Painting Retreat at The Garden of Lemons, Spain
BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION RETREAT with Úrsula Romero
May 23nd – 30th, 2026
€ 500 for 5 and a half days of teaching (or £415) includes materials and Saunders Waterford Paper
Partners & family may join the trip as non-participating guests without the teaching fee.
Medium: Watercolour
Level: All Levels
Language: English
In order to attend this workshop, you must stay at one of the Garden of Lemons locations and book directly with them by contacting Henrik or Ingo at gardenoflemons@gmail.com
Garden of Lemons is a retreat centre nestled in the enchanting Andalusian Valle de Lecrín – the Valley of Happiness in Southern Spain. It is a haven for those seeking enriching experiences, inner peace and contemplation in the midst of breath-taking surroundings. Situated in the embrace of the Sierra Nevada, between Granada and the Mediterranean, Garden of Lemons offers a tranquil escape far away from the well-trodden tourist paths. Here, verdant greenery and lush landscapes accompany you throughout the year, providing a sensory feast for the soul.
Garden of Lemons runs creative workshop retreats throughout the year. The former ruins have been completely renovated, offering rooms with stunning views of the landscape with modern amenities. Guests on Úrsula's course can enjoy both the privacy of their rooms and access to all the retreat centre's facilities while on the course.
Can food be art? In this case, yes! All the senses are in play when eating food from Henrik & Ingo’s wonderful kitchen at Garden of Lemons.
Painting Retreat at The Garden of Lemons, Spain
This is a rare opportunity to learn to paint in a Spanish paradise with Úrsula Romero. On this course, you will discover more about painting beautiful flowers in watercolours under an expansive Spanish sky. You will wine and dine on delicious local foods and unwind in the tranquillity of the Lecrin Valley.
Focusing on flowers, this workshop will explore the drama that can be created through thoughtful lighting and clever glazing. You will have the exciting opportunity to learn how to enlarge your paintings and how to build your compositions, all the while surrounded by the spectacular countryside and gardens.
During this course we will examine the importance specific colours. You will learn more about capturing light in watercolour paint – how to make things look really three dimensional and how tackle trickier things, such as the translucency and hairs.
Úrsula will be on hand, teaching one-to-one so you get the most from the experience. She will also be giving live demonstrations for you to watch so you leave feeling full of expert knowledge and will bring her portfolio, so you get to see her original works up close, unframed.
This course is suitable for all levels.
Your Teacher
Úrsula Romero (formally known as Jessica Shepherd or Inky Leaves) is an internationally recognized master flower painter, artist and teacher.
Úrsula trained in botanical taxonomy at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh before committing herself fully to painting so that she would understand the processes of plants more comprehensively. Equipped with this scientific knowledge, Úrsula is now testing new approaches to her artwork to push the capacity for botanical art to bring greater awareness of plants and our interaction with them. In 2014, she was featured on the BBC4 documentary “In Search of Rory McEwen” where she demonstrated how to paint on vellum. She currently has works touring the USA for the Rory McEwen retrospective.
In 2017, Úrsula held her first solo exhibition in London, published her first book titled ‘Leafscape’ and produced the Leafscape soundtrack. She started Inky Leaves Publishing in the same year. In 2018, Úrsula launched a cross-disciplinary botanical art publication called INK Quarterly which ran for three years, and embarked on her next project Blue Flower. She has exhibited internationally and her works have been included in exhibitions at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, The National Botanic Garden, Dublin and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. She has 7 pieces in the Shirley Sherwood Collection.
Now, can be found quietly working on her latest flower painting project whilst restoring a historic property in Andalucía.
Úrsula is a great teacher who is not shy of teaching her 'secret tips' so we can achieve amazing results. So much knowledge is packed during her workshops and she is open to questions at all times." - Claudia
“Each dish was an experience in aroma, taste, colors and perfect textures. Never in my life have I eaten so well before.
El Valle de Lecrín, Granada, Andalucía
Just south of the historic Moorish city of Granada, you'll find The Lecrín Valley - a sunny, verdant paradise at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, within half an hour of the beautiful Costa Tropical. Perfect as a holiday destination, it’s away from the hustle and bustle of the coast, yet within easy reach, and only a short distance to the city of Granada. Driving times are about 1 hour 15 from Malaga (with the newly completed motorway), 35 mins from Granada airport, 20 minutes to Granada city and 25 minutes to the Costa Tropical. An area of outstanding natural beauty, the Lecrin Valley is famous for its verdant landscape, its citrus and pomegranate groves, its walks and vibrant spring colors. The valley has many small villages dotted around the picturesque countryside. Orange and lemon trees as far as you can see, mixed with pine, olive and almond trees. It's a destination you will never forget and will want to return to.
