Creative Journaling Retreat in Morocco - a recap
It’s been a little under a month since myself and a small group of artists returned from our trip from Morocco and I’m just now finding the time to go through the photos from my trip and re-cap our adventures for you here.
It was such a pleasure to embark on this adventure with some fellow creative spirits and explore our own creative adventures together from within the nourishing space of La Maison Anglaise - a beautiful ecolodge based on the edge of the ancient walled city of Taroudant.
The view down to the fresh water pool in the lodge
One of the cats who lives in the lodge
Day 1
We saw this brave kitty surveying its domain from the high walls of Taroudant.
Having arrived from Gatwick in the early evening of Tuesday, we had a quiet meal and retired early to settle in. Our first full day followed which we spent within the walls of the beautiful lodge as we awaited the remainder of our guests for the group who would arrive later in the day. We then spent some time getting to know each other and our aspirations for the time we would spend together. We took an evening tour around the city in a horse-drawn caleche and saw the ancient city at sundown.
day 2
We headed out on a cool and misty morning to the nearby oasis. The sun quickly burned off the mist and it quickly became hot! We started our adventures at a beautiful Kasbah which overlooked the Oasis and spent some time painting the view of the landscape and the mountains beyond, then we journeyed down to the Oasis proper to cool off and have lunch. Underneath the beautiful canopies of flowering trees we painted what we saw around us and wrote out inspirations within the pages of our journals.
The kasbah upon the hill
The fresh running waters of the oasis
We then journeyed to the nearby Argan Oil Cooperative to see the way the co-op is helping local women to support themselves and their families as they work on the Argan oil which comes from a tree unique to Morocco.
An ancient Argan tree and the various items used to process the nuts, outside the cooperative.
Our shady seating area
day 3
Day 3 was spent within the lodge. Now we all knew each other better, and I had a better sense of the needs of the group I was able to guide each individual with their skills and areas where they wished to improve. There was a lovely seating area where we could enjoy the shade, the surrounding plants and have plenty of room to spread out our paints. This is where we spent most of our early evening sessions as the breeze was cool and it was nicely sheltered.
The rooftop of the lodge
Working on our botanical illustration
day 4
Mornings were often spent painting on the rooftop where the views of the city and the mountains beyond are spectacular. On day 4 we spent our morning exploring the various plants and flowers of the lodge and learning how to do a more botanical style of illustration, using books from the library to identify our plants. In the afternoon we then journeyed to the Palace of Claudio Bravo - an artist who took up residence in Morocco, funded the local hospital in Taroudant and then built his spectacular residence which is now a hotel and museum.
The manicured gardens of the Palace
Just some of the many historical treasures within
Day 5
Journaling on the rooftop
We had a morning of sketching on the rooftop on day 5 and then had a guided tour into Taroudant to see the souks that wander labyrinthine through the ancient streets of the city. Massages had been booked for various people so it was a relatively quiet day activity wise.
Day 6
Our final full day in Morocco we spent exploring our mark-making techniques and fleshing out our journals that were well on their way to becoming beautiful art pieces and mementos of our journey. Some of the students also tackled the task of drawing crumpled up paper and fabric in the style of Claudio Bravo.
The beautiful seating area in the shade
Beautiful Moroccan lamps are scattered about the lodge
It was such a pleasure to lead this group of creative adventurers on a journey into exploring their own creativity within the context of a daily journaling practice! Morocco proves to be such an inspiring place to hold such an event and I hope to be able to return again soon!
Student Testimonial:
“What a beautiful time I had in Morocco on Jennifer’s creative journaIing week. It was the perfect balance of time spent painting and visiting gorgeous locations to inspire us, and space to relax and unwind in the sun and by the pool.
Jennifer held the group beautifully, allowing time to explore techniques and our own creative flow. She was supportive to all levels of ability. I have come home with a renewed creative flow. Thank you Jennifer.”
Join us next time…
I am looking at the possibility of holding another retreat in Morocco, so if you like what you have seen here then follow the link below and join the dedicated newsletter, there you will be updated of any further trips being booked.
