Overview

Join us for a color-infused retreat featuring four of my favorite artists here on the North Shore! Explore color theory through creative play. Learn how featured artists approach color in their work and try your hand at their crafts in fun, entry-level workshops. Gain confidence choosing and combining colors in your own mediums! Our active itinerary provides time to rest, integrate what you’ve learned, and explore the North Shore during free time. This retreat is perfect for folks craving color during the long Minnesota winters and looking for a cozy, all-inclusive experience with kindred spirits Up North.

Featured Artists

Britt Malec. Britt is a painter, folks artist, song leader who lives in Grand Marais, MN. Britt creates whimsical work that explores themes of connection, resilience, domesticity, motherhood, and mortality through a mystical naturalist lens. Her work is interdisciplinary and contains elements of botanical illustration, portraiture, memoir, Slavic folk art, ethnobotany and song.
Christine Novotny. Christine is a textile artist and designer who lives in Grand Marais, MN. Christine weaves vibrant textiles, all guided by her love for surprising color and design interactions. From rugs and blankets to fine art work, each of her pieces explore color nuance and relationships through materiality and traditional techniques. Christine's weavings explore not "if" colors work together, but how they interact, seeking unexpected chromatic kinship in woven form.
Cooper Ternes. Cooper is wood worker who lives in Grand Marais, MN. Cooper makes wooden bowls, children’s toys, and other home goods in a modern interpretation of the Scandinavian folk tradition. He explores the balance of form and function by creating objects intended for daily use and for the celebration of the communities we create through a shared table.
Nan Onkka. Nan is a printmaking artist who lives on Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior. She creates woodcut prints inspired by the lakes and woods near her home. She create artwork that connects us to our environment - in content, process, and packaging.

What’s included:

3 nights at Ski Hill Cabins and Saunas
1 talk on color theory basics with Christine Novotny
3 half-day workshops with featured artists
All art supplies and materials
8 nourishing, winter-themed meals
Access to private saunas
Access to cross country ski trails

Workshop Schedule

Day 1

Introductions and Color Play with retreat facilitator Dorothy Broomall
Intro to Color Theory talk with Christine Novotny

Day 2

Mixing Milk Paint for Wood Carving with Cooper Ternes
Free time: Nap, ski, sauna, read, knit, craft, play

Day 3

Making Polish Mobiles with Britt Malec
Carving stamps with Nan Onkka

Day 4

Reflection with retreat facilitator Dorothy Broomall

Venue

Ski Hill Cabins and Saunas are located in Lutsen, Minnesota. These Nordic-Modern cabins offer bright, spacious accommodations. Each cabin has a large living space, 1 private King room, 1 shared bunk room, 1 shared loft up a ships ladder, 2 bathrooms, plus a private sauna and fire circle. Meal and workshops will take place in a casual setting in the living room or around the big dining table in various cabins.

Meals

Food is our love language! We create a nourishing, seasonally-inspired meals just for the retreat and the dietary needs of those attending.

Accommodations