May 13 -17, 2026
Cloudspotting
A Women’s Retreat for Creative Presence
with guest artist Moni Hill
painting by Moni Hill
AT BEAUTIFUL LAKE SANTEETLAH
What would it be like to nurture your creative soul in a beautiful lakefront setting -nestled in the mountains of Western North Carolina- for a spacious stretch of days? This retreat will give you permission to do just that, while connecting with other curious creatives, learning with an artist who is passionate about sharing her gifts & her love of nature.
“Join us for a transformative four-day creative retreat. Cloud Spotting is an immersive art retreat that invites participants to slow down, look up, and explore clouds as symbols of change, memory, and transformation. Through guided painting, sketching, journaling, and shared reflection, artists of all levels will study skyscapes, (draw inspiration from art history and cultural symbolism), and create both personal and collaborative works.
This retreat offers time to reflect, connect, and create something beautiful together, rooted in the ever-changing sky above and the stories we carry within.” ~ Moni Hill
MID-MAY AT SANTEETLAH IS WONDERFUL FOR SWIMMING, BOAT OUTINGS AND OUTDOOR TIME IN NATURE!
meet
YOUR RETREAT ARTIST
“For decades, I worked primarily as an abstract painter, but my art shifted after a season of leading hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway and through Pisgah National Forest. Watching guests encounter the Southern Appalachians, their awe, softening, and quiet transformation, mirrored my own deep relationship with these forests and mountains, and called me toward landscape painting. I am endlessly inspired by the region’s extraordinary biodiversity: the magic of the forest floor thick with moss, ancient rocks, fungi, ferns, and decomposing trees and leaves; the long-range mountain views that hold time and weather; and the ever-changing skyscapes that stretch above it all. My paintings grow from my lived experience of walking, noticing, and lingering, and aim to hold both intimacy and vastness at once.”
~ Moni
Moni’s invitation to you
“I invite you to join me in discovering your own creative voice through a deepened connection with the natural world. Together, we’ll move slowly and intentionally through painting, sketching, and journaling—practices rooted in mindful observation, reflection, and playful exploration. We will hold space for you to engage deeply with the landscape, the sky, and your own unique way of seeing and interpreting what you notice.
Engaging in these practices in this gorgeous lake setting will offer us an experience that is at once magical, restorative, and quietly transformative—an invitation to soften, to wonder, and to create from a place of presence.” ~ Moni
~ YOUR LAKEFRONT SETTING~
RETREAT HIGHLIGHTS
Guided Cloud Exploration: Painting, sketching, and journaling exercises led by Moni Hill, designed to help you observe, reflect, and express your connection to the sky.
Artistic Inspiration: Study historical and contemporary cloud paintings, explore symbolic and cultural meanings of clouds, and develop your own individual sky sketchbook to take home.
Collaborative Sky Painting: participate in a large-scale group artwork, using acrylic paints, with each participant receiving a high res. print of the final piece.
Immersion in Nature: weather permitting, enjoy guided forest walks and lake outings (pontoon, kayak, or canoe) to observe clouds, light, and reflections in a wild natural setting.
Shared Meals & Community: Nourishing meals, happy hours, and evening gathering circles to foster connection, reflection, and creative exchange.
Flexible Creativity: Studio and journaling time are integrated throughout, allowing for personal exploration, play, and mindful observation at your own pace.
A Restorative Experience: Designed for artists of all levels, this retreat offers a magical, reflective, and transformative journey through clouds, creativity, and nature.
What’s Included
Four nights accommodation at a lakefront home on beautiful Lake Santeetlah
Nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina, and located right on the lake! An easy 2 hours drive from vibrant downtown Asheville. Your accommodations will be at one of two lakefront homes on the same lake cove (within walking distance to each other).
Daily art-making with Moni
Painting, sketching, and journaling exercises - in the on-site studio - led by Moni, designed to help you observe, reflect, and express your connection to the sky.
Daily creative practices with Moni
Studio and journaling time are integrated throughout, allowing for personal exploration, play, and mindful observation at your own pace.
A wide array of beautiful, varied art supplies at your disposal throughout the retreat.
This retreat emphasizes the use of creative journals. We will provide an array of mixed media art supplies for working in your journals throughout the duration of the retreat. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mixed-media sketchbooks and any favorite pens, markers, or pencils. You’ll have a wide array of colored pencils, markers, watercolor paints, and acrylic paints at your fingertips for the final collaborative project.
Gathering Circles
Several times during the retreat,, we will gather in creative circle to set our intentions, to honor one another’s creative spirit and to share experiences in a safe container where we can simply show up as our authentic selves.
