A sacred time of creativity
Meet other female artists passionate about growing their artistic career. Be guaranteed a spot in a dedicated exhibition with a gallery. Gain a treasure trove of inspirational experiences, beautiful moments curated for the future of your artistic creation. Learn career-changing strategies to grow your art career meaning, money, and acclaim to elevate the collective with your vision.
The Nature of Creation:
Artistic Awakening Retreat
Our keystone painting for the retreat that encapsulates the spirit of our endeavor is Frederick Sandy’s Gentle Spring. A meticulously detailed, ethereal yet sculptural Pre-Raphaelite painting from 1865, this piece represents the return of Spring. The subtle tones of the landscape transitioning from stormy to bright, the details of the flowers and early Spring blossoms, and the presence of the female figure meeting the viewer’s eyes and taking up space in the picture plane beneath the arc of the rainbow all inspire us to the feeling of renewal, celebration of feminine Spring and artistic excellence.
When: April 9-13th, 2025
Where: The Artist’s Main Line Retreat House, Wayne, PA (close to King of Prussia) and surrounding areas for adventures
Join us! This April, be part of an intimate mastermind for 8 artists as we descend on the sacred space of the organic-feminine Artist’s Retreat House, to envision our future, be inspired, adventure in the surrounding areas, create art, dream big, and strategize in order to bring forth our highest potential work into the culture.
What to expect: guest speakers, strategy and collaborative sessions to help our art careers, excursions to several museums and artist studios, plein air painting and sketching in nature, dining at local memorable cuisine, and so much more.
Hosted by Jessica Libor and Katrina Berg (read on for more about your hosts!)
Inside the retreat
April 9- 13
Main Line Artist’s Retreat House
Wayne, PA (by King of Prussia)
An art residency for professional women artists seeking to reach the next level in their career and experience inspirational moments of beauty and collaboration.
create an intimate mastermind support of like-minded friends
learn and strategize together how to improve in art business, mindset, and goal-setting
be inspired by and create at local gardens, museums, farms and natural experiences in the Philadelphia area
cultivate friendships that will last throughout your art career
plan and prepare for an online exhibition together at Era Contemporary Gallery
What to expect each day
opportunities to create (in nature, museums, photoshoots, with live models, en plein air)
art business & mindset workshops with Jessica Libor and Katrina Berg as well as guest presenters
inspirational activities in nature and at local museums
Main Line Artist’s Retreat House
The Main Line Artist’s Retreat house is a beautiful artist home sanctuary in the heart of Wayne, PA, close to King of Prussia. It has two a pearly kitchen, prism-like solarium full of natural light, crystals, and plants, and abundant art on the walls by contemporary artists. This will be our home base for the mornings and most lunches during the retreat! Visitors often comment on the stylish, Parisian-zen, nature- touched vibe of the space, and deer are often seen grazing in the backyard pines. In April, the yard is covered in daffodils.
Excursions
During the retreat, attendees will experience a variety of inspiring excursions, from sketching in cultivated Spring gardens, to sketching horses/farm animals, to visiting world class museums and unique culinary dinners. Expect a mix of outdoor gardens to capture April’s Spring explosion of blossoms, incredible museum shows, and unique artistic experiences to sketch ideas and get reference photos for future works.
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Katrina Painting
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Previous event
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Jessica at Chanticleer
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Wayne Gardens
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Dining at Devon
Sample Schedule (subject to change)
April 9
Pre-Raphaelite garden artist themed welcome dinner out in Wayne
Introductions
Overview of the week
Check in to lodging
April 11
Gentle morning coffee/tea & healing sound bath
Morning mastermind & individual art career strategy mapping with Jessica & Katrina
Chef prepared lunch at the Retreat House
Plein air sketching & photography at Chanticleer Gardens
Evening at the Philadelphia Art Museum
Dinner out in Philadelphia
April 10
Gentle morning coffee/tea
Morning mastermind with Jessica & Katrina
Woodland nature excursion
Chef prepared lunch at the Retreat House
Drawing the live costumed model
Trip to the Delaware Art Museum
Dinner out in Delaware
April 12
Gentle morning tea/coffee & artist love letters
Resources & mailing list creation with Jessica & Katrina
Social media & branding strategies with Emily Taylor Rogers of Golden Vision Co.
