Connecting to Your Artistic Identity
October 17-19th | Lynx Run Resort in Big Rapids,MI
All Levels - All Mediums - Zero Expectations
Two Masters, One Mission: Your Authentic Voice
Join two renowned artists Alla Dickson & Rob VanDerzee for a weekend of inspired instruction and personal transformation.
July 2025 Student
“LIfe changing experience! Met lots of awesome people and facilitators were amazing people! The location is a slice of paradise. Thank you for sharing space, knowledge AND YOU! ”
July 2025 Student
“I was apprehensive about joining the artist retreat as I wasn’t sure I would measure up. But, what I found was an accepting group of artists that were inviting and willing to share their knowledge. The energy between Alla and Rob is fun, playful and very jovial. It was such a great atmosphere to learn and grow (after I worked thru my feelings of uncertainty), I didn’t want the weekend to end.
To have the opportunity to get away from the everyday, immerse yourself in your art and be with like minded community is so nourishing. I would encourage anyone thinking of doing it, stop thinking and just do it!”
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)
Retreat Schedule:
Availability: Only 12 spots available
Reserve your Spot: Register HERE and send $100 non refundable deposit via venmo to @LynxRun-WildernessRetreat
Friday
3:000-5:00 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
8–9 am: Breakfast
9–10 am: Demonstration
10–12 pm: Painting / Creating
12 pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Free time — painting, sketching, walking, studio/library time
6–7 pm: Dinner
Sunday
8–9 am: Breakfast
9–10 am: Demonstration
10–12 pm: Painting / Creating
1–2 pm: Departure
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?
Alla Dickson
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.
Impressionist Painter & Intuitive Teacher
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.
Fine Art Educator & Creative Mentor
Rob VanDer Zee
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.
Your oil painting supplies (canvases 16"x20” minimum, easel, brushes, paints)
A plan for safely transporting wet paintings
Outdoor essentials: mosquito repellent, sunscreen
Toiletries and towel
What to Bring
What to Wear
Comfortable, casual clothes for plein air painting
For the opening ceremony, wear something unique, flowing, or ritual-inspired—express your wild self!
Questions?
Email: art@dicksonkingdom.com