Nature Immersion & Inspiration
80% of the lake’s shoreline is undeveloped, giving us plentiful, lush beauty + tranquility, vast horizons, deep hues of blue & green and big, open sky. In this setting, you will have no shortage of natural beauty to draw ideas and inspiration from for your color palettes, forms and subjects. We invite you to allow the unspoiled natural surroundings to fuel your choices & imagination throughout the retreat.
Weather permitting, we will also be getting out in the beautiful natural landscapes and waterscapes that surround us for guided nature outings & hikes!
Community and Connection
Throughout the retreat, we will enjoy creative time together, via art-making, meals, lake outings on the boat, happy hour and downtime together on the screened porches. You will also have the opportunity for nature walks or your own private time as you choose, when you need a little downtime.
Soaking in the Beauty of the Lake
You’ll have time for swimming, boating or just relaxing as you watch the sunlight dapple across the lake as you sip your morning coffee. Pontoon cruises to enjoy the lake’s beauty will be offered - weather permitting, on Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
Delicious & Nourishing Food
All of your meals, beverages and nourishing snacks are included with this retreat! On the first night, there will be a special chef-prepared spread of heavy h’ors d’oeuvres and a happy hour to welcome you! On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, you’ll enjoy fresh continental breakfasts in addition to fully catered lunches and chef-prepared dinners. On Sunday a catered breakfast will be provided for the last morning of the retreat.
LAKE SANTEETLAH IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LAKES IN THE U.S. ACCORDING TO TRAVEL & LEISURE & OUTSIDE MAGAZINE
You see art-making as a tool for self-nourishment, creative expression and joy.
You long for connection with other like-hearted souls, in a collaborative, non-judgmental atmosphere.
You find the idea of creating art, while immersed in a beautiful natural setting, inspiring.
In addition to studio time indoors, you’d enjoy spending time exploring the beautiful outdoors & - even better- to make art outdoors for part of the time (weather permitting).
You would enjoy learning alongside and with an artist who is passionate about the natural world - and who is also a wonderful nature guide!
You don’t mind- or you even relish- the idea of putting down the to-do list and dropping into a stretch of days filled will wonder, presence, creativity and connection.
You value the creative process itself, and would enjoy being invited and inspired to tap into your own creative voice.
You’d love to learn from -and with- Moni - through her creative mediums and practices that she will share.
You look forward to a balance of time for art-making, time for connection, and down time to enjoy the beauty of the lake and the serenity of its surroundings.
How do I know if this retreat is a good fit for me?
Welcome! I’m Kristen Edge, owner of ArtPlay Creativity Studio + Gallery and your host for each retreat.
In May of 2025, we began a beautiful new chapter of hosting women’s art retreats at Lake Santeetlah, quietly nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina. It has been a joyful experience to welcome and host women from across the country - and beyond- who feel drawn to nurturing their creative spirit while connecting with other like-hearted souls. A few times per year, we gather in a gorgeous lakefront setting, surrounded by miles of preserved national forest shoreline to remember our inborn creativity and learn from artists who are passionate about sharing their gifts..
We hosted three retreats in 2025: Playful Blooms with Cathy Nichols, Watercolor + Wonder with Katie White and ColorFlow with Kimberly Deene. Each retreat has held its own special magic that gets created anew with the unique constellation of women who gather here. I hope you’ll join us on the journey in 2026!
I’m so thrilled to host Moni Hill as a retreat artist this year & for you to get to experience her creative magic!
FAQ’s
Do I need artistic background or experience to attend this retreat? This is a common question we receive, and the answer is NO, you do not need to be an artist or be experienced with art-making to attend this retreat. Our retreats are designed to be beginner-friendly and supportive of wherever you may be on your creative journey.
What if I am an experienced artist, will I still benefit? Yes, absolutely. Our retreats are designed to be accessible to beginners however, each retreat will have materials, perspectives, creative processes and techniques that are unique to the teaching artist. These will be beneficial as new tools and “artistic lenses” that will support you wherever you are in your creative journey.
Will there be down time? Yes! Each day will have built-in flex time, between art-making sessions, for you to enjoy the lake, relaxing on the decks or screened porch, connecting with others, swimming or taking nature walks.
What is the cancellation policy? Due to the amount of preparation & expense that goes into creating each retreat we are not able to provide refunds. In the event that you are not able to attend, you may transfer your spot to someone who is interested - given advance notice- however please note that it would be your responsibility to find your replacement. As a courtesy, if we have people on a wait list we are happy to announce your available spot for you
What are the options for payment/ reservation? You may pay in full - and save an additional $100 at checkout- or reserve your spot via 3 (non-refundable) installments. Both of those options are available to you in each reservation listing.
Are food sensitivities accounted for in menu planning? Yes. Accommodations in our menu planning depend on the number of people in the group that have specific sensitivities or limitations. The most common menu accommodations thus far have been: gluten-free and vegetarian options. Happy to hear from you If you have questions in advance -or upon registering. Please reach out here with your questions.
How do I get to the retreat location? While transportation is not included, your host- Kristen Edge- is happy to work with you if you need to arrange for shuttle transport from the Asheville Airport to Lake Santeetlah. Please reach out to your host, Kristen Edge here if you have questions about arrival logistics. For general navigation and location you can use area code: 28771 to estimate your drive time. Lake Santeetlah is a two hour drive from Asheville NC
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? Your host, Kristen, is happy to reply to you personally or set up a time for a phone call.
Wednesday:
3-5 pm Arrival/ unpack, relax
5:30 pm Happy Hour+ Heavy Hor’s d’oeuvres
6:30 pm Welcome Circle with Intention Setting for our time together -be open, pay attention + Mary Oliver poem.
Thursday:
8:30am continental breakfast + fresh croissants
9:45am morning art workshop with Moni: Studying Clouds & Sketching the Sky - outdoor studio, weather permitting12:30pm catered lunch, followed by free time: relaxing on the lake, optional pontoon boat outing, group walk or personal down time
2:30pm: afternoon art workshop with Moni: Cloud-Inspired Painting & Reflection -outdoor studio, weather permitting
6:00pm: chef-prepared dinner
7:00pm: gathering in circle/ group sharing of the dayFriday :
8:00 am continental breakfast + fresh baked french bread & cheeses
8:45 guided hike on a trail next to the lake
10:45am morning art workshop with Moni: Observing Clouds & Personal Practice; Deepening Cloud Studies & Artistic Exploration-1:00 pm: catered lunch, followed by free time: relaxing on the lake, optional pontoon boat outing, group walk or personal down time
2:30pm: afternoon art workshop with Moni: Observing Clouds & Personal Practice; Begin Collaborative Sky Painting - outdoor studio, weather permittingWork together on a large-scale cloud-inspired piece
6:00pm: chef-prepared dinner
7:00pm: gathering in circle/ group sharing of the daySaturday :
8:00 am continental breakfast + frIttata
8:45 guided hike to nearby waterfall10:45 morning art with Moni: continue working on collaborative piece ~ work together on a large-scale cloud-inspired piece; continue personal journals and reflective exercises
1::00 pm: catered lunch, followed by free time: relaxing on the lake, optional pontoon boat outing, group walk or personal down time
2:30 pm: afternoon art with Moni: continue working on collaborative piece ~ work together on a large-scale cloud-inspired piece; continue personal journals and reflective exercises
6:00pm: chef-prepared dinner
7:00pm: gathering in circle/ group sharing of the daySunday :
8:30 am chef-prepared breakfast
9:30am Sharing Circle & Reflection- sharing of individual sketchbooks and/ or paintings & group reflection on the collaborative sky piece and retreat experience
11:00 am: farewell & departure
SAMPLE ITINERARY
CLOUDSPOTTING 4 DAY RETREAT ~ MAY 13-17, 2026
BOOK NOW FOR EARLY BIRD PRICING!
$400 savings through March 15, 2026
RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW TO LOCK IN THE LOWEST PRICES
There are 10 in spots in total available for this retreat
$2550-3250
$2150 - $2850
Room types and availability for this retreat:
SINGLE OCCUPANCY MASTER SUITE/ LAKEFRONT- 2 spots (private)
DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ROOM/ LAKEVIEW - 4 spots (shared)
SINGLE OCCUPANCY ROOM/ LAKEFRONT - 4 spots (private room/ shared bath)
Note: Both double occupancy rooms at this retreat are spacious and include an en suite bathroom that you would share with one person. People have booked the double occupancy spots independently in the past AND these rooms are also ideal for pairs (sisters, friends, mom/ daughter, etc.). The master suites also works well for pairs that do not mind sharing a king bed. Master suites can be booked independently or as a shared room between 2 participants with an additional participant fee. See listings for details.
COVE HOUSE IS WHERE ALL OF THE MEALS, RETREAT ACTIVITIES AND ART-MAKING SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE
SUNSET HOUSE IS LOCATED VERY NEARBY ~ 10 min. WALKING DISTANCE TO COVE HOUSE
KIND WORDS FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS :
