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August 16 - 21, 2026

Make Your Own Happy: A Creative Art Retreat
Medium: Acrylics, Oil and Watercolor
Level: All Levels
Location: Studio
Status: Open for Registration

Deposit is $450
Day Student Tuition: $1,596
Inn-Stay Package*: $2,664 - $3,220
*Your Inn-Stay Retreat Package includes:
Workshop Tuition, lodging, dinner 2 nights (welcome and farewell), breakfast and lunch each day, daily snack breaks, unlimited coffee, tea & seltzer.
For your independent dinners, there are many restaurants with a wide variety of cuisines and price points, within comfortable walking distance of the Inn, plus Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s.
You can choose a room to yourself (single occupancy) or double your fun, bring a friend and split a room (double occupancy).
To learn more about your options or to register, click the Register Now button.

Let this be your invitation to play, to wander, and to create from the heart — surrounded by color, nature, curiosity, and joy.
Make Your Own Happy is a feel-good, soul-nourishing creative retreat designed to remind you how fun making art can be. It’s about experimenting, getting a little messy, trying new things, and letting joy lead the way. Whether you’re a lifelong artist or someone who just needs a creative reset, you’ll be welcomed exactly as you are — no pressure, no perfection, just encouragement and good vibes.
We’ll explore a playful mix of mediums inspired by animals, nature, and whatever magic shows up that day. You’ll make your own sketchbooks and fill them with drawings using pencils, pens, markers, and Posca paint pens — sketching animals, flowers, and organic forms from the world around us. We’ll paint with watercolor and acrylics, layering color, texture, and personality, and learning how to let pieces evolve naturally instead of overthinking them. We’ll also get hands-on with sculptural projects — working with cement and nature-inspired findings to create tactile, one-of-a-kind pieces that feel earthy, expressive, and totally you. Along the way, I’ll share my favorite techniques, tips, and intuitive approaches for mixing materials, trusting your instincts, and making art that feels alive and personal.
And because some of the best memories can’t be planned — we leave plenty of room for spontaneity. Last time that meant an impromptu roller-skating adventure… this time, who knows? What we do know is that laughter will happen, friendships will form, and creative joy will spill over into everything.
This retreat is a true good-for-your-soul experience — time to unplug, recharge, create, relax, and make new memories you’ll carry with you long after you head home.
You’ll leave with:
A handmade sketchbook bursting with drawings, color, and ideas
A collection of mixed-media artworks using watercolor, acrylics, markers, pens, and sculpture
New techniques and confidence across a variety of materials
A lighter heart, a fuller creative cup, and a renewed sense of joy
New friendships and moments that feel just as meaningful as the art
Come join me in August 2026 for a magical, joy-filled retreat — where art, nature, laughter, and spontaneity come together… and where we truly make our own happy.

Allison Luci (aka Allie for the Soul)
Happy art. Happy artist.
My motto, “Make your own happy,” is both a philosophy and a practice — a reminder to seek out what brings you joy and do more of it (preferably with a paintbrush in hand).
Over the past three decades, I’ve left my “happy mark” on canvases, walls, windows, and sidewalks — from businesses in Queens and lively Times Square bars to peaceful animal sanctuaries and even as far as Hawaii. My work has also inspired others to discover their own creativity — from kids just starting to seniors who thought they’d missed their chance.
Spoiler: it’s never too early and never too late to create.
My recipe for happy art is simple: color, kindness, and whimsy. With those three ingredients, I’ve been able to merge my love of animals and art — helping to raise nearly $100,000 (and counting!) for animal rescues and sanctuaries across the country.
As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I’m proud to serve as an ambassador for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, even having the surreal honors of ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, and most recently ringing in the opening bell!
Other “Make your own happy” highlights include being an honorary New York Mets Bat Girl, painting a pig barn at Arthur’s Acres Animal Sanctuary, contributing to the Sullivan Catskills Dove Trail, and most recently, creating a life-sized painted pig for a public art project, Oink, in Stamford, CT.
A proud New Yorker based in Queens, I share life with my husband, our cat, and a community of rescued animal friends who remind me daily why I do what I do.


















You will receive email confirmations when you sign up and when any payments are made,
and a Welcome email from us in the week or two before the retreat begins.
$450 deposit is due at the time of registration.
Pay in Full at time of registration and save $100 (does not apply to Day Student package)
Please send an email to [email protected] (preferred)
or call us at 860-781-4389 if you have any questions.
We’ll get back to you ASAP!

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© 2026 by Patricia Ann Brubaker, The Connecticut River Valley Inn and Artists Rising Creativity Retreats
2195 Main Street, Glastonbury, CT 06033 • 860-781-4389 • [email protected]