The following Art & Spirit Retreats are a kind of menu of ideas and images to spark your interest and curiosity. Every retreat I design is custom created for your group. When leading a workshop I weave in a mixture of modalities that include meditation, movement, prayer, chant and art making. The art piece is always an accessible project so that those with art fears can be calmed – satisfied feeling will be had by all!
Workshop Group Fee: Once we design a workshop together the price for your group will include the following: instructional time and prep, materials + travel expense reimbursement. Some groups request a flat fee some a per person price – either option can be discussed. All retreats are appropriate for adult groups some can be modified for teens and family groups. I would love to design a retreat that suits the interest and excitement of your group. I am happy to come to you. Please Contact me to book a date for your mixed modality retreat. Go to Upcoming Events to see when and where I’m teaching a workshops near you.
Odes & Icons – 1 day retreat: The urge to honor and remember is long and strong in the human spiritual story. From the ancient traditions of Hindu home shrines to Eastern Orthodox icons to Dia de los Muertos altars of Mexico, people through time and place and religion have created structures and images to remember and honor those we love and revere. To create a piece of art dedicated to a person or idea is to take the time to absorb, observe and remember – to put that person or concept foremost in our hearts and minds. Join me, Lisa Thorpe, in a day of art and meditation. You can choose a saint to honor from images I provide or bring a photo of a loved one you want to celebrate. Each person will make an “Icon” on a wooden plaque using decorative papers, copper and tin. Info & Materials Sheet
Seeking Sacred Stories: three women lost and found in the Old Testament – 1/2 day retreat:
Join artist and theological seeker, Lisa Thorpe, in exploring the redacted and reduced voices of women from the Old Testament. We will re-discover Shekinah who guides the Israelites out of Egypt and beyond. We will re-imagine Na’amah of the Ark (Noah’s unnamed wife). And finally, we will re-define Eve in the garden. Come and enjoy a creative morning of discussion and discovery, meditation and movement, community and connection.
The Sacred Vessel – one or two day retreat: I lead this retreat in two ways. One option is an Exploration of Mary; her call, her courage, and her choice. We explore this through reading the text and looking at images of the annunciation and visitation through the lens of art through the ages. The retreat culminates in the creation of this glass bowl collage with Mary at the center and the words from the Magnificat woven through. For and in depth dive into the Mary story, this retreat is lovely as a two day but can be designed for a single day, too. The second option is the Sacred Vessel retreat. This retreat will also include the making of a collage bowl. However the emphasis on our own openness to being a container for God. This retreat will include, meditation, movement, and art making. Info & Materials Sheet
Earth Prayers – Half or whole day retreat: This retreat brings in the love of nature through poetry, walking meditation and prayer flag making. The flags are made using a wonderfully accessible print making technique that is at once magical and awe-inspiring while being amazingly easy. This workshop is wonderful way to make a collective art piece for a whole community and have something for everyone to take home. The day can be designed for adult or mixed aged groups to honor the wonder of the earth, our island home. Info & Materials Sheet
Seeking the Centering Circle – Mandala Making – Half or whole Day retreat: World religions are filled with spiritual imagery that contains the circle – the Hindu mandala represents the divine at the center of four gates offering entrance; Tibetan Buddhism has ritualized the mandala form and incorporated it into meditation on the universe; Christianity employs the sacred circle in rose windows, the Celtic cross, and the Labyrinth to name a few. This retreat is designed to dive into the various forms of centering circle mediation, through circular chants, walking or labyrinth meditations and mandala making. The Mandala making can take many forms – the images above represent a few of the possibilities – This retreat can be designed for adult or mixed age groups. Info & Materials Sheet
heART Journaling : exploring growth, grief and grace through art jounaling – singleday, Multi-day or ongoing monthly sessions available: This is a well-being-focused workshop series. Each session will consider life’s inflection points through sharing, writing and art exploration. We will begin each session with 15 minutes of art play to loosen up then explore a poem or quote to focus on the theme of the session. After a demonstration of art response ideas and techniques, there will be quiet space for personal reflections and a creative art response. The guided art response gives lots of space for individual creativity and originality to suit each participant’s style, background, and experience. The session will end with optional sharing time and close with a mediation. The art responses are designed for all skill levels and are intended as an entry to an ongoing art journaling journey. This also can be a once a week, once a month in-person of virtual workshop.
Affirmation and Intentions – Collage Cards – Half or whole day retreat: Lenten Intention cards, Advent Affirmation cards, or everyday Random Acts of Love cards. This mixed modality retreat can be designed for any season or theme. The Lenten Reflection Retreat I’ve designed includes mediation and movement, group discussion, and the creation of 40 Lenten Intention cards to use through out the season of Lent. Likewise in the Advent Affirmation Retreat, participants create 25 Advent cards with affirmations, poems and verse to draw each day of the season. And of course every season is the season of love! Random Acts of Love cards are collage cards created with a message of Love meant to be cast out like seeds randomly in the world to let everyone who finds it know they are loved. All of these retreats are designed with the needs and interest of the group in mind and can be devised with adults or mixed age groups in mind. Info & Materials Sheet
Spirit Guides & Guardian Angels: 2-day workshop minimum -We all need a little extra help sometimes, someone in our corner to boost our confidence, our spirit or even our defiance! So why not make your own custom icon, your own imaginary saint or spirit guide? Whatever kind of guide you need you can express yourself through this two-day mixed media workshop. Your Angel can be serious or silly, meditative or magical it’s up to you! I provide a mix female faces, both animal and human to choose from as well as hand and basic body patterns so you don’t need to worry about your drawing skills at all. This collage technique is at once flexible, forgiving and fun. This workshop is great for beginners who want to explore mixed media art and practiced artist who want to express themselves in a new way. Everyone will go home with a unique, personal “icon” created on an 11×14 canvas panel. All materials are provided but you mixed media artist out there with a big stash of art papers should bring them along this might just be the workshop you bought them for! Info & Materials Sheet
Women of Wisdom 6-hour workshop Make your own custom Woman of Wisdom to whisper encouragement in your ear. Perhaps you need serenity… then create her, or maybe strength? Then make her. Whatever inspiration you need you can express yourself in this mixed media collage workshop. Your “Icon” can be serious or silly, meditative or magical it’s up to you! I will provide photos of female faces of different ages and ethnicity to choose from as well as hands and a basic torso body patterns so you don’t need to worry about your drawing skills at all. I will demonstrate how to design your Woman of Wisdom using the face and hands images provided which you will tint using acrylic paint then collage decorative papers to create the torso and background, the hair is made with twisted tissue paper or painted thread. This collage technique is at once flexible, forgiving and fun. Everyone will go home with an image created on an 5×7” canvas panel. Info & Materials Sheet