Milan Art Institute / In-Person Workshop / Sarasota

Paint the Story Behind the Face

Symbolic Portrait. Three days of oil painting in Sarasota with Elli and Dimitra Milan, building a portrait where every flower, animal and shift of light is there for a reason you chose.

Join the Waitlist See the Paintings

February 19 to 21, 2027 / Milan Art Studio, Sarasota, Florida

DatesFeb 19 to 21, 2027
FormatIn Person, 3 Days
Class Size16 Artists
Tuition$1,500
3Days In Studio
2Instructors
16Artists
OilOn Canvas
The Experience

Paint a portrait that says what you actually mean.

A portrait can carry far more than a likeness. It can carry a story, an emotion, an identity, an idea that isn't sitting anywhere on the surface of the face. That's what these three days are for, and it's why the workshop keeps asking one question about every element you add: why does it belong in this painting?

You'll work in oil with Elli and Dimitra Milan. The face and figure get built properly: structure, form, the light that makes a face read as a person, depth behind it. Around them you build the language that carries the meaning, which might be flowers, an animal, an object, a landscape, a pattern, a particular color or a particular light. Then you learn to arrange all of it so the painting reads as one image, the flowers and the animal and the light all part of the same scene.

Ten days to two weeks before February, we meet on Zoom to work through your sources and get your imagery ready. So you walk in on Friday morning knowing who you're painting and what the painting is about, and the first day goes to locking the composition and starting your first layers.

How The Painting Comes Together

Turn one idea into a finished oil portrait.

Elli and Dimitra demo each stage in oil. Then you paint at your own easel, and they come around for one-on-one critique.

Detail of an oil painting by Dimitra Milan: a woman in profile nose to nose with a fox, a valley of pines, wildflowers and a small red cabin painted through them both

Walk in knowing who you're painting and why

Before the first layer, you work out your composition and which elements belong in it. Friday morning is spent solidifying that, on top of the Zoom session you did beforehand.

Detail of an oil painting by Dimitra Milan: a woman's upturned face lit in red and gold, a blue wing across one side and pale moths above her

Paint a face that reads as a person

Elli and Dimitra demo how they start a portrait, then you build your first layers: the form of the face, the light on it, the depth behind it.

Detail of an oil painting by Dimitra Milan: a woman in profile with clouds for hair, blossoms above her and a green pasture of grazing sheep across her shoulder

Make every element earn its place

Layer by layer you connect the portrait to everything around it: softening here, sharpening there, using color and light on purpose to send the eye where you want it to go.

What You'll Learn
  • Paint a portrait in oil, from the first layer to a finished piece.
  • Use symbolism to communicate an idea, an emotion or a story.
  • Put color, light, nature, objects and atmosphere in on purpose.
  • Make creative choices that hold up the meaning behind the painting.
  • Bring several elements together into one composition that hangs together.
  • Close the gap between what you want to say and what ends up in the painting.
What You'll Leave With
  • Your own finished symbolic portrait in oil.
  • A way of thinking about meaning in a painting that outlasts this one.
  • Three days of demos from Elli and Dimitra, plus one-on-one critique at your easel.
  • A room capped at 16 artists, all painting the same three days you did.
Your Instructors

Paint with Elli and Dimitra standing at your easel.

Elli Milan EM Elli Milan
Elli Milan
Working Artist & Co-Founder, Milan Art Institute

Elli is a professional artist and the co-founder of Milan Art Institute, with decades behind her as both a painter and a teacher. Her paintings are full of symbolism, movement and meaning, and her teaching pairs solid technical painting with storytelling and personal expression.

In this workshop she'll walk you through the process she uses to take an idea and turn it into a painting, so what you make is beautiful to look at and deliberate all the way down.

Dimitra Milan DM Dimitra Milan
Dimitra Milan
Professional Artist

Dimitra is a professional artist known for dreamlike paintings that blend portraiture, nature, animals and symbolic imagery. She grew up in a family of artists, found her own voice young, and has built an internationally recognized career on paintings full of emotion, imagination and story.

Her portraits go past the likeness. She uses color, atmosphere and chosen elements to make a painting that feels personal and otherworldly at the same time, and that's what she'll teach you here.

Three Days In Studio

Spend three days on the painting you've been circling for years.

Each day runs 10am to 4pm with a lunch break at 12:30. Demo times can shift a little depending on where the group is.

Before you arrive: a Zoom session with Elli and Dimitra

Ten days to two weeks before the workshop, they run a session on source-making and preparing your imagery, so you arrive with your references already gathered and Friday morning goes to locking your composition.

