Aegina Retreats
Digital Courses
Have you felt the call to create but time or distance keeps you from joining us in Aegina? Maybe you’ve already walked through a workshop with us and you yearn to keep painting, exploring, reconnecting.
That’s why we decided to offer a new digital edition on The water workshop Whispering waters & Fluid Creativity, Painting & The Creative Process. A gentle, nourishing invitation to keep your creative flow alive wherever you are.
Offered either as a short introduction or a full course to follow at your own pace
How to participate
Introduction
Cost 70€
Reserve below
This is an introduction to the water-based creative workshop Whispering Waters: Fluid Creativity & Creative Painting.
It contains four modules, each 5–8 pages long.
These modules explore what lies at the heart of our work:
creativity
the presence and magic of water
the intelligence of trees
awareness and perception
and the simple practices that help us enter a creative state of mind.
You will also find gentle painting instructions and a few practices to help you experience how we work — slowly, intuitively, and through presence rather than technique.
This introduction does not include the full course.
It is for those who wish to understand the essence of Whispering Waters before committing to the full journey.
Full Course
Cost 140€
Reserve below
The full course consists of nine modules, each 8–10 pages.
It goes deeper into:
creativity and its states
the stages of the creative process
materials and their behaviour
form, energy, and time
the tools of painting
the tools of composition
the tools of creative process
the principles of life
the intelligence of trees
and step-by-step instructions and practices.
Available Courses
Introduction Course
70€
It contains four modules, each 5–8 pages long.
These modules explore what lies at the heart of our work:
creativity
the presence and magic of water
the intelligence of trees
awareness and perception
and the simple practices that help us enter a creative state of mind.
Full Course
140€
The full course consists of nine modules, each 8–10 pages.
It goes deeper into:
creativity and its states
the stages of the creative process
materials and their behaviour
form, energy, and time
the tools of painting
the tools of composition
the tools of creative process
the principles of life
the intelligence of trees
and step-by-step instructions and practices.
What is it about?
The Water Workshop, Whispering Waters- Fluid Creativity.
Digital Course at your own pace
Creativity opens when we slow down, listen and give ourselves permission to explore without judgement.
This is an online version of Fluid Creativity Through Painting workshop on the creative process through painting and beyond.
This workshop is not about technique it explores the creative process through the lens of painting, as well as how to tune in to the process, how to get to the flowing state. While the focus is on visual art, the principles we explore apply to all creative practices.
We’re often told to “get into the flow”, to create from a place of openness and movement. But what does that really mean? Over the past 35 years, as a craftsman, artist and scientist, I’ve explored this question deeply.
What I offer here is not a fixed method, but a personal synthesis: insights drawn from the works and theories of many creative minds, combined with my own lived experience.
Reviews
Yanis, who runs the workshop, shared his knowledge and artistic insights with tailored guidance and a personalized approach, which
gave me a unique perspective on the creative process and helped me clear some creative blocks.
Ayelet Naveh
Israel
I wanted to spend time immersed in the painting process again. Life is very busy, and I was finding it hard to be relaxed enough to paint.
I loved being able to do this. I also loved Yanis teaching.
Antonia O' Keeffe
Ireland
I learned a lot about the creative process and got to put it in practice. I have lots of life lessons such as the patience needed, the wait period, etc necessary. Everything I learned applied more broadly to life as well as art, and so the lessons felt so valuable!
Irina Fakotakis
Canada
Letting you know how deeply I appreciated the time with you, I could have never entered "dark" into my work. You pushed me through blocks I never knew I had and in your absence the pushing, exploring energy continues.
Nora Nicholson
New Zealand
Who is this for?
This digital series is for you if:
You feel drawn to painting but don’t want rigid techniques.
You want a more intuitive and spacious connection to creativity.
You wish to rekindle your sense of play and exploration.
You’re curious about how perception, awareness and creativity interact.
You’ve taken our workshops in Aegina and want to continue your journey.
You prefer deep, slow-paced, supportive learning environments.
You want to paint from a place of presence rather than from the mind.
No artistic skill is required — just a willingness to explore.
About Yanis
I am a self-taught, full-time craftsman and painter. I hold a BSc in Industrial Chemistry and Design from City University London, a background that has shaped me into an artist with a strong scientific curiosity and an investigative approach to materials and process
.
I was born in Athens and grew up between Athens, Johannesburg, and London. At 17 I moved permanently to London, where I studied and later worked as a Project Scientist & Designer, conducting research. After fifteen years, I returned to Athens, left my scientific career behind, and began travelling to India. There, almost by accident, I was introduced to the world of Arts & Crafts. For the next decade, I visited India regularly and attended a wide range of craft seminars, along with numerous painting workshops in both London and Athens — all while working full-time as an artist and craftsman.
Today, I live and work between the islands of Aegina and Amorgos.
My work is driven by a deep curiosity for materials. Over the years, I have worked with wood, metal, fabric, glass, and I am always exploring new materials and unexpected combinations. In painting, I use watercolours, acrylics, oxidations, oil, collage — almost anything I can get my hands on, as long as it serves the work and the creative process.
I have failed many times, for different reasons both in work and in life. I consider this my main source of education.
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