In this painting course, participants will work in the medium of watercolor to depict their experience of the Cycladic island of Syros. Each day a different site will be visited, allowing participants to discover visual motifs through the diverse nature of Syros, be it the light, the impact of the wind or the always surrounding sea. The workshop will be directed by Athens-based painter Sofia Simaki, who has many years experience in leading workshops and is also a lecturer at the University of the Aegean in Ermoupoli on Syros. For the afternoon talks about painting Jurriaan Benschop will join the group.
In 2026 the course will be offered twice: in spring and in autumn.
Spring course: 11–18 May, 2026. Autumn course: 21–28 September, 2026 in Ermoupoli, Syros, Greece.
Participants will stay in a hotel in Ermoupoli, the capital and port city. From there, daily trips into the land will be organized for plein air classes, for instance in Azolimnos, Ano Meria, Poseidonia. In the late afternoons, additional critique classes will be offered, in which participants can discuss the work that has been made, in the context of the group’s goals and in relation to the wider panorama of painting. Writer Jurriaan Benschop, who works on Syros as a curator at Jenny up the Hill, will join Sofia and the group for the critique sessions.
Focus // Syros is characterized by the brightness of its light, an expanded sense of space, and regular winds that move the body and the psyche. Watercolor offers a special medium to capture the flux of nature and to relate to the contrasting qualities that the island offers. Starting from the whiteness of the paper, it allows for a gradual shading of colors from lighter to darker tones.
Approach // Rather than teaching “the right way” to depict a landscape, this workshop is about relating in a personal, corporeal, and experiential way to the island. The surface of the paper is where the subjective experience of the participant and the outside natural environment meet. Starting with a small, postcard piece of paper on the first day and then choosing various sizes throughout the week, each participant will be encouraged to discover their own painting language.
The workshop process, as designed by Sofia Simaki, will encourage participants to discover different ways of viewing the landscape beyond the cliche’s of picturesque sunsets and blue white villages. Specific experiences are activated through walks on the island.
Schedule // In the mornings participants meet and drive to a place for working on site. In the afternoons, there is the opportunity to explore the island and gather for further discussion and individual feedback. On the last day, a selection of works will be presented in a one day exhibition at Jenny up the Hill in Ermoupoli, with a festive goodbye event.
For whom? // The workshop is open to both beginners and advanced painters wanting to focus specifically on watercolor during the week on Syros, and who are curious to discuss existing approaches in painting, including one’s own.
Materials // All necessary art materials are included in our workshop program.
A detailed day-to-day program will be sent upon request.
Residence // Participants will stay at 6 Roosevelt St., a historical mansion in the center of Ermoupoli, which offers convenient private rooms with bathroom in a listed monument. The location is top, close to the port, the shops and restaurants, and a short walk from the city beach at Vaporia.
Price // The fee to participate in the workshop is € 2.000 per person. The fee includes 7 nights accommodation in Ermoupoli, attendance of all painting and critique classes, welcome dinner, transport from the city to the painting sites, materials to paint, participation in catered closing event. Not included in the price are travel costs to Syros and daily personal expenses for coffee, food, drinks, laundry and so forth.
Who teaches? // The daily painting classes outside are directed by Sofia Somaki, who studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts, received her BFA in 2001 with a major in painting and completed in 2005 the “Digital Forms of Art” Master Program, focusing on video art, the technologically intermediated experience and it’s relation to the hand-made art product. Sofia’s work has been presented in solo exhibitions in galleries and independent spaces, in festivals, group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. Her practice expands from painting to sculpture, video, photography, text and performance, all working together to create a space of associations and narratives.
She has over 10 years teaching experience in public schools and she designs and conducts workshops for adults and children in museums, galleries and conferences that emphasize personal growth and human and environmental connectedness through creative processes. She has collaborated with theater and performance groups. Since 2024 she works as an Appointed Lecturer at the Department of Product and Systems Design of the Polytechnic School, University of the Aegean, on Syros.
Who teaches? // Jurriaan Benschop will conduct the afternoon talk- and discussion meetings. He is a Dutch writer and curator, based in Berlin and on Syros. His book Why Paintings Work (2023) navigates the diverse landscape of contemporary painting and appeared in Dutch, English and Estonian. His has regular publications in Artforum, The Brooklyn Rail and on Arterritory. Exhibitions that he has curated include Things as They Are (Syros, 2025), A Grammar of Gestures (Athens, 2021-22),Taking Root (Düsseldorf, 2019-20) and A Matter of Touch (Berlin, 2020). He has been lecturing at art schools and universities in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Bloomington IN, Riga, Tallinn, Vienna, Helsinki and other cities.
To apply or receive further information about the workshop, write us an e-mail or send a message via instagram You will receive a PDF with day-to-day program and information about the accommodation and the application process (deadline 12 april, 2026).
Header image: Sofia Simaki, Figure in the Light, 2023, water color on paper, 23 x 17.5 cm