"I need the forest to guide me up, over, around and through my thoughts. Some reflection of light, some shape in the tangles, some vivid contrast, some eternal variety, patterns never repeating the same way twice. Would I ever have gotten to spend this kind of time doing the work I love if I hadn't come to be here last year and again now? I hope to return many more times. There's no place I'd rather be." - Lauren W. 2022
"My gratitude to you, land of Welcome Hill. To the generosity of Mother Earth for the eternal green ferns, as far as the eye can see. The bunny that reminded me not to fear