Lettering With A Grateful Hand Retreat Registration

Where quiet reflection meets playful lettering and creative renewal.

Thursday, May 28 - Sunday, May 31, 2026

Join us for a relaxing and energizing 3-day, in-person retreat as Artist, Deacon, Nancy Hays Hills guides us on a journey of drawing and painting through a series of creative activities.

Lettering with a Grateful Hand is a soul-nourishing art retreat held at Nazareth Retreat Center, in Grand Prairie, Texas, offering time away from daily distractions to reconnect with creativity, reflection, and mindful making.

Through guided lettering exercises, gentle exploration, and moments of quiet and play, participants will learn to move past the creative hesitation of a blank page and embrace expressive mark-making with confidence and ease.

This retreat experience is open to all skill levels and invites you to slow down, listen inwardly, and create from a place of gratitude and presence.

Build a Sustainable Journaling Practice:

Develop a nourishing journaling practice.
Cultivate a meaningful journaling rhythm.
Create a journaling practice as an ongoing companion.

Working with simple tools, participants will:

Bring new energy to sketches with a varied approaches to
watercolor painting and sketching.
Become more skilled in the use of graphite, pen, watercolor and
the Kemper Fine Liner pen.
Improve your sense of design.

REQUIRED SUPPLIES*

Speedball B nibs (B-2. B-3, B-4)
Broad-edged pens, your preferred choice for lettering: Speedball, Mitchell, Brause, etc.
Stiff-ish pointed nib, like a Zebra G.
Holder for Zebra G nib
Double-ended pen holder (if you have one)
Pencil and eraser (Nancy likes mechanical pencils because they’re less messy)
A few sheets of graph paper – grid size not important
Kemper Fluid Writer - Fine Liner
Watercolor brush with a good point. (Nancy uses a Princeton long round #6)

Watercolor, gouache, or fluid acrylic. (pan or tube)
Fairly deep well mixing palette
Old/inexpensive brush for color mixing
Ruler 12"
Washi Tape
Water container
Paper towels
Apron
Quotations, sayings, phrases, songs, or other texts that you love, and that you’d like to sit with for awhile.
Favorite Tools - Bring any you love writing with or using.

Please note:
All participants will create a special journal to use during the retreat. The paper we will be using, Arches Text Wove and 140# watercolor paper is included in your tuition.
You may also bring your own journal for taking notes and doing the exercises in.

* ART SUPPLIES at the retreat
If you need supplies from the supply list, please send your list in an email to orders@txlac.org with the subject line: ART RETREAT SUPPLIES.
Discounted supplies will be available at the retreat for your convenience.
All pre-ordered supplies will be waiting upon your arrival to the retreat.

IN-PERSON RETREAT FORMAT & TUITION

Check-in Thursday, May 28, 2026; 3:00pm - 5:00pm

The retreat officially begins with dinner on Thursday evening at 5:00pm, followed by an evening session with introductions, retreat overview and first assignment from 7:00pm - 9:00pm.

Each day thereafter, begins with breakfast, morning session, lunch, afternoon session, dinner, continuing with an optional Open Studio time in the evening.
Open Studio provides participants the opportunity to work on their journaling skills and receive one-on-one time with Nancy.

The final day, Sunday, May 31st, begins with an early morning session, brunch, late morning session, and ends with clean up by 3:00pm.

All registered participants receive a complete schedule along with email and text updates.

TUITION
The cost to attend this 3-day retreat is only $895 for Single Occupancy, $795 for Double Occupancy* and $745 for Commuting Participants.

Registrations are filled on a first-paid-first-served basis.
Due to classroom and sleeping room space constraints, this retreat is limited to 18 participants and is expected to fill quickly with a waiting list.

*In the event no roommate is available pair with a requested Double Occupancy registration - Single Occupancy rate applies.

VENUE & ACCOMMODATIONS
Nazareth Retreat Center
1814 Egyptian Way
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

Located in a peaceful setting, this non-smoking facility with comfortable accommodations and home-cooked meals is conveniently located on 25 acres within 7 miles of both DFW and Dallas Love Field airports.

The Center is located adjacent to the convent and home of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Nazareth Retreat Center is sponsored and operated by the Sisters and features beautifully landscaped grounds including a private lake, patios, sitting areas, and free parking.

