DATES: June 17-21, 2026
FEE: $2,500
SIGNUP DEADLINE: March 19
The signup deadline is to ensure the retreat moves forward.
Blooming Whimsy with Helen Dardik
It doesn’t matter if you are at the very beginning of your art journey or a seasoned artist - we are going to make beautiful things together!
We will be using watercolours, gouache and acryla gouache and focusing on variety of techniques. We’ll paint from nature and from within and learn how to see what’s there and what could be there. If you love colour, nature and a bit of whim - you are going to have a wonderful time.
Blooming Fantasy Retreat Schedule
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Let’s get up close and personal with the materials. We’ll get comfortable with using watercolours and gouache and learn about mixing, consistency and colour matching. We’ll talk about contrast and depth and a presentation will follow. We’ll start with one flower. After some practice we’ll move onto composition and how to weave it all together.
9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Morning art session
– break for lunch –
2:00 pm | Afternoon art session
6:00 pm | Simple in-studio dinner
– post-dinner studio time is available –
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On this day we continue to mold a composition and explore your unique style. Building up confidence with a sketch and choosing the right colour combinations. We also play with looseness and precision and explore how brushes can create both. Possibly introducing whim in form of a character or two that might find its way into our floral.
9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast10:00 am | Morning art session
– break for lunch –
2:00 pm | Afternoon art session
6:00 pm | Simple in-studio dinner
– post-dinner studio time is available –
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Now that you’ve had your fill of colourful toomuchery it ’s time to get a break and do a monochrome. Choose your blues, your reds, your greens, browns or even blacks and let’s go!
Sketching your thoughts and helping you envision a whimsical scene. This is a great day to paint your dreams and make up your own folklore.
8:30 am | Early studio access9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Morning art session
– break for lunch –
2:00 pm | Afternoon art session
6:00 pm | Dinner at local restaurant*
– post-dinner studio time is available –
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This is the day we paint on wood. You will be provided with 3 wooden shapes (animals, objects, flowers, etc.,). We’ll gesso the shapes. Presentation on how to paint will follow…and then we’ll paint and assemble together.
8:30 am | Early studio access9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Morning art session
– break for lunch –
2:00 pm | Afternoon art session
6:00 pm | Dinner at The Smiley
– post-dinner studio time is available –
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On this day we are finishing up our favourite pieces. A bonus show and tell presentation on creating an abstract and how to use it as a collage is in the cards.
8:30 am | Early studio access9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Discussion and sharing
1:00 pm | Light lunch & goodbyes
– optional studio time until 5pm –
*Not included in retreat fee. Date of dinner out also subject to restaurant availability.
About Helen Dardik
Helen Dardik is a professional illustrator and a surface pattern designer based in Canada. Vibrant, folksy, playful toomuchery is a perfect way to describe her style.
Born by the Black Sea, Helen lived in Siberia for a time and then moved to Israel, where she studied art and design. In the early nineties she relocated to Canada, where she got a graphic design degree and found work as a designer and illustrator.
Helen mainly works in vector using the magic of imagination combined with the magic of Adobe illustrator... but, often, watercolor, oil, gouache, embroidery and vinyl find their way into her repertoire. Finding inspiration in her childhood, her 3 girls, nature, vintage books and midcentury design, Helen is determined to make her life into the most creative experience.
“What I’ll remember most are the stories told and the incredible gifts shared by the participants. I loved the openness of the studio, so easy to walk around and see what other's were up to and how I might approach things differently. And of course, Helen's incredible talents on display, her generous spirit and wicked sense of humor!”
— Eric
2025 Helen retreat participant
Where You’ll Be Creating
Springfield, Vermont
The Smiley Manse Barn
Nestled up behind the main property is the barn. This turn of the last century post-and-beam construction with a slate roof that rises to a massive walled cupola, the barn is noted as one of the finest carriage barns in the region. Learn more about the history of The Smiley here.
Inside, you’ll find large flat work tables, each a place to explore and express your individual creativity, yet the atmosphere encourages connection and dialogue. Whether it’s the sound of a paintbrush sweeping across the page or folks discussing technique over coffee, the barn serves as a meeting ground for artists of all levels to create and build lasting relationships, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.
We strive to create a space where the act of making art is as much about building community as it is about self-expression.
Join us for a chance to unwind and create in an idyllic setting.
Your Retreat Includes:
Custom designed art curriculum by Helen
4.5 days of creative instruction
Extra studio access before/after each full day
All meals (except 1 dinner out)
Tea, coffee, and snacks always available in the barn
Usage of our art supply stash during the retreat
Private FB group before/after the retreat
What’s Not Included:
Accommodations – there are several great options nearby!
Transportation to/from The Smiley
1 dinner out at a local restaurant