Unsolicited testimonials from Quarantine participants. They're not affiliates or made-up. If you have doubts about Quarantine, contact them directly—info on each profile.
Quarantine was so wonderful that I am (for the first time) at a loss to describe the profound effect it has had on me. I feel changed, recharged and inspired. I awake refreshed and ready to make new and better paintings.
Too much happened in such a compressed time frame. So many amazing people. A chance to stand with giants as peers. An opportunity to reach out to people and connect as human beings. Plus free beer, tons of laughs, some art making, all set against a haunted island in Spain.
Thank you Quarantine for changing the way I see my art community.
And if any of you reading this are on the fence about attending the next one, don’t hesitate, just do it. Don’t miss out. My family is now larger by about 60 or 70 people.
Quarantine has been both a challenge and an inspiration.
Despite my years of experience, I must feel like the student in front of me, to tell them: “listen, this happens to me too. It’s normal for you to experience this, it’s not something you’re going to overcome. You’ll have to learn to live with it.
”We must tell them that THIS is what being an artist is about: a process of learning and unlearning, and in that hallway, you will always encounter the question: “Am I on the right path? Am I doing it right? Am I sincere enough?”
The Quarantine mentorship program on Lazaretto island in Menorca, Spain, organized and held together brilliantly by the team at Quarantine Events… it was a time to get truly deep with the Why? question about art: why we care about making and appreciating it at all… which kept looping us all back time and again to a rather simplified answer (albeit with a profound complexity at its center): connections.
I’m astounded that in one week with the other mentors, students, and the crew that made it all possible for us to be together in this way, that I saw and myself felt so many connections being made: between people but in ourselves also; as if the experience allowed room for us to break ourselves down to the core stuff that we’re really made of and deeply care about when the veneer of modern day culture falls away, to then be able to piece it all back together with a much clearer perspective. If you’re an artist looking to get out of your own way and realign any (every?) part of your creative process, next time the boat departs for Quarantine, get on it.
I want to thank everyone who took part in this and for your kindness, genuineness, openness, and for reminding me of the importance of these things in order for us to really see each other, and to see ourselves for what we really are and find meaningful at the center of our being.
I’m back at my studio and it feels like I’ve returned from a different world. A wonderful world created by artists for artists.I promised to share my experiences, so here is the burning question: was it worth it?
In my opinion, every artist should have this experience at least once. Why? PROGRAM, PEOPLE, and PLACE.
Program is created by genious mastermind of Carles Gomila. It’s the series of unique exercises aimed to challenge aspects of creativity: imagination, innovation, memory -and beyond. The level of skill doesn’t matter. The challenges are not about success or failure, they are expanding your capacity as an artist.
People are the team behind the magic. I don’t know even where to start expressing my appreciation. The event was magnificent on all levels -he classes, the entertainement, the social activities and the logistics- that was all your success. Organising the artist crowd that large can only be compared to the task of herding 70 cats! The people are mentors. A diverse group of artists, they shared their individual approaches to creativity. Every day started with artist talk; besides, everyone had a selection of 3 mentors to work on their personal project.
My personal thanks to Vincent Desiderio for the most inspiring and constructive mentorship. And Martin Wittfooth – without being my designated mentor, your thoughts on creative process was a real eye opener.
The people are all the artists. Together, we forged a community – thanks for all the good times together!
Place is as unique as the concept – an actual quarantine island. For the duration of the event, it was converted to facilitate our needs – including all the beautiful places for plein–air and contemplation.
That is said, the island is not a relaxing art retreat. The art lab was high tempo, high demand activity that left you inspired and utterly exhausted. We were all slightly deprived of sleep, too!I still have to sort out the impact of all the impressions, but one thing is clear: I went to find something I wanted, but I found something I really needed.
Feel free to ask any questions – and perhaps we will meet next year!
It’s hard for me to describe the emotions I experienced during the Quarantine. There was wonder, there were tears (of happiness, sadness, letting go), there was freedom. I went through a crisis on the third day, doubting my abilities and the path I was on. The next day everything disappeared, and I felt absolute joy in creating. The program designed by the team allowed us to explore our creative possibilities, discovering hidden talents. The exercises were not just about painting/drawing. We went through many exercises that freed our minds from blocks, fears, and worries.
The people I went through the program with were from all over the world. Despite cultural, religious, and age differences, I felt we were very similar. Empathy and understanding were in the air. No one judged, everyone supported. There was a lot of room for tears, a lot of “let it go”.
