Prints, Patterns & Personal Pages: A Weekend Creativity Retreat
7/24/2026Event Description
Instructor: Kara Ashley-Gilmore & Robyn Crawford
Date: 7/24, 7/25, 7/26
Member: $275 Non-Member: $300
Part 1: Gelli Printing
Gelli Plate Printing: A Color‑Splashed Journey Into Play
Welcome to a morning of joyful mess‑making, where the rules are few, the colors are bold, and your only real job is to let yourself play. In this spirited session, we’ll dive into the enchanting world of monoprinting—a process where each print is pulled only once, making every piece a little surprise gift from your creative self. No duplicates, no perfection, just pure, unrepeatable magic.
We’ll coax color across the gelli plate, press in textures from botanicals, stencils, and odd little treasures, and delight in the unexpected patterns that appear. This is art as exploration: a chance to loosen your grip, follow your curiosity, and discover what happens when you give yourself permission to experiment without expectations.
By the end of the morning, you’ll have a vibrant stack of one‑of‑a‑kind prints—each one a tiny record of your creative courage and playfulness. These prints will become the raw materials for our afternoon adventure, where we’ll transform them into something new and uniquely yours.
Part 2: Handmade Book Creation
In the first half of our retreat, you captured textures, layers, and colors through the fluid, experimental process of Gelli printing. Next, we will take those vibrant prints and give them a physical home.
During the second half of Saturday’s workshop, we will transform your favorite prints into a structural Accordion Artist Book. We’ll start by finding the rhythm in your prints using paint, pens, and markers to add mindful patterns and marks that make the pages uniquely yours. Then, we move into the engineering phase, where we tear, fold, and join your papers to create a sculptural book that literally stands on its own.
No art experience? You’ll love the step-by-step guidance that turns messy prints into a polished, professional-looking object.
Seasoned artist? You’ll enjoy the sophisticated techniques for adding hidden pockets, secret flaps, and custom closures that make a book truly interactive.
The result is a layered, three-dimensional companion that can expand to show off your work or fold down into a compact, private keepsake. It’s the perfect place to hold your ideas, your marks, and the memories of our weekend together.
Our Flow:
-Friday Evening Gathering, 5pm-8pm (location provided after registration): Welcome, intention setting, and community connection
-Saturday Morning, 9am-12pm: Gelli printing, color-play, and texture exploration
-Saturday Afternoon, 1pm-4pm: Transforming prints into a custom artist book
-Sunday Morning, 9am-12pm: Open Studio time to polish, play, and connect
Your creative reset is waiting. We’ve cleared the schedule so you can clear your head. Whether you’re a lifelong maker or a curious beginner, come for the prints, stay for the community, and leave with a finished book that holds the magic of the whole weekend. Register to join the journey from start to finish!
Artist Bio:
Kara Ashley-Gilmore believes in the use of our innate creativity for our wellness and healing. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and owner of Mountain Creative Arts Counseling; a mixed-media artist at the Art Place Studios, in Hendersonville; and Board Member of the Arts Council of Henderson County. Ultimately, all of her work is about helping people be more creative, use their creativity for personal growth, and incorporate creativity into their daily lives. Her art workshops are tailored to those who appreciate opportunities for creative exploration–with gentle guidance–in a non-judgemental, quiet atmosphere.
Robyn Crawford studied at Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art, and Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. For more than 30 years, she has worked as a mixed‑media artist, photographer, teacher, and creativity coach—exhibiting her work and guiding students as they explore their own artistic possibilities.Her teaching style is rooted in curiosity, play, and the joy of discovery. She encourages students to experiment boldly, follow their instincts, and let the creative process lead them somewhere unexpected. Her own studio practice mirrors that spirit—she loves diving into new materials and noticing how each one sparks fresh ideas across mediums.
Working with her photographs, clay, acrylics, mosaics, handmade papers, hot glass, metal, resin, crystals, and more, Robyn creates intensely colorful pieces that feel joyful and deeply connected to spirit. Whether she’s teaching or creating, her focus is on opening doors to creative growth and helping others feel confident exploring their artistic voice.
