art + wellness retreats
YOU ARE NATURE >>>
My retreats are designed to bring you back to yourself and the abundance of intelligence you were born with. We are miraculous beings with an innate ability to heal ourselves and regenerate the pieces of ourselves we’ve lost touch with. We live in a busy and distracted culture that operates on scarcity and takes us away from that birthright.
<<< NATURE IS YOU
Take this time to reorient yourself, rest, relax and observe. You are never alone. You are a part of a deep and evolving ecosystem that is constantly changing and demanding adaptation. This immersion into whole being wellness will nourish you and challenge you. It will bring you back to your own creativity and your own incredible ability to thrive with abundance in our modern world.
2024 retreats
We will be staying in Mount Hayden Backcountry lodge outside of Ouray, Colorado and enjoying the immediate access to the alpine tundra with chef prepared meals, hiking guides, daily meditation, creativity workshops and musical surprises…
Alpine Immersion Retreat :: Sep. 12-15, 2024
A deep dive into the alpine environment, creativity, and the four elements at 11,100 feet
This Retreat experience will be slightly different than some of my pervious retreats. The focus of this retreat will creativity and nature but we will be inserting ourselves into an alpine environment to learn directly from the land and the four elements. We will be exploring creativity with watercolor and writing prompts while connecting deeply with Earth, Water, Fire, and Air as our elemental guides. The retreat will begin with a 2.5 mile hike to the Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge (gear shuttle provided for light daypack hiking!) and daily hikes into the alpine. We will enjoy chef-prepared, locally-sourced meals, rustic luxury accommodations, and a wood fired hot tub
Snuggle up in a cozy cabin in the Rocky mountains. Watercolor workshops, yoga, meditation, nutritional cleanse, tea + fire ceremonies, sauna + cold plunge, snow mandalas, fireside chats, and more...
True North Winter Retreat :: Feb 1-4, 2024
A Creativity + Wellness Immersion at Beyul Retreat in Western Colorado.
We will engage with the elements of fire + water to inspire creativity, connection, and a deep reset that points you back towards your innate wisdom. Guided nutritional cleansing, yoga classes, and intention setting through creativity workshops and discussions will balance out the sheer inspiration the 32 acre retreat center in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
REGISTRATION CLOSED.
Enjoy two different artist perspectives as Sarah and Anna co-facilitate this immersion into creative play. Watercolor, cyanotypes, journaling, hot springs, yoga, river time, group meals, and more.
Maple Grove Creative Retreat with Sarah Uhl + Anna Brones :: June 6-9, 2024
Restore + Reignite your creative self at the beautiful Maple Grove riverside hot springs and retreat center in Southern Idaho.
Combining forces, we have co-crafted this retreat to use art and creativity as a catalyst for simplifying, slowing down, recalibrating, and rejuvenating. Experimenting with a variety of mediums—from watercolor to cyanotypes to writing—we’ll lead with curiosity and spend our days honing in on our own creative process.
SOLD OUT!!
RETREAT VALUES
about the paints…
Greenleaf Blueberry Paints are hand made on the Western slope of Colorado using natural pigments and materials. These paints are truly spectacular and made with incredible care, suited for the traveling artist. Each retreat attendee will be given a custom pallet of paints from Greenleaf Blueberry.
Mount Sopris, known to the Ute Indians as Wee Magooah, is the heart of our valley and the centerpiece standing over Carbondale. Avalanche Ranch is just past Mount Sopris along the Crystal River.
FAQ
What if I’m a beginner painter? Great! The goal of this retreat is connecting with your creative self and the surrounding environment no matter how much experience you have expressing yourself artistically. Even the most seasoned painters need help reconnecting with their creative voice. I will provide a basic introduction to the paints we will be using and share some simple techniques to help you enjoy the artistic tools we will be using, but the goal is not to become a “good painter” its about learning what makes you feel more creative in your life.
