Wonderful Sicily, in Pastel
An exploration into light, color and simplicity within abundance
Loriann Signori
October 31- November 8, 2026
Here we go – diving down towards an incredibly beautiful and sacred place. You know you can’t stay, yet you want to return to the surface with a kind of rebirth. That will be us, in Sicily, as she explodes with a cacophony of color. You wonder, how does one study all this amazement and yet view with sensitivity AND excitement?
To begin, we work to understand the place and embody sensitivity. This involves really BEING there, walking, sensing and working with a series of painting exercises that transform your experiences, feelings and observations into a new understanding of the character and atmosphere of place. We will quiet our minds and learn to be attentive to the moment.
Since discovery comes from play and not knowing, you will relish in the flow of process and seeing mistakes as opportunities. Be ready for spontaneity, adventure and opening your senses to beauty that is everywhere. In addition, there will be a studio component where you will have opportunity to experience a few days of bringing it all together. The gathered works, photos and written observation will keep you painting for years to come.
This workshop is a mix between outdoor awareness and studio exploration. We will paint by fields and waters creating a series of small paintings. Perception will widen with a written component that will help us understand more deeply. Vast exploration can happen when you just listen to your heart and allow yourself to be guided by the soul of place.
In this intensive workshop with Loriann you will encourage your ability to embrace and translate the Italian landscape into sensitive pastel work. Some experience is necessary, and Loriann will help guide you into a deeper understanding of what it means to paint intuitively.
“If you’re taking a Signori workshop prepare to be challenged, inspired, and have fun. Loriann’s playful spirit & curiosity will have you looking deeper at your art process, why you paint and put you in touch with new ways to think/feel about your painting. You’ll go to sleep, dream, and wake up thinking about painting. You will also be inspired to try her exercises & approaches with your own work. The real work is up to you to find your own muse and wonder what is possible. Loriann is the “art fairy” that will offer magic & direction to help make that happen.”
“What would happen if…” This is the mantra of a workshop with Loriann Signori! Our weeklong workshop in Florence was rigorous, fun, mind-bending, exhausting, exhilarating, challenging and inspirational. It was a well-organized journey of exploration and discovery with each day building on the previous day’s experimentation and focus. We were lucky to have a small group and a ton of personal attention, but I’ll bet that even a larger class would come away feeling the same because Loriann teaches with her whole heart. She is an extraordinary artist and teacher because she is an exceptional human being. She gave me the confidence to loosen up not only in terms of technique and using new media but, more importantly, loosening up within myself to get to the heart of why I paint. What a gift it was to spend this week with Loriann and fellow artistic explorers!”
OMG, This has to have been the BEST workshop l’ve taken since Richard McKinley (who was also a mentor of Loriann.) I was so much outside my comfort zone, which was exactly what I didn’t know I needed for giving me a strong shot of creativity for my landscape improvement goal.
Loriann has a process of construction and de-construction, and working in layers of pastel and fixative and blending, removing, applying, drenching, repainting, etc until the painting tells you what it wants. (A far cry from my “keep your fingers off” mantra! LOL)
She promotes daily painting (literally!) and lots and lots of observation, response, and analyzing. Her small paintings are truly studies, as are her mid-sized paintings. She works on many studies at once. She likes to play with possibilities. I really want to take a longer workshop from her.
Your class was transformational for me — in more ways than I can say. What baffles me most is that I have an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from a reputable university 4 decades ago and yet, I learned more from your 6 classes than I did in a 4-year period. Additionally, your class has made me curious to continue exploring my creativity with pastels (and other mediums), whereas I can’t say the same for my university years. You are an exceptional teacher, Loriann, able to truly focus on your students and their growth while also showcasing your own breakthrough techniques and tips that have propelled you forward. Your willingness to share your own art journey with us, the bumps in addition to the magic, the wisdom you’ve gleaned from years of a disciplined practice — all of this and more helped strip away the mystery of what it means to be an artist. Talent is one thing, but a disciplined practice trumps it all. And I finally understand the building blocks for creating a successful painting, the fact that the process is highly thoughtful and calculated, not just a spontaneous miracle that appears before your eyes when free and unencumbered in the moment.