Chef prepared lunch at the Retreat House
Artist headshots for their websites
Private Wyeth artist studio tour
Brandywine Art Museum sketching
Dinner out in Brandywine
April 13
Gentle morning coffee & tea
Cultivating collector relationships with Jessica & Katrina
Collaborative exhibition planning with Jessica of Era Contemporary Gallery
Picnic boxed lunch at the farm
Farm animal/equine (horse) sketching
Bonfire
Final celebration dinner themed “Gentle Spring”, retreat concludes
April 14
Attendees depart
Frequently Asked Questions
Will we be learning how to paint? No, this workshop is for professional artists with a clear style & vision.
Will our housing be arranged/assigned? There will be suggested housing options that you can choose from to stay as a group, or you can arrange your own accommodations.
Do I need to bring specific art supplies? There are no assigned supplies. Bring whatever you wish to create with and find ease while traveling.
About your hosts
Katrina MadsenBerg
Life is sweeter in candy color! Katrina’s oil paintings celebrate the sweet moments in between the hard and unsavory. Thick strokes of paint & color with stained glass shine -- are windows to the deepest treasured memories in our hearts. Formally trained as a landscape architect, Katrina’s work beckons the “outside-in” by depicting the natural world. Her latest series dives into the symbolism of each bird & flower depicted – resulting in a specific theme for each piece and titled after a favorite song & musicians. Katrina & her husband live in a quirky, but modern, concrete home in Midway, Utah with their daughter and 4 sons. Art Biz and entrepreneur mindset strategies are her jam and Katrina loves sharing what she discovers with other artists. You can listen to her podcast: the candy colored studio on her website (katrinaberg.com), or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Jessica Libor
Jessica Libor is an American artist based in Philadelphia, PA. Libor’s work depicts the feminine protagonist’s journey in creating her own personal mythology. She is best known for her oil paintings and accents of precious metals. Through using the symbols and aesthetic tropes found within fairytales, Libor explores the process of self discovery that the heroine faces. By weaving the backdrop of nature into the art like a stage set, she draws the viewer into the world of the painting. Libor’s imagery often contains fairy tale women, but also references animal spirits, costuming to shape identity, and the spiritual other world as a deeper layer.
Her work has been most notably exhibited at La Serre Wangari in her 2023 solo exhibition in Paris, as well as included in exhibitions at the Barnes Foundation, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Independence Seaport Museum and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum. Her work is in private collections in France and in the US.
She is also the founder of the Creative Heroine collective & podcast. Learn more about Jessica at www.jessicalibor.com
Tuition
$1750 is the cost to attend
First deposit due February 1, second deposit due March 1
Included teaching & food:
Mastermind teachings every day with Katrina & Jessica
Special guest speakers several times during the week
Most excursion experiences
Each morning there will be coffee, tea, and a plate of pastries (individually wrapped, not messy for us - they can also eat their own breakfast of choice before they come)
5 lunches included in tuition (fill out survey for preferences etc.)
Tuition is non-refundable
You are responsible for:
4 dinners out (you order whatever you wish, we suggest bringing cash for ease of splitting checks)
Your own lodging (we can suggest some cute airbnbs and hotels in the area!)
$15 entrance fee to the Philadelphia art museum (Friday night)
Your own sketching or painting materials, although basic sketch paper and pencils will be on hand
You are responsible for your own transportation: attendees can either rent a car together or help pay for gas of attendees who bring their car and are willing to drive to local activities.
Lodging
Lodging during the residency is not included in tuition and is completely up to you! However, we put together a list of a few options to get you started, including airbnbs and hotels. Although the exact address of the retreat will only be released to attendees, for planning purposes, our home base (The Main Line Artist’s Retreat House) is right next door to Roberts Elementary School in Wayne, PA. Once you are accepted and registered you will be put in touch with the other attendees so that you can plan and get a place together if you wish.
Some local options:
