ONE SPOT LEFT

June 21-24, 2026

Sunday 5-9pm | Introduction, Dinner and Solstice Fire

Monday-Wednesday | 10:30am–5pm

Tuition: $1,250 — includes materials and meals. Begin each day with morning coffee/tea and nibbles, one dinner around the solstice fire, three homemade gourmet lunches, and social-hour drinks and bites each day.

A truly intimate mini retreat with only 4 students.

$300 Registration to secure your spot.

Kelly Williams Art Studio | Portland, OR

Gather. Ignite. Illuminate.

In this immersion, each work becomes an artifact — shaped by gathered inspiration, transformed in fire, and revealed in the longest light.

The Summer Solstice Creative Immersion is a four-day intimate retreat for artists ready to slow down, reconnect with their work, and deepen their practice — with new inspiration, strong technique, and genuine self-care woven into every day.

We begin on the solstice — the longest day of the year, when light is at its peak and the season pivots. It's a threshold for stepping forward in your work. We'll build the fire together and make vine charcoal and bone black — dark pigments for mark-making and simple handmade inks. Write what you're releasing on bay leaves and burn them to make room for what's next. Bring something personal to char or offer to the fire, and bring water that carries meaning for you — rain, river, sea, or well. We'll share dinner while the fire burns, setting intentions, discussing prompts, and gathering what we need to begin.

Then we work. the next three days we cover a lot of ground

Remnants from the solstice fire become pigments and inks. Plants and natural materials become mark-making tools and nature prints. As a group, we create shared ink and ash collage papers while individual work evolves along distinct paths. Sun, wind, and rain become creative collaborators when conditions allow, and St. Brigid's Holy Well water from Ireland is on hand to add a little Irish magic.

Grounded in strong encaustic technique, we move from ritual into real application. You'll build surfaces with intention, integrate unconventional materials with structural strength, and expand how your work lives on and off the panel. The skills you develop extend beyond encaustic, strengthening your practice across media.

With only four artists, I offer close mentorship and responsive guidance rather than a fixed syllabus — sustained attention in a setting designed for growth and grounded experimentation.

This retreat takes place in my Portland studio, a working space designed for depth, with places to make, reflect, and pause both inside and outside. Each day I prepare a thoughtfully crafted gourmet menu to nourish and support you. Gathering at the table becomes part of how we honor the solstice and the work we're doing together — a time for connection, nourishment, and quiet care. The studio is fully stocked so you can arrive ready to work.

You'll leave inspired, grounded, and well fed — with work that reflects the depth of the process, new tools to seed the next phase of your practice, and a renewed sense of yourself within it.

These sessions are a dedicated space—online or in person—to focus on your creative work and your growth as an artist. Depending on your needs, we might explore painting as a tool for personal reflection and emotional processing, or dive into strengthening your technical skills, composition, and artistic voice.

We might review works in progress, explore encaustic and mixed media techniques, plan a project from concept to completion, or develop strategies for sourcing materials and setting up your studio

1-Hour Online or Phone Session
A focused conversation to review works-in-progress, untangle creative blocks, or plan your next steps. This time can be reflective and process-oriented, or direct and skill-focused—tailored to what will serve you most.

3-Hour In-Studio Session
An immersive experience in my Portland studio, blending hands-on painting with meaningful discussion. We’ll work side-by-side—experimenting with techniques, refining your work, or using art-making as a way to process and grow.

Weekend Workshop | May 16-17, 2026 | 10:30am-4:30pm | $375

Discover the foundations of encaustic painting in this hands-on workshop designed for curious beginners and non-artists alike — though those ready for more advanced direction are equally welcome. I teach to the student, so wherever you are in your practice, there's something here for you.

Through multiple demos and plenty of time for personal exploration, we'll cover everything you need to build a confident foundation: studio setup and safety, layering and application techniques, fusing options, color mixing, surface texture, and mixed media and collage integration.

Throughout the session you'll receive personalized feedback tailored to your individual approach and the materials you choose to work with.

No supply runs, no scrambling — just show up. Everything you need is provided. Bring your curiosity and leave the rest to me.

R&F Paints and products are generously supplied in support of this workshop and they are FABULOUS.

Painting With Fire: Season 5 – Encaustic Immersion Online

The global encaustic experience continues! In Season 5 of Painting With Fire, you'll join 27 world-renowned artists for over 60 hours of inspiring, process-rich instruction in this ancient and ever-evolving medium.

🔥 What I’m Teaching in Season 5

This year, I’m bringing two brand-new workshops designed to help you expand both your technique and your voice:

🔹 Materiality & Meaning
We’ll explore how to build deeper, more intentional content—moving beyond surface beauty to uncover the emotional, cultural, and environmental threads that bring power and presence to your work.

🔹 Working on Paper
Discover the sculptural, portable, and playful possibilities of encaustic on paper. From experimental edges to nontraditional display, this is encaustic unbound.

💥 Don’t Miss Season 4!

Season 4 is still available—and complements this year’s offerings beautifully. My featured workshop, “The Erotic Saint,” is a long-format lesson guiding you through creating your own bold, icon-inspired piece infused with humor, reverence, and social commentary. It's a unique opportunity to explore storytelling, symbolism, and the body through wax.

📅 Class Access & Info:

Season 5 begins April 24, 2025 so many lessons already available

Register anytime—you get instant access to already released classes

Classes drop weekly on Wednesdays at 12 noon EST

All lessons are prerecorded—watch anytime, on your schedule

Lifetime access to all content

Includes bonus basic technique videos

Exclusive discounts for Painting With Fire students

PLUS: Bonus content from in-person Encaustic Retreats at Essence of Mulranny, Ireland