Gutshof Trieb, Lichtenfels

Painting in autumn with the Zorn palette

The focus is on landscape painting

18 – 24 October 2026·Gutshof Trieb · Franconia, Germany

From 18 to 24 October 2026 there will be a retreat with Juliane in Germany for the first time: at Gutshof Trieb near Lichtenfels in the Upper Main valley — painting among Franconian hills, river landscape and old walls, in golden autumn light.

→Programme

Daily: 1–2 theory sessions, 1–2 practice sessions and a shared critique.

An excursion with the sketchbook is planned — the weather decides when.

To finish: plein air in the Franconian landscape.

The focus is on composition and colour theory — with the limited Zorn palette and plein air at the end.

Daily programme in detail ↓

→The group

We paint in a group of no more than 12 participants. All levels are welcome, though some prior painting experience is helpful, as we will focus here on mixing colours with the “Zorn palette” 🎨.

→What the course includes

5 days of painting instruction, six nights' accommodation on the estate, 3 meals a day (excluding restaurant visits), extensive teaching material from the theory sessions to review at home, painting supplies (see materials list), 1–2 excursions and transport, pick-up from the station if needed.

→Companions

Anyone bringing along someone who does not paint is warmly welcome. There is a separate programme for companions – see the accompanying programme further down.

→What is a limited palette?

The limited palette after Anders Zorn means we paint with only four colours – yellow ochre, cadmium red, titanium white and ivory black. The great advantage of this restriction: you focus entirely on mixing and gain a real insight into colour mixing – while discovering the luminosity that lies in every single colour.

Yellow ochre

Cadmium red

Titanium white

Ivory black

→Accommodation

The six rooms are located in a charming baroque manor house, each individually and tastefully furnished, but they share two bathrooms – there are no en-suite rooms. Two further rooms are available in the building next door, the Schlösschen (with one shared bathroom).

Book a room ↓

→Materials list

The materials list is sent to you upon booking.

Gutshof Trieb · Franconia, Germany

Gutshof Trieb, Lichtenfels

Fotos Schlösschen & Obermaintal: Ermell · Trollhead · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA

The house

Where we come together

Gutshof Trieb

The yellow drawing room

The piano room

The hall

The dining room

The chapel

On site

Hosts and kitchen

The hosts

Hubertus und Dorothea Benecke

Hubertus and Dorothea Benecke have kindly invited us to hold this retreat at their beautiful private home — at Gutshof Trieb we are their guests.

The kitchen

We look forward to tasty, homemade Franconian cooking. Vegetarians, please let us know in advance so we can accommodate your needs.

The programme

Seven days at a glance

Sonntag
18.10.

17:00: Coffee & cake — arriving and getting to know each other
19:00: Apéritif, quiche & salad

Montag
19.10.

8:00: Morning devotion (optional)
9:00 – 10:00: Breakfast
10:15 – 11:00: Talk: From Cranach to Münter
11:00 – 11:15: Contemplation “Mein Gottesgarten”
11:15 – 11:30: Talk: sketchbook & practice
11:30 – 12:45: Loosening-up exercise: free drawing
13:00: Midday soup
14:00: Siesta / walk
15:00 – 18:30: Drawing a nature study à la Dürer
19:00: Dinner

Dienstag
20.10.

8:00: Morning devotion (optional)
9:00 – 10:00: Breakfast
10:00 – 11:00: Talk: composition — contrast, foreground/middle ground/background, value, chroma, hue
11:00 – 12:30: Exercise: black-and-white thumbnail sketches of the landscape, in pencil
13:00: Déjeuner
14:00: Siesta / walk
15:00 – 18:00: Theory + painting: mixing six greys, choosing a motif, two compositions in black and white
19:00: Dinner
20:00: Analysis & group critique

Mittwoch
21.10.

8:00: Morning devotion (optional)
9:00 – 10:00: Breakfast
10:00 – 10:45: Talk: Green — trees, leaves, grapes
10:45 – 12:30: Drawing & analysis: form & simplification, warm & cool, tree and tree mass à la Modersohn-Becker
13:00: Déjeuner
14:00: Siesta / walk
15:00 – 18:00: Painting in green: black-and-white sketch first, then a limited palette
18:30: Walk to …
19:00: Hearty schnitzel at …

Donnerstag
22.10.

8:00: Morning devotion (optional)
9:00 – 10:00: Breakfast
10:00 – 10:45: Talk: Blue — clouds and sky
10:45 – 12:00: Painting & group critique
13:00: Déjeuner
14:00: Siesta
15:00 – 18:00: Excursion with sketchbook (destination to follow): framing & horizon, near & far, value & form, detail & distance
19:30: Dîner

Freitag
23.10.

8:00: Morning devotion (optional)
9:00 – 10:00: Breakfast
10:00 – 12:00: Plein-air painting
13:00: Déjeuner
14:00: Siesta
15:00 – 18:00: Painting & group critique
19:00: Dinner

Samstag
24.10.

9:00 – 10:00: Breakfast
10:00 – 12:00: Mini exhibition & critique
13:00: Lunch & farewell

All plans depend on the weather and may change — and the odd seasonal event nearby may still be added.

Your portfolio

What you'll take home

By the end of the week, your portfolio will include:

1Colour studies & thumbnail sketches in your sketchbook
2Black-and-white studies and a grayscale
3Experimental painting studies
4Drawings and painting studies after works by famous artists, in the colours of the Zorn palette
5At least one plein-air landscape (painted outdoors)
6A folder with theory sheets and notes to keep working at home

Frequently asked

Good to know

→Do I need painting experience?

Experience helps, but beginners are welcome and will fill their travel sketchbook creatively. Advanced painters who want to work independently will find endless inspiration in the landscape — with critique from Juliane on request.

→What should I bring?

A sketchbook, in any case! If you are experienced: a folding easel, your own paints and brushes. Demos are mostly in oil — but everyone paints as they please. The detailed material list comes with the booking confirmation.