Welcome to Seaside Sessions 2025! Each day this week, we will look back at the magic that was our latest offering of Seaside Sessions. While technically our 5th ‘anniversary’ we lost a couple of years to COVID but we’re not letting that slow us down one little bit!
It’s hard to believe that it was 2 weeks ago that we said “Good-bye” to the class of 2025. We packed a ton of fun into our annual gathering by the sea. Thanks for joining us for our traditional re-cap!
…after some rocky weather to start the week, we were gifted clear skies and moderate temperatures once our Creative Explorers arrived (and an AMAZING surprise visitor during our stay).
We welcomed our latest crew on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Guests drifted in during our standard Check-In time (3-5) and enjoyed some time to get settled, take to the beach, and/or enjoy some fizzy water on the deck overlooking the ocean.
After a brief Orientation and quick Meet & Greet, we shared an overview and explanation of this years theme: The Canvas of Curiosities. We illuminated many of the different techniques we would be sharing over the course of our time together and showed them in use by way of the sample projects that we had on display. Following our Welcome and introductions, we enjoyed a Bohemian Feast (a bountiful buffet of nibbly bits) and officially commenced the creative component of Seaside Sessions.
As in each year since our very first retreat, every one of our guests opted to participate in our Creative Exchange. It is a lovely addition to our event, and this year was no exception. As in years past, we drew numbers to determine the days of participation for everyone. This year we had a request by one of our Creative Explorers to go first. It was quickly agreed that Seaside Sessions uber alum, Jill T., could lead the festivities this year. It is nice to note that Jill has attended EVERY Seaside Sessions retreat since our very 1st in 2020. Everyone was thrilled to receive her Artists’ HANDbooks – customized covers for their SS25 notebooks. *My apologies, in advance, for the lack of photos to accompany each of the subsequent Creative Exchange gifts that were shared. We will show them all in all of their glory at the end of our look back.*
We then spent the remainder of the evening exploring the creative rabbit hole that is the making of Mandalas. My offering in the Creative Exchange was a set of micron pens in five different line widths. We put those to use over the next few hours as we learned ways to make the form our own.
Before turning in to rest up for our 1st full day on Thursday, we agreed to undertake a collaborative art work of a Seaside Sessions 2025 Group Mandala. Everyone would complete one circle and the finished piece would be displayed on our final night….
That is yet another facet of this gem that will be revealed in time! Join us again tomorrow (Tuesday, April 8th) when Michelle will take the helm and share all of the fun that was had in her Studio Session on Thursday.
You don’t want to miss it!
