# Level Up Your Watercolor Retreat With Artist Nicki Traikos in France

Embark on an exciting journey with artist Nicki Traikos in the countryside of Occitanie, southern France, for a watercolor retreat that will take your skills to the next level. This retreat will help you with your process and develop your approach to watercolor painting. You will know what to paint next and how to paint what you see, growing your skills and confidence as a developing watercolor artist.Throughout the retreat, you will find inspiration in the character of nearby French towns and the enriching experiences that surround you. Sketch the medieval streets and Gothic architecture of Albi, capture the rhythm and beauty of nature in a French botanical garden, and indulge in a wine-tasting experience at a family-owned vineyard estate. Stay at an elegant rural estate, where carefully prepared meals and an inspiring, supportive atmosphere create the perfect setting to dive into your artistic process. Savor authentic French flavors, connect with your fellow artists over a glass of wine, and leave with unforgettable memories. Nicki’s approach for this retreat is focused on making watercolor more enjoyable and approachable, encouraging you to develop your artistic voice and personal style. You will benefit most from this retreat if you have some prior experience, are comfortable with watercolor, and are already familiar with Nicki’s work and teaching style.

## Details

- **Dates:** September 23 - 30, 2026
- **Location:** Teyssode, Occitanie, France
- **Starting Price:** $4,350
- **Category:** Painting

## Program

### Gain Confidence in Your Watercolor Skills
Are you ready to take the next steps in your watercolor journey?Join artist Nicki Traikos for an engaging watercolor retreat in which you will deepen your skills and watercolor practices. Explore botanicals, landscapes, architectural studies, and abstract painting in the sunlit countryside of Occitanie, southern France, where medieval villages and winding vineyards meet endless pockets of inspiration. Capture the experiences with all your senses and translate them into artwork like you haven't before.This retreat will help you take your watercolor journey to the next level with more techniques, more painting, and more practice! Paint with confidence and bring forward your personality and artistic style into your works.Nicki’s approach to learning and teaching, as well as to making art, is making the process of watercolor painting enjoyable, approachable, and unique to your personal style. Her teaching is designed to elevate your skills and make watercolor painting even more fun and enjoyable. Leaning into the right things to practice while being able to guide you in person is invaluable! Having this uninterrupted time to paint alongside fellow talented creatives will help you grow as an artist, gaining confidence and developing your unique voice. You will benefit most from this retreat if you have some prior experience, are comfortable with watercolor, and are already familiar with Nicki’s work and teaching style.The topics covered during your classes with Nicki include: Deepening your watercolor techniques and practices Developing your own artistic voice and style Working on place form, composition, and value Improving your drawing and sketching on-site skills Developing your observation skills and hand-eye coordination Using the landscape, your surroundings, and experiences to guide you in your artistic process Painting more loosely and expressively Working on light, depth, and contrast …and many more! Your classes will be complemented by stimulating art trips meant to inspire and immerse you in the beauty of France. Spend a day in Albi, where red-brick towers rise above the Tarn River, and visit the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, where bursts of color and unexpected forms fuel your creativity. Explore a close-by French botanical garden and get inspired by the forms, colors, and rhythms of nature. Take a trip to a nearby family-owned vineyard estate and taste the aromatic flavors of authentic French wine in a wine-tasting experience. Your accommodation for the retreat is a charming, restored estate in the countryside, offering the perfect backdrop for the next steps in your watercolor journey. By the end of the retreat, you will return home more confident, with a renewed artistic process and cherished memories!

### Day 1: Arrival
Arrive at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport and join the 3:00 PM transfer to your retreat venue. After settling into your room, take a moment to unwind and absorb the tranquil surroundings. Meet your fellow artists and get acquainted with Nicki Traikos, your instructor for the retreat. As part of an orientation tour, explore the estate’s charming garden, the historic watchtower, and inviting communal spaces. In the evening, toast to the start of your creative journey with cocktails and bite-sized canapés, followed by a delicious three-course dinner prepared by the private chef and complemented by local French wines.

