Brushes & Breezes: Figurative & Plein Air Art Retreat in Jamaica

 

This March, embark on a transformative artistic journey to “the Capital of Casual”, Negril, Jamaica, with Art of Modeling founder Ellen Allen, along with her husband Dr. Patrick Allen, a native of Jamaica, who together, bring a unique blend of artistic passion and cultural heritage to this retreat.

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Set against the backdrop of turquoise waters, lush greenery, and vibrant local culture, this retreat offers artists of all levels an unparalleled opportunity to deepen their practice in a serene and inspiring environment.

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There’s something magical about Jamaica. Maybe it's the turquoise cobalt waters brushing against sun-kissed shores or the rhythmic heartbeat of music echoing through the hills.  But for a growing number of figurative artists, it’s more than a tropical escape—it’s a place of inspiration, transformation, and profound creative renewal. 

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Imagine waking to the gentle breeze rustling through palm trees and the pulsing lullaby of waves brushing against seaside cliffs. The sun casts a warm, golden glow across a canvas of cobalt turquoise waters. This isn’t a dream—it’s the beginning of each day at our Jamaican art retreat, where creativity meets the Caribbean.

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Nestled in the heart of Negril amongst the lush landscape, this retreat is more than a getaway—it's an immersion into color, form, and self-expression. Figurative art, with its celebration of the human form and narrative, finds new dimensions when practiced in a setting so alive with culture, rhythm, and light.

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Hosted at a boutique resort on the island’s serene west end, the retreat offers a perfect balance between facilitated figurative art making time with local Jamaican art models and free exploration. 

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The retreat respects the concept of “island time”—a slower, more intentional rhythm. Mornings begin with moderated sessions with models, capturing movement and emotion with charcoal, pencil, acrylic or watercolor in the open air under a thatched roof, ocean cliffside. The focus: figurative drawing and painting—capturing the human form with intention and emotion.

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During our modeling sessions, you will be offered Blue Mountain coffee along with tastings of a delightful array of seasonal local fruits, such as soursop, ganep, chocolate, jackfruit, "bumpy" banana, and mango, along with traditional snacks like spiced "bun n’ cheese" and coconut jelly water that you’ll sip directly from the freshly harvested coconut.

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In the afternoons and evenings, the open air studio will give way to exploration. Artists are encouraged to explore the seaside town, walk on the white sands of Seven Mile Beach, taste local foods, journal, swim in hidden waterfalls or plunge into deep blue holes, paint plein air scenes, sketch fishermen mending nets on the beach, nap in hammocks, share rum-laced stories with fellow artists, or consume a micro dose of legal psylocibin chocolate from a local shop and sit with their thoughts. This space, free from distraction and demand, becomes fertile ground for ideas to surface and evolve. 

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Evenings are reserved for candlelit dinners, music, dancing, karaoke, and bonfires where the sea reflects flickers of flame and music and laughter carries into the night. 

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These experiences are as vital to your process as the brush itself. They reminded us all that art isn’t only made alone in studios—it’s made in moments of connection and openness. Figurative painting, after all, is about more than bodies—it’s about humanity.

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There will be opportunities for connection with other artists.  The retreat offers a group dinner under the stars atop the resort’s oceanside cliff on the first night, for introductions to your fellow artistic adventurers.  Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday Jamaican art models pose for us for three hours each day, during which artists can chit chat and view each other’s creations during breaks and during the session.  Wednesday we will take a few hour group excursion that will begin on Seven Mile Beach where we will board a glass bottomed boat, viewing sea life along the way, to a nearby island where we will dock to explore and have a fresh seafood caught onsite (or vegetarian) lunch, cooked over a wood fire.  Run into (or make a plan with someone ahead of time!) fellow retreaters on resort grounds, or on the street or beach.  On our final morning a bon voyage group breakfast is included for us to say our farewells for-now.

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What sets this Jamaican retreat apart is its potential to transform. Artists leave not just with sketches and studies, but with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper understanding of human connection through art. Figurative art, after all, is about telling stories—and what better place to find stories than Jamaica, where every sunrise, face, and movement sings a vibrant tale?

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Whether you're a seasoned artist or just beginning to explore the human figure, this retreat invites you to step away from the noise, into a place of beauty and discovery. With a brush in hand and the Caribbean breeze at your back, creation feels not only possible—it feels inevitable.

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You don’t realize how much you need to be undone — until you find yourself on an ocean cliff in Jamaica watching the morning light kiss the ocean far below.  If your soul is hungry for something real, raw, and renewing, this retreat is not just a destination. It’s a calling.  And Jamaica? She answers with open arms.​  This retreat will remind you why you fell in love with figurative art in the first place: its ability to tell stories, to evoke empathy, and to capture the complexity of being alive.

 

If you’re an artist longing to reconnect with your practice—or simply with yourself—this retreat is more than worth the journey. In Jamaica, you’ll find not just a muse, but a movement. One brushstroke at a time.