A Slow Craft Natural Dye Retreat in the French Countryside
14 -19 September 2026
Nestled in the southwestern region of France, Aveyron is a landscape of lush valleys, flowering meadows, forested gorges, and rolling vineyards. This rural region is an architectural treasure, home to hilltop bastide towns, medieval castles, and centuries-old stone villages that tell the story of France’s past. Unspoiled by mass tourism, Aveyron is considered La France Profonde—authentic, timeless, and deeply rooted in tradition. Here, nature, history, and fresh local cuisine come together to create an atmosphere of quiet beauty and slow living.
CHATEAU de BALSACwill be your home for the duration of the retreat. This lovingly restored bed-and-breakfast château is hosted by Bay Area transplants Roland Salvato and Malana Moberg, who have thoughtfully preserved the building’s historic character while incorporating modern comforts. Guests are invited to relax in the spacious salon, enjoy meals in the 15th-century dining room, or gather by the fireplace to begin the day or unwind in the evening.
The château is family-friendly and offers a warm, welcoming environment. Your stay includes:
- Complimentary tea and coffee throughout the day - Room and board, including bathrobes, slippers, complimentary toiletries, pool towels, hair dryer, and iron/ironing pad upon request - Three nourishing meals per day featuring local cuisine - Transportation to all workshop-related excursions - Access to the swimming pool and jacuzzi - Wi-Fi throughout the château
Please note: Participants are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the airport. Retreat fees do not include excursions or tours outside of the scheduled workshop programming.
A week of Natural Dyeing This immersive week is rich with discovery, creativity, and connection to place. Together, we’ll explore the stunning region of Aveyron, learning about its native plants and the ways communities have relied on them for centuries—for color, culture, and survival. Through daily dye sessions, guided foraging walks, reflective making, and hands-on documentation, you’ll deepen your relationship with natural dyeing as both an artistic and cultural botany practice. Each participant will create a personal color swatch of the region, capturing the hues of the South West of France using locally harvested plants and traditional natural dye processes.
Students with little or no experience will be comfortable in this course as will the more experienced dyers.
Tentative Schedule For The Week Day 1 - Arrival settling in to the Chateau, welcome dinner Day 2 - Introduction to the dye lab and surrounding landscape. Learning about the native plants in the area, the science behind natural dyeing, the types of fabric we’ll be working with and how to correctly prepare your fabrics and mordant them. Day 3 - we’ll create a dye baths using some of the plants foraged from the day before. We will experiment with eco printing on one of our fabrics. Day 4 - Unveiling of Eco-Print Excursion to the nearby village of Conques to learn about pigments Flea Market shopping/Farmers Market followed by dinner in a near by village Day 5 - Complete swatches Day 6 - Experimentation day with HP balances and modifiers to shift the color. Day 7 - Will be a personal day continue to explore the region or to relax around the property and process all that was learned through the week.
By the end of the week, you’ll leave with a tangible record of time spent in rhythm with the land—and a deeper understanding of color, place, and process. You will have - A curated regional color swatch made from locally harvested plants - A process journal documenting your experience, techniques, notes, and reflections - Naturally dyed fabrics created throughout the week
About Natural Dye Facilitator With over 20 years of experience in the creative sector, Nichole Talbott works at the intersection of multimedia art, cultural education, and community building. She is a multimedia visual artist and the founder of Asé Arts, where she blends traditional craft practices—such as natural dyeing, printmaking, and hand-built textiles—with contemporary design. Her layered works incorporate natural materials, symbolism, and storytelling, resulting in vibrant pieces that exist both in gallery spaces and in everyday life through prints, wearable art, and functional objects. Her work honors the ways communities have relied on local flora for survival, expression, and cultural continuity—transforming everyday materials into vessels of meaning. Through careful observation, slow making, and hands-on experimentation, she invites participants to see dyeing as both a technical skill and a ritual of connection to place.
Nichole’s work has been exhibited throughout the Bay Area in galleries, cultural institutions, and community-centered spaces that uplift Black and Indigenous creativity.
Nichole approaches teaching as an exchange rather than a transaction. Her retreats are designed to foster curiosity, respect for local ecosystems, and a shared appreciation for the ancestral knowledge embedded in craft traditions worldwide.
Ideas for1/2 half and Full Day trips around the area - 1hr flight from Paris. Fly directly into Rodez airport, a 5min drive from the Chateau - Choose to spend the day at any of the 11 surrounding medieval Villages. Known to be some of France’s most beautiful Wander through flea markets, second-hand stores and hidden shops to find treasures for your home and family. - Take a walk around the property and visiting the farm animals - Take any of the near by hikes around the property. - Bicycles are available to explore. - Take a plein air lunch by the pool or enjoy a dip in the jacuzzi - There are lush green valleys and flowery meadows, forested gorges and vineyards
