Diana Mahar

Diana Mahar – guest instructor

The Magic of the Present Moment: Oaxaca Art and Travel Journaling Retreat
DATES: January 9-17, 2027

This 8-day retreat experience will introduce you to a playful, flexible way of creating your own personal art travel journal as we explore the beautiful, culturally rich city of Oaxaca and nearby towns. You’ll have time in-studio to create and curate your own collage papers, bind your own art journal, and build a portable art journaling kit that you will use as we travel around Oaxaca visiting artisan studios, historical sites and beautiful locations where we will art journal together.

Diana Mahar is a mixed media artist and maker of handmade books. For Diana, art journaling is a low-stakes, expressive outlet to play and experiment with all kinds of art materials, with the goal of finding flow and joy in the present moment. After decades of intense work as a physician in primary care, she discovered art journaling as an accessible tool for well-being. She believes this creative practice can benefit anyone, at any stage of life, regardless of talent, skill or experience. She first traveled to Oaxaca in 1998 and has returned again and again over the decades. It remains one of her favorite places on Earth.