Smiling Faces at The Smiley Manse!
At the Smiley Manse, not only will you make GREAT art, you'll also make GREAT friends! Imagine The Smiley as a summer camp for artists. The barn studio is this incredible environment where creatives work side by side. Everyone is deep in their own world, but there’s this sense of shared purpose. You can lose yourself in your work for hours, and then look up to find the best kind of company—supportive, encouraging, and present.
We're so excited for our first retreat of the 2026 season:
Collage & Lettering | June 1-5.
Get to know our fabulous teaching artist Lynn Giunta:
What is your favorite art supply? I am not picky at all about what papers I use—but I do really care about my scissors! The brand I use is Kai from Japan. They make a lot of embroidery and sewing scissors. I also prefer UHU glue sticks.
What do you love about teaching? I love an art community, and teaching allows me to gather a group up and have that! The dynamics are always different, but I have met some of the loveliest new friends through teaching.
Is there a myth about being an artist that you'd like to bust? Ooooh I think so many people think you are either born an artist or you’re not. I think art is like any other muscle group—if you love it enough, and you practice thousands and thousands of hours, you get good at it. But you have to keep working at it and trying new things, and then keep practicing some more.
Describe your ideal studio space. My work spaces have always had lots of visual inspiration up on the walls around me. Either work that I’ve done, or friends have done, or pieces that I love so much I say to myself “I wish I’d done that”—so that every time when I sit down to create, I day dream looking at all of these pieces that inspire me and remind me what a privilege it is that I get paid to create.
What's your favorite snack or drink to fuel your creativity? I love a nice latte—that’s my treat for myself. Plus I meet my friend Terry Runyan almost every week at our local Scooters coffee shop—so coffee, art and friends is a real thing for me.
We hope you'll join Lynn (and so many new creative friends!) for Collage & Lettering or one of our other fabulous retreat leaders this season. I can't wait to host you here at The Smiley 💛
We hope you'll join Lynn (and so many new creative friends!) for Collage & Lettering or one of our other fabulous retreat leaders this season. We can't wait to host you here at The Smiley 💛
*Don't forget—you can save $100 on your retreat deposit if you sign up by March 1, 2026. Use the code “SMILEY100” at checkout.