Painting & Art Retreats in Iceland

Plein air painting, sketching and mixed media in front of glaciers, fjords and the open Atlantic.

A landscape made for paint

Iceland is colour and form at their boldest: black sand, blue ice, green moss, ochre hills and a sky that changes by the hour. For painters and sketchers, every direction offers a composition.

An art retreat gives you the time and the guidance to respond to it. Plein air sessions outdoors, calm studio time indoors and tutors who meet you at your level mean you leave with finished work and fresh ways of seeing.

Bold Icelandic landscape for plein air painting

What to expect

Outdoors and in, at a pace that suits the weather

Plein air sessions

Paint and sketch on location, in front of glaciers, fjords and lava fields.

Studio time

Calm indoor space for longer work, colour study and gentle weather days.

Tutor guidance

Help with composition, colour and your chosen medium, at every level.

Inspiring outings

Short walks and slow drives to find the views that ask to be painted.

Where to paint

Bold subjects in every region

Snaefellsnes

A glacier, black beaches and lava in a compact, painterly peninsula.

The South

Waterfalls, glaciers and the famous black sand of the south coast.

The East

Deep fjords and quiet villages, with the landscape often almost to yourself.

Part of our creative retreats

Painting is one of four ways to create with us in Iceland

All creative retreats →

Art retreat questions

What travellers ask us most

Do I need experience?

No. All levels are welcome, and tutors meet you where you are.

What materials?

Watercolour, acrylic, oil, gouache, ink and mixed media are all common.

Do we paint outdoors?

Often, with plein air sessions on location and studio time for longer work.

How do I book?

Featured retreats are booked online, with checkout handled securely through Bókun. Custom trips start with a short enquiry.

No dates that suit you? We will create one

If you do not see a painting retreat on the calendar, we can build one on request. Tell us your medium, your group and your timing, and we will arrange the location, the tutor and the views, from Snaefellsnes to the quiet East.

Send us an enquiry →

Plan an art retreat

Tell us your medium and the season you have in mind, and we will shape a painting retreat around Iceland's boldest views.

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