What if I’m an experienced painter? I promise you won’t get bored at this retreat! The immersive nature of the setting and the guided sessions will offer you plenty of opportunity to dig into your creative process and refine the parts that need extra nourishment.
How long and hard will the hikes be? The hikes will be relatively short (under 2 miles) and will serve more as a way to get ourselves further into nature to paint an inspiring view than to get exercise or a deep backcountry experience. The pace will be casual and welcoming to everyone in the group.
Tell me more about the Farm to Table Meals. The majority of the food for our meals will be sourced from local farms in the Roaring Fork Valley. All of the food will be organic and seasonal. One aspect of the retreat will be connecting the dots around how the food we eat and where it comes from influences our wellbeing and our creativity.
What if I have Food Allergies? No problem. All retreat participants and their dietary needs will be accounted for before the event begins and the exact menu is set..
Why is there so much free time and what can I do in my free time? I have attended retreats that feel so rushed and over scheduled that I barely have time to take in the experience. Although we still have quite a full line up of activities, I wanted to make sure you have time to take in our setting, connect with yourself, and relax. You can also use free time to soak in the hot springs, take a walk on the property, visit the pond, the swings, the Ranch animals, journal… whatever fills your cup.
What is the weather like that time of year? What if we have bad weather during the retreat? June and September are two of the best months to visit the mountains and the Crystal River Valley! Aspen leaves will begin budding bright green leaves in June, then turning to yellow gold by mid September. The air will be cooler in the morning and evenings which makes soaking in the hot springs even better, and daytime temps will likely be in the 60s - 70s. Participants should be prepared with warm clothes and a rain jacket if the weather is on the cooler side or if an afternoon rainstorm catches up to us on a hike. If we have sustained rain, we will rearrange the schedule in favor of hosting the mini-workshops indoors and saving the best part of the day for our plein air painting sessions. In the end, I can’t control the weather but we take a flexible approach to our schedule and our various facility spaces and make things work with what we get. In an ideal world, we will be able to host the majority of the retreat sessions outdoors in perfect weather :)
What else should I bring? Let’s start with an open mind and heart!! But also you should bring a yoga mat, swim suit, hiking shoes, warm clothes, rain jacket, snacks, any alcoholic drinks you might want to enjoy, blanket or folding chair you can sit on for plein air painting sessions, daypack, and personal art supplies you’d like to use in addition to what you are provided.
TESTIMONIALS
“I signed up for Sarah’s retreat because I have admired her painting style for years and I wanted to meet her and learn from her. It turns out, the retreat was so much more than learning a new painting style. It was a balm for my soul and a safe space to manifest my dream of becoming a mother, as well as a more confident artist and connected human being. As I write this testimonial, I am watching it snow out the window with my 2 month old son sleeping on my chest. It was an incredible few days at avalanche ranch and I am looking forward to the next retreat.”
-Sarah Carpenter from Idaho“Sarah is an amazing artist, teacher, and human. She creates a space that allows for both connection and reflection. She weaves her web of nurturing at multiple levels, offering us the opportunity to access beauty in the physical forms of nourishment as well as tending to our inner landscapes. I had high expectations, and quite honestly, they were exceeded. It was all of my favorite things in a multi-day feast for the senses and heart.”
-Alyssa from Wisconsin
“Thank you for all the preparation, planning, and forethought. Thank you for your calm and centered energy. Thank you for the details you attended to throughout the entire experience. Thank you for being open and vulnerable yourself, making it easy for others to do the same. Thank you for sharing your time, your family and yourself. The overall feeling each day was one of being nourished, being held, being taken care of. This was exactly what I needed.”
-Karalea from California
“There was so much I loved about the retreat. Sarah did such an amazing job with the food and meal prep. I was WOWED. It was a true retreat to not think about food and know I would eat well. I enjoyed the variety of age of woman as it was nice to hear from didn’t places of life. I loved my time away and am so grateful Sarah put this retreat together. It really was all the things I loved!”
-Lexis from Colorado
