🌿 The Art of Noticing 🌿

Spontaneous Floral Expressions: A Mixed Media Retreat

April 15–18, 2027

🎨 Mixed Media • Intuition • Creative Play • Connection • Renewal

Step away from the busyness of everyday life and immerse yourself in four days of creativity, inspiration, and renewal.

The Art of Noticing is more than an art retreat—it's an invitation to slow down, notice beauty, and reconnect with your creativity through observation, play, and artistic exploration. Whether you're an experienced artist or someone who simply longs to pick up a paintbrush again, you'll find a welcoming and encouraging environment where perfection is never the goal. Instead, we'll embrace curiosity, experimentation, and the beautiful surprises that happen when we trust the creative process.

Throughout the retreat, you'll explore vibrant mixed media floral painting using watercolor, acrylics, ink, pastels, crayons, collage, pencils, markers, and other expressive materials. Through demonstrations, guided exercises, observational sketching, and generous studio time, you'll discover how layering color, texture, and intuitive mark-making can transform simple flowers into expressive works of art.

One of the highlights of our weekend will be a Saturday morning sketchbook outing to the Fayetteville Farmers Market. We'll meet over coffee or tea before wandering through the market together, sketchbooks in hand. We'll sketch fresh bouquets from local flower vendors, draw inspiration from the beautiful flower beds surrounding the downtown square, and simply enjoy the experience of slowing down and truly seeing. Along the way, you'll fill your sketchbook with sketches, color studies, observations, and ideas that will inspire your paintings later that afternoon.

This isn't about creating perfect drawings—it's about cultivating curiosity, practicing observation, and discovering inspiration in the everyday beauty around us.

Back at the studio, we'll transform those sketches and impressions into expressive mixed media floral paintings full of color, texture, and personality.

To end the day, you'll also have the opportunity to participate in an optional gentle outdoor yoga session beneath the shade of the trees, led by a local yoga instructor. This relaxing practice is suitable for every experience level and offers a peaceful way to restore both body and mind after a full day of creative exploration.

Designed with spaciousness in mind, this retreat offers a gentle rhythm that balances learning, creating, connection, and rest. You're invited to move at your own pace—linger over a painting, sip coffee on the porch, enjoy lunch while watching birds and flowers, or simply pause to breathe in the beauty around you. There is no pressure to keep up or produce a certain number of paintings. This is your retreat experience, and you are encouraged to participate in whatever way best supports your creativity and well-being.

Throughout the weekend we'll practice the art of noticing. Creativity begins long before the paint touches the paper. As we observe the curves of a petal, the changing light on a flower bed, conversations at the farmers market, or the quiet moments shared over coffee, we'll discover that inspiration is everywhere when we create space to truly see.

Each participant will receive a beautiful sketch journal and sketch pen to continue collecting ideas, practicing new skills, and nurturing their creative journey long after the retreat has ended.

Come exactly as you are—with curiosity, an open heart, and a willingness to discover what can bloom when creativity is given time, space, and attention.

🌷 Throughout Our Time Together We'll Explore

🎨 Mixed media techniques for creating rich layers, texture, and visual interest

🌸 Floral composition and design principles

🌈 Color exploration and expressive mark-making

✏️ Basic observational sketching techniques

🌿 Creative problem-solving and learning to embrace artistic uncertainty

💛 Building confidence through spontaneity, curiosity, and creative play

🤝 Meaningful connection with fellow creatives

🌺 What You'll Leave With

🎨 Multiple completed mixed media floral artworks (create as many as your own pace allows)

📖 A sketch journal filled with observations, inspiration, and ideas

🖌️ A deeper understanding of mixed media materials and techniques

💛 Greater confidence in your creative abilities

🌱 Practical tools for continuing your artistic practice at home

🌸 Fresh inspiration and new creative friendships

✨ A renewed sense of play, possibility, and trust in your own creative voice

🌼 What's Included

🎨 All mixed media art supplies and materials

☕ Light refreshments throughout the retreat

👩‍🎨 Guided instruction, demonstrations, and individualized support

📚 Creative exercises and inspiration prompts

✏️ A take-home sketch journal and sketch pen

🧘 Optional gentle outdoor yoga session

🌷 Saturday morning sketchbook outing to the Fayetteville Farmers Market

💛 A warm, encouraging atmosphere for artists of every experience level

No previous art experience is necessary. Simply bring your curiosity and a willingness to explore.

📅 Retreat Schedule

Thursday • April 15

1:00–5:00 PM

1:00 PM — Welcome & Retreat Overview

2:00 PM — Creative Icebreaker Activity

3:00 PM — Creating Your Inspiration Journal

• Color palettes

• Composition ideas

• Texture sampler pages

Friday • April 16

10:00 AM–5:00 PM (Lunch 12:00–1:00 PM)

10:00 AM
Mixed Media Demonstration: Creating expressive textured backgrounds

12:00 PM
Lunch

1:00 PM
Sketching Demonstration & Observational Sketching Exercises

3:00 PM
Continue building layered backgrounds for future floral compositions

4:30 PM
Studio Wrap-Up

5:00 PM
End of Day

Saturday • April 17

9:30 AM
☕ Meet at the Fayetteville Farmers Market for coffee or tea.

10:00 AM–12:00 PM
🌸 Sketchbook Outing

Explore the Fayetteville Farmers Market while sketching fresh bouquets from local flower vendors and finding inspiration in the flower beds surrounding the downtown square. Practice slowing down, observing color, shape, texture, and movement while filling your sketchbook with studies, color notes, and ideas to inspire your afternoon paintings.

12:00 PM
Lunch

1:30 PM–4:00 PM
🎨 Studio Time

Return to Studio 22 and transform the morning's inspiration into expressive mixed media floral paintings. Create one large statement bouquet, a series of smaller works, or a collection of intuitive garden-inspired compositions using the techniques we've explored throughout the retreat.

4:00 PM–4:45 PM (Optional)

🧘 Gentle Outdoor Yoga Under the Trees

Relax with a gentle yoga session led by a local instructor as we stretch, breathe, and unwind beneath the shade of the trees. Suitable for all experience levels.

4:45 PM
Closing Reflections

5:00 PM
End of Day

Sunday • April 18

10:00 AM–12:00 PM

10:00 AM
Finishing Touches

11:00 AM
Sharing, Reflections, Group Photo & Farewells

12:00 PM
Departure

📍 Location

Studio 22

1503 Taldo Loop
Tontitown, Arkansas

💐 Investment

$750

🌼 Early Bird Pricing: $650 through November 15, 2026.

Please Note

🍴 Lodging and meals are not included.

You're welcome to bring your own meals (a refrigerator is available) or enjoy one of the many wonderful local restaurants nearby.

📧 Questions?

art@bethwoessner.com

Important: Registrations become non-refundable after January 30, 2027.

Email me with any questions: art@bethwoessner.com

*Important! After January 30, 2027, all sales are final.