Sacred Geometry & the Scottish Landscape 2026

Plant, Print and Collage: Sacred Geometry & the Scottish Landscape

Dates: 8-16 June 2026 – fully booked 2 places available*
Location: Glasgow & Argyll
Tutors: Reni Gower & Melissa Hilliard Potter
Activity: Printmaking, collage, foraging
Cost: from £3290 per person
Suitable for any creative skills level

*Two spots have just become available due to cancellation – why not grab a friend and join us :).

Join us on this unique collaborative venture to explore how the principles of sacred geometry manifest themselves in the magical Scottish landscapes and designs. 

What to expect

This 9-day creative experience combines exploring different locations on the stunning West Coast of Scotland with multi-day workshops led by two accomplished artist-tutors – Melissa Hilliard Potter and Reni Gower.  Presented with a hands-on approach, workshops fuse the materials and processes used by the artists through a shared theme at the core of their artwork: Sacred Geometry revealed through nature.

With an overview on plant-based art practices and the principles of sacred geometry, we will use observational and foraging techniques to discover the universal ratios imbedded in plants and botanical-inspired imagery in both natural and constructed settings. In our studio base in Inveraray we will use this inspiration to create prints and collages with stencils and gelli plates. 

Your experience starts in the city of Glasgow with a warm welcome, drink and lunch at the Mackintosh-designed House for an Art Lover, a magical place where Sacred Geometry is omnipresent in the design. Later that day we travel to Inveraray, an old garrison town on the shores of Loch Fyne in the heart of Argyll, which is our base for the rest of the trip.

Argyll’s spectacular landscapes feature Neolithic and Bronze Age remains and provide an inspirational backdrop for in situ sketching and photo recording. Using these as source material, Reni and Melissa will guide you to develop your personal motifs and decorative papers from direct contact printing, mono-printing using a gelli plate, stencilling and collage.

Excursion sites are selected to highlight the distinct neolithic history of the region as well as the natural beauty and importance of the local biosphere (flowers, grasses, trees, and lichens). The tutors’ own work, which they will introduce in informal talks, is foundational to the workshop and they will offer examples throughout the course.

This entire workshop experience presents a relaxed balance between concept, process, and history through creative techniques that encourage focused mindfulness, peaceful contemplation, and thoughtful engagement.

Check out photos and guest reviews from the 2024 trip here.

Read about Sacred Geometry in this blogpost. 

(Image source: House for an Art Lover)

Here’s the prospective itinerary in summary:

Day 1 – Arrival at our meeting venue, House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. Welcome drink and lunch. Introduction to the experience. Tour of House for an Art Lover. Travel to Inveraray. Welcome dinner at Inveraray Inn.

Day 2 – Studio day. Introduction to Sacred Geometry.

Day 3 – Excursion to Kilmartin Glen and Kilmartin Museum. Dunadd Fort. Visit to local artist studio.

Day 4 – Studio day & Scottish music night

Day 5 – Excursion to the Isle of Bute. Private tour of Mount Stuart House and free time in Rothesay.

Day 6 – Studio day.

Day 7 – Private tour at Inveraray Castle & studio time.

Day 8 – Studio day, review session, artist talk & exhibition of works.

Day 9 – Return to Glasgow and departure.

Please note: this is the prospective itinerary and subject to amendment. Nearer the the time we’re likely to add additional visits and participation in local events.

“Art is the flower. Life is the green leaf.” – Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Your tutors: Reni Gower & Melissa Hilliard Potter

We are delighted to work with two outstanding guest tutors on this creative experience. Independently and collectively, Reni and Melissa have taught workshops throughout the United States, as well as in the Middle East, Central America, South Europe, and the Caucasus.

