ALIVE - 5 day Encaustic Retreat (May 4-9 2025)

SUNDAY, May 5th

Arrive Sunday afternoon and get settled into your allocated room after a check-in time of 4pm. The studio will open at 4:30 at which time you may start bringing your stuff inside, and pick up your itinerary. We will have an in-studio meet and greet at 6pm followed by dinner at 7pm. The studio will be closed this evening.

MONDAY, May 6th

Breakfast. Studio. Lunch. Studio. Pre-dinner free time. Dinner and open studio.

TUESDAY, May 7th
Breakfast. Studio. Lunch. Studio.  Dinner and open studio.

WEDNESDAY, May 8th

Breakfast. Studio. Lunch. Studio. Pre-dinner free time. Dinner and open studio. 

THURSDAY, May 9th
Breakfast. Studio. Lunch. Studio. Pre-dinner free time. Dinner and open studio.

FRIDAY, May 10th

Breakfast. Studio clean up and packing.  Farewell lunch.

The retreat will take place at the beautiful Elmhirst's Resort on Rice Lake in Ontario, Canada.

I have hosted a retreat in the this location before and let me tell you, they do know how to put the "treat" in retreat! The food is amazing, the accommodations are very comfortable and the perfect combination of social and private; you will have your OWN room in a cottage on the lake. Note: The cottages each have three rooms in them. You will have your own private room within a cottage. There is a lower-level room with a private bathroom and two upstairs rooms with a shared bathroom. Please let me know if you are travelling with friends/family and if you have a preference for room designation. If you are travelling in a group of four, a four-bedroom cottage is available. PLEASE do not call the resort for room assignments. I do all the booking of the rooms. *There are single cottages available, but your resort fee will increase by approx $900. My previous guests have remarked that the privacy of a room within a cottage is sufficient for us introverts! lol

Your resort fees include 5 nights accommodations, 3 meals per day and snacks delivered to the studio.  Dietary restrictions can be accommodated.  THE RESORT fee is paid upon check-in.

All prices are listed in Canadian dollars (CAD) and subject to tax.

The entire cost of the 5-night retreat is the workshop fee + the resort fee.

The workshop fee portion is $1599+tax (paid to Instructor)

The resort fee portion is approx $1500+tax (paid to Resort upon checking in May 5).

TOTAL cost you can expect is:
Regular: $3100+tax

You have the option of paying the entire workshop fee ONLY up front in a single lump sum, OR you can pay in three instalments, securing your spot by paying the Deposit first. All prices are listed in Canadian dollars and are subject to tax.

Keep in mind you will have to pay the resort fee directly to the resort upon checkout on May 10/24

Single payment: $1599+tax (+ resort fee in May)

OR
Instalments:
DEPOSIT: $199+tax
SECOND: $499+tax (due Jan 15/24)
THIRD: $1000+tax (due April 1/24)

FOURTH and final; Approx $1500 due at the resort upon check-in.

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NB: The resort fees will need to be paid directly to Elmhirst on the day you check out from the resort.

TWC is "Two Worlds Collide", a stable fusion of mixed media and encaustic art developed by me in 2011.  I self-published a tiny book after discovering that chalk and clay-based paints could be a practical and stable underpainting layer for encaustic art. This technique has slowly morphed into the realm of common-knowledge but the science behind it, is not fully understood by most.  In this retreat, we will be fully-immersed into the stable practices that make this process such a success and you too will understand how to push boundaries with your processes and materials.

Christina Lovisa, a native to Canada’s Capital city, Ottawa, is a self-taught, soulful, contemporary, mixed media artist. Working in a broad range of mediums, from encaustic (beeswax) to acrylic paints and ‘found object assemblage’, she produces a varied range of artworks that emerge from a place of deep connection to her Divine-self. Her paintings have been in shows and galleries in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and New York City. She has an international clientele, which includes Cirque du Soleil and the Micheal Jackson estate. Private galleries in North America represent both her original works and art prints, taking them to clients around the globe. Lovisa has learned to share her process and is recognized as a master mixed media art-instructor.

I will supply the following basic art supplies/tools;

• Chalk paints (varied colours).
• Paper adhesive (homemade YES! paste).
• Tools (ie brushes, scissors, water dishes, baby wipes, shop towels, aprons, knife, ...)
• A bin of ephemera...
• Encaustic station, a fusing station with embossing guns, oil, pan pastels, oil paints, foils and mark-making tools.

While I will have a lot of studio tools and supplies on hand, to avoid disappointment, you should consider bringing the things you can't live without. Also, a few things are not included, so make you to bring them!

Art supplies to bring;

• CHEFMAN buffet warmer only. These use less power than pancake griddles. I will bring enough for two people to share one. If you want your own, you may bring it and I'll have the power cord ready for you to plug in. Available on AMAZON. I do sell the extras at the end of the retreat if you decide you want to buy one.
• encaustic mediums and waxes in small metal flat-bottomed dishes. (Not included).
• label all your own brushes.
• personal images; photocopied in various sizes on various papers (intend to have a lot available to me to allow for spontaneity).(Not included).
• wood panels of various sizes that suit your needs (flat for air travel or cradled for car travel). (not included).
• Your fave ephemera, tools, stamps, stencils, fabrics, inclusions etc...
• Your favourite torch and fuel for fusing if not wanting to share the embossing guns (personal preference). I personally like IWATANI with butane.
• More paper towels (if you know you use a lot).

Like any good camp, I will have a TUCK SHOP on hand for art supplies. Here I will sell special ephemera, papers, brushes, encaustic mediums, butane, chalk paints, and additional panels in case you run out.

RESORT PACKING

Please do check out the resort and all it has to offer by visiting the above Resort link. For planning sake, please pay special attention to the amenities on site;

RECREATION:

• Fitness Centre: No appointment necessary.
• Indoor Pool, Sauna and Whirlpool: No appointment necessary.
• Outdoor Pool: Seasonal
• Escape Maze Outdoor game: Open
• Waterfront: Seasonal.
• Recreation Program: Seasonal
• Hiking and biking trails for miles.