Escape to Vancouver Island for a winter residency

Described by artists as “thoughtfully designed and deeply supportive,” The Ou is an intimate artist residency + writing retreat curated to support creatives in their artistic journey on Vancouver Island, British Columbia; a stunning place surrounded by gorgeous coastlines and temperate rainforests.

The winter season can be a busy time, but being at The Ou is a call to slow down and turn inward with your practice. The weather this time of year is mild on Vancouver Island - for us that means cool, rainy days. The forests have gone quiet as they drink up the rains, but the air is fresh with evergreen cedar boughs, pine and fir, and the moss has turned back into its brightest shades of green. Snow, if it happens, usually lasts only a day or two (and gives you another excuse to stay curled up next to the fire).

📍Located on gorgeous Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada, The Ou-Telier is a 100 year-old boat-building workshop in the Quwut’sun Valley (the Warmland) and overlooks a year-round creek fed from Mount Swuq’us.

☕️ The home and studios have been crafted with care to support you, and to allow you to sink into both creative play and deep rest.

🎨 Spend a day at work in your dedicated studio space with old growth fir floors, open rafters and picture windows, then decompress with your cohort by the fire in our Great Room, surrounded by light and nature.