2026 Foundations: Sketching Retreat with Miles Johnston
ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
Reconnect with your original curiosity and reclaim your creative drive.
Making art is challenging. It demands years of committed practice, patience, and a level of focus that is increasingly difficult to find in a world designed to distract us. This workshop will be a chance for artists to come together in a beautiful setting and to reconnect with our original curiosity and drive to make art.
Silent Scream, 2025, Miles Johnston
The deepest source of motivation comes from a very particular insight. It is easy to put other artists on a pedestal, to view them and their work as something other and greater than ourselves. Groups of art students talk with each other in hushed tones about ‘the old masters’ and ‘art gods’, subtly reinforcing a separation between them and ourselves
Burnout, 2025, Miles Johnston
It was in meeting artists, hearing their stories and seeing their growth over time juxtaposed against witnessing first hand their extremely ordinary humanness that it became clear. These are people who get tired, misspeak in sentences, who are fully real and flawed human beings, just like me.
That is the transformational insight: Artists are just people, I am a person. I can be an artist too, I could also paint like that.
Extinguished, 2021, Miles Johnston
This is the most enduring motivation, the knowledge that the practice will work. That you are capable of the same level of creativity. It is much easier to make the sacrifices your practice demands if you truly believe the rewards are real.
That is my goal for the workshop. I want you to leave knowing that you are capable of making the artwork of your dreams, and with a clear plan on what it will take to get there. The workshop has succeeded if it sparks enduring change, I want you to look back on the 5 days as the turning point where you recommitted to your artistic practice.
Unburdened, 2025, Miles Johnston
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Over the course of five days, I will share the "how" behind my own journey and help you find the clarity needed to develop your own artistic voice. Our time together will include:
- Process & Technique: Deep dives into my personal methods and how I "stumbled" into my own voice.
- One-on-One Mentoring: Personalized guidance to help you navigate your specific creative hurdles.
- Life Drawing Sessions: Grounding your practice in observation and form.
- Sketchbook from Imagination: Learning to bridge the gap between what you see and what you dream.
I want you to leave the class with a full stack of sketches and preparatory drawings that you can develop after the workshop concludes.
Shelter, 2018, Miles Johnston
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This class welcomes artists of various levels of experience. Maybe you are just starting out and want to know how to practice in an effective way? Perhaps you are a working professional artist already confident in your technical abilities, but you’ve lost touch with the essential ‘why’ that had you drawing in the first place?
This creative retreat is an opportunity to step outside of the flow of your daily life and get in touch with that creative spark innate to all of us. I want to leave you feeling motivated and ready to do what it takes to become the artist you want to be.
Nurture, 2024, Miles Johnston
I highly encourage everyone to bring examples of their portfolios and work. My aim at the conclusion of this workshop is for you to feel reinvigorated and inspired to go away and continue on the path to becoming your own creative powerhouse.
No attempt shall be made to reshape or redefine your own vision, merely to empower you to fully commit to your own path. It is not my place to tell you how to use the tools. Art is a practice that has shaped and enriched my life and it is my passion to share that joy and commitment with you.
Loss, 2017, Miles Johnston
Limited space is available. This workshop is intentionally kept at an intimate capacity to allow for meaningful and personalized mentorship throughout the program.
Countercurrent, 2021, Miles Johnston
SCHEDULE:
All times for this 2026 class are listed in EDT
Saturday, April 25
- 3pm-5pm: Guests arrive by 5pm and check-in to their rooms.
- 6pm: Dinner & Orientation are part of the workshop for all participants.
- 7:30pm: Introductions & opening session
Sunday, April 26 through Tuesday, April 28
- 8am - 10am: Self-serve breakfast in the Dining Hall
- 10am: Work Session in the Library
- 1pm: Lunch in the Dining Hall
- 3pm: Work Session in the Art Lab
- 6pm: Dinner in the Dining Hall
- 7:30pm: Open studio in the Art Lab
Wednesday, April 29
- 8am - 10am: Self-serve Breakfast in the Dining Hall
- 10am: Work Session in the Art Lab
- 1pm: Lunch in the Dining Hall
- 2pm: End of Workshop,
- 2pm: Entheon Opens for Participants
- 4pm: CoSM Closes
CoSM and Entheon are open weekly on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 12pm - 6pm when CoSM Grounds close. Tuition includes day passes during open hours to CoSM facilities and grounds for the duration of the workshop.
