“ Mountain Muse”
The Christian Creative Art Retreat
October 2nd-4th, 2026
Check in 9am Friday / Check out 4pm Sunday
A rustic retreat in the middle of God’s glorious creation for Christian creators needing inspiration, time and renewal.
The food—Made by our fabulous cooks.
The Setting—Inspiring.
The people — united by their love of creativity
(whether you are a hobbiest or pursuing a career)
Must be ages 16+
The Price–$175 for the weekend
Escape, Renew, Create.
If you’re a writer or artist, there is always something to stop you from creating. Dishes, the job, swim meets, or just that inner skeptic who sits on your shoulder insisting that the last project isn’t worth the match used to burn it.
I’m inviting you to ignore all that.
Just for a few days.
Get Creative!
Whether you are a casual writer or artist or are pursuing a career, you will find the time and inspiration at The Mountain Muse to make something beautiful.
Writing
Plotting
Plein Art Sketching
Sunrise Art
Painting
Art Journaling
Get away!
October is the ideal time to get away. The business of summer is complete, school is well under control, and the mountains are absolutely gorgeous with blazing blue skies and fall color lacing the forest.
Situated on a sub-alpine meadow in the middle of Washington State’s beautiful Cascade Mountains, CMBC is the perfect location for an escape from the everyday. Come and join us and let your creative side flourish.
Schedule
During “Create” time you’ll have the opportunity to write or create on your own OR follow short lessons on sketching, plein air painting, life gesture drawing skills or healing journal art.
Other than gathering at mealtimes for a few inspirational words, creative sessions, and craft tricks to help us learn and grow, the time will be yours to simply create. So pack your notebook of unfinished poems, that novel you haven’t quite finished, or your painting that is only halfway done.
Friday
9:00am–Breakfast and Inspiration
10:00am to 1:00pm–Create
1:00pm to 1:45pm–Lunch and Inspiration
1:45pm to 6:00pm–Create
6:00pm to 7:30pm–Dinner and Inspiration
7:30pm to 9:00pm–Create
9:00pm–Possibilities include: Hike to Inspiration Point Snack and Board Games
12:00pm–Lights Out
Saturday
6:45am- (optional) Sunrise Hike
9:00 am–Breakfast and Inspiration
10:00 am to 1:00pm–Create
1:00pm to 1:30pm–Lunch
1:45pm to 6:00pm–Create
6:00pm to 7:30pm–Dinner and Inspiration
7:00pm to 9:00pm–Create
9:00pm–Fellowship, Fun & S’mores
12:00pm–Lights Out
Sunday
9:00am–Breakfast and Inspiration
9:30am to 1:00pm–Create
1:00pm to 2:00pm–Lunch and Inspiration
2:00pm to 4:00pm–Create
4:00pm–Snack, Coffee, and farewells
Spotlight on the Speaker
Our amazing speaker, Nicole Deese is a Christy and Carol Award-winning and bestselling author. She will spark our creative juices with a short lesson after every meal before we break and spend the majority of our time writing.
For the Artist
Three days to slow down, quiet your heart and listen. Three days to wander and wonder in the beautiful mountainous landscape surrounding Camas Meadows. You are a creative soul, brimming with ideas and aching for time to put them down in shape and color. Take three days and find the time at the Mountain Muse Retreat for Christian Creatives.
We will be heading out onto the woodland trails, meadows and rocky outcrops, sketchbooks in hand, to do plein air drawing and painting as a group. Then we'll return to the lodge to produce work, fueled by our morning's exploration. You can work alone at a quiet table of your own or in conversation with others who share your passion.
Pack up your paints, paper and brushes...but wait! Surely it is a little impractical to pack up ALL your supplies (We artists do like our supplies, don't we?) But what to bring? What if inspiration takes a turn you did not expect? To mitigate this packing conundrum, we will be providing an art supply lending library. Watercolors, acrylic markers, colored pencils, charcoals, pastels, alcohol markers and oil pastels for you to borrow. So bring your favorite, delightfully juicy art markers, that pad of Arches cotton rag cold press paper you've been longing to fill and those buttery pastels of yours and know that there will be a fun little lending library of student grade supplies to explore as well.
Saturday morning we'll head out early for a sunrise hike, drinking in the fresh morning light and glorious views; fuel for the afternoon creative time, where you can reflect on and rejoice in God's creation in the medium of your choice. Let input naturally flow into output without the regular distractions and responsibilities of daily life.
Long walks and plein air painting not your thing? Feel free to hang back and enjoy a cup of coffee with a whole table to yourself in the quiet of the lodge. Snag a few items from the art supply lending library, spread out and create for hours, uninterrupted. No meals to prep, no errands to run - we'll feed you three times a day and keep the coffee pot full.
Along with meals, we will come together for spiritual food and fellowship. We will take time to look into God's word and let Him shape our view and our voice. We will slow down and rest in His goodness and rejoice in the blessing of being image bearers of our infinite Creator.
For the adventurous creators only!
Yes, you will be sleeping in bunk beds (be sure to bring a sleeping bag or bedding!), walking down twisting dirt paths to the fire pit for s’mores, and quite possibly singing songs with hand motions during our time of worship. Think of all the fabulous research you can achieve by living a few strategic outdoorsy moments. After this experience you will be able to confidently write about a child’s first day at camp, a midnight hike to view the vast expanse of mountain stars, or encountering a terrifying bunny on a remote trail!
So if your life needs some nature, a little bit of nurture, and a few days of quiet to percolate, come and join us at The Mountain Muse Art Retreat.
Expectations
The main lodge is a quiet writing space so that everyone can get the optimum amount of work done.
The small lodge is set aside as a “talking zone.” If you want to chat or bounce some ideas off a friend, this is the place to go.
At 9:00pm the “Quiet Zone” moves to the small lodge and the large lodge becomes the place for fun, games, and writerly chatter.