Pressed & Kept: A Creative Experience

There is something quietly anchoring about working with what grows nearby—
to gather gently,
to press what is fleeting,
to watch color and form leave their trace.

Pressed & Kept is a small, seasonal retreat devoted to botanical printing and watercolor florals, held on the land in Tennessee. It is an invitation to slow the hands and soften the days. To notice what is present, and to keep it with care.

Created for those who long for time set apart, this retreat offers space to return to creative practice through plant, pigment, and paper—allowing the natural world to lead, and the work to unfold without urgency.

Over a few unhurried days, participants will gather botanicals, press and print them onto paper and cloth, and explore watercolor florals through gentle studies and layered washes. The days will hold room for observation, quiet conversation, and shared attention—where each mark becomes a way of honoring what has been gathered and preserved.

Whether you are new to these practices or simply seeking a slower, more grounded creative rhythm, Pressed & Kept offers time to work closely with your hands—and to let the days hold you in return.

✧ You’ll explore:
• Botanical printing on paper and cloth using gathered plant material
• Watercolor florals through soft sketching and light, responsive washes
• Simple ways of pressing and preserving botanicals for ongoing use
• Practices of attention that invite calm, presence, and care

✧ You’ll leave with:
• Printed and painted works shaped by the season and the land
• Pressed botanicals to keep and return to
• A felt sense of rhythm—slower, steadier, and rooted
• A renewed connection to creativity as a practice of keeping

This is a time to gather.
To press and preserve.
To keep what matters, gently held.