USA Mischtechnik 4-Week Painting Retreat
June 13 - July 9, 2021
Prof. Philip Rubinov Jacobson & Mantra Cora
"No experience is necessary. You have all that you need." - Prof. Phil
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The White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat
224 Mulberry Dr, Stanardsville, Virginia 22973
Phone: (434) 985-7895
The White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat, was named by its owner, David VanDerveer. To get there, after twisting and turning through a wooded area of rural Stanardsville, population 363, one finally arrives at this otherworldly place. Signs welcome you to the Castle, while more wooden signs direct you to a Sauna and the cryptically named Zen Barn. A statue of Buddha sits alone in the long grass, while a nearly 40-foot-tall Red Tower looms above you looking down on this unusual universe just 85 miles from Richmond, Virginia. Our home for 4 weeks, this unique spot in Virginia will transport us to a magical place that fires up the imagination while opening intuition and sharpening our skills. The wood fired Lunar Sauna are just a few of the amenities in this secluded setting are numerous ponds, a canoe, a floating dock, nature trails, a picnic area with a fire pit, shelters & grills (hickory wood provided), a complete disc-golf course, stone & cedar gazebo, wood fired sauna, scenic overlook, and an organic vegetable farm. Lots of birds, bunnies & squirrels call this place home too.
The White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat as a whole, has an additional 6 AirBnB suites and cabins, located on 25 acres of managed forest and ponds. “This is obviously unique, and there aren’t many places quite like this,” says David VanDerveer, the owner of the resort. There are all these little magical spots on the property.” He’s an easy-going conversationalist who can be seen roaming the property, talking and laughing with guests at just about any hour of the day.
TO SECURE YOUR AIRBNB ACCOMMODATION & AVOID FEES AND TAXES PLEASE CONTACT David VanDerveer DIRECTLY BY TELEPHONE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE: (434) 985 7895
Our Summer Studio & Home - The Zen Barn


David VanDerveer, the owner of the White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat, inside The Zen Barn.
THE ZEN BARN is a beautifully designed and outfitted, 5,000 sq.ft. climate controlled barn with a long list of amenities: 3 suites and an extra bedroom, two kitchens, banquet/meeting room, Great Room (75-100 people), handmade bar, movie theater, meditation room, massage room, game room, sky lounge, outdoor patio with fire place, and free wireless. The natural wood and stone finishes and design touches must be seen to be believed. The Zen Barn is one of a kind, and nestled in a beautiful wooded setting close to the Shenandoah National Park.
Maintaining Healthy Environments and the CDC’s Reccomendations
From the Owner:
"We are taking every precaution possible to ensure the safety of our staff and guests by using CDC approved sanitizers exclusively and we are disinfecting all door handles, switches, remotes, cabinets, appliances etc. Your room is self check-in with private (key code) entrance, full bathroom, refrigerator, microwave oven, dishes, utensils, etc. We are on the property in case you need anything."
"Students, faculty, and staff follow all the steps to protect themselves and others at all times, including hand hygiene and the proper use of face masks when social distance is 6 feet or less from one another".
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In the STUDIO we keep at least 10 feet distance from each side of our Easel, Painting tables and Sitting positions. Masks are used in social situations of less than 6 feet from one another.
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We will host a smaller class in a larger space. We will accept a maximum of 24 students in a space designed for 100.
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Clean-up: Maximum of 2 people at a time utilizing the sinks and bathrooms.
For Information on a variety of ACCOMMODATIONS on site: ***. CLICK HERE ***
TO SECURE YOUR AIRBNB ACCOMMODATION & AVOID FEES AND TAXES PLEASE CONTACT David VanDerveer DIRECTLY BY TELEPHONE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE: 434 985 7895
This Retreat in Virginia, like all of our Retreats, is an exotic and sacred place. It will be a time for 'Serious – Play' and working to expand our vision and skills. Learning to paint anything from simple forms and found objects to the stuff of dreams and visions will become a joyful and memorable experience with Prof. Phil & Mantra. The seminar is for all creative workers from Beginners to Advanced painters. Each student will be guided in learning a sound and practical version of Mischtechnik, or Indirect Painting, based on the principles and procedures of the Old Masters. The teachers have a special gift in teaching these sophisticated techniques in a way that is easy to learn and manage and are renowned for treating every artist as an individual, helping them to find their own voice and spirit through their art.
