicious vegetarian meals
-
Art meditation practice
-
Unwind with Qui Gong
-
Natural swimming pool
-
Luxury accommodation options
-
Opportunity to relax and recharge
Learn more about the retreat and it's itinerary here Day 1 Arrival Running buffet lunch Time to settle, enjoy your room, the gardens and outdoor pool. Evening meal together. Day 2 8-9.30 Breakfast 10-11.30 Herbal Walk and talk with Vivienne Refreshments 12-1pm Art practice intro and sketch 1-2 pm Vegetarian Lunch 2-5pm Art workshop observational drawing, plant studies, mark making, meditative drawing exercises 5-7pm Free time to enjoy the grounds 7 pm group evening meal Day 3 8.00-9.00 am Qui Gong practice 9 -10 breakfast 10-11.45 am Herbal walk and talk with Vivienne Refreshments 12-1pm Art practice demo printing with plants 1-2pm Vegetarian Lunch 2-5pm Forage for plants, composition and printing with plants 5-7 pm Free time 7pm group evening meal Day 4 8-9.00 am Breakfast 10-11.30 am Herbal walk and talk Refreshments 12-1 pm Art meditation practice and Demo 1-2 pm Vegetarian Lunch 2-4 pm Free time 5-7 pm Plants and inks workshop, watercolours and pen and ink 7 pm group evening meal Day 5 8.00-9.30 am Breakfast 10-11.30 am Herbal walk and talk with Vivienne Refreshments 12-1pm Composition and designing your box canvas art piece Demo and priming board 1-2 Vegan Lunch 2-5.30 Painting and printing final art piece using methods explored 5.30-7pm Free time 7pm group Final evening meal Day 6 Departure 8-9 am Breakfast (earlier breakfasts can be booked to facilitate early flights). Travel day
About Quinta Galegas
Quinta Galegas is a rural retreat space nestled in the picturesque river valley in the Beirias region of Portugal. Located on the outskirts of the village of Ribeiradio, within easy reach of the beautiful cities of Porto and Aveiro.
The house, gardens and natural swimming pool have been designed to provide a space for visitors to unwind and indulge themselves in a place of natural beauty. Set in 5 acres of land the lovingly restored 18th century House has grounds which feature orange groves, olive trees and expansive organic herb, vegetable and flower garden.
There are plenty of places to relax including poolside lounging, a seated terraced area and swing seat.
If you want a quiet indoor space to unwind and read a book, there’s a beautiful lounge, a library, a small bar and space to enjoy and relax.
A short stroll away (10 mins) is the village of Ribeiradio where you can enjoy a coffee.
We will have access to the stunning grounds and indoor studio enjoying the plants and colours with our sketch books whilst learning about a herbs each morning and a special treat of Qui Gong to unwind.
About Julia White
Julia is a self taught artist and printmaker.
After moving from Twickenham to Sussex in 2006 I trained in print making with the Sussex Art, Sculpture and Printmaking Studios. My focus was predominetly in etching. I started foraging for plants to study in the Sussex Downs, which became an obsession and brought me closer to nature. I encourage people to stand still and simply observe nature.
About Vivienne Campbell
Vivienne qualified as a medical herbalist in 2003 and has worked in this ever since. Vivienne teaches herbal medicine & wild food foraging and is a wealth of knowledge! She has given lectures at international conferences, talks at health shows, presented on national television, been interviewed for documentaries, written articles for journals and specialist publications etc. Over the years she's taught thousands of people and is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and The Association of Foragers.
