Lush Earth Oasis Art Retreat

A yoga/meditation/music/plein air art adventure to 'Create • Restore • Balance' in the beauty of the Canadian landscape.

When: Friday, June 7th to Sunday, June 9th (2 nights). Arrive for Friday dinner, leave after Sunday lunch.

Location: 6724 County Rd 9, Stayner, ON L0M 1S0 (Parking on site).

Breath in - breath out …. This soulful art retreat invites you to move, sparkle and be inspired by our beautiful Canadian landscape!

Working ‘en plein air’ outside of this beautiful Victorian-style century home (built in 1863), we create NO MATTER THE WEATHER! (there is a covered gazebo). You will need to bring a travel easel. Open media: watercolours, acrylics, oils, or soft pastels (supply list will be posted soon).

And what can I say …. you will complete one amazing artwork and have many studies for future ones! And there are no words for the artistry of food that will be presented before you the whole retreat!

Special moments of acoustic music by James Harris and gentle yoga meditation with the lovely Amanda Franko.

CLICK HERE for the Agenda

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Amanda Franko: Amanda started "Lush Earth" as a healthy catering company over 10 years ago, in Toronto, ON. Wanting to provide more conscious food options that were both as delicious as they were nutritious. Starting as small as preparing energy balls for local dance events, to catering fancy multi-course dinners, feeding retreats & working as a personal chef.
Her passion for food & healing led her to study at the @instituteofholisticnutrition. Amanda's array of culinary skills & interests have continued evolving over the years. Experimenting with the whole spectrum of diet, from raw vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto to conscious animal proteins based. She believes everyone has the right to choose what they put into their bodies, without judgement, and the best source of information is our innate intuition/wisdom & nature .

Amanda is also a certified yoga instructor, professional dancer and creator of the Lush Earth brand body care products & natural candles. She is often the creative wierdo/master-mind in the operation, with special attention to plating food artistically & adding zest, life & beauty to environments.

After years of working in the industry & other retreat centers, gathering knowledge, passion & purpose, Lush Earth Oasis was finally manifested, summer of 2022. A place where dreams can be birthed, like-minded & different people can come together, for wellness, nature, enjoyment, peace, playfulness, learning & inspiration. A true oasis, outside of the busy buzz of life.

Roberto Foti: An always warm & welcoming energy. Robbie has always had a knack for cooking & hosting people. He was often the one bringing groups of friends together for adventures & experiences.

A real techniques guy. Deeply studying the way things work. The logistics in the operation!

Growing up with countless allergies and eating the standard American diet, led him to try & figure out his health concerns on his own. To heal his chronic low energy & sensitivities. Exploring from vegan to whole foods, Robbie has finally landed on what many are considering quite the controversial diet. The Carnivore diet. Foods sourced from clean animal products. This journey has only been getting better and better, and he looks forward to learning more about the way our ancestors ate. With this new found perspective on food, farming and human diet, Robbie wants to be a voice advocating for alternative ways of eatting and absolutely loves sharing knowledge with those willing to learn. He truly believes this is one of the keys to fixing our soil and our ecosystem, inside and outside our bodies. Bringing him some real hope, inspiration & comfort in his body.

Aside from his fascination with diet & food in general, Robbie is also a talented music producer, stellar builder and groundskeeper of the property. At Lush Earth Oasis, there are always many projects on the go. Robbie finally has a place to put ideas into fruition. A place to build inspiration and share community with the people who want to be apart of it.

MEET YOUR ENTERTAINMENT

James Harris: Having first picked up a guitar with intent to play when he was 12 or 13, James immediately fell in love with the instrument, playing the same two chords that someone from church had taught him over and over again until his fingers got pretty damn close to bleeding. Shortly thereafter, James, and a friend from his local youth group, started a garage band, covering mostly Weezer and U2 songs. 

For decades, James explored a deep spiritual side with his music, driven by questions about humanity, love, and connecting with community. But over the years the questions driving him and the answers that were supplied were less and less satisfying, driving him further into exploring the great ideas of being human through songwriting.

Through the trials and tribulations of life, using songwriting as the vehicle to process all the losses he suffered: his faith, his career hopes, his mental health, his grandmother, his marriage, his home; and in the light of all the suffering in the world: the climate catastrophe, the racial injustice, the economic hegemony of wage slavery, and all of the unending wars and conflicts; James’s songs return again and again to a hope born out of a belief that we are the universe waking up and becoming conscious of itself and that this makes you awesome!

Following in the folk punk tradition of Laura Jane Grace, inspired by the musical styling of Toh Kay, and seemingly born to serenade friends and strangers alike around campfires and open mics, James will jump at the drop of a hat to share his songs and the songs that mean the world to him with any and all who will listen. With his closed fist style of strumming and his unique way of coaxing the F chord out of a guitar, a show with James invites the audience to share in a musical journey born out of the passion of his heart.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancellations must be made no less than two weeks before the start date of the retreat for a refund, less a $50 administrative fee. No refunds or credits for cancellations made after that time. There are no exceptions.