I should not have worried, Lisa Hamlyn Field, the organizer of the event, thought of everything. Even the cabin mates where thought out, I was in with 3 other ladies in my age group and we all really meshed - although our art interests were different.
The event wasn't all art, there was Yoga, gardening, canning, jewelry making, photography, how to write a book, quilting, crocheting, and more. The venue couldn't have been better, Waldemar, a girls camp, is just beautiful with the Guadalupe River running right through it. The food was awesome, I haven't had three square meals a day like that, ever. I got to try paddle boarding for the first time, that was so much fun, and there were kayaks, canoes and paddle boats available as well as archery and horse back riding.
Each night there were key note speakers and I must say, I got a lot out of each one - from how to form a like minded small group of women to get feedback and explore creative ideas, the current state of our food system and what an individual can do to make an impact, or what it takes and how to dream big, to accepting/loving yourself through self portraiture/photos. All good stuff. At the end of day we sat around a huge campfire and were serenaded by Mandy Rowden, a local Austin singer/songwriter.
On the first day I thought, boy, 4 days of this is going to be too much, but by the end I was longing for more time there. I recommend attending an event like this to everyone, just get away and off the "grid" for a while, it does so much good for the soul and reminds you how great female companionship can be. The only thing that would have made the experience better is more time for more classes!
I don't take enough pictures, which is why I should have signed up for a photography class, but here are a few. The venue was so beautiful. In the collage below I've included a picture of the two canvases I painted with Juliette.
