Welcome to a Retreat Like No Other
Rewild the Art Within
Are You a Woman Who:
Is longing to unleash your creative power?
Finds creativity and nurture in nature?
Yearns for time to reflect and express.
Is ready to unearth your creative spirit?
It’s time to rewild your slumbering spirit.
Join Us August 24 – August 29, 2025
Jess and Theresa, your co-hosts, wholeheartedly invite you to experience a week in the Colorado Rockies to ignite your creativity and let nature be your balm.
Immersed in an astonishing mountain environment, this retreat offers an easy-paced opportunity to express yourself through nature inspired art. Your artistic expression, after all, is as deep as your imagination.
Journey with Colors
Using objects in our environment we will express through the mediums of
watercolor, cyanotype and gel printing.
Come Home to the mountains, Come home to yourself.
Discover, Play, Create
Enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded women as we align our spirit, practice mindfulness and explore forest trails, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Each experience is designed to tap into your playful spirit and open a portal to your creative process.
A Typical Day
You’ll start the day with a healthful breakfast then explore the natural world on a hiking or kayaking excursion with Theresa. After a hearty lunch, you’ll join Jess in nature-informed creative practices.
Daily Meanders
Join forest walks led by a naturalist.
Centering Exercises
Relax with meditation and qigong.
Create Together
Make new connections and art in a supportive circle of women.
Engage your Senses
Thoughtfully crafted, each session with Theresa will awaken your body, mind, and spirit to the elements of nature through the lens of Western science while guided by the principles of Eastern medicine.
Opening the heart space – Begin the morning with a gentle qigong session while nestled amid the aspen.
Plant spirit medicine – Discover your power plant. Have you ever felt a resonance to certain plants in your environment? All plants contain a unique vibration and freely offer their healing power. As we stroll along the trail, learn which native plants are edible and which offer medicine.
Birding meditation – After a brief meditation, we will explore the forest using our senses to garner a deeper understanding of our surroundings. As we saunter, Theresa will focus on how birds inform us of changes in the landscape.
Yin time – Find your serenity on a gentle kayak journey on the deep blue water of Grand Lake.
Allow the Colorado Rockies to be your Muse
Jess will guide you in making art inspired by nature, applying foundations of art and using the natural materials that surround us. You’ll receive personalized instruction and come away with a vibrant body of work.
Investigative watercolor – Explore watercolors through a nature journaling session investigating the quaking aspen.
Form through photographic process – As we meander on our daily walks, we’ll collect items to use for cyanotype pieces, one of the earliest photographic processes. We’ll consider our collection as we lay out our pieces to expose them to the sun.
Color theory in layers with gel printing – This easily accessible medium brings textures to life.
Nourishing your Body and Soul
Culinary consciousness – Enjoy family style delicious and nutritious wholefoods based meals prepared by the Shadowcliff Compassionate Kitchen. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options are available.
Forest Bathing – A simple method of practicing calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you.
And more – You’ll have plenty of time for introspection and relaxation. Take a stroll along the serene Shadowcliff Lodge Nature Trail. Relax in a hammock. Don’t forget to look up and travel the galaxy of stars.
Jess Moore
Jess Moore, Masters of Fine Art in Integrated Design
Jess brings a passion for wild places to her art-making practice and her work as an educator. She has been teaching art and design for 20 years. She left a life in corporate design to travel far-flung wild lands as a full-time RVer, gathering inspiration and making art. While such drastic change isn’t for everyone, she knows how to help people reset and center themselves in beautiful environments. Jess’ current body of work focuses on bridging analog materials, specifically wood, with digital tools, making work for gift shops on public lands. Her business is a Corporate Steward of the Public Lands Alliance. She also works in needle arts, photography, and watercolor; ask her about her new project with pine cones.
Theresa Ferraro
M.S. Outdoor Education, M.S. Environmental Studies, M.S. Oriental Medicine
Theresa’s love of wild places is contagious. As a naturalist and park ranger she has dedicated her life to educating students and visitors of all ages about the ecological wonders and cultural heritage of our public lands. Her work as a biologist, spanning Arctic Alaska to the desert Southwest, has nurtured her deep understanding of and respect for nature. In mid-life, Theresa pursued a degree in Oriental Medicine, recognizing the connection between planetary and personal health. She loves to teach about plant medicine and share fun facts about every bird that flies. Theresa has a passion for wordsmithing poetry and chasing the elusive perfect photo.
Welcome to Grand Lake, Colorado
Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge: a location with intention
With a focus on sustainable and ecological values, Shadowcliff, perched high on an outcropping, embodies the splendor of Colorado, and borders Rocky Mountain National Park. With sweeping mountain vistas to the north and the serenity of Grand Lake to the south, Shadowcliff is a space for contemplation and healing.
Welcome Home
Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge is a non-profit retreat center on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Stunning Views
Shadowcliff sits on a high outcropping overlooking Grand Lake with distant views of the Gore Range to the south.
Happy Trails
Our home for the week has quick access to trails that will enliven our hearts as we immerse ourselves.
What you’ll gain from this retreat:
- You’ll be reset by your immersion in nature. You’ll carry joy back to your life because you’ll know how to be curious again about the places you visit, and to make art using the techniques you’ve learned.
- You will come away with art created from inspiration in nature so that you can lead a life more attuned with your creativity and your environment.
- Through mindfulness activities, you’ll feel calmer and more centered so you can find peace, joy, and creativity in your daily activities.
- You’ll nurture connections between yourself and your creativity, so you can take new techniques home – both for creating art and observating nature.
Reflect on the water
Adventure Awaits
Next Steps
Here's what to do:
Confirm your participation with a $500 non-refundable deposit.
Ensure that 50% of the total cost is paid by May 20, 2025.
Complete the payment of your remaining balance by June 30, 2025.
The retreat does not include:
- Insurance for personal, medical, or trip cancellation (strongly advised)
- Dining, snacks, and alcoholic drinks outside of meal times
- Solo excursions
- Purchases of souvenirs, spa treatments, taxi fares, laundry services, or similar personal expenses
Accommodations:
You’ll enjoy solitude in your private room with a queen-sized bed. Bathrooms are shared.
This special place:
A short walk from Shadowcliff, the town of Grand Lake, at 8400 feet of elevation, and is remote enough to offer solitude, peace, and relaxation.
It takes time for most bodies to adjust to large elevation changes. Visitors coming from lower elevation should drink plenty of water and expect to feel the altitude for the first few days.
Our trip includes daily walks along hiking trails. Shadowcliff has several stairs and may not accommodate all needs.