Reni Gower received a 2023 Virginia Commission for the Arts Fellowship for Works on Paper and a 2020 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. Other awards include a SECAC Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, the College Art Association’s Distinguished Teacher of Art Award, as well as distinguished teaching awards from Virginia Commonwealth University and VCUarts. Her art work is represented in many prestigious collections and has been exhibited at international and national venues for over 40 years. In addition to her painting practice, she curates award winning traveling exhibitions that include COLLECTive Concerns: Collage and Assemblage; The Garden; FLASHPOINTS: Material / Intent / Fused, Geometric Aljamía: a Cultural Transliteration, and Pulped Under Pressure: The Art of Handmade Paper. After 37 years, Professor Emerita Gower retired from Virginia Commonwealth University in December 2018. Gower is represented by Chroma Projects, Charlottesville, VA. renigower.com

Melissa Hilliard Potter is a feminist interdisciplinary artist, writer, and curator whose work has been exhibited in venues including White Columns, Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, to name a few. Her films have been screened at international film festivals, such as the Cinneffable and the Reeling International LGBT Film Festival. Potter’s awards include three Fulbright Scholar grants, which enabled her to build two papermaking studios at university art departments in Serbia and Bosnia & Hercegovina. As a curator, Potter’s exhibitions include Social Paper: Hand Papermaking in the Context of Socially Engaged Art with Jessica Cochran and Revolution at Point Zero: Feminist Social Practice with Neysa Page Lieberman. Her critical essays have been printed in BOMB, Art Papers, Flash Art, Metropolis M, Hand Papermaking, and AfterImage among others. She currently serves as a Professor at Columbia College Chicago. melpotter.com

Location & accommodation

Our base is the old historic town of Inveraray on the shores of Loch Fyne in Argyll. Inveraray is the ancestral home of the Clan Campbell and Duke and Duchess of Argyll, which still have their seat at Inveraray Castle. The lively town has independent shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants to explore.

Our comfortable accommodation is at the Inveraray Inn, an over 250 year old family run hotel overlooking Loch Fyne. All bedrooms are en-suite. The bright and spacious Campbell Room on the the hotel’s ground floor will be our studio space for the week with 24/7 access.

Please note that this heritage building has no lift and most of the bedrooms are accessed via the original spiral staircase.

Price & inclusions

The cost of this trip is £3290 per person (shared room), plus £500 to have a room to yourself. It includes:

– 8 nights en-suite accommodation in Inveraray
– Daily programme of art tuition, talks & tours (2 tutors)
– 8 breakfasts
– Welcome drinks, welcome lunch & tour of the building at House for an Art Lover in Glasgow on arrival
– Dinner on first night in Inveraray
– Farewell dinner on last night
– Minibus transport when travelling as a group
– Minibus transfer back to Glasgow (airport or city centre) on the departure day
– Workshop materials kit and use of equipment
– Studio hire fees
– Scottish music night with local musicians
–  Entry fee for Inveraray Castle & Gardens
– Entry fee to and expert talk at Kilmartin Museum
– Entry fee to House for an Art Lover
– Entry fee to Mount Stuart House & Gardens
– Wild at Art canvas bag
– Detailed pre-travel information by email.

A non-refundable deposit of £600 is required at the time of booking, the rest is due 10 weeks before the start date. With the detailed pre-travel info we will also send you list of recommended things to bring, such as suitable outdoor clothing.

While workshop materials will be provided we encourage participants to bring collage materials of their choice; i.e. maps, letters, ledgers, lists – any manner of vintage, recycled, or decorative papers.

The experience starts and finishes in Glasgow, which is well connected in terms of international air routes (Edinburgh Airport is also convenient).

Please note: This tour involves some moderate walking, which means a certain level of mobility is required.

The above itinerary is based on careful selection of suppliers and is accurate at the time of publication. But should it be necessary, Wild at Art reserves the right to make changes.

Flights and travel to/from Glasgow are not included. Personal travel insurance is required.

Book now

Thank you so much for an incredible experience in the Sacred Geometry course. The program you provided was wonderfully balanced and varied between visiting local sites and studio time. Thank you for your careful attention to detail and catering to our individual needs. Reni and Melissa were incredible tutors and it was a privilege to work with them. For my first time in Scotland I could not have asked for a better, more stimulating, informative experience. I would eagerly join you on trips in the future again and again and again. Wonderful to have met you. {Maggie, Canada, Sacred Geometry, June 2024}