Handmade in Oaxaca: Art + Culture Workshop September 2026

Handmade in Oaxaca Art Workshop: watercolor, natural pigments, mixed media/collage

DATES: September 18–27, 2026

art workshop with watercolor, natural pigments, mixed media/collage + culture immersion
with Oaxacan artist Pedro Cruz Pacheco & Corrie McCluskey, plus master pigment maker Indiana Christov
Oaxaca, Mexico

ART + CULTURE ADVENTURE IN THE HEART OF OAXACA

Do you need to feed your creative soul? Fill it to the brim with creative transformation, fresh inspiration, and memories to last a lifetime. Join an intimate group of travelers for a magical art + culture immersion workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico where you’ll meet a rich culture that celebrates creativity and traditions. Jump on this quickly, space is very limited.

Our workshops are different. We combine art instruction with carefully curated private field trips where we meet master artists and artisans in their studios out in the far flung pueblos, sit with them to hear their stories, get to know their process and cultural traditions, share an intimate afternoon with them. Then we bring these experiences into our art classes.

The focus of this workshop:
Revel in the HANDMADE in this workshop: painting and mixed media collage in the studio, earthy watercolor paints we’ll make from natural pigments plus handmade brushes using plant materials, exquisite handmade paper made from Oaxacan sourced plant fibers that we’ll use to make a small artist book, the renowned Oaxacan art & handicrafts found in artisan studios and the rich traditional cuisine we encounter along the way.

The art classes feature watercolor painting with Pedro – who incorporates personal symbols, talismans, Oaxacan culture and the natural world into his work. Then with Corrie, we’ll craft some handmade brushes, experiment with mark making to develop your unique visual voice, and dive into mixed media collage. Be surprised by what shows up on paper, find the imagery that resonates with you…take risks, and let go of fear and the need to be perfect.

Our guest instructor Indiana will teach you how to make your own watercolor paint with natural pigments in a hands-on day of pure alchemy. Finally, you’ll use beautiful Oaxaca-sourced handmade artisanal paper in an artist book you create to take home.

The REAL Oaxaca is found in the villages and private workspaces, and our field trips include the Sunday market in Tlacolula, largest of the traditional zapotec style ‘tianguis’ markets, studio visits with master weavers who only dye with natural pigments and a renowned papermaker, a women’s red clay collective, a gorgeous art center housed in a renovated textile factory – all mixed in with art instruction and creative play time.

Who should attend this workshop: This workshop is for artists & creative people who love to make things with their hands; we’ll explore watercolor, mixed media collage, making paint with natural pigments, mark making with India ink and other simple materials – all while taking a deep dive into the art, culture, and real ancestral traditions of Oaxaca. Folks who are flexible, have an open, curious mind, and are willing to step out of their comfort zone will feel most at home. We expect everyone to participate fully in the workshop throughout the week. Complete beginners are most welcome!

Nurture your creative soul with us: your life will shift with this retreat – it will stoke the fire within to feed your mind, body, and soul. Many visitors to Oaxaca never make it past the tourist center – we will go direct to the heart and soul of this ancient place – the studios, kitchens, streets and markets – and get to know the people and traditions with their rich culture, food, and art.

Workshop details:

7-day art + culture workshop in the heart of Oaxaca, Mexico
Group field trips with private van
Maximum 10 participants
9 nights at a charming hotel built in the 16th century, in the heart of the city center
hotel rooms have private bathrooms, wifi, fans, restaurant next door, courtyard to enjoy breakfast or sip morning coffee
hotel is 1 block from zocalo square, everything within walking distance
art material list provided (you bring your own art supplies)
list provided of restaurants, museums & galleries, optional tours that you can book for your day off, cool places to visit on your own

Preliminary itinerary (subject to change as needed):

Day One: arrive in Oaxaca – check into hotel
Day Two: all day art class, lunch at studio, group welcome dinner
Day Three: AM field trip to Sunday market; PM studio visit of weavers
Day Four: all day pigment making class, lunch in neighborhood
Day Five: all day art class, lunch at studio, PM art gallery walk
Day Six: day off to explore on your own
Day Seven: AM field trip to papermaking studio & gorgeous art center, PM art class
Day Eight: AM art class, trip to Tule (ancient tree), studio visit with women’s red clay collective
Day Nine: all day art class + art show, lunch at studio, group farewell dinner
Day Ten: depart Oaxaca

A full day art classes generally runs from 10 am to 4-5 pm, with lunch at midday.