### Day 2: Art classes at the venue
Enjoy a refreshing breakfast and a warm cup of coffee in the morning before heading into the first workshop of the retreat. Nicki will begin by outlining the supplies that you will be working with throughout the week. Dive right into work as you practice new techniques of in-depth color mixing and brushwork. Learn what your brushes can do and explore new watercolor practices under Nicki’s gentle guidance. You will be working on a French-inspired still-life painting as you deepen your skills, bringing your own personal style into the work. Pause midday for a leisurely lunch, then continue the afternoon with another class. This workshop will be focused on painting loosely and expressively, developing your artistic voice in the process of watercolor painting. Explore abstract painting and gain confidence in mastering composition, depth, and expressive brushwork. Get inspired by your surroundings and bring forward your artistic style and personality!As the day comes to an end, take some time to rest and reset before dinner. Stroll around through the estate gardens, take a quick dip into the pool, or relax in your comfortable accommodation. Join Nicki and your fellow artists for a delightful three-course dinner prepared by the in-house chef and accompanied by a glass of fragrant wine.

### Day 3: Art trip to a French botanical garden
Kick off the day with a filling breakfast and a freshly brewed cup of coffee, preparing for an exciting day ahead, full of creation and exploration. During the morning workshop, prepare for your first trip of the retreat. Focus on observation building and becoming more comfortable with drawing through watercolor-based sketching. Work closely with Nicki to develop confidence using a pencil and paintbrush, keeping everything approachable and connected to watercolor from the very first brushstrokes.Enjoy a light lunch, then head into the afternoon with a trip to a nearby French botanical garden for a half-day of slow-looking, on-location sketching. Walk the garden paths and take in the colors and textures of the landscape. Put into practice the techniques from the morning workshop and capture botanical forms, light reflections on water, or tangled stems and leaves. Stay open, keep exploring, and enjoy the process as you translate what inspires you into sketches that feel more and more like your own artistic voice.As you return to the venue, take time to unwind, whether by the pool chatting with fellow artists or simply soaking in the peaceful surroundings. Gather for a well-earned dinner accompanied by a glass of wine, reflecting on a day filled with creativity and inspiration.

### Day 4: Art classes at the venue
Wake up to a wholesome breakfast and step into a creative day in France with watercolor on your mind and inspiration all around you.Focus on floral painting, using references from the botanical garden to express florals in a variety of styles, from sketches, to loose, to abstracted, finding value and depth. Build compositions that feel alive. Trust your eye, and explore how watercolor can shift from delicate suggestion to bold expression. Feel free to embrace water’s movement and use layering and softness to bring atmosphere into your florals, as if the jardin itself is breathing through your brushwork.Pause for lunch and enjoy the shared energy of the retreat, taking in how much your work has evolved through the week. Conversation naturally turns toward growth, personal breakthroughs, and what you want to carry forward in your watercolor practice after France.In the afternoon, work on your finished paintings from the first few days, bringing focus and intention to the work you have already started. Choose the pieces that hold the most promise and develop them with Nicki’s supportive feedback. Strengthen your value choices and clarify focal areas so the finished paintings feel resolved.Nicki encourages openness and exploring, helping you recognize where your style is emerging, where you tend to overwork, and how to make confident decisions that keep your paintings fresh.Unwind with leisure time later in the day, then come together again for dinner with a glass of aromatic wine, savoring the warmth of the group and the momentum you have built. End the evening feeling grounded in your artistic style and excited to keep painting with more expression and more of yourself in every piece.

