Room options:
A proper twin room shared with one other guest, located on the first floor. The rooms at Eden Rise are simple and honest, with many opening directly onto the courtyard garden or upper terrace, so the Devon countryside is never far. Underfloor heating throughout. Bathrooms are shared. Bathrooms are shared just steps away.
The price includes:
4 nights stay in a shared twin room
Full board for the duration of the stay (healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Creative and wellbeing activities (plein air painting, art sessions, sound baths, yoga sessions and meditations,..)
* Transport to/from the retreat is not included and needs to be organised by the attendee
Set within Eden Rise's characterful barn dorm space, You'll share the room with fellow retreat guests. The pods offer a sense of personal sanctuary within a shared room all inside a 200-year-old Devon barn. Located on the ground floor. Bathrooms are shared.
Total price: £650
Non-refundable deposit to secure your place: £350 (pay now)
Remaining balance due by 15th July: £300
Your own room and the kind of quiet that lets a retreat really land. This is the most intimate option at Eden Rise, giving you a private space to return to after sessions, meals, and time in nature. The room is on first floor at the bones of a 200-year-old converted barn. Bathrooms are shared just steps away.
Total price: £850
Non-refundable deposit £350
Your own small double bed tucked into a private pod within the dorm gives you a little more room to stretch out, and a touch more seclusion, while still being part of the gentle hum of communal life in the barn. Located on the ground floor. Bathrooms are shared.
Total price: £700
Non-refundable deposit to secure your place: £350 (pay now)
Remaining balance due by 15th July: £350
What Sets Our Retreat Apart
01 / Guided, not performative
This retreat is designed for people who want to reconnect with creativity, not just experienced artists. The painting element is guided rather than technical, so the focus is on confidence, expression, and being in nature rather than producing perfect work.
02 / Space to reconnect with yourself
Alongside painting, the retreat includes restorative practices that help you slow down, soften, and return to yourself. The aim is to support creativity by creating the conditions for presence, rest, and inner connection.
03 / Creativity rooted in nature
Rather than creating indoors or in a studio, the retreat is shaped by direct connection with the natural world. Time outside, observation, stillness, and sensory experience are part of the creative practice itself.
gentle but rich journey through creativity, presence, and nature.
Spaces
are limited
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5 days / 4 nights accommodation
Catering throughout the retreat
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
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Thursday
Arrival from 5pm
Creative introductions, vision boarding & getting to know each other
Dinner
Intention setting & sound bath
Friday
Morning movement practice
Breakfast
Canvas building & getting to know our materials
Lunch
Intuitive art-making with sound
Dinner
Evening sauna
Saturday
Breakfast
Meditation & sound within the landscape
Introduction into perspective in landscape
Lunch
Sketching group walk, Natural pigments hunt
Dinner
Evening astrology talk
Sunday
Sunrise sound bath
Breakfast
Full-day plein air painting with picnic
Group reflection & sharing before dinner
Dinner
Fire ceremony with s’mores
Monday
Integration sound bath
Breakfast
Showcase & closing tea ceremony
Departure by 12pm
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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
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We understand that plans can change, and we aim to hold a balance between flexibility for participants and the practical commitments required to run the retreat.
A non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place on the retreat.
If you cancel more than 30 days before the retreat start date, any payments made beyond the deposit will be refunded.
If you cancel within 30 days of the retreat, we are unable to offer a refund, unless your space can be filled by another participant.
In the event that you are unable to attend, you are welcome to transfer your place to someone else, subject to our approval.
If the retreat is cancelled by the organisers for any reason, you will receive a full refund of all payments made.
We strongly recommend that participants take out travel insurance to cover any unforeseen circumstances.
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Accommodation
Single bed in twin pod within dorm space
£650 (SOLD OUT)
Private small double bed in pod within dorm space
£700 (SOLD OUT)
Single bed in twin room with sink (sleeps 2 max)
£750 (ONE LAST SPOT LEFT)
Private room with small-double bed with sink
£850 (SOLD OUT)
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.
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
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.