I am grateful for the opportunity to meet, talk, and receive mentorship from wonderful artists like Martin Wittfooth, Lita Cabellut, Guillermo Lorca, Kirsten Anderson, Ryan Heshka, Miles Johnston and Vincent Desiderio. From each conversation, I now draw inspiration and am implementing changes in my work and my life.
I hope to see everyone from this event again, even if just on the street, so we can say hello and reminisce about this wonderful event.
Life-changing experience.
Thank you. Gratitude fills me to the brim.
Incredible surreal immersive experience “Quarantine” – that’s how I named it for myself.
Breaking patterns and standards, endless flow of creative energy, exchange of experience and knowledge, support and mentoring.
And this is not the end of the list.
Old school and new age, form and content, technique and creativity.
But this is not the most important thing that we all received from the quarantine.There was an incredible concentration of like-minded, deep and versatile people.
New friends who have become a family this week ❤️
It’s impossible to share and thank everyone here, but here’s my summary.
I’ve experienced an incredible project!
A week of pure artistic immersion, Art labs, personal mentorships with amazing artists, the island of Lazaretto, more than 60 artists from around the world, emotional challenges, concerts, delicious food, free beers, a fire to burn any art you wanted, and an unbeatable team leading it all!!!
And yes! Quarantine on Lazareto Island, Menorca was so absolutely incredible it will take a while to fully process. Cannot stop thinking about it, talking to people about the experience and going over my many, many notes. Definitely thinking and working in new ways and ideas in my sketchbooks and beyond excited to continue trying new things in my work.
Thank you so much to Quarantine Events, all the exceptional mentors, and especially the wonderful cohort of artists for a most unique and fabulous experience!!
Returning to Quarantine Events was yet again, pure magick. People kept asking if it was different the second time around and the answer is, yes. I was able to deepen the learning I began in April with a new group of unique and beautiful people.
What’s more though is that this inner work has humbled me. Not just facing my demons, but tenderly cradling them while they share their wisdom, has grounded and relaxed my heart.
The first sessions work helped me exist more peacefully in my creative practice, my relationships, and in life in general. This second round will yield gifts that will be seen in the coming months. I will say for certain that the inferno is lit.
To everyone who participated, I love you. Go show the world what it needs to see that can only come from you. Do not go gently into that good night.
Special thank you to the staff Carles Rubio, Sére Skuld, Alberto Martínez and Bià, who are now true friends. Carles Gomila and Itziar Lecea for all of your intention and action.
And massive thank you to my mentors from this session: Kirsten Anderson, Miles Johnston and Vincent Desiderio
I was touched in so many ways and im only beginning to unpack it.Im grateful for all the people I made a genuine connection with Quarantine Events. An international community of likeminded people. With a passion for art and a lust for life.
Community is necessary to help one thrive and grow.
Be willing to take chances. Study relentlessly. Listen to your inner voice.Having incredible mentors to help guide you on your path is invaluable. Thank you Ryan Heshka, Vincent Desiderio, Martin Wittfooth, Guillermo Lorca and Kirsten Anderson for your honesty, kindness and wisdom.
I cannot wait to see what the future holds for my work.
I’m excited and committed now more than ever. I can’t wait to go to my studio and paint!
It’s been a month, and I’ve barely begun to process this wild, beautiful, densely-packed week. Conversations on the island have provided new direction for both my art and my life. My Quarantine notebook is full of ideas that’ll keep me busy for multiple years. The friendships — my heart breaks with how much I miss these people I knew for one! week!
I am so grateful I chose to make this investment in myself, and to the Quarantine staff, mentors, models, and participating artists for bringing this beautiful experience to life.
I have no words to express my gratitude for everything I’ve learned. Thank you.
This was pure magic.
I hope you all continue being beautiful souls and expand your reach on this tiny blue planet. Thank you for making me so happy that I’m crying.
I don’t know what to say yet, but I wasn’t expecting 7 days with 70+ artists, 7 mentors, the 11 wonderful people that run Quarantine Events, the amazing models that posed so amazingly for all of us and, the team that fed us along with the ferry crew, to have such an impact.
But I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to have been around you all, how you made me feel accepted and loved.
I’ve been trying to process. I know it’s going to hit soon and probably when I least expect it. The ideas I’ve been filled with, the emotions, the friendships and family I hope to continue are immeasurable and intangible.
