Return to Ourselves
An Exploration of Artists and Ancestors in a Creative Journey
Two Masters, One Mission: Your Authentic Voice
Join two renowned artists and educators for a weekend of inspired instruction and personal transformation.
All for just $375. This is the first retreat of its kind, and we’re making it beautifully affordable—for now.
This retreat is for artists who are ready to go deeper—those who have the technical skills but crave greater authenticity, emotional depth, and personal meaning in their work.
Maybe you’ve felt stuck in someone else’s style.
Maybe you’ve mastered technique but lost touch with your original voice.
Maybe you’re just discovering how painting can be a path to self-awareness, healing, and joy.
This is a space for growth, experimentation, and rediscovery—where your artistic identity is not only respected but nurtured and challenged.
If you want to paint boldly and intuitively, Alla will explain and demonstrate how to let go of specific expectations by focusing on the flow of painting with a focus on light, depth, energy, and emotion through expressive brushstrokes.
Rob will guide you through the "9 Elements of Masterful Painting" while using psychology to help you uncover your personal strengths, challenges, and unique style.
This retreat isn’t about painting like someone else.
It’s about finally painting like YOU.
Come as you are—leave with renewed confidence, clarity, and creative fire.
Who is the retreat for?
Retreat Details
Location: Lynx Run Wilderness Retreat. 9620 230th Avenue, Big Rapids MI 49307
Cost: $375 per artist (includes lodging & meals) $100 deposit due upon registration, $275 due at arrival (Venmo or cash)
July 25-27th Schedule:
Friday, July 25
5:00–6:30 PM – Arrival & settle in (accommodation will be assigned on a first come first serve basis)
7:00 PM – Opening ceremony: charcuterie, ancestral connection ritual, creek walk, tipi fire circle
Saturday, July 26
9:00 AM – Alla's demonstration
10:00–12:00 PM – Individual plein air painting
12:00 PM – Lunch
1:00 PM – Rob's demonstration
2:00–4:00 PM – Painting session
Evening – Free time + dinner
Sunday, July 27
9:00 AM–12:00 PM – Final painting session
12:00 PM – Lunch + goodbyes
Alla Dickson
Impressionist Painter & Intuitive Teacher
Experience the freedom of Alla Prima with Alla’s bold, emotional, and light-infused brushwork. Learn how to connect energy and atmosphere to your canvas.
Rob VanDer Zee
Fine Art Educator & Creative Mentor
Discover Rob’s "9 Elements of Masterful Painting" and explore how psychology can unlock your hidden creative strengths. Rob doesn’t teach students to paint like him—he helps you paint like yourself.
The Lynx Run
Nestled within Michigan’s Manistee National Forest, Lynx Run is the soulful, off-grid homestead and creative sanctuary of artist Rob Vander Zee.
Inspired as a boy by the play of light on trout streams and moss-laden forests, Rob brought that childhood wonder full circle—building a rustic cabin and solar-powered studio in this 20‑acre ravine, christened “Lynx Run” after a chance encounter with a returning lynx.
Guests will stay in charming, private rooms nestled within the Lynx Run retreat grounds—designed for comfort, quiet, and connection to nature. Each space is thoughtfully appointed with rustic elegance, surrounded by tranquil forest views, gardens, and the sound of a nearby creek.
Today, the property unfolds across an English country garden, a contemplative Japanese moss garden, and a Mediterranean courtyard, all woven into a tapestry of forested trails, trout-filled creek, and star-filled skie
It’s a profoundly immersive, regenerative landscape—ideal for painting, reflection, and reconnecting both with nature and your own creative spirit.
Accomodations
With a focus on simplicity and serenity, these accommodations offer the perfect balance of cozy retreat and creative inspiration, allowing you to rest deeply and rise ready to paint, reflect, and explore. All meals are included and shared in community.