Date: 7/24, 7/25, 7/26
Member: $275 Non-Member: $300
Part 1: Gelli Printing
Gelli Plate Printing: A Color‑Splashed Journey Into Play
Welcome to a morning of joyful mess‑making, where the rules are few, the colors are bold, and your only real job is to let yourself play. In this spirited session, we’ll dive into the enchanting world of monoprinting—a process where each print is pulled only once, making every piece a little surprise gift from your creative self. No duplicates, no perfection, just pure, unrepeatable magic.
We’ll coax color across the gelli plate, press in textures from botanicals, stencils, and odd little treasures, and delight in the unexpected patterns that appear. This is art as exploration: a chance to loosen your grip, follow your curiosity, and discover what happens when you give yourself permission to experiment without expectations.
By the end of the morning, you’ll have a vibrant stack of one‑of‑a‑kind prints—each one a tiny record of your creative courage and playfulness. These prints will become the raw materials for our afternoon adventure, where we’ll transform them into something new and uniquely yours.
Part 2: Handmade Book Creation
In the first half of our retreat, you captured textures, layers, and colors through the fluid, experimental process of Gelli printing. Next, we will take those vibrant prints and give them a physical home.
During the second half of Saturday’s workshop, we will transform your favorite prints into a structural Accordion Artist Book. We’ll start by finding the rhythm in your prints using paint, pens, and markers to add mindful patterns and marks that make the pages uniquely yours. Then, we move into the engineering phase, where we tear, fold, and join your papers to create a sculptural book that literally stands on its own.
No art experience? You’ll love the step-by-step guidance that turns messy prints into a polished, professional-looking object.
Seasoned artist? You’ll enjoy the sophisticated techniques for adding hidden pockets, secret flaps, and custom closures that make a book truly interactive.
The result is a layered, three-dimensional companion that can expand to show off your work or fold down into a compact, private keepsake. It’s the perfect place to hold your ideas, your marks, and the memories of our weekend together.
Our Flow:
-Friday Evening Gathering, 5pm-8pm (location provided after registration): Welcome, intention setting, and community connection
-Saturday Morning, 9am-12pm: Gelli printing, color-play, and texture exploration
-Saturday Afternoon, 1pm-4pm: Transforming prints into a custom artist book
-Sunday Morning, 9am-12pm: Open Studio time to polish, play, and connect
Your creative reset is waiting. We’ve cleared the schedule so you can clear your head. Whether you’re a lifelong maker or a curious beginner, come for the prints, stay for the community, and leave with a finished book that holds the magic of the whole weekend. Register to join the journey from start to finish!
Artist Bio:
Kara Ashley-Gilmore believes in the use of our innate creativity for our wellness and healing. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and owner of Mountain Creative Arts Counseling; a mixed-media artist at the Art Place Studios, in Hendersonville; and Board Member of the Arts Council of Henderson County. Ultimately, all of her work is about helping people be more creative, use their creativity for personal growth, and incorporate creativity into their daily lives. Her art workshops are tailored to those who appreciate opportunities for creative exploration–with gentle guidance–in a non-judgemental, quiet atmosphere.
Robyn Crawford studied at Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art, and Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. For more than 30 years, she has worked as a mixed‑media artist, photographer, teacher, and creativity coach—exhibiting her work and guiding students as they explore their own artistic possibilities.Her teaching style is rooted in curiosity, play, and the joy of discovery. She encourages students to experiment boldly, follow their instincts, and let the creative process lead them somewhere unexpected. Her own studio practice mirrors that spirit—she loves diving into new materials and noticing how each one sparks fresh ideas across mediums.
Working with her photographs, clay, acrylics, mosaics, handmade papers, hot glass, metal, resin, crystals, and more, Robyn creates intensely colorful pieces that feel joyful and deeply connected to spirit. Whether she’s teaching or creating, her focus is on opening doors to creative growth and helping others feel confident exploring their artistic voice.