Touchstone Retreats/Workshops
HEART OF SUMMER ~ Poetry and Art in the Garden
Summer 2026
Come create in the garden under luminous summer skies, allowing yourself to be transported by the magic of the Pacific Northwest on two peak summer evenings! In addition, in August we will offer a full day retreat! These offerings embody the spirit of a creative retreat while celebrating the beauty of summer.
“Create space to pause and draw sweetness from each bright thing.”
James Crews (excerpt from “What the Heart Says”)
HEART OF SUMMER ~ Kinetic Poetry Sculptures
With Lisa and Margaret
Monday August 3rd 6:30-9PM $80
In addition to reading poetry and writing in the garden, at our August evening retreat, we will create kinetic poetry sculptures exploring balance, color, and movement!
Location: This retreat will be offered in Margaret’s garden and in her studio in the
Creston neighborhood of SE Portland.
Visit our Events Page to learn more and register!
ART IN THE GARDEN ~ A Celebration of Creative Community
A full day art & writing retreat
With Lisa and Margaret
Sunday August 23rd 10:30am-5pm $225
Join us and soak in the brilliance of summer while honoring the light within you.Through writing and art making, we will create mixed media fabric banners using a variety of surface decoration techniques including printmaking, painting, drawing, and adding excerpts from our creative writing. We will have a chance to consider what balance and harmony mean to us in the ecosystem of our own hearts amidst the push and pull of this tenuous world. This soulful gathering offers you the chance to deeply nourish and refresh yourself in the supportive, uplifting company of other women.
Location: This retreat will be held at Lisa’s garden and studio at her home in the Woodstock neighborhood in Southeast Portland.
Visit our Events Page to learn more and register!
Image right: Welcome, Mixed Media Lisa Kagan
CREATIVE ALCHEMY ~ Poetry Art & Community
A ten-week creative retreat series
With Margaret and Lisa
Fall 2026 Mondays 6:30-9 PM
We invite you to join us in creative community at the cusp of autumn, as we move towards the darker days of the year. This weekly retreat series offers you the chance to step away from the demands of daily life and to connect more deeply with yourself and your innate wisdom through the creative process. During this session we will explore our relationship to the concept of “creative alchemy” as it relates to how we can transform ordinary experiences, emotions, and raw materials into treasures, innovative creations, and fresh insights. We will experiment with distilling our creativity into forms and shapes that speak to our lives and a deeper connection with ourselves through engaging in active imagination, exploring magical realism, and transforming the discarded into gold. Our weekly projects will utilize a variety of mixed media techniques including painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture. Featured projects for this series include creating assemblage sculptures incorporating personal treasures, designing balance and harmony mobiles, and making bleeding tissue paper paintings. This program offers you a chance to kindle your creative spark and cultivate new ways of enriching your imagination while nourishing yourself in the supportive, uplifting company of other women.
$540
Dates & Times:
September 28 @ 6:30 pm - December 7 @ 9:00 pm
Location: Studio of the Imagination SE Portland, OR
Visit our event page (Here) to learn more and register:
This program is offered through Touchstone Retreats.
Image Credits:(top) Butterfly Moon by Margaret Hartsook
Transform, MIxed Media by Lisa Kagan
Creative Opportunities with Lisa and Dawn
Looking to join a Touchstone Retreats online writing circle?
Writing from Center: A Thursday morning writing devotion
with Dawn Thompson via Zoom
Dates: April 2- June 4, 2026, skipping April 16 (9 weeks)
Time: 10:00am-12:15pm
Cost: $300
For a complete list of writing and art making workshops with DAWN THOMPSON
please visit: Words for Healing.com
Join us for creativity & connection
For a complete list of writing and art making workshops with Margaret Hartsook, Lisa Kagan and Dawn Thompson visit the Touchstone Retreats Events page.
You can learn more about Touchstone at:
https://familyheirloomarts.com/touchstone-retreats/