Friday
February 19 / Day One
Sources, Composition & First Layers
10:00 AM
Demo: starting your portrait painting in oil.
11:00 AM
Solidify your sources, your composition and your symbolic elements.
12:30 PM
Lunch break
1:30 to 4:00 PM
Keep going on your first layers.
5:00 to 6:30 PM
Optional: come see Milan Art Gallery in downtown Sarasota.
Saturday
February 20 / Day Two
Building The Layers
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Demo on the next steps, then an oil painting session with one-on-one critique and feedback.
12:30 PM
Lunch break
1:30 to 4:00 PM
Next layers.
Sunday
February 21 / Day Three
Finishing The Portrait
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Demo on the next steps toward a finished painting, then an oil painting session with one-on-one critique and feedback.
12:30 PM
Lunch break
1:30 to 4:00 PM
Final layers.
When And Where

The dates, the studio, and how to find it.

Friday February 19 through Sunday February 21, 2027, 10am to 4pm each day, at Milan Art Studio in Sarasota, Florida. Friday evening there's an optional visit to Milan Art Gallery in downtown Sarasota, from 5 to 6:30pm.

Milan Art Studio8190 Uzita Dr Unit 100, Sarasota, FL 34240
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Who This Is For

Come with something you want to say and leave with it painted.

  • You want your portraits to carry meaning, intention and a story.
  • You're drawn to symbolism, to portraiture, to oil, or to building a visual language that's recognizably yours.
  • It's recommended for intermediate and advanced artists. You don't have to be an experienced portrait painter, though some painting experience helps.
  • You'd like three days at an easel with Elli, Dimitra and a room capped at 16 artists.
Materials

Get the supply list in time to order without rushing.

  • This is an oil painting workshop. You'll paint in oil for all three days.
  • We're still finalizing the supply list, and it goes to everyone who registers well ahead of February, with time to order anything you need.
  • Your Zoom session beforehand covers source-making and getting your imagery ready to paint.
Join The Waitlist

Be in that room in February.

Registration isn't open yet. When it opens, we'll email the waitlist the registration link. There are 16 seats.

Waitlist Open

Symbolic Portrait Workshop

February 19 to 21, 2027 / 10am to 4pm daily / Milan Art Studio, Sarasota

$1,500
  • Three days in the studio with Elli Milan and Dimitra Milan
  • A Zoom session 10 days to 2 weeks beforehand on source-making and preparing your imagery
  • Daily demos plus one-on-one critique and feedback at your easel
  • Your own finished symbolic portrait in oil
  • A room capped at 16 artists

We'll email you when seats open.

Friday evening at the gallery

Day one has an optional evening, 5 to 6:30pm, at Milan Art Gallery in downtown Sarasota. Come see the paintings on the wall with the people you just spent the day painting beside.

Who can join

Recommended for intermediate and advanced artists. You don't need to be an experienced portrait painter, though some painting experience helps. 16 seats.

Sarasota, February 2027

Walk out Sunday with a finished oil portrait and a reason behind every flower, animal and shadow.

Three days in the studio with Elli and Dimitra, and a finished oil portrait to carry out the door. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when seats open.

Join the Waitlist

$1,500 / February 19 to 21, 2027 / 16 seats

Good To Know

Common questions.

Do I need to be at a certain level?

It's recommended for intermediate and advanced artists. You don't need to be an experienced portrait painter, but some painting experience will help you get the most out of three days. Elli and Dimitra demo every stage and give one-on-one critique at your easel.

What will we actually paint?

A symbolic portrait in oil. You'll build the face and figure in oil layers, then build the meaning around them using flowers, animals, objects, landscape, pattern, color, light and atmosphere. Three days, one finished painting.

What is the Zoom session beforehand?

Ten days to two weeks before the workshop, Elli and Dimitra run a session on source-making and preparing your imagery. You arrive in Sarasota with your references ready, so Friday morning goes to locking your composition.

What art supplies do I need?

You'll be painting in oil on canvas all three days. We're still finalizing the supply list, and it goes to everyone who registers well ahead of February, with time to order anything you're missing.

Where does the workshop take place?

Milan Art Studio, 8190 Uzita Dr Unit 100, Sarasota, FL 34240. Arrival details go out to registered artists ahead of the workshop.

What is the Friday evening gallery visit?

Optional, 5 to 6:30pm on day one. We head over to Milan Art Gallery in downtown Sarasota after the studio day ends.

How does the waitlist work?

Leave your email above. When registration opens, we'll email you the link. The workshop is $1,500 with 16 seats. Joining the waitlist doesn't commit you to anything.

What is your refund and cancellation policy?

All sales for in-person events, including workshops, retreats, intensives, and other experiences, are final. We do not offer refunds or credit for cancellations or no-shows. Funds cannot be transferred to another event.

By registering for any in-person event, you are agreeing to this policy and helping us maintain a smooth and well-prepared event experience for all.