I am forever grateful for what has passed and is burned into my psyche.
The week was incredible. Beyond words. By Tuesday evening I had everything I needed from the event.
Vincent Desiderio changed my life, and then every subsequent day further reverberated the messages and lessons I learned from him.
I Am An Artist. It’s hard to explain what this means, and the gravity of it, to people who don’t identify as an Artist, but I think most if not all of my quarantine pals Get It.
We have a different, unique way of operating in the world. One which isn’t readily supported or celebrated in our everyday lives. It is of absolute critical importance that us Artists find each other, support each other, and encourage each other to live our lives in our most authentic ways possible.
I am so grateful for this experience. My life, my self, it all makes sense now. I’m not crazy (I mean, I am. But I’m happy). I truly have a unique way of looking at the world and have never been surrounded by so many people that all think and feel similarly to the ways I do.
This is an incredibly vulnerable post and I feel a bit self-absorbed talking about how “different” and “special” I am, but it’s coming from a place of perpetually feeling like trying and struggling to breathe underwater while everyone else around me seems to be doing just fine.
There’s more I could say. And I likely will. For now, I will close by sharing the main lessons I learned:
Painting is a way of THINKING. It is a way of COMMUNICATING. It is a form of critical thought and dialogue.
I’ve learned everything I need to know in order to paint. I don’t need anymore classes. I just need to Do.
I’ve been trying to think of what to say about Quarantine Events because it was important, and something in me shifted. But there has been a lot of other things to talk about, and I needed to think.So I’ve been thinking with my pencil. Filling pages and pages of my sketchbooks. Writing, sketching, dreaming, sleeping.
I’ll probably get more in-depth later in my newsletter (I don’t want to get tooooo wordy here) But if I were to sum the whole week up in one moment that really brought me into my art, it was my mentorship session with Martin Wittfooth.It was the very last day, the very last thing to do before we all cleaned up and shared our last dinner. But it so profoundly grounded me.
Earlier in the week I started to come to the conclusion that I needed to start asking better questions. The ones I had been asking aren’t getting me anywhere new, and I haven’t been learning anything I didn’t already know. I fumbled through my chats with lovely and brilliant mentors Kirsten Anderson and Ryan Heshka asking all the wrong questions along the way. And I was getting so frustrated with myself.
But then something started to shift, and when I sat down with Martin, I was ready, and I was grounded, and everything he said just lit up my whole brain. We talked about processes and ritual, and when I walked away I felt like I had a new treasure map in my hands. One I’d never explored before, but I could read so easily.
So now I’m home, I’m exploring, and I am so excited.
Thank you Martin, Ryan, Kirsten, all the other mentors, and the impressive Quarantine team for making something really special.
Thanks to the artists I met throughout the week, especially the ones who cracked through my shy, quiet, and often overwhelmed exterior. I appreciated your companionship!
And thanks to all my lovely friends, family, and collectors who bought my art and sent me money so I could go on this wild little journey.It’s going to be a minute before someone can convince me to leave my little island again, but it was worth it.
So much for not being too wordy.
Letting go the holdouts, feeling free, letting go, flow with the process. Passion, pain, suffering, love, love for art. Search and finds.
I went seeking something I returned finding so much more that I expected and even hungrier, searching more, and more alive than ever. With the craving to make art, be art, experiment and fly!!
This exercise was the first of a multiples ruptures that happened in that magical week in a island outside the other island.
This exercise and then a conference that hit my world, and then the pleasure to speak to THE ARTIST Lita Cabellut
This exercise just resonate with her, with the passion she has for art, the passion that she is.
Endless gratitude to all my mentors, beautiful human beings and beautiful souls you touched deeply my heart Vincent Desiderio, Guillermo Lorca, Martin Wittfooth and Kirsten Anderson.
Last but not least thanks for being so kind in your observations and your approach to me Ryan Heshka and Miles Johnston.
This was me in this magical encounter of artist than now im proudly say i find my family, thanks Quarantine Events all the team its the best of the best keep doing it with all your love, we can feel it ❤️
I think was a transformative experience for all.
I can’t wait to start working and experimenting with this energy with these new eyes
I feel like everything I could possibly write about this experience couldn’t really describe it’s depth.
So I think I will just drop here some of my favourite memories and thank you all for making it a dream.
And special thank you goes to Quarantine Events team and all the mentors who were so kind to share their wisdom with us.