### Day 5: Trip to a French vineyard & wine tasting
Kick off the morning with a satisfying breakfast, fully present in France and ready to paint!The morning is dedicated to landscapes shaped by the experience around you. Step outside first, sketchbook in hand, and respond directly to the hills, fields, and village views that surround you. Use the landscape itself to guide your choices, starting with loose thumbnail sketches that capture structure and mood, then move into color palette exploration and color mixing rooted in what you see. Next, focus on postcard landscape studies, keeping watercolor simple and approachable while building confidence through repetition and observation. Nicki’s supportive teaching keeps the focus on enjoying the process, staying open, and bringing your personality and eye to every mark as you translate the environment into expressive watercolor.Lunch offers a pause to refuel and share impressions from the morning before shifting into a different rhythm.The afternoon unfolds with a visit to a vineyard and château, where France reveals another layer of inspiration. Walk through the vines, take in the setting, and experience a wine tasting that reflects the place and its character.Return to the venue with time to rest and reflect. Enjoy a shared moment of warmth and connection, closing the day with good food, easy conversation, and a newfound sense of momentum.

### Day 6: Art trip to Albi
Ease into the day with a nourishing breakfast and an excited hum in the air, then set out with Nicki on a full-day trip to Albi that immediately grounds you in the feeling of being in France. The one-hour drive becomes part of the experience as fields, vineyards, and villages slide past the windows, giving space for conversation, observation, and a gentle mental warm-up before opening your sketchbook.The morning centers on sketching and gathering inspiration throughout Albi, with a clear intention to collect reference material that will support architectural studies the following day. Walk through medieval streets and pause often to draw doorways, rooftops, windows, and shifting perspectives that reveal how the city is built and how it breathes. Basilica of Saint Cecilia will rise into view, translating what you see into sketches designed to inform later watercolor work. Stop along the Pont Vieux bridge, watch the Tarn River move beneath you, and capture structural fragments that catch your attention. Nicki guides you to stay open and curious, keeping watercolor simple and approachable even at the sketching stage, while encouraging you to enjoy the process and trust your observations.Enjoy a relaxing lunch before continuing deeper into the afternoon with a visit to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. Move through the space with a sketchbook in hand, practicing to strengthen your observation and drawing confidence. After the museum, step outside and possibly paint en plein air, responding to the gardens and surroundings with watercolor marks that feel expressive and personal. Nicki supports you in bringing your personality into the work, using your eye to interpret what inspires you rather than copying what is in front of you.As you return to the venue, savor a flavorful three-course dinner prepared by the private chef, accompanied by a glass of French wine.

### Day 7: Art classes at the venue
Wake up to a relaxed breakfast and a fresh cup of coffee, ready to soak up every last moment in France with brush in hand.In the morning, dive into architectural practice with Nicki, drawing inspiration from the full-day trip and everything you have observed along the way. Explore depth, light, and contrast in watercolor, then push your painted buildings further by using light and shadow to articulate structure, atmosphere, and presence. Nicki keeps watercolors made simple, so you can focus on what matters most, enjoying the process while building confidence and a more expressive approach that feels like you.Share a refreshing lunch together, then step into a more informal afternoon that blends celebration with reflection. Ease into a relaxed wine moment, recharge, and show each other your work in a supportive space guided by Nicki. The day leads into a mini-exhibition where you can clearly see the progress you have made, the tangible outcomes you are taking home, and everyone’s unique perspectives of the same experience. As the evening settles in, enjoy spare time, then come together for a three-course farewell dinner filled with great food and easy conversation. Raise a glass to the paintings you created in France, the inspiration you gathered and the friendships that now feel woven into your watercolor journey.

### Day 8: Departure
After enjoying a satisfying breakfast with Nicki and the group, it's time to bid farewell and exchange any last contact details. Prepare for your transfer to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, scheduled for 10:00 AM, with an estimated arrival time of 11:00 AM.

## Instructors

- **Nicki Traikos** - Artist and Creative Instructor

## Accommodation

### Historic French Estate

### Shared ensuite attic room (female only)

### Shared standard ensuite room

### Shared superior ensuite room (female only)

### Single room with shared bathroom (female only)

### Single room - adjacent bathroom

### Single standard ensuite room

## Book This Retreat

Visit [https://uptrek.com/retreat/level-up-your-watercolor-artist-nicki-traikos-france](https://uptrek.com/retreat/level-up-your-watercolor-artist-nicki-traikos-france) to make a reservation.

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