September 10th-18th, 2026 - Artist/Instructor Christi Friesen

Play, Inspiration & Flow:

A Creative Exploration Retreat

What will we be doing with our workshop time together at La Cascade in Durfort, France?

Making art of course, learning techniques and experimenting with materials, but oh! so much more than just that.

Join me in a shared experience where we will follow creative prompts to stretch our imaginations and use the companionship of our group to set up imagination momentum that will continue beyond our time together.

We will learn how to see ideas hiding in plain sight everywhere! We’ll use sketching, journaling and taking photos to capture inspiration.

You will be provided with a guidebook I’ve created especially for our group with prompts designed to open up new ideas. We will find inspiration daily from the local environment and surrounding places of interest for use in our drawings, paintings, print-making, sculpture and assemblages.

We will make things of course, there will be demos and how-tos, but more importantly, we will play, we will explore, we will look behind the curtain to see HOW to come up with ideas, how ‘flow’ happens, and where ideas can be found.

This is a time to create new pathways that you will enjoy exploring long after our time together is a delightful memory.

Oh and there will be really good food, too.

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About Christi Friesen

Christi Friesen is an award-winning artist, specializing in mixed media sculptural and adornment pieces. Her style embraces an abundance of embellishments, often incorporating glass, gems, pearls, beads, fiber, found objects, artifacts, metal and ceramic components. Her work expresses joy and exuberance.

Christi’s art has been showcased in numerous books, articles, juried shows, exhibits and juried contests.

In addition, Christi has written a dozen how-to books on creating.

She also teaches her unique style using humor and positive energy to encourage students to stretch their creativity, technical skills and artistic confidence.

Christi says about her work: “I am an artist because I must be. My mind wanders

and my fingers follow. I try to find the joy, and share it.”

Christi Friesen

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“Ma Vie est L’Art” - My Life is Art