* Painting Instruction is at least 6 - 7 hours per day, 9:30 – 12:30 and 2:30 – 5:30 (or 6:30), Monday– Friday with an Open Studio and 24/7 access, seven days a week. impromptu journeys and explorations of the area is a weekend option. But, there is also plenty to do on-site, or different ways to do nothing on weekends.
* 120 - 140+ hours of instruction in Under-painting, Indirect & Direct Painting in Layers, and version(s) of Mischtechnik as practiced by the Old Masters with innovations from (Ernst Fuchs), Prof Phil & Mantra Cora.
* Meet fellow Artists * Kindred Spirits - in a creative environment; studying, sharing experiences and cultural activities together.
* Enjoy meals, conversation and sharing visions together. Plan cooking together if you like in the Zen Barn Studio, or in your own accommodation, or check out the local cuisine.
* Prof Phil & Mantra are always on hand to personally ensure that a transmission of essential knowledge and artistic spirit comes through their instruction.
* Respectful instruction is tailored to each individual's unique visual language. The teachers do not advocate one style over another, be it classical, abstract, visionary, fantastic, expressionistic or otherwise; the students' personal direction and originality are encouraged. This becomes obvious looking at the work of the teachers and the students here on this website where you find such a profound variation and difference in expression.
* Renowned master artists have been known to drop in on the OMNV painting seminars, offering feedback, discussion and inspiration.
* Enhance your skills in observation and nurture an intuitive - higher vision.
* Creative courage comes naturally in this supportive setting of beauty and culture.
First year students will learn the Basic Fundamentals of Mischtechnik. Advanced students may learn the use of faster and slower mediums, different grounds, or imprimatur, characteristics and drying times of oil colors and what applications are called for, and more refined tricks of the trade as they are guided through various versions of indirect painting. Professor Phil brings his 50 years of experience to share in the studio, which includes a friendship with his mentor, Ernst Fuchs, that spanned 43 of those years. Mantra has been teaching alongside Prof. Phil for 10 years now and has become an invaluable teacher and spirit for the creative community. Mantra will assist in teaching the basic fundamentals and also offer ways to construct various grounds in decalcomania, allowing for a spontaneous and serendipitous approach in the beginning stages of painting to create a 'visionary portrait', or another image that may arise intuitively.
Of the hundreds of students who have studied under Prof. Phil over the last 23 years in the international seminars, and privately in the 20 years prior to that; many names have been added to a veritable roster of accomplished artists, highly esteemed and recognized in the contemporary art world. Madeline Von Foerster, Kris Kuksi, Kim Evans, Daniel Martin Diaz, John Palmer, Benjamin Vierling, Nad Wolinska, Amanda Sage, Psynunnaki Sola', Andrew Gonzalez, Reinhard Schmid, Cynthia Robbins just to mention a few. See examples of their work and other students, in the gallery here called the Students’ Hall of Fame. Check out the TESTIMONIALS students have left regarding their seminars and Prof.Phil's books.
FOR PAYMENT & TUITION POLICY PLEASE SCROLL DOWN
* All prices are per person.* Prices are in US dollars. If you paid a deposit or full tuition on the postponed seminar in Greece, whatever that amount may be, it will be applied in USA dollars toward the Tuition amount of the Seminar in Virginia. Any difference between what you have paid and the Virginia Tuition, must be paid before your space is secured. You may pay by TransferWise, Bank Wire Transfer, Direct Deposit, Zelle, Paypal, Personal Check or Money Order. We recommend ZELLE as there are no associated fees for the sender or receiver. For Foreign currency rates you can use the current rate listed at xe.com. Questions about Tuition ? Contact us at: eyepaint4u@yahoo.com or mantracora@yahoo.com
TUITION RATES for 4 Week STUDY
Accommodation, Meals & Transportation are Separate from Tuition and the responsibility of the student.
RETURNING ARTIST RATE- Paying in Full: $ 2,085.
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FIRST YEAR ARTIST RATE - Paying in Full: $ 2,200.
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PAYMENT PLAN for ALL ARTISTS: $400 down on $ 2,250.
PAY Deposit of $ 400 toward TOTAL of $ 2,250.
