Lake Endine · Bergamo · Northern Italy

4-Day Artist Residency & Painting Workshop in Italy

Four days of painting, drawing, ceramics and collective artistic practice in dialogue with the landscape of Northern Italy.

  • 4 days
  • ·
  • Minimum 4 · Maximum 10 participants
  • ·
  • Accommodation included
  • English · Italian · Spanish
Express your interest

The experience

Set on the shores of Lake Endine, near Bergamo, this four-day artist residency and painting workshop offers an immersive experience combining artistic practice, landscape and collective exchange.

Participants move between drawing, painting and ceramics through guided sessions, individual development and shared reflection. The programme is not focused solely on producing a finished artwork. It creates time to observe, experiment and reconnect with the essential gesture of making.

From perception to material

Drawing

A life-drawing session explores line, gesture, proportion and the structure of the body.

Painting

Individual guidance supports the passage from drawing to canvas through composition, colour and material development.

Ceramics

A ceramics workshop introduces volume, texture and tactile experimentation as extensions of the painterly gesture.

The place

The residency takes place at Big Turtle Sculpture Park in Ranzanico, a village overlooking Lake Endine in the province of Bergamo. Mountains, forests, water and changing light become part of the working process, offering a quiet setting for concentrated practice and exchange.

The landscape is approached not as a backdrop but as a perceptual field: a place in which observation, matter and artistic decisions can be reconsidered.

Four-day programme

Day 1 · Welcome & meeting

  • Arrival and introduction to the studio
  • Presentation of the programme and working methods
  • Conceptual introduction: landscape, body and matter
  • Welcome dinner and collective conversation

Day 2 · From drawing to canvas

  • Life-drawing session with a model
  • Line, gesture and body structure
  • Composition and first layers of paint
  • Contemplative walk and visual observation around Lake Endine
  • Aperitif by the lake

Day 3 · Painting & ceramics

  • Chromatic development and atmosphere
  • Ceramics workshop: material, volume and texture
  • Continuation of individual paintings
  • Group dinner and reflection on the working process

Day 4 · Finishing & closing

  • Final painting session and individual guidance
  • Consolidation of the artwork
  • Lunch in the studio
  • Final discussion and photographic documentation
  • Collective closing

What is included

  • Accommodation for the duration of the residency
  • Transfer from Bergamo Central Station
  • Shared studio workspace
  • Life-drawing session with a model
  • Painting workshop and individual artistic guidance
  • Ceramics workshop with basic materials
  • One canvas
  • Oil paints, brushes and drawing pencils
  • Three breakfasts, two dinners, one lunch and two snacks
  • Photographic documentation of the process and final artwork
  • Support with local information and optional cultural visits

Practical information

Duration
Four days
Group size
Minimum 4
Maximum 10
Location
Ranzanico, Lake Endine, Bergamo
Meeting point
Bergamo Central Station
Languages
English, Italian and Spanish
Participation fee
€875 per participant

Dates and participation

Residency dates are organised according to participant availability. Once at least four participants with compatible availability have been identified, the organisers will propose and confirm the dates for the session.

After the dates have been agreed, a 50% deposit (€437.50) is required to secure a place. The remaining balance must be paid no later than 15 calendar days before the residency begins.

Organisation

Juan TardivoArtistic programme and workshop coordination

Big Turtle Sculpture Park (BTSP)Venue partner

CRIS InternationalLogistics and participant coordination

Workshop coordinator

Juan Tardivo is an Italo-Argentine artist and writer based in Munich. With more than twenty years of experience in oil painting, he coordinates the artistic programme and guides participants through drawing, composition, colour and the development of an individual painting process.

Applications are open

Request the next available dates

Tell us briefly about your artistic practice, your preferred period and any questions you may have. We will contact you with the next proposed dates and booking information.

Express your interest

Before paying a deposit, participants receive written confirmation of the dates and booking details. By confirming a place, participants accept the Booking & Cancellation Policy .