King's Grant Plein Air Painting Retreat with Tracy Algar 7-11 September 2026

An Invitation to Slow Down: Painting Light and Place at King’s Grant

27 Sep 2025

It’s a powerful thing when the universe aligns a deep personal desire with a beautiful, unexpected invitation.

For some years now, my work has been about chasing the elusive quality of South African light—that specific, transient moment of awe that turns an ordinary landscape into a profound memory. I do this by studying colour temperature, but the real goal is to create a window into stillness—a place where you can pause and feel the warmth of the sun or the coolness of a shadow.

So, when an email arrived suggesting a plein air painting retreat at King’s Grant Country Retreat in Ixopo, my heart skipped a beat. Looking at the images—the ancient Trappist architecture, the lush, quiet landscapes, the incredible reflections on the water at The Brickfield—I knew instantly: this wasn’t just a beautiful place to paint; it was a ready-made container for transformation.

This retreat, running from 7–11 September 2026, is my invitation to you to step into that stillness.

The True Gift of a Retreat: More Than A Workshop

We live in a world that applauds being busy, where our creative practice often gets pushed to the edges of the day, leaving us feeling rushed and scattered. You arrive at your easel with the anxiety of a million other things waiting, and your work stagnates because there’s no room for the quiet, deliberate process that painting demands.

This retreat is designed to create a different story.

It’s a chance to stop competing with the noise, the clock, and the endless to-do list. The purpose of this experience isn’t just to teach you processes and techniques; it’s to help you cultivate a deliberate, calm painting practice—a rhythm you can take home and sustain long after the retreat is over.

Over four nights, surrounded by the quiet beauty of King’s Grant, we will move through this shift together:

From Stagnant to Vigorous: We will re-ignite your practice by giving you three full, uninterrupted days to paint, focusing on the illusion of light, simplifying composition, and handling the ever-changing, brilliant South African sun.
From Scared to Confident: If the idea of painting outside the studio is intimidating, this is your safe space. You will leave confident and prepared to set up on your own, armed with a clear process for capturing a moment in a landscape.
From Busy to Present: With four nights of comfortable accommodation and delicious, organic, “fork-to-farm” meals at the St. Isidore restaurant, the only thing you have to manage is your easel. The gift here is time.

King’s Grant: Awe and Place

My core purpose as an artist is to evoke a feeling of awe—and King’s Grant provides the perfect backdrop.

The location itself—with its unique blend of rural South African landscape and the striking history of the Trappist Monks—offers endless, challenging, and luminous subjects. We’ll spend time outside, exploring the light on the stone, the rich colours of the fields, and those mesmerising reflections at The Brickfield. You won’t just learn my methods; you’ll learn how to see your own unique vision with greater clarity.

This is a retreat designed to be a genuine gift to yourself—a deep dive into your practice that is supported by luxurious simplicity and an environment dedicated to slow, beautiful living. It’s a gift that says: I deserve the time to do this one thing I truly love, and I will do it with intention.