DATES: September 23-27, 2026
FEE: $2,250
Save $100 on your retreat deposit if you sign up by March 1, 2026. Use the code “SMILEY100” at checkout.
SIGNUP DEADLINE: July 23
The signup deadline is to ensure the retreat moves forward. Also, if you're in need of financial assistance, please contact us.
Creative Reset with Allison Cole
Ready to revitalize your art practice? Over the course of this retreat, we will focus on sharpening your artistic voice, whether you are a new or experienced illustrator.
Participants will explore, refine, and reinvent their way of working in a supportive setting with personalized guidance. Through hands-on demonstrations, discussions, exercises, and feedback, you will connect your artistic voice with your personal story and perspective.
By the end of the retreat, you will have completed a series of rough experimental pieces along with 1-2 more polished works, blending what you've learned from experimentation with your intentions.
Creative Reset Retreat Schedule
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4:30 pm | Wine + cheese mixer
6:00 pm | Welcome dinner -
9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Morning art session
We’ll talk about what makes your art truly yours. This session begins with a discussion on the concept of voice in illustration, accompanied by an exercise to chart your influences, inspirations, values, and aesthetics. Short warm-up drawing exercises will explore style and abstraction.– break for lunch –
2:00 pm | Afternoon art session
Opportunities to experiment with gouache, collage, monoprint, ink, acrylic, and other mixed media techniques.6:00 pm | Simple in-studio dinner
– post-dinner studio time is available –
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8:30 am | Early studio access
9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Morning art session
The focus shifts to illustration and surface design as storytelling across different markets—whether your art aims to depict a specific narrative, create a stylistic world, or both. You will create sketches from reflective writing prompts based on a personal theme, narrative, mood, or memory.– break for lunch –
2:00 pm | Afternoon art session
From your sketches, select one idea to develop into a more finished illustration. We will discuss composition, style, and color techniques, exploring how they can enhance the overall mood of your piece.6:00 pm | Dinner at local restaurant*
– post-dinner studio time is available –
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8:30 am | Early studio access
9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Morning art session
Time to work! Individual progress check-ins.– break for lunch –
2:00 pm | Afternoon art session
Start a second piece that pushes you in a new direction, and learn how to mix experimentation with your personal style to help you grow as an artist.6:00 pm | Dinner at The Smiley
– post-dinner studio time is available –
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8:30 am | Early studio access
9:30 am | Light in-studio breakfast
10:00 am | Morning art session
Wrap things up by sharing your work, celebrating your progress, and setting goals to keep the creative experimentation going!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 Allison Cole
Allison Cole is an illustrator, educator, and surface designer based in Rhode Island. Her vibrant and playful work spans picture books, surface design, editorial projects, and collaborations with clients such as Target, West Elm, and The Washington Post.
A RISD graduate, she teaches undergraduate illustration as an adjunct professor at RISD and shares her expertise through online courses on Domestika, which have attracted nearly 10,000 students, focused on creativity and building an illustration career. Passionate about storytelling, empathy, and advocacy, her art emphasizes themes of neurodiversity, feminism, and inclusivity, aiming to entertain, inform, and connect. She resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and cat.
“My time creating, healing, growing and enriching my art practice at Smiley Manse was magical…. from the meals to the creative space to the colorful bathroom. Everything I needed was there… except more time but who has that figured out! If you are able to indulge you’re creative self, Smiley Manse is the place to be.”
— Phoebe
2025 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 Allison
3.5 days of creative instruction
Extra studio access before/after each full day
Welcome wine & cheese mixer
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