September 2027

Gloria Gelo

Gloria Gelo is a contemporary abstract artist, designer, and mixed media instructor based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Inspired by nature’s seasonal rhythms and organic forms, her work explores the interplay of shape, balance, and composition through painting, photography, collage, and printmaking. Characterized by elegant simplicity, a modern graphic sensibility, and a nuanced palette rooted in the natural world, Gloria creates refined abstract works that invite quiet contemplation. Her creative practice is continually evolving, while remaining grounded in a desire to challenge conventional ideas of design and visual language.Alongside her studio practice, Gloria teaches online courses that encourage creatives to unlock their artistic confidence and develop their own distinctive voice. She studied Fine Art in Ohio and now works from her studio in Canada.

In this five-day retreat, participants explore how a place shapes the space within us. Through noticing, collecting, collage, monoprinting, and mark-making, they immerse themselves in the château and its surroundings—its light, textures, gardens, and rhythms. Gathering impressions and fragments of attention, participants gradually refine what resonates, allowing the essence of a place to breathe on the page. As the week unfolds, recurring themes and forms begin to emerge, revealing the foundations of a personal visual language. This workshop is not about collecting France, but about expressing what it leaves behind—and discovering what remains.

About the retreat

What's included

5 days tuition with experienced tutors

6 nights accommodation at our farmhouse

All meals from arrival dinner to departure breakfast

Welcome drinks on arrival

Plentiful tea, coffee and refreshments in the studio

Use of studio and all materials

Farewell supper with tutors

Optional visit to traditional Marché or Brocante

Freedom to wander the gardens or take walks in the surrounding countryside

Check-in is from 15:00 on the first day. There will be a meet and greet with your fellow participants and tutors at around 18:00. Check-out is around 10:00 on the final morning.

Not included:

Travel to and from the venue · travel insurance · personal purchases

  • Our Maison de Maître and studio, L’Espace, are places to be enjoyed and shared, full of beautiful fabrics and inspirational ideas. Spacious, light and cosy in equal measure, with generous living areas, a large studio and beautiful grounds for evenings and free time. tudio is situated at L’Espace, a spacious, light-filled creative hub with some of the accommodation attached. from the Maison de Maître, where guests gather for meals and shared moments, the studio offers both quiet independence and a sense of community, with some adjoining accommodation nearby. Designed for workshops, retreats and collaborative projects, the studio features long shared worktables that encourage creativity and exchange. A large hydraulic door opens directly onto a terrace with sweeping views across the surrounding countryside. In fine weather, the door remains open, seamlessly extending the studio outdoors and doubling the working space, allowing guests to create in the tranquillity of nature.

  • The bedrooms are divided bewteen the more traditional Maison de Maître, and the modern, but equally stylish, L’Espace

    Room A — Single occupancy, superior room
    En suite double bed · own room · £2,500 / €2,900 / $3,350

    A generous, quietly elegant bedroom offering complete privacy throughout your stay. The superior rooms are furnished simply but with care — good beds, calm colours, and enough space to feel genuinely at home for the week. Natural light and views of the Dordogne countryside mean the room is as much a place to rest and restore as it is to sleep. The en suite bathroom is for your sole use, so mornings are entirely your own.

    Room B — Shared occupancy, superior room
    En suite with a double and single bed · shared with one other participant · £2,250 / €2,600 / $3,050

    One of the superior rooms, shared between two participants who already know each other or who are happy to be paired. The room is spacious enough for two to occupy comfortably without compromise and an en suite bathroom shared only between the two of you. Many guests find that sharing a room becomes one of the most companionable parts of the week.

    Room C — Single occupancy, standard room in L’Espace
    Twin bedroom · shared bathroom · own room · £2,550 / €2,950 / $3,450

    A comfortable, well-proportioned single room with a twin bed arrangement, situated off the studio to make the most of the light and quiet of the Dordogne setting. The bathroom is shared with two other rooms, but thoughtfully arranged to make the practicalities easy. This is a room for someone who values their own space for reading, resting and reflecting at the end of a long, creative day.

    Room D — Shared occupancy, standard room
    Twin bedroom · shared bathroom · shared with one other participant · £1,950 / €2,250 / $2,650

    Two single beds in a room designed for companionable sharing, well-suited to friends booking together, or participants open to the easy sociability that often develops over a week of making. Light, simply furnished, and connected to a shared bathroom used by ttwo other bedrooms. Often the most convivial of the options, and the best value on the retreat.

    All prices are per person for 5 days / 6 nights, fully inclusive of tuition and all meals. A £400 non-refundable deposit secures your place, with the balance due two months before your chosen workshop.Description text goes here

  • Travel to our property is not included in the price.

    Deposits and balnces paid for our workshops are non-refundable unless we have a reserve list and we can fill your space. To that end, we do recommend that you take out the relevant insurance.

    In the unlikely event that we have to cancel a retreat we will offer a transfer to a new date or a full refund. We will endeavour to give as much notice as possible and a minimum of 4 weeks.

    If you have any queries about this retreat you can email katie@lessoeursanglaises.com