And to all the artists I have met that week I won’t even try to tag you, but you know I am talking to you):
I will always hold you in my heart and cheer for you.
Until we meet again!
Hope you know how much you touched our hearts too. Remember… we will.
There is no way to forget the joy and electricity created in the coming together of like feeling souls. Grateful to have met you ❤️
Such an incredible event. Such deep gratitude for all involved; I feel like I’m a different shape to the person I was last Tuesday…and I’m not fitting so well back in my old space at home. It’s wonderful ❤️
Unbelievably incredible experience.
I’m crying just remembering it. Thank you.
No words to describe Quarantine experience, nor the concept itself. An extraordinary experience for artists, which led me further beyond my limitations through very interesting and challenging activities.
We weren’t there to learn about proportion, perspective or any academic stuff, but to open ourselves to wider possibilities in our creative processes through exploration, nurturing it also with other artists’ ideas and style. I learned a lot of things, like creating spaces where inspiration can emerge, instead of just “waiting for it”. I experienced important changes inside, definitely feel much more self-determined and self-confident.
I learned to detach myself from the final result and simply dare to enter the process, to do unusual things to break creative blocks. I got better in managing my frustration, mainly by dissolving the fear of mistake and the idea of “failure”, embracing imperfection and assuming it part of the beauty in my art, therefore in myself. I’ve been expanding all that to my daily life.
Meeting the mentors was also great, getting to know the humans behind the artists, getting along with them and receiving valuable advices according to each one’s artistic dreams. One of the things I treasure the most -not only in Quarantine, but in life- is human connections. This beautiful souls gathering fulfilled mine with colorful joy, making new friends, meeting artists from other countries, incredible live models, and an amazing organization team… I was just fascinated by all the beauty we created together in one single week. I hope I can repeat this experience.
Dear Team, I love you all, what a beautiful week that you created, how can I thank you, you made this happen, it has been truly amazing, I have decided to delete my instagram, on the fire!!
And tomorrow I begin a new chapter, stronger, humbled, grateful, inspired, thank you.
Are we the same as yesterday???I was lucky to participate for a week in a creative, imaginative and sensory tsunami that has transported me to another dimension.
I want to thank the entire team Quarantine Events who made it possible to experience this quantum journey. I have felt that as an individual I have been respected. I value the interaction that has occurred these days based on respect for each person’s personality.
These days I have reached my limits such as pictorial, emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical and mental – and I GOT OUT ALIVE!
My special thanks to my mentors Lita Cabellut, Guillermo Lorca and Kirsten Anderson, who from their own perspective have guided me to decide the path I will follow from now on.
Quarantine Events was special. Witnessing these creative people’s converge at this singular location. Connecting with artists who you would otherwise rarely have the chance to meet. The mentors I had the opportunity to speak to were insightful and down to earth. The exercises revealed the multi layered dimensions to one’s own creativity, which were there all along.
May the path burn hotter and brighter.
I am so stunned for this amazing experience!
Huge thanks to everyone that made it DREAMLIKE! To the outstanding cast of mentors, organizers, models, friends!
Full dip into art 🔥
I didn’t publicly announce that I was going to “Fire Walk With Me” by Quarantine Events because, frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. When I first heard about the program, I was intrigued – the details were very “hush hush”, but the mentors looked amazing. It was expensive, and far away (Spain!), but I had a VERY strong intuitive feeling that I needed to go.
So I went.
And I am so so thankful that I did.
I truly came back changed.
(And because the location was SO BEAUTIFUL!)It was everything.
It was in this place, in this walled garden, that I realized WHY I am an artist.
Sére Skuld You were a big part of making this experience so memorable – Thank you so much for facilitating the Ars Incognito session that broke everything open for me-that was a huge turning point for me, both artistically and emotionally.
It was an amazing experience- probably one of the most magical weeks of my life. Really reconnected with “why” I create art, and it was so good to be in artistic community.
Did I just join a cult??
That was the first thought that crossed my mind as I stepped off of the boat onto the island Lazaretto. Last month, I joined a group of 70+ artists for the secret Quarantine program on the island in Menorca, Spain. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was following a feeling. Maybe it was intuition or something deeper, but all of us felt the same pull from across the globe. Each of us came from different countries, but we shared a similar passion, a dream, and a compulsion to create.
The moment we met, there was a sense of belonging. magic happened behind those stone walls. Our creative faculties were tested, broken, and then reassembled. We explored, collaborated, and with the audience of Lazaretto’s wandering spirits, we shared our deepest insecurities, embarrassing desires, and impassioned creations.
Since Quarantine, I’ve run into some of my fellow inmates off the island. One night, I was just wandering around, alone in Barcelona looking for a place to eat… and I ran into three Quarantine buddies by pure happenstance. Just like that, my dinner plans were decided, and I felt at home. I believe that when synchronicities like this occur, it’s apparent that you are synchronized with the universe. The Quarantine art program has been nothing less than life-changing. It has given me a global family and far-reaching connections. Because of Quarantine, I have friends on every corner of the globe. I could go anywhere. Whether it’s Spain, Mexico, Peru, NYC, or more; my family will be there.
I’ve met so many incredible, global artists, and through creation, meditation, and exploration within and out, we became transformed. We experienced something that can only be described as magical, impossible to transcribe with words… yet we all feel it. There is a force larger than the sum of us, and it has already changed the paradigm of the art world. I feel grateful for everything that life has given me, especially for the people I love. I am eternally lucky to have shared this life-changing experience with all of you. Thank you for being there!
I’m still trying to figure out what the hell happened to me over those 7 days, because everything looks and feels different now…
In a good way!
The hardest thing since Quarantine is actually trying to articulate what the experience is to anyone who hasn’t been and feel like you’re doing it justice! Anything I say sounds superfluous and hyperbolic, despite being sincere.
I do feel like I’ve been given a super power or some kind of elixir.
I unplugged, left my phone in a safe for a week and went on an amazingly creative journey on a private island in the Mediterranean with some wonderful artists.
Definitely an experience of a lifetime. I’m so grateful to everyone I met and who organized this event. Namaste to all.
Thanks to all, the whole event was so special and dream Feeling envious, lucky and grateful all at the same time.
I wanted to let it sink in a bit before I shared anything. It seems to be sinking in pretty deep!
Not sure I’ll be able to put it into words properly, but it felt amazing to be in a reality with incredibly likeminded artists, who’d make me believe telepathy is real… in this island away from everything else and the amount of release and surprise that came with it. Not to mention the awesome people I got to spend time with every day/night and happen to have got used to pretty quickly… so if it becomes a permanent place we can live in, sign me up 😉 ∞
This is not just a documentation of events; it’s a creation of a timeless reminder – a demarcation between the ‘before’ and ‘after’ quarantine. There’s a transformation that extends not only on how I perceive and live through art but also to the essence and expression of my own artistic endeavors moving forward; from now on, each stroke, each movement, carries the weight of this experience, shaping not just my art but the way I inhabit it.
A heartfelt thank you extends to my mentors Lita Cabellut, Ryan Heshka, Martin Wittfooth, Vincent Desiderio and the whole team of Quarantine Events. Their guidance and wisdom have been invaluable, and I am grateful for their unwavering support and encouragement shaping my artistic journey. Additionally, to everyone who participated in this transformative week, your presence has been more impactful than you may realize. Each interaction, each shared moment, became a lesson, and I’ve learned a great deal from the collective energy of this community. Thank you for being a part of this journey with me.
Finding splendor while painting, quarantined, on an island of cemeteries, spiders, and bone pits. I’d recommend quarantining there.
Truly the most inspiring and down to earth staff, mentors, and students. I wish I could take this perfect dream of a community with me through all of life. Quarantine Events, you have my deepest affections.
For me, this journey has been filled with emotions, discoveries, laughter, tears, and above all, learning, not just about art or the world, but about myself as well.
The time, care, and intention you have devoted to thinking about this extraordinary project is incredible. The coherence, the meaning behind each activity and every detail, has made this a unique and unforgettable experience for me, one that will transform my life in ways I still can’t fully comprehend. I might need days, or perhaps years, to fully grasp the impact of Quarantine. What I do know is that everything I’ve learned, felt, thought, and decided this week on the island wouldn’t have been possible without your dedication, intelligence, and love.
You’ve not only organized an extremely special event with all its challenges and difficulties (including an evacuation), but you’ve also created a magical and exciting space where we’ve felt safe, loved, and supported. Each person, each meeting, each activity, and every word of encouragement has been like a warm hug that will propel me forward. I’ve promised myself to keep in mind everything I’ve learned and try to apply it in my life.
In summary, thank you, thank you, and a thousand times thank you.With all my admiration and affection, I hope this is not a goodbye, but a see you soon. You guys are amazing.
