2027 MAGNETIC ISLAND ART RETREAT : 18 – 25 AUGUST
for intermediate & advanced mosaicists
Tutors: Maestra Arianna Gallo (Italy) AND Dr Helen Bodycomb (Aust)
Set against the spectacular tropical beauty of Magnetic Island, Queensland, the 2027 Magnetic Island Art Retreat offers a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in art, creativity and island life.Co-led by Dr Helen Bodycomb and Maestra Arianna Gallo, with Project Assistant Imogen Davis and co-host Martin Paten, Helen’s husband, this bespoke seven-night retreat brings together a small group of artists for an inspiring, immersive experience led by two internationally recognised mosaicists and long-time collaborators. From tutored drawing and watercolour painting to the creation of a sustained glass smalti mosaic, there are just 12 places available for art-making participants, with room for partners who might choose to come too. The Art Retreat will offer an intimate and supportive environment in which to explore ideas, develop skills and immerse yourself in the rich colours and possibilities of painting, drawing and working with glass smalti.
email Helen for details: helen@helenbodycomb.com
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"As an Australian Mosaicist, exploring historical mosaic sites around the world is of utmost importance to me. It deepens my understanding, informs my teaching, and fuels my passion for this artform. The Southern Italy tour with Helen Bodycomb and In giro Tours offers a coordinated and bespoke way to safely access and immerse oneself in the must-see mosaic sites of southern Italy and Sicily. This exceptional tour goes beyond with added luxuries, culinary delights, and cultural experiences, enhancing an already rich program. Helen and Ingrid ensure participants have access to highly informed tutors and guides, adding valuable educational, historical and cultural layers to the experience. I am fortunate to have joined both the Northern and Southern Tours, and I am immensely grateful for these unique opportunities." CAITLIN HEPWORTH
2023 SOUTHERN ITALY MOSAIC STUDY TOUR – NAPLES & SICILY
In May 2023 Helen and Ingrid once again led an intrepid group of mosaic enthusiasts on an action packed 14 day tour of mosaics in Southern Italy. Starting in Naples, the group toured the nearby ancient sites of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Oplontis. These visits were richly narrated by the astoundingly knowledgeable, Tour Guide Dr Daniela Mantice. Visits then to see the Naples Archaeological Museum’s collection of mosaics and the Farnese marbles, opera at Teatro di San...
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NORTHERN ITALY MOSAIC STUDY TOUR – VENICE, SPILIMBERGO AND RAVENNA
The Northern Italy Mosaic Study Tour kicked off in Venice with a spectacular after-hours, fully illuminated private tour of the Basilica of San Marco. This dazzling beginning was followed by a private water taxi guided tour of Venice – La Serenissima, guided visits to Orsoni glass factory in Cannaregio and the Basilica at Torcello, the islands of Burano and Murano, Peggy Guggenheim Museum and Venice’s opera house, La Fenice. The Venice visit was beautifully book-ended...
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2017 & 2018 Mosaics of Northern Italy Tour 2019 Naples & Sicily Mosaic Study Tour
In 2017 and 2018 Helen designed and conducted the ‘Mosaics of northern Italy Tour’ with Ingrid Gaiotto (In Giro Tours). Commencing in Venice with visits to mosaic sites in Torcello and Orsoni in Cannareggio, and exclusive Venetian locations such as the private Venetian boat museum Arzana Squero, the Tour then went east to the little known province of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Travelling from the former Roman city of Aquileia to Spilimbergo and later to Ravenna,...
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Spilimbergo
In 2001 I was privileged to be the first Australian artist to undertake an extended independent residency at the Spilimbergo school. When I arrived there I was a tabula rasa. I knew almost nothing at all of the Greco-Roman history of mosaic. I did not know how to use a hammer and hardie, and smalti and marble were new materials to me, having in Australia only used commercially produced vitreous glass and ceramic tiles. I...
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