Final Payment Due: May 14, 2021
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CANCELLATION & OTHER POLICIES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
REGISTRATION: Payment is made in US dollars. YOUR REGISTRATION FOR THE SEMINAR is a Non-Refundable FEE that serves to RESERVE your place in the seminar. There are no refunds on the deposit. No refunds on any payments after the deposit. There is a Substitution Policy. SEE the POLICY BELOW
TUITION INCLUDES:
* Teaching 5 days per week, minimum of 6 hours per day and can go longer
* Classes are held 9:30 - 12:30 and 2:30 - 5:30, Mon - Fri.
* For the painting seminar, we will provide materials like paper towels, soap, brush cleaners, like mineral spirits, dammar varnish, linseed and other oils, sicatives, and other clean up materials.
STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BRING THEIR OWN PAINT BRUSHES, OIL PAINTS, CONTAINERS and so on AS SPECIFIED IN THE MATERIALS LIST ISSUED AFTER REGISTARTION.
PAYMENT & GENERAL CONDITIONS:
* All prices are per person
* Prices are in U$ Dollars.
* For bank transfers, direct deposits, checks, we will use the current rate listed at xe.com.
* Payment may be made through PayPal. For the deposit or Full Payment, use the PayPal LINK provided under tuition. Bank Fees will apply. Please be sure to add any Paypal Fees to your payment as denoted on the Paypal site. If you wish to do a Bank Wire Transfer, or another form of payment other than PayPal please contact Mantra Cora at: mantracora@yahoo.com
* The tuition and/or deposit is refundable until May 1, 2021, after that our Cancellation & Substitution Policy is enforced.
* Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the seminar.
* Students are responsible for their own health insurance. Registration for the seminar constitutes a waiver on the participants' part regarding injuries or illnesses sustained during the seminar.
* Students are responsible for their own travel insurance in the event their flights or other means of transportation is cancelled.
* In the unlikely event that we must personally cancel the seminar, all payments will be refunded IN FULL.
Otherwise - SEE CANCELLATION POLICY for all conditions.
CANCELLATION & SUBSTITUTION POLICY 2021 - 2022:
Should a workshop be cancelled by us for any reason, payment will be refunded in full to all participants. All PAYMENTS in this case, are refundable. If the seminar is not canceled a Substitution Policy is in effect (see below). In the event of a Natural Disaster, Forces of Nature, War, Pandemic, Interference by a Government, or other Forces out of our control resulting in the OMNV being shutdown, understand that "we are not the cause of it, nor did we "cancel". We will, however, under such circumstances, grant a CREDIT equal to what you have paid for a term of one year, (or more if circumstances of the cause dictate) toward another seminar of equivalent cost and length of time. Due to the unpredictability of the Covid Situation and its long-reaching effect on intercontinental and potentially national travel; the credit can be applied to any seminar that occurs in the USA, Europe, Australia or virtually anywhere on the planet.
THE SUBSTITUTION POLICY
Money can be refunded only by a substitute provided by the canceling-student and pays that cancelling student directly. If the student cancelling received any discount, special rate, or other consideration other than the REGULAR TUITION RATE, the person replacing the cancelling student will have to pay the any difference in fees to OMNV. With your deposit/registration you are committing to attend the seminar. If for some reason something unforeseen happens and you are unable to attend the seminar, you may qualify for a CREDIT depending on the circumstances preventing your attendance. A CREDIT is good for one year from the last day of the current seminar or workshop that was missed to the first day of the following seminar one year later (or more under certain circumstances). The credit is ONE to ONE. Meaning, if you could not attend a 4 week seminar, did not get a substitute to attend in your place, and asked for a CREDIT, if granted, that credit is good for any event, workshop or seminar up to the full value of the amount you had paid. No monetary or credit - refund is issued for the cost difference between workshops. (EX. If a seminar cost $1,500 and the CREDIT is applied to a workshop that has a tuition of $600, the difference of $900 is not refunded. The CREDIT IS NOT applicable to multiple workshops that add up to the tuition originally paid. We have had people still wanting to apply a credit given 4 and even 6 years ago and we simply cannot do this any longer. If you are unable to attend, we invite you to provide a student to replace you. Your refund comes from that replacement. If there is still a balance due to OMNV, that must be made by the either the substitute or the original attendee. Please inform us with the name and the contact information of your substitute.
TRIP INSURANCE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED >: 10 Best Travel Insurance of 2021
For Information on the variety of ACCOMMODATIONS and to secure your RESERVATION : ***. CLICK HERE ***