Creative retreat in Provence:
THE FORAGED BOOK:
GATHERING IMAGE, MEMORY, AND VOICE
See deeply. Live fully. Return to yourself through beauty.
October 10th to October 17th, 2026
Velleron, France
Join photographic artist and mindfulness teacher Raina Stinson— permanent resident of Provence, France—and writer/interdisciplinary artist Nadine Pinede for our small-group creative retreat for like-minded souls ready to slow down, create, and begin again.
Step into the light and texture of Provence, where each day invites you to slow down, notice more, and gather what calls to you.
You will arrive with a few images that already hold meaning. A photograph you’ve kept. A moment you don’t want to lose. A fragment of language, a line, a vow, something half-remembered.
The rest you will discover here.
As you wander through markets filled with herbs and color, along quiet village paths, and through sunlit gardens, you will begin to see differently. Through mindful photography, you’ll learn to notice small details, shifting light, unexpected beauty, and to capture what draws your eye and your attention.
Back at the villa, these moments come together.
Through collage and guided writing, you’ll shape language from what you’ve brought and what you’ve found. Words begin to emerge. Images begin to speak. Slowly, a story takes form.
We’ll guide you in scanning and printing your images, working with paper and texture, and creating both an accordion book and a handmade artist’s book. Something you can hold in your hands. Something that carries your experience of Provence, and something of your own life within it.
This is not about taking the perfect photograph or writing the perfect poem. It’s about slowing down, paying attention, and trusting what draws you.
By the end of the week, you’ll leave with a handmade book that gathers your images, your words, and your experience, a personal collection of moments, shaped into something lasting.
No experience is needed. Just a curiosity to explore, create, and see the world with fresh eyes.
When:
7-night, 7-day retreat
October 10 th to October 17th, 2026
WHERE:
Velleron, France, La Fontaine B&B ( 10 minutes from the famous town of L’isle sur la Sorgue)
The closest airport is Marseille (MRS), or you can take the high-speed TGV train from Paris to the Avignon TGV station. (3 hours train ride)
WHO IS THIS FOR:
Curious souls ready to slow down, experience Provence mindfully, and spark their creativity. No artistic experience required—whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist, a DSLR shooter or mobile photographer, you’ll find inspiration, guidance, and space to explore your vision.
PRICE:
All-inclusive except your airfare and transportation to our meeting place in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Private room with private bathroom
or
Private room with shared bathroom, in a private cottage at the villa.
€4700 per person
*Please note our retreat is limited to a max of 5 guests to ensure you have a personalized boutique experience
LODGING
7 nights at La Fontaine, the private villa of your hosts Raina and her husband Denis.
The UNFORGETTABLE Provence COUNTRYSIDE and hilltop villages await you…
Here is a taste of what you will experience on our tour
Daily Excursions
Daily outings to photograph, forage, and experience the Provençal lifestyle through amazing French cuisine, antique markets, historic villages, historic chateaus, pristine landscapes, and ruins.
What you will learn
You will learn to slow down and truly see, opening your artist’s eye to the quiet beauty in everyday moments. Through guided practice, you’ll develop an organic way of turning inward—creating space for reflection, intuition, and deeper awareness. From this place, you’ll forage not only for images, but for words—gathering fragments of language, memory, and feeling to weave into your handmade book as personal, poetic text.
Alongside your photographic work, you’ll explore alternative approaches to image-making through mixed media techniques. By incorporating collage, found papers, words, fabrics, and textures, you’ll add depth, tactility, and new creative dimensions to your work—bringing your images into a rich, layered dialogue with material and memory.
Farm to table meals
Enjoy authentic meals prepared with locally sourced ingredients — both in cozy bistros and at the villa’s shared table. Wine is included at lunch and dinner. Extra wine and cocktails are not included. There is an honesty bar on site.
Accommodations
La Fontaine is a private countryside villa located on 1 acre with surrounding forests. We offer 2 private rooms with private bathrooms and 2 private rooms with shared bathrooms. We have Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, a large pool and pool house, beautiful, peaceful secluded gardens, and a petanque court. There are many hiking trails from our villa which will take you along a beautiful canal and lead you to several small villages.
Raina and Nadine
Our warmth and chemistry together are part of this offering.
See deeply. Live fully.
Return to yourself through beauty
About Raina
Raina Stinson, originally from Portland, Oregon, and now a permanent resident of France for the past eight years, is an international award-winning photographer with a deep passion for storytelling, adventure, and living life to the fullest. Known for her vibrant spirit and infectious laugh, she brings a sense of curiosity, playfulness, and mindfulness to everything she creates.