Students are welcome to attend morning mass at the chapel before class time.

Private rooms include 2 single beds and a bathroom and complimentary WIFI internet.

Please name your roommate or we will do our best to pair your compatibilities.

SNAIL MAIL BONUS
Register online to secure your space. Send a hand-lettered, decorated envelope to qualify for our decorated lettering envelope contest with prizes by MAY 20, 2026 to qualify for the Creative Envelope Snail Mail Contest.
Prizes will be awarded to the most popular by vote of the class.

Cat painting by Nancy Hays Hills

CANCELLATION
& REFUND POLICY
There are no refunds for this in-person retreat unless, in the unlikely event the retreat is cancelled.

All fees must be received within 5 days of registration or space is forfeited to waitlist recipients.

If your plans change, tuition is forfeited. A refund (less $100 administrative fee) is only possible when there is someone on the waiting list who can fill your spot.

Seating is limited to 18 students on a first-paid-first-served basis.

ABOUT NANCY

Nancy Hays Hills is an artist and Episcopal deacon living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her working career was in the field of advertising and graphic design, from which she retired in 2020 to devote more time to her dual vocations of ministry and art.
She shares a home with her husband Julian, and her trusty feline sidekick, Samantha.

She began drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon, and was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged their shy child to express herself on paper – especially her father, who would amuse her by drawing cartoons, sometimes in ballpoint pen on the bottoms of her feet!

She took her first calligraphy course at age 17, and has incorporated lettering in her art ever since.

Nancy teaches art journaling classes online, most recently a four-part series called Out of Your Mind and on to the Page.

In addition to individual pieces, she has been working in art journals for over 20 years, and her artwork from those journals has appeared in Alphabet, Bound & Lettered, Letter Arts Review, and in the most recent Speedball Textbook.

So sorry! Lettering With A Grateful Heart Art Retreat is full but you can get on the waitlist HERE.

Full Name*

First NameLast Name

E-mail*

example@example.com

Phone Number*

Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

FOOD ALLERGIES & DIET PREFERENCE*

Example: "None" or "Gluten Free" or "No Dairy"

EMERGENCY CONTACT*

Name

EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE*

(000) 000-0000 Format

Roommate Preference

Roommate's Name

Other

Name Badge*

Registered name will appear on your badge unless you indicate otherwise here.

Transportation*

Driving to Nazareth Retreat Center (NRC)Flying into (Dallas Fort Worth Airport) DFWFlying into (Dallas Love Field) DAL

Both airports are about a 20 minute Uber ride to NRC. Participants are responsible for transportation to NRC. Please send your Arrival and Departure flight numbers, flight times and Airport to angie@txlac.org and we will do our best to pair you with another to share a ride.

Retreat Payment Options - SELECT ONE:
Zelle®, Paper check or PayPal/Debit/Credit card

Payment Types:Zelle®/Check/PayPal/Credit Card*

Transfer funds via Zelle® (Preferred)- Please Note "Grateful Hand" - $895 Single/$795 Double/$745 Commuter.Mail Paper Check for full amount due within 5 days of online registration - $895 Single/$795 Double/$745 CommuterPayPal/Credit card Single Occupancy. A $40 processing fee applies for a total of $935.PayPal/Credit card Double Occupancy. A $40 processing fee applies for a total of $835.PayPal/Credit card Commuter. A $40 processing fee applies for a total of $785.

Lettering With A Grateful Hand Retreat Tuition Options*

SINGLE OccupancyIncludes classroom space, table and chair, goodie bag, shared instruction, community supplies, paper, meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners and 1 brunch), coffee breaks and 3 nights overnight accommodations with a private bathroom.

$895.00

DOUBLE OccupancyIncludes classroom space, table and chair, goodie bag, shared instruction, community supplies, paper, meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners and 1 brunch), coffee breaks and 3 nights overnight accommodations with a private bathroom - shared with another person. If no roommate is available pair with your registration - Single Occupancy rate applies).

$795.00

COMMUTERIncludes classroom space, table and chair, goodie bag, shared instruction, community supplies, paper, meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners and 1 brunch) and coffee breaks.

$745.00

Total

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