ITINERARY NOTE: You are welcome to arrive early on Saturday, April 25—Day 1 of the workshop— as CoSM will be open to the public starting at 12pm, or as early as Thursday, April 23, 2026.
This is a great time to explore Entheon, Grey House Galleries and CoSM grounds before the workshop starts, as the workshop schedule is quite immersive once in session.
Please note that CoSM will be closed to the public on the final day of the workshop, and Entheon will be closed.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Miles Johnston
Miles Johnston works primarily in graphite and oils, using the human form to explore the intensity and strangeness of the collective human experience. Through the distortion and transformation of their subjects, they represent the internal states we inhabit during pivotal moments in life. Rather than focusing on literal representation, Miles Johnston captures the surreal and abstract qualities of subjectivity to create work with a deep emotional resonance.
Website milesjohnstonart.com
Instagram @miles_art
Facebook MilesJohnstonArt
Tiktok @miles_art
Youtube @Milesjart
MATERIALS:
Sketchbooks with plenty of pages. Bring brand new or multiple just in case. Large A3 | 8.5” x 11” and A4 | 11” x 16” sketch pads are also great.
Range of mediums for sketching:
Essential
- Graphite. Your choice
- Pen/Ink. Fineliners, brush pens, etc. A range of options is good. Comfortable sketching tools.
Optional
- Watercolour
- Goache
- Oils and primed paper
CoSM WORKSHOP SETTING:
Class sessions will take place in the MAGI Art Lab—Mystic Artists Guild International.
The Grey House, CoSM's Visionary Victorian guest house, provides accommodations for all participants. Residing onsite together is encouraged as part of this immersively creative weekend, providing maximum benefit & enrichment.
Accommodations in Grey House are offered in a variety of economies, in addition to the workshop fee. A $150 commuter’s fee covers use of CoSM facilities for those staying offsite.
Participants are welcome to extend their overnight stay at CoSM by arriving as early as the Thursday before the workshop.
WORKSHOP AMENITIES
Available for the duration of the 5-day workshop:
- Three healthy meals daily provided by CoSM chefs
- Coffee, tea and snacks available in the Art Lab between meals
- Access to Grey House common spaces — The Library, The Parlor, The Dining Hall & Gallery Spaces on all three floors
- Yoga mats for self guided practice
- Accommodations include private rooms and shared dorm rooms—femme only or co-ed options
- The Wisdom Trail offers a contemplative walk through the CoSM woods, including a labyrinth, outdoor sculptural installations by visionary artists
Tuition also includes Day Admission to CoSM: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 12pm - 6pm:
- Access to Facilities, grounds and self-touring Entheon
- Students are welcome to experience Entheon and Grey House Galleries, including both CoSM Shop & Entheon Shop.
- Beverages and light fare will be available for purchase in the Mushroom Cafe, an immersively muraled space with mushroom themed contributions from 19 accomplished visionary artists
TUITION:
Tuition for the 5-day Foundations: Sketching Retreat with Miles Johnston workshop includes meals - $800.00.
- Accommodations are additional.
- Payment plans available, with all funds due one month before the start of the workshop..
- For further information, contact [email protected].
ACCOMMODATIONS:
The Grey House, CoSM’s Visionary Victorian guest house, offers accommodations for all participants. Works of art by Alex Grey, Allyson Grey and accomplished artists of the international Visionary Art community are featured throughout the guest rooms and common spaces of the Grey House.
Onsite accommodations are an enriching part of the course experience and are available in a variety of economies.
Here is the pricing for the four night stay, arriving Saturday, April 25 and departing Wednesday, April 29, 2026, reflective of the 10% workshop discount:
- King with ensuite bathroom $990.00
- Queen with ensuite bathroom $900.00
- Private Queen/shared bath $720.00
- Dorm bed: Single $432.00 *co-ed & femme only options available
A $150 commuter’s fee covers use of CoSM facilities for those staying offsite.
Workshop accommodations must be booked directly through the workshop department with confirmation of workshop registration, rather than through the booking engine on the website. After purchasing tuition, you will be contacted regarding accommodations.
Questions about tuition, accommodations, payment plans, travel, retreat amenities, materials, etc.?
Contact us at: [email protected] | +1 (845) 297-2323