Our instructors:
Pedro Cruz Pacheco is a painter from Santa Cruz Amilpas, Oaxaca, Mexico who works in watercolor, oil, and mixed media. He left his job in a brickyard in 1999 and initially began his career as a self-taught artist. He spent 8 years apprenticing in the studio of master Oaxacan painter Felipe Morales, and showed & sold his work for years in Labastida Plaza in downtown Oaxaca (by Santo Domingo church). Pedro has exhibited in Mexico (Oaxaca, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Merida, Monterrey), Texas, and California (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sonoma County, Eureka), and has taught watercolor workshops in Oaxaca and Baja, BCS, Mexico. Pedro’s style is very Oaxaca-influenced, with magic realism as an artistic point of view – a Mexican version of surrealism. His work is intimate, private, and incorporates personal symbols and talismans that reflect his own life experiences as well as the history and customs of Oaxaqueños. His work features bright, vivid colors and his own deeply personal and heart-felt spiritual view of the world around him.

Corrie McCluskey (workshop coordinator) is a visual artist originally from Northern California (now living in Santa Cruz Amilpas, Oaxaca) who was a b&w photographer for two decades. She transitioned into visual journaling, mail art, collage, bookbinding and making artist books. She now focuses on mixed media on paper: collage, encaustic monotypes, abstract painting with natural pigments & India ink, graphite, cold wax with oil pigment sticks. Visual journaling is a part of her art expression: it’s all about process and discovery – a container for ideas and play with ephemera. She is a “Guidess”-in-training for people who feel unqualified or too intimidated to express their creativity because they think they can’t “do art”. For 20 years, she was a workshop and event coordinator, and she loves to bring small groups of people together and facilitate an amazing workshop experience.

Indiana Christov was born in New York from an Italian-American family and has lived between Latin America, the US and Spain, spending most of her childhood and youth in Oaxaca, where she now resides and has her main studio. The contrast of cultures has been a constant throughout her life that has forged in her work a rich and eclectic mix of aesthetic and historical references. Through independent research, reading scholarly articles on the chemistry and history of natural pigments, and soaking up traditional knowledge from the Zapotec villages in her surroundings, she started learning and reformulating recipes for historical pigments, such as cochineal lake pigment and Mayan blue, amongst others. She developed a series of workshops so anyone, including kids, can learn to make natural pigments, and non-toxic, solvent-free formulas for watercolor and oil paints.

Workshop location & lodging:

Our hotel in Oaxaca: Hotel Parador San Agustín
We have a block of 10 rooms reserved at Hotel Parador San Agustín, a 16th century building with a traditional courtyard and terrace (each room has either 2 double beds or 1 king bed, and private bathroom). Rooms are charming yet basic, clean and secure, and the hotel is centrally located one block from the zocalo square in the city’s historic center and within walking distance of the huge indoor market, banks/ATMs, museums, galleries, shops and cafes. Amenities: all rooms have private bathroom, TV, & free wifi; airport shuttle is available (w/ surcharge), breakfast at nextdoor restaurant (w/ surcharge), computer station, self-serve laundry facilities; upstairs floors accessible by stairs only, all rooms have fans only (no A/C).

Our art class location in Oaxaca: A private van will pick up the group daily from our hotel to bring you to Pedro & Corrie’s newly built “industrial rustic” Talismán Oaxaca art studios, located in a cornfield in Santa Cruz Amilpas (Pedro’s hometown), just 15 minutes from city center. We’ll have space to spread out, make a mess, play with materials, and just let loose with our creativity! And you’ll get to see and experience what small town life is like in the valley of Oaxaca.

Schedule:
arrival: in Oaxaca, Friday, September 18
art classes + field trips: 7 days
day off: (no class or scheduled field trips) Wednesday, September 23
departure: Sunday, September 27
airport: Oaxaca Xoxocotlan International airport (OAX)

Trip fee, deadline & cancellation:
$3075 for workshop participants

50% deposit with registration guarantees your space – register early before the workshop sells out.
Deadline to register & pay deposit is 4/15/26. (Deposits, reservations, and arrangements are made well in advance of the trip, so we need to receive your registration + deposit on time.)
Balance is due by 6/15/26, or you can pay in full upon registration (deposit + trip fee).
Deadline to register in class is 4/15/26; no deposit or trip fee refund will be given after 4/15/26. No exceptions.
If you must cancel, contact Corrie, the workshop coordinator, immediately. You can transfer your deposit & trip fee to another person, at no charge. If there is a wait list, we will give you the first name on the list to whom you can offer your spot. Otherwise, no refunds will be issued under any circumstances. We encourage you to purchase trip insurance with “Cancel for Any Reason” to cover you for unexpected circumstances.

Registration + payment online:
To register and pay online, click below. Your payment will be processed through PayPal.

