September 17th-21st | Totness Devon❋
Reconnect with your inner self, creativity & nature
Open Skies Retreat is a four-day immersive retreat centred around plein air - the practice of creating in the open air - as a way to reconnect with creativity, presence, and the natural world around you.
Through guided painting sessions, mindfulness practices, sound baths, and meditation, you’ll be invited to slow down and create from a more intuitive, embodied place.
This retreat offers space to explore creativity through observation, sensation, rest, and connection, allowing the landscape, atmosphere, and your own inner rhythms to become part of the creative process. Creating long-lasting momentum that you can always come back to.
Who is this retreat for?
This retreat is for you if you:
No advanced art experience is needed, but if you are an artist and want to try something new, this is for you, too.
You’re welcome exactly as you are.
- Want to reconnect with your creativity
- Feel drawn to painting, nature, and a slower pace
- Would love time away to reset and feel inspired
- Are curious about plein air painting, even as a beginner
- Want a creative experience that feels restorative rather than demanding
- Crave more presence, spaciousness, and connection in your life
OPEN TO ALL LEVELSOpen Skies welcomes both complete beginners and those returning to an existing creative practice.
With less emphasis on technical skill or producing polished work, this retreat encourages a slower, more intuitive approach to creating rooted in observation, curiosity, and connection.
The focus is not on outcome, but on process: learning to notice more deeply, respond instinctively, and reconnect with creativity in a way that feels grounding, spacious, and personal.
Whether you’re picking up a paintbrush for the first time or rediscovering a part of yourself that has been quiet for a while, this retreat offers a supportive environment to explore creativity at your own pace.
Program
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Arrival from 5pm
Creative introductions, vision boarding & getting to know each other
Dinner
Intention setting & sound bath
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Morning movement practice
Healthy breakfast
Canvas building & getting to know our materials
Lunch
Intuitive art-making with sound
Dinner
Evening sauna
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Healthy breakfast
Meditation & sound within the landscape
Introduction into perspective in landscape
Lunch
Sketching group walk, Natural pigments hunt
Dinner
Evening astrology talk
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Sunrise sound bath
Healthy breakfast
Full-day plein air painting with picnic
Group reflection & sharing before dinner
Dinner
Fire ceremony with s’mores
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Integration sound bath
Healthy breakfast
Showcase & closing tea ceremony
Departure 12pm
Your Facilitators
Viola Hortová
Viola is a mixed media expressive artist whose work is deeply rooted in nature and the practice of plein air painting. Originally from Prague and now based in the South West of England, her creative practice explores observation, atmosphere, texture, and the relationship between emotions, genius loci and environment.
Through her facilitation, Viola encourages a more intuitive and personal approach to creating supporting participants to move beyond perfectionism, build confidence in their own visual language, and connect more deeply with the experience of making art outdoors.
Ruby’s Refuge
Ruby is a holistic wellness practitioner working with massage, sound, and meditation, creating spaces that support rest, nervous system regulation, and reconnection.
Her work centres around slowness, presence, and creating environments where people feel grounded enough to soften, reflect, and reconnect with themselves and their creativity. Through sound baths, guided practices, and restorative experiences, she supports a gentler, more embodied approach to creativity and self-expression.
Accommodation
Single bed in twin pod within dorm space
£650
Private small double bed in pod within dorm space
£700
Single bed in twin room with sink (sleeps 2 max)
£750
Private room with small-double bed with sink
£850
Open Skies takes place at Eden Rise, a retreat space nestled within the Devon countryside near Totnes.
Surrounded by open landscapes and nature, the setting offers a sense of spaciousness that supports creativity, and reconnection. Days unfold between shared indoor spaces and the surrounding land, with time to step outside, walk slowly, observe, and simply be in nature.
Eden Rise is run as part of a wellbeing-focused charity and is grounded in sustainable practice, with a commitment to caring for both the land and the environment it sits within.
What’s Included
5 days / 4 nights accommodation
Catering throughout the retreat (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Guided creative practices centring around plein-air painting sessions
Reconnection to self and creative centre
Sound baths and restorative practices
Group discussions and facilitation of your practice
Sauna access
Canvas building materials
What’s Not Included
Travel to and from Eden Rise
Optional extras such as a massage
Travel insurance
Personal art materials
A recommended list of art materials will be shared before the retreat.
Booking
A non-refundable deposit of £350 is required to secure your place.
The remaining balance is due by the 15th of July
To book your place please follow this link for the booking form
At the end of the form, follow the link to select your pay the deposit
Your place is only confirmed once the deposit has been paid
For any questions please email either of us
hello@rubysrefuge.co.uk
viola@violaartstudio.com
FAQ’s
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Not at all. This retreat is open to all levels, including complete beginners. It’s about exploration, creativity, and connection rather than technical skill.
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We’ll focus on plein air painting (painting outdoors in nature), alongside sketching, intuitive art practices, and creative exercises designed to help you loosen up and respond freely to the landscape.
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This is a guided retreat, not a technical course. Viola will offer prompts, guidance, and support, but the emphasis is on developing your own way of seeing and creating rather than step-by-step instruction.
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That’s completely welcome. While creativity is at the heart of the retreat, there is also space for rest, sound baths, nature connection, and restorative practices. You can engage as much or as little as feels right for you.
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You’ll receive a list a month before, but in general: warm outdoor layers, waterproofs, comfortable clothing, sturdy shoes, sleepwear, a notebook/journal, yoga mat, blanket, and any personal art materials or favourite teas/snacks.
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The retreat begins at 5pm on Thursday 17th September at Eden Rise and ends at 12pm on Monday 21st September.
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The retreat is held at Eden Rise, Devon. The nearest train station is Totnes, with taxis available locally. Nearest airports include Exeter, Bristol, and London, with onward train connections. Travel guidance will be shared after booking, and we’ll help coordinate lift shares where possible.
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Yes - many people come solo. We create a welcoming and supportive environment so you can feel comfortable arriving on your own.
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Yes, we can accommodate dietary requirements and allergies - please include details on your booking form
Art Materials
Participants will be asked to bring their own basic art materials.
This is partly practical, but also intentional - we’d love you to leave the retreat with a simple set of materials that feels like the beginning, or continuation, of your own creative practice at home.
You do not need a huge kit or lots of expensive supplies. A simple, thoughtfully chosen set of materials is more than enough. We will be painting on canvas, so some kind of acrylic, gouache, or oil paints is needed.
A suggested materials list will be shared in advance, with guidance on what is essential, what is optional, and how to keep it affordable.
If you’re new to painting
If you’re a beginner, please don’t worry. You won’t be expected to know what to bring on your own. We’ll provide a clear recommended list to help you get set up with a simple starter kit.
The aim is not to overwhelm you with equipment, but to help you arrive with what you need to feel comfortable experimenting.
Will any materials be provided?
Yes we will be providing the materials to build your own canvas
Some shared materials may be available during specific parts of the retreat, but guests should plan to bring their own core materials for painting and sketching.
