Tapping Into Your Inner Voice with Ron Hicks
You’re invited on a 9-day journey at Ron Hicks’ workshop located in the heart of Tuscany designed to transform your vision and find your inner voice.
Join us for an unparalleled workshop experience where you will unlock the hidden depths of your artistic expression. Each one of us is an individual with personal ideas and viewpoints, but do you express yours in your artwork?
You rarely find someone so knowledgeable, talented and compassionate as Ron Hicks. Ron paints some of today’s most sought-after paintings but he is also willing to help other artists discover and nurture their inherent artistic voices. Elevate your creativity to new heights and ignite the flame of your artistic soul under his expert guidance.
Ron asks:
“Have you ever wondered if what you’re doing in your work as an artist is truly what you’re supposed to be doing?”
Ron Hicks will coach you while acting as your guide through this exceptional workshop. He will serve as your artistic mentor giving individual attention to each artist. This is only possible with the low ratio of students to the instructor. It is limited to 12 to 16 students only.
When you open the door to self-expression and the emotional side of art, you unlock the intuitive side of painting. This is not a technically based workshop and is most suited to intermediate and proficient artists who need to take this next step in their work; ready to create their signature style. However, it is also open to fearless beginners who want to know what it is to express themselves as a true artist.
“We will open up dialogue and explore creative ways to tackle this obstacle. The purpose of this workshop is not about the utilization of tools or learning specific painting techniques.”- Ron Hicks
Unveiling Your Artistic Identity
You have the choice of painting models on most days. We have beautiful grounds to explore and paint en plein air with stunning 360-degree views of sun-drenched vineyards and rolling hills of incomparable Tuscan beauty. You will be making plenty of art in this program, painting as well as taking notes, drawing and making sketches. The object of the program is for you to expand your horizons, broaden your perspective, and break down any barriers so that you are free to examine and further your purpose as an artist. Doing this program under the steady guidance of Ron Hicks’ mentorship we hope you’ll discover and unveil your true potential as an artist. With a clearer sense of purpose, you will have a direction for your ongoing artistic journey and be able to make your art with intentionality.
Nowhere else have we seen a program that offers this. It’s a must for those artists who wish to develop their own style, be able to express themselves, and who aspire to ‘say’ something more meaningful with their art.
“This workshop is intended to serve as a vehicle to aid you in finding your path. Designed for the intermediate to advanced student, this workshop is open to all levels of experience and learning in all artistic mediums.”- Ron Hicks
Ron Hicks
About Ron Hicks
Now based in Denver, Colorado, Ron Hicks was born in Ohio in the mid-sixties. From the beginning, Ron Hicks seems to have woven his art from life’s quiet resonances. He began his training through scholarships at Columbus College of Art and Design, the Colorado Institute of Art, and the Art Students League of Denver. Over the years, he and Quang Ho cultivated a friendship, both based in Denver at the time. The two share an appreciation for evocative brushwork and a balance of realism and abstraction. Luckily for those attending his Tuscany workshop and eagerly awaiting Ron’s mentorship, they can participate in this ongoing dialogue about painting, which has inspired countless paintings.
We cannot ignore the subtle nod to Gustav Klimt—not in imitation, but in spirit. Like Klimt, Hicks explores the boundaries between realism and design: grounding the figure in reality, then surrounding it in pattern and texture.
As both a representational and evocative painter, Hicks balances clarity with nuance. Shadows, shapes, and gentle grays become more than visual tools—they evoke stories of pause, connection, and unspoken emotion.
Painting in Tuscany with Ron Hicks in 2025
This workshop offers an exclusive opportunity to paint alongside Ron in the inspiring landscapes of Tuscany.
With a limited number of participants, this is an intimate experience to be mentored by Ron Hicks while you learn, observe, and create in the company of one of today’s most distinctive figurative painters.
Recent exhibitions
- Then and Now – Arcadia Contemporary, New York (2025)
- Introspective Reflection – Bonner David Galleries, New York City 2024
- 20th Anniversary Show, Gallery 1261, Denver (2024)
- The Great Outdoors, Arcadia Contemporary, New York (2024)
- The Heart of the Matter – Bonner David Galleries, Scottsdale
- Equinox – Gallery 1261, Denver 2023
“The artist now sees his process as “a call and response” between his representational and abstract forms. Painting with oils, he first applies swaths of color, “and then I allow the painting to tell me what to add.” A clearer direction to a particular face or figure emerges as he layers, shades and even scrapes off color. He sometimes paints from live models but is less interested in exactness. Rather, Hicks focuses on rendering interesting compositions.”
Tapping into Your Inner Voice Workshop
September 3 – 11, 2025
Wednesday, September 3, Day 1:
Welcome to the villa and estate. Let’s explore!
You’ll want to get familiar with your elegant surroundings and home for the duration of the workshop. Get to know the other guests, get your materials ready, or go for a swim before our Prosecco reception and welcome dinner.
Thursday, September 4, Day 2:
Opening the Dialog
Ron will introduce the workshops and get you started in walking the steps to find and express your inner voice. You will do some assignments to ensure you get started on your own path. You will be working on pieces designed to identify your unique voice.
Friday, September 5, Day 3:
A Day of Art in Florence
We have arranged for you to enter the Uffizi to see the masterworks of the Renaissance and visit Michelangelo’s David at the Academia. Here’s a chance to look beyond the image to ascertain the artists’ messages through gesture, composition and narrative. Or simply enjoy being in the presence of greatness while you soak up the inspiration you get from examining great works of art up close.
Saturday, September 6, Day 4:
Embracing Individuality
True mentorship begins with one-on-one discussions designed to unpack the concepts that make your viewpoint unique. It’s a conversation that will validate and strengthen your role as an artist.
Models will be available.
Sun Sep 7, Day 5:
From Inspiration to Creation
You can paint the model in the studio or posed around the estate or even in the pool for an awe-inspiring session designed to take the stops off your visual narrative as you lean into your creativity in new ways. Ron will be on hand every step of the way to help you embrace your perspective, ingenuity and vision.
Models will be available.
Mon Sep 8, Day 6:
San Gimignano
Let’s go to San Gimignano to explore the gelato shops, woops, we mean the 14 historical towers that have left their mark on this jewel of a hilltop Italian town. You can shop and get your fill of retail therapy and then off to the Piazza della Cisterna to sketch or better still, to taste the world-famous gelato. Or you may choose to sit beneath a parasol in a terraced cafe and sip an aperol spritz practicing the art of relaxation. You may prefer to wander through the streets of San Gimignano, time traveling, armed with a sketchbook, as this town is as ideal as it gets for some guerrilla sketching. You could even sketch all the hungry travelers lined up outside the ‘world’s best’ gelato hole-in-the-wall.
Tues Sep 9, Day 7
Embracing Artistic Authenticity
This workshop is about finding yourself and your artistic voice. You will continue to unveil your purpose as an artist and even push yourself out of your comfort zone, moving beyond the boundaries to self-expression. The gift of purpose as an artist can not be overstated. While you paint you will explore this concept with Ron to discover how unlocking your purpose is a game-changer.
Models will be available.
Wed Sep 10, Day 8
Market Day
Morning visit to the local town for Market day.
Afternoon of art and winding down.
Art show.
Party!
Thurs Sep 11
Departure Day
Actual sequence of the schedule may change. Subject to tours availability and weather.
This Workshop Includes:
- 9 days of artistic immersion in Tuscany.
- Excursions to Florence, San Gimignano and local towns and villages in the Tuscany region.
- All Inclusive: Tuition, fabulous Italian food, wine, accommodation and ground transportation with two lunches and one dinner at own expense. Airfare not included.
- Paint, sketch and enjoy the good life in beautiful European surroundings.
- Daily painting locations: Private vineyards, charming villages, markets (more painting and excursion locations varied upon location of the workshop).
- Ongoing mentorship, discussions and evenings with the instructor.
- Balanced itinerary of painting, exploring and relaxation for artists of all media – all levels!
- Learn, live and paint side-by-side with fellow artists.
- Plenty to do for non-painting partners! (Discounts apply!)
- Bring a friend!
- Airport pickup and drop off!
Tapping into Your Inner Voice with Ron Hicks
September 3 - 11, 2025
$6,500
At a Villa in Tuscany. Reserve your spot!
$750 Deposit to hold your spot
All prices are in USD.
I just finished an incredible painting workshop in Avignon given by Workshops in France which Peter arranged for my 65th birthday which is later this month.
Our art teachers Romel de la Torre and Tim Tyler were fabulous, as well as workshop leader and artist Julie Snyder, her incredible team members Shirley Hambrick and Celeste DeCoudres, and our workshop members.
We really became a family over the 10 days of painting, touring, and of course fine food and wine in the beautiful Provence countryside. Peter came with me and found a couple of local golf courses. Peter and I are now spending a few days in Paris before flying home to DC tomorrow.
Thank you Workshops in France for this incredible artist experience!
– Cherry B, D.C., USA