Price includes:

hotel room in our group’s room block (rooms have either 2 double beds or 1 king bed + private bathroom)
private van transportation (for field trips & group dinners)
lunch provided for the 3 days we stay in the art studio (days with no field trips)
field trips to Sunday outdoor market and ancient tree in Tule; pigment making class; studio visits with weavers, master papermaker & red clay women’s collective

Not included in price:

airfare or transportation to/from Oaxaca airport
all other food & drinks (except for 3 lunches mentioned above)
required trip insurance

Required travel insurance: Why you need it: Oaxaca doesn’t have a robust healthcare system like you’re used to, so if you have a serious fall (sidewalks can be treacherous here), get sick, or the taxi you’re in has an accident, it could be very pricey to get you home for treatment. Therefore, we’re requiring everyone to purchase travel insurance for this trip (include medical evacuation of at least $50,000, international accident & health insurance including primary medical coverage, and trip cancellation coverage). There are also trip policies that include COVID cancellations. We recommend that you get PRIMARY medical coverage, not secondary. Proof of insurance must be sent to us at least 45 days before departure.
We encourage you to purchase trip insurance immediately upon registering, with “Cancel for Any Reason” to cover you for unexpected circumstances – buy trip insurance WHEN YOU BOOK YOUR TRIP if you wish to have this extra coverage.
suggested provider: Squaremouth – https://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance-quotes More COVID policy info: https://www.squaremouth.com/press-room/travel-insurance-coronavirus
best choices on Squaremouth: – HTH Worldwide, TripProtector Preferred, includes COVID cancellation – Trawick Intl, Safe Travels Voyager, includes COVID cancellation – TinLeg Gold, includes COVID cancellation
another provider: https://www.insuremytrip.com

Covid-19 protocol: We highly recommend having the most current booster before traveling to Oaxaca (it still exists here); there is no advanced treatment or special medications available here. If you become ill with Covid during the workshop, we expect you to immediately separate yourself from our group, isolate, and make arrangements to return home. Please add COVID coverage to your travel insurance.

Health & walking, dietary restrictions: Oaxaca is high altitude, at 5100 feet – some people need a few days to acclimate if they are coming from sea level. Can you walk 6,000 steps a day unassisted at 5100 ft? If not, you will be unhappy on this trip, and we only accept travelers who are in good health and can walk uneven cobblestone streets (narrow, with high curbs) and don’t have mobility or breathing issues. Also, dietary restrictions could be tricky, although there are restaurants that have gluten free and vegan options. Corn is a key ingredient of Oaxacan cuisine & culture, and meat will be consumed at most restaurants we visit (there are a few vegetarian & vegan restaurants in the city center). Travelers will need to make personal accommodations and adjustments to meet group needs and schedule.

Oaxaca weather: end of September is the end of the rainy season, averaging 77°F (25°C) during the day, and 57°F (14°C) at night. There can be intense brief rain showers in the afternoon, so bring a light rain jacket, an umbrella, and something with long sleeves for the evening (bring layers). Our hotel and the class art studio have fans in all the rooms, but no A/C.

Valid passport: Also, be certain that your passport has at least six months on it before it expires from the date you enter Mexico – if not, you may not be allowed entry into the country by your airline.

Flights & getting to/from the airport:
airport: arrival in Oaxaca Xoxocotlán Intl airport (OAX) on 9/18/25
Oaxaca City (OAX) is a 45-minute flight from Mexico City (MEX), with many available connecting flights on AeroMexico, United, American, and other carriers (we don’t recommend Volaris as they are a low cost airline with bad customer service). To bypass Mexico City airport: in the US, American has a direct flight from Dallas to Oaxaca, and United has a direct flight from Houston to Oaxaca.
NOTE: if you fly thru Mexico City, book flights that allow at least a 3-hr layover going TO Oaxaca (the line for passport control can be long and you’ll miss your flight), and 1-hr layover coming FROM Oaxaca.
How to arrive info: about a month prior to the workshop, we will send you detailed instructions about how to get from the airport to our hotel, what to bring, how to get cash from ATMs, etc.

Materials & suggestions:

We don’t supply materials for participants, please bring your own.
For watercolor – you can bring your favorite quality watercolor paints, brushes and paper. Here is an optional list with suggestions for those undecided about materials: materials list here
For mixed media/visual journaling materials: materials list here

If you have questions: For questions regarding the workshop, lodging or transportation, contact the workshop coordinator: Corrie McCluskey at corrie[at]pedrocruzpacheco.com

ORIGINAL ART DIRECT FROM OAXACA, MEXICO
PEOPLE, ANIMALS, MAGICAL SCENES WITH SYMBOLS & TALISMANS