A retired psychiatric nurse, trained meditation and mindfulness teacher, Raina weaves these practices into her artistic approach. She guides students to slow down, see more deeply, and engage with the world through presence and intention—transforming photography into a meditative and enriching experience.
In addition to her photography, Raina is a multimedia artist who combines her images with collage, incorporating found papers, fabrics, and objects to create unique, handmade foraged books. Her work blurs the line between photography and tactile art, inviting viewers into layered, intimate narratives.
Through this fusion of art, mindfulness, and exploration, Raina helps participants not only create compelling images but also cultivate awareness, creativity, and a deeper connection to their surroundings.
About Nadine
Nadine Pinede, PhD, is a writer and poet whose work begins in attention, in the moment when something catches the eye or the ear and refuses to let go.
A Rhodes Scholar and award-winning author of When the Mapou Sings and Uprooted: A Journey in Poems, she writes from the meeting place of history, memory, and lived experience. Her current project, Elizabeth Catlett: Art that Grows Wings, continues this exploration of image, voice, and the lives that move between them.
Her work is shaped as much by walking and listening as by writing itself. She is drawn to what remains, what is overlooked, what can be gathered and given form.
In her workshops, language becomes something you can hold. Participants are invited to write as they would photograph, to follow what draws their attention, and to create work that emerges from direct encounter with the world.
More Details About Our Creative Retreat in Provence:
iNCLUDES
All transportation – pick-up at L’Isle Sur la Sorgue train station or hotel.
7 nights lodging at La Fontaine
Daily guided outings, transportation, and admission fees
On-site art studio and supplies to create your own collages and handmade books
All breakfasts (7)
All lunches (7)
All dinners (7)
Local wine is provided with lunch and dinner
There is an honesty bar at our villa with wine, beer, sodas, and sparkling water
ACTIVITIES & SITES INCLUDED
Photography-art mentoring and mindfulness instruction, foraging for words and writing for the full tour
Discover how to utilize your photographs and found photographs to create mixed-media handmade books with foraged words
Learn how to add text to your books through foraged words and poetry
Tour of a historic castle
Wine tasting at a local winery
Regular outings will take you to chateaus, villages, and secret locations throughout the region where you can photograph, shop, eat, and explore.
Explore and shop at an antique market. Forage for objects to inspire your art process.
Visit the famous night village market of Velleron
Time to relax, unwind, and enjoy our peaceful countryside villa, read a book, edit your photos or take some downtime for yourself.
Time to take a hike along the beautiful canal, which is steps away from our villa if you would like to explore a bit on your own.
Villages visited:
L’isle sur la Sorgue
Velleron
Goult
Lacoste
Chateauneuf-du-pape
Pernes les Fontaine
Carpentras
Saint Didier
And many scenic routes passing through other Provence villages and the beautiful countryside
CANCELLATION POLICY
A 50% retainer of the total cost is required to reserve your spot for this workshop. The balance is due by July 15th, 2026. Due to the logistics & upfront costs of creating an exceptional workshop experience like this, we are unable to offer refunds on payments made. We encourage you to purchase travel insurance in the event of strikes, natural disasters, health problems, and other unforeseen events in your life or the world.
**Please know that due to weather or other reasons, activities and locations may change. If this is the case, an equally enjoyable activity and location will be arranged.
For more information on our itinerary for the week, please contact us below
Testimonials
“I had a truly fabulous experience with Raina!! She is a very gifted photographer and instructor. Raina is very skilled at teaching the nuances that make a great photograph and has a calm, beautiful way of empowering her students.
There were many things that stood out about Raina's photography sessions. First - she is unique in that she instructs using an iPhone! It made learning photography so easy and accessible. It is astonishing how fantastic my photos came out. Second, I loved the fact that Raina uses mindfulness at the root of how she teaches. By being mindful and noticing how you are seeing things creates an entirely new way to photograph. Third, Raina is an absolute pleasure to be with! She is fun, warm, and caring, and instructs in the most helpful of ways. Raina knows which environments create the best photos. To learn by walking in her footsteps was priceless. I would never have learned as much as I did or enjoyed myself as much as I did if it weren't for Raina.
My time with Raina was so inspiring and rewarding. I left transformed and uplifted and now have fabulous photos from our experience together. I can't wait for my next course with Raina!”
Phyllis Brock
California, USA
“I was always interested in photography, but Raina's Mobile Phone Photography Workshop was the first one I ever took. I enjoyed learning from a confident teacher together with a small group where all our questions were addressed and answered. Raina is a generous and inspirational teacher and the photos I produced by the end of the workshop were much better than any of my photos before. Strong recommendation! “
Mimi Pillsbury, France