ZION NATIONAL PARK: Art & Spirit Painting Retreat - September 14 -18, 2011

Unleash your creative spirit amidst the breathtaking beauty of Zion National Park. Through guided visualizations, meditation and dreamwork, shamanic artist Linda Jacobson will help you access your artistic vision. Through personalized individual guidance and group demonstrations of art techniques you’ll learn to express your personal imagery inspired by the extraordinary beauty of the landscape.

Paint~Draw~Meditate

In this workshop you will create free flowing spontaneous imagery, draw from nature and develop sketches into finished works. You will learn about color, paint handling and composition through discussions and demonstrations of acrylic, watercolor and pastel techniques. No prior art experience necessary – everyone is welcome, beginning and advanced artists. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, you are welcome to journey with us.

Access Your Inner Creative Spirit

Tap into the wellspring of your creative fire in a non-judgmental, nurturing environment. Rejuvenate your life by giving yourself the time to focus on your inner nature and the beauty of the landscape that surrounds you. In our community of like-minded artistic explorers you will experience support and stimulation to enhance your creative expression.

Prepare for the Magic of Zion

Zion National Park has a long history of artists awed and inspired by the magnificent landscape. The constantly shifting colors and variations of light make the park the perfect place to cultivate your creativity. If you are adventurous, the many hikes and trails (at all levels) allow you the time to merge with nature, quiet your mind and settle in deep peace. Ancestral Puebloans must have felt the same way too as artifacts have been found in the park that date back to 7000 BC!

Itinerary for Zion National Park Artist Painting Retreat

Day 1 Wed, Sept 14

Today we all arrive and gather at our charming hotel, The Cliffrose Lodge & Gardens, which is located right at the entrance to Zion National Park. We’ll check in, get settled in our rooms and meet in our private meeting room/studio to meet and greet at 6pm and set up your art space! Well go for dinner to one of the nearby restaurants at 7:00 pm and afterward we’ll do a short opening ceremony and meditation go over the general structure for our next days together, talk about materials and what to bring on the day trips, your personal workshop goals and get to know each other. There will also be a dream assignment every night to help you access the deeper creative realms of your creative spirit.

We need a good nights sleep so we’re ready for the unforgettable experience awaiting us in the natural beauty of Zion National Park. With stunning rock-formations and breathtaking canyon views, Zion National Park is sure to inspire you! Springdale is a tiny town with many shops, art galleries and restaurants right at the entrance to Zion. The Zion Shuttle will take us anywhere in town or in the park that we want to go!

Days 2-4 Thurs – Sat, Sept 15-17

We’ll spend the next 3 days exploring the canyons, rivers and rock formations of Zion. Each morning we’ll start our day with a hearty breakfast at one of the local eateries (most likely the popular “Spotted Dog” next to the hotel), then gather for a morning meditation before we head out on a sketching/painting excursion. We’ll take sketchbooks, cameras, portable materials for our exploration to make inspirational studies from the magnificent, breathtaking landscape. We’ll get on the Zion Shuttle, and each day we will explore a different location.

We’ll either bring picnic lunches and snacks or we will go back to the hotel for lunch. In the later afternoon, we’ll meet again in our meeting room to create larger works from our sketches or paint in the beautiful gardens surrounding our hotel amidst breathtaking views of the mountains and the river. The rest of the afternoon will be open for you to continue your work, take a lovely walk in the park or by the river, or take some time for yourself in town. After dinner, our evenings will be spent gathering together in our meeting room to discuss our day, meditate and share our work with each other. There is no definite schedule for these days, only a basic outline that may be changed as we work with the energy present in the moment.

Day 5 Sun Sept 18

We wrap up our workshop and time together at noon. Breakfast in the morning will be followed by a group sharing of our work and ending ceremony – then group photos, lot’s of hugs and sweet good-by’s. We’ll leave our experience in nature renewed, refreshed and excited about what we have created and filled with new creative ideas stimulated by our journey.

Zion National Park Artist’s Painting Retreat Trip Costs

The 2011 trip cost is: $995.00 USD per person, double occupancy. If you prefer a single for this artist retreat, the supplement is $270.00 USD.

Important Information for our Zion Park Artist Painting Retreat

What’s Included:

All spiritual and shamanic teachings by Linda Jacobson are included.

All meditations and guided imagery

Special exercises for accessing your inner creativity

Demonstrations of various art media

Discussions of color theory and composition

Field trips into Zion for thumbnail sketching

Indoor studio classes for discussion & sharing

One-on-one guidance designed to unfold your personal creative vision

Entrance fees to Zion National Park are included.

Four nights double occupancy at the charming Cliffrose Lodge & Gardens . We’ll be able to draw in the gardens too!

What’s Not-Included:

Meals are not-included but our hotel is surrounded by fun restaurants! Your room has a refrigerator so you can purchase breakfast items and eat in your room.

Your art supplies are not-included (list will supplied upon registration)

Your round-trip air flight to and from St George, Utah or Las Vegas, NV.

Your shuttle from the airport to our hotel, phone calls, laundering services and souvenir shopping are not-included.

Regarding Flights: You can fly into either St George, Utah which is less than an hour from the hotel (SGU) or Las Vegas, NV – which is around 3 hours from our hotel and take the Zion Shuttle. Please fly into St George or Las Vegas by noon on September 14th so that you can arrive at the Cliffrose Lodge & Gardens by the entrance to Zion Nation Park by dinner time. Check the shuttle times before making your flights! Going home on September 18th please do not schedule your flight to leave before noon because you must be at the airport two hours before plus you need time to transport to the airport.

Join us for this incredible journey designed to ignite your passion and creativity!

Journeys of the Spirit® is the joyful creation of Sheri Rosenthal DPM. Sheri and her team of inspiring teachers and guides are committed to making JOTS® the premier travel company for transformational, uplifting and heart-opening spiritual journeys and retreats!

At Journeys of the Spirit®, we are committed to bringing forth experiences that transform lives by empowering people to express boldly and fearlessly in life and by giving back in the world. This is our joy and mission. In any conscious travel experience, we purposely open ourselves to new ideas, feelings and personal connections. Our intent is to see the world with new eyes and to open to the great mystery that we are. So much so, that with each journey we continue to metamorphose, freeing us from the mental limitations that prevent the expression of our true potential and purpose!

Our earth’s sacred sites have been designed by seekers before us for the purpose of fostering divine consciousness and the experience of enlightenment. Each sacred site acts as a mirror to reflect the limitations society and our own minds have placed upon our true expression. The self-awareness gained on a spiritual retreat is special and unique for each wayfarer and is perfect, a gift from the infinite within each of us. On a spiritual journey we have the opportunity to encounter our authentic self, integrity, clarity of mind and true purpose.

In the end, the most important adventure of all is the path to self-realization and the discovery of our divine nature. To be happy in life we must be happy inside us first. It’s this internal happiness and learning to cultivate the truth of who we really are that’s revealed to us on a spiritual retreat. These sacred journeys support us by cultivating an environment of unconditional love, unencumbered by the judgment and illusions of our society.