A Creative Way
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The Mint Gardener & StudioLife present...

A Creative Way

WATERCOLOR ART RETREAT
Secure Your Spot
upcoming location

seattle

2024
watercolor art retreat
may
13th - 16th
you're invited...
Join watercolor artist Sarah Simon, The Mint Gardener for an unforgettable journey back to Art, Connection, & Community
Secure Your Spot
CREATE
PLAY
BE
come as you are...
Are you a beginner?
Discover a creative way to feel confident drawing and painting
ARE YOU MORE EXPERIENCED?
Come find a creative way to push your boundaries and find your unique voice
HAVE YOU STRAYED AWAY FROM ART?
Discover a creative way to find a new and dedicated rhythm and remember what it feels like to watch paint move and shine
all are welcome here
discover a creative way
to revel in your process

Rhythm

Our focus for this retreat will be CREATING TOGETHER
Imagine the majority of your day using your hands to explore the top of the line art materials, sitting with Sarah and fellow creatives who are so excited, just like you. To learn, to explore, to push ourselves and to spend quality time just creating together. We will eat lunch together everyday–and then get back to creating! We will have a few beautiful dinners to dine together, along with some free evenings as well so you can build in time to explore the city with new friends, or cozy in with more moments to paint. There will also be several special guests from the talented Seattle community joining us for a few special surprises!

Create

A visual journey of your personal experiences
A collection of drawings in your sketchbook, a completed painting you are PROUD of, all of these inspiring visuals we create together will turn into a memory bank of feelings you can visit again, and again. The skills you learn, develop and grow will become a springboard to build off of when you return to your homes, and the art you capture, a frame in which to remember what you experienced. Sarah will also teach you very practical ways to continue to create MORE in your daily life, to move at your own pace, and to build a mindful practice from the many skills and materials you will accumulate at this retreat.

This retreat will be an invitation to slow down and really soak in the creative process. When we document a journey in a sketchbook or on a beautiful cotton watercolor page, we discover the difference between vacationing and traveling; daily life and LIVING actual moments to the fullest. We become adventurers of our own days! Discovering and translating our daily lives through a thousand tiny details that we may not have noticed if we hadn’t taken the time to pause and really look.

Sketchbook

Sketch
book

Enjoy, celebrate and create beauty - together.
Gather with us as a community of like-minded friends who will fill up our hand-bound watercolor sketchbook pages. We will press lovely flowers to remember our days, and soak in the small group goodness of new and shared knowledge, connection and community. We will also add in a few relaxing walks around the area, what I like to call "sketch-crawls" to explore and enjoy some plain air painting and really soak in some of the local architecture and history.
"Most people rush after pleasure so fast that they rush right past it."
SOREN KIERKEGAARD
Come create and learn how art allows us to slow down and savor our days
i'm ready!
details
what's included
Three days of art instruction with Sarah
Guided art excursions
Two dinners & three lunches
Commune with like-minded creatives
Over $1000 worth of top of the line art supplies, hand-curated specially for you
Recommendations for accommodations and transportation
An unforgettable artistic experience
sign me up!
SEATTLE
Seattle has such stunning inspiration to offer for artists at every level and with every interest: the sea, mountains, rivers - plus the incredible vibrancy of the city itself. For this retreat, we will be nestled into the bright, light and airy creating space of Studio Life in Seattle, Washington. Walkable to all major bus lines and a brand new light rail, this location boasts fantastic access to Seattle’s best restaurants, hotels, shopping and parks. Our location is situated right in the heart of the University District with so many inspiring places to sketchbook - all at our fingertips.

Memories

from past retreats

Sarah is my constant art teacher. The way she teaches is so approachable and real. She breaks down techniques and color recipes so that her students can fully grasp and comprehend. Thank you, Sarah for bringing out my voice to create things that I never thought I could and to express myself through an art form that I can now enjoy, not just in a studio, but anywhere there's a tiny bit of space. I appreciate Sarah and her sharing her gifts so much.
⁃Nori L.
Sarah is a gem and makes watercolor with her a pure joy. My friend and I recently attended one of her classes on painting florals, and it felt so personable and refreshing! We absolutely loved it and definitely will take more classes. Sarah is a natural teacher, easy to follow and understand and very accessible for questions, which makes classes with her fun and successful. I loved learning how to paint her beautiful palette of colors and now I can replicate these beautiful colors and grow from here to really explore my unique style. Our paintings from class turned out so well, all due to her well developed, methodical and expert teaching abilities.Thank you Sarah, keep the classes coming!
Susan K.
I just loved Sarah’s class and her teaching. The materials were just beautiful and the way Sarah presented the information was gentle and easy to follow. I really appreciatedSarah's focus on creativity as a practice, not being afraid to experiment, make mistakes and build this into our daily lives. I'm feeling so inspired. I cannot wait to take another class with Sarah!
Julia M.
For all of you who love Sarah’s painting style, you will fall in love with her class and teaching style even more. I had not picked up a brush for ages, yet Sarah broke it down for me in such an approachable and fun way that I know painting will now forever stick with me. No more tricky mixing, no more watery paint or unexpected hard lines; Sarah will teach you all the techniques and details. And on top of all of that, Sarah's passion is contagious. She teaches with her heart and soon you'll want to start creating everyday too.
⁃Mariska M.
About Sarah Simon
The Mint Gardener
Sarah Simon is the Artist and Author at TheMintGardener. Finding inspiration in the ever-blooming variety of textures and colors in her Seattle-based urban farm, Sarah creates and teaches lush Watercolors inspired by the diverse variety of herbs, flowers, and trees grown in her garden. With a continually blooming following of botanical and art lovers alike, her teaching has received worldwide attention with her online painting courses in the International Watercolor Summit, Workshop Week and her monthly live zoom teaching sessions. Sarah has taught thousands of people how to watercolor and with her teaching talents, has made it such an approachable and enjoyable art form, both for the experienced and novice alike.

Sarah's work has been featured in many publications and blogs worldwide, and has been celebrated in the form of commercial product design, stationery, and textiles as well as wholesale and private commissions. Just a few of her clients include: Nordstrom, Country Living, Facebook, The University of Washington, Expedia, Sakura of America, Blick Artist Materials, Winsor and Newton, Target, Estée Lauder and Sur La Table. Her books Modern Watercolor Botanicals and The Plant Lady Coloring Book were released in November 2019, and are international best sellers. Her third book Watercolor Workbook was just released this April and is already a #1 best seller. Day to day, you can find Sarah painting and sharing creativity on her Instagram, as well as hosting the #FlowerPaintingClub for an online community of painting-lovers.
About
STUDIOLIFE
What if could we create more space for ourselves in our daily lives? StudioLife was started by Kristi and Brooke, with the idea of creating space. Creating space is a choice and takes practice. They believe that the discipline of creating space in our lives enriches us.
meet
BROOKE & KRISTI
We have been friends for a long time and found ourselves circling around the idea of wanting to start a new chapter, a new adventure, and a new way to relate to our greater community. Just a short walk from University of Washington and University Village, our amazing space is always filled with light, and makes a great place to dive into creativity, or reverie with friends, family or coworkers.We have loved the experience of connecting artists and learners from all over the country and world. The creativity of people continues to astound us - from learners arranging classes with friends and family across the miles to artist-instructors strategizing how best to teach and connect with their growing communities. We are both wired to look for and enjoy the creativity in others, so we gain a lot of joy from this beautiful business of ours. We would love to have you here with us at Studio Life!
MEET  OUR
SPECIAL GUESTS
The evenings will feature two very special guests: local chefs Danie Baker and Ashley Rodriguez. These incredibly talented local Creatives are so excited and eager to add their wonderful Seattle flavor to our fancy celebration evenings, as a satisfying cap to our art-filled days.
DANIE BAKER
Chef
@heydaniebakes
By day, Danie crunches numbers and does taxes, but her real passion lies in the kitchen. She started cooking with her mom and grandmother when she was little. Usually just putting cookies on the baking sheet or licking the beaters clean. She didn't know much about what went into cooking then — the creativity, the knowledge, the trial and error — but what she did know was that the kitchen was a place of community. She and her family would laugh around the table, tell stories, do homework, eat until their stomachs hurt, and just have an overall good time together.
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You may recognize Danie from Bravo's Top Chef Amateurs and her fabulous column for the Seattle Times. You can find Danie's day-to-day doings at @heydaniebakes .
ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
food writer & photographer
@ashrod
Ashley Rodriguez is a Seattle-based award winning food writer and photographer. She is th eauthor of three cookbooks; Date Night In, Let’s Stay In, and Rooted Kitchen (Spring ‘24). She is the host and co-creator of the James Beard nominated series, Kitchen Unnecessary; an online series which uncovers the world of wild foods through foraging, fishing and regenerative harvesting then uses these ingredients to prepare a feast over the fire.

Ashley and her work have been featured in Outside Magazine, Food & Wine, Saveur, Epicurious, Edible Seattle and many more.

She is a graduate of Seminary of the Wild through the Center for Wild Spirituality and a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides. She is also an Integrative Wellness and Life Coach focusing on deepening the Eco-Spiritual connection.

When not eating, or talking and writing about food you can find her foraging, fly fishing, feeding her sourdough starter and spending as much time outside as possible. She believes the outdoors is a place to be fed both physically and spiritually.
LE PANIER
Very French Bakery
@lepanierbakery
Located in the iconic Pike's Place Market, Le Panier is a collection of bakers, baristas and people who strive to make something simply delightful. It's what brings people together. The oldest of traditional recipes, classic techniques and pure flavors are the base of all they do. Their intent is to bring the tastes of France to Seattle for all to share.
EXPERIENCE collective eFFervescence

Join me in Seattle

Early-bird price: $3,000 (ends Dec 31st)
Full price: $3,400
Place Your Deposit - $500Secure my Spot
Your non-refundable deposit secures your seat at the 2024 retreat, and will be applied to your total event cost.
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See detailed cancellation policy and more in our FAQ section below
Can't make it to the Seattle retreat?
Join me in magical
Summerville, SC
October 14th-16th
learn more
Transportation & Lodging
Transportation and lodging are not included in the ticket price for this event. Both transportation and lodging will be the responsibility of the attendee, both to Seattle, and throughout the retreat.

Once registered, you will receive more information, including a discount for a great hotel within walking distance and other travel tips. A car is not needed for retreat related activities.

Please contact hello@studiolifeseattle.com with any questions.
Cancellation Policy
Due to the highly creative and collaborative coordination that events like this require ahead of time the hosts cannot offer refunds. The ticket once purchased is non-refundable. Registration is non-refundable but transferrable should the participant be unable to attend the planned event. In the case of a transferred registration, the participant can make arrangements and notify StudioLIfe to update communication to the right person.
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If the event is cancelled by hosts, all payments and deposit will be refunded 100%.
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The $500 non-refundable deposit will secure your spot. As a courtesy, the remaining balance can be split into two payments. The first payment is due no later than January 15th and the second payment (or payment in full) is due no later than February 15th, 2024. Payment links will be provided.
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Please contact hello@studiolifeseattle.com with any questions.
Payment schedule
$500 Non-refundable deposit due upon registration

Remaining balance can be paid in two installments:

50% of the remaining balance due by January 15, 2024
remaining balance due by February 15, 2024

Participant is welcome to pay their full registration fee at anytime if that is their preference.
Payment links will be provided by StudioLife
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Please contact hello@studiolifeseattle.com with any questions.
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