About Ann and Verinia
Ann organizes and guides the trip
“Living in Northern Portugal has brought me so much peace of mind after my burnout and, subsequently, after my illness. I can endlessly enjoy the silence during my walks in the beautiful green countryside. Taking time to see, smell, hear, and feel is the ultimate form of self-care for me. As a highly sensitive person, I can easily be overwhelmed by stimuli, both positive and negative. Literally standing still during a walk in a place with a beautiful view is enough for me to see life and the world in a perspective that makes things lighter and more bearable. A clear mind allows ideas, creativity, and inspiration to flow from a gut feeling. I want to share these valuable experiences with others. At the end of our week together, we will literally leave behind what no longer serves us in a Kintsugi workshop and take the ‘healed pieces’ home with us in a different way.”
Verinia leads the “Intuitive Painting” workshops.
“As a little girl, aged 4 or 5, I was already drawing and painting; being creative is in my blood. Singing, writing, yes, it was in me from a young age. But I put it aside later in life. Too busy with life, work, children, everything and anything. I didn’t even know how happy this made me anymore. Everything became a must-do and a must-not-be-enjoyed experience. Until the moment I crashed! Literally and figuratively, the life I knew came to a standstill. And I was forced to ‘turn inward’. That burnout was a real wake-up call for me, a learning process that made me realize again that as a person, you are given talents that make you and others happy. If you put those talents aside, your mind goes into ’emergency mode’ for many years.
You forget to respect yourself, and that returns to you like a boomerang. That realization is so Important!
When Ann asked me to lead this journey with her, I said a resounding “YES,” without hesitation. Because sharing this HAPPINESS with others is my DREAM TO COME TRUE.
About ‘intuitive painting’
Getting started with intuitive painting takes time. But truly, everyone, without exception, can do it. There’s nothing right or wrong. It’s like rediscovering the core of yourself, making it visible layer by layer. Each of us can REMEMBER what we loved to do as a child. Drawing, painting, or crafting, whatever. Bringing out the true artist within ourselves. In a safe environment, with like-minded souls, in a magical place, triggered by Mother Earth.
We start on a piece of paper and search for a technique that feels right. This can be different for everyone. Letting that small, invisible flame ignite, and let it grow bigger every day of the journey. With brushes, palette knives, or even with hands and fingers, feeling what you feel, and listening to it.
Verinia: “I personally consider painting with my hands a ‘primal force.’ Everything I think, with my eyes closed, is translated into the acrylic strokes on the canvas. Sometimes feelings are released that make you cry, or laugh, or remind you of moments long past. Deeply hidden in your heart or in your belly! It gives you real ‘goosebumps’ when you blindly start with a line on a blank sheet.
You open your eyes, and then you start coloring, the canvas reveals itself step by step… you suddenly see something emerge that you recognize as a person. Your pencil, acrylic, brush, or palette knife, and your hands create what you feel and are, a beautiful person as an artist!”
Our location for 6 days
Lua de Caldelas is located in the heart of the picturesque village of Caldelas, home to the Termas de Caldelas (Hot Springs), the healing springs renowned since Roman times. For generations, the springs made Caldelas an ideal destination for those seeking healing and health.
The house, which for many years was known as the “casa de igreja” (parsonage) and where the village priest lived, stands next to the Caldelas church and offers stunning views. The old parsonage has been revived in a modern, stylish interior. The former garage on the ground floor has been transformed into a wine bar that combines the local tradition of Vinho Verde with refined Mediterranean cuisine. In the expansive garden, guests can relax in the hot tubs overlooking the surrounding area, or spend a cozy evening by the fire enjoying a glass of wine.
