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A pilgrimage destination since early Christian times, Iona is a tiny island off the west coast of Scotland just 1.5 miles wide by 3 miles long, with a population of around 170 permanent residents.  Often described as the jewel in the Hebridean crown of islands, Iona’s beauty and tranquillity are world renowned. The journey here from mainland Scotland takes you across land and sea and is a modern-day pilgrimage in itself through some of Scotland’s most stunning scenery.

Iona has captured the imagination of pilgrims for centuries, from the early hermit monks of the 6th century to modern day travellers seeking peace, beauty and solitude.

Over the centuries Iona has been home to, and has inspired, poets, musicians, craftsmen and women, writers, artists and theologians. Its landscape speaks of angelic visions and ancient burial grounds, a hermitage of the sea and a place of reflection and revival. 

We hope that the creative retreats will connect you to an essence of this ancient spirit through the mediums of art, craft and mindfulness.

Iona Creative Retreats

About Mhairi

You will be hosted by Iona artist, Mhairi Killin who has lived on the island since 1997. Mhairi’s story has a vibrant backdrop of wonderful island characters, artisans who led her to live on Iona in 1997, following many generations of her maternal Macdonald clan. 

A Royal Scottish Academician, Mhairi works across the mediums of drawing, print, sculpture and film. Her art practice is inspired by her life in the Hebrides and her love for Iona.

Mhairi has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad. She has been artist in residence at the Leighton Colony, Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada, and in 2021 was an invited artist on the international project, In Search of the Pluriverse, a Travelling Academy project for Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam.

She has recently returned from a 2 month residency at Artica Svalbard, by invitation of Contemporary Arts Oslo where she was exploring the idea of 'islandness' in relation to climate change.

As well as having an active visual arts practice, Mhairi continues the creative legacy of 19th Century Iona artisans Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie, and relative, Iona silversmith, Iain MacCormick, through her island business, Aosdàna.

Mhairi has nearly 30 years of experience of welcoming people to her island home, and she looks forward to sharing Iona with you, from the perspective of an islander and an artist.

www.mhairikillin.com

www.onsonorousseas.com

About Our Invited Artisans and Teachers

Iona Creative Retreats

Sara Keith

Sara’s love of jewellery and the Hebrides started at a very young age, with all her family holidays spent on the islands. The beaches provided endless fascination and just like then, she still can’t walk along the shoreline without being inspired to make a piece of jewellery.

Mhairi and Sara met at the Glasgow School of Art and formed a lasting friendship with many shared experiences. After a period working in costume, Sara developed her studies further with a PhD researching the union of silver and textiles. The skills of Goldsmithing and stone setting were further refined at Vanilla Ink Jewellery School.

Having taught in several art schools over the last twenty years and developed a unique jewellery practice, Sara looks forward to sharing her creative passion on the beautiful Island of Iona.

More information about Sara and her jewellery can be found here.

Iona Creative Retreats

Kerstin Felleiter

Originally from Germany, Kerstin has been living and working on Iona since 2018.

She has been practising meditation for over a decade and was authorised to teach mindfulness by one of the most senior teachers of buddhism and mindfulness in the West, Christopher Titmuss.

Kerstin has been teaching a regular class on Iona for residents and visitors since 2022. She has a keen interest in buddhist teachings and draws much inspiration for her own teachings from the wisdom of the dharma. 

She strongly believes in the healing power of connection. Her aim is to create safe spaces for people of all backgrounds to come together in practice in order to support the development of meaningful, respectful exchanges, insights, fresh ways of looking and learning from each other.

Kerstin's approach to meditation is gentle and non-dogmatic and acknowledges individual resources and limits.

More information about Kerstin and her approach can be found on her website: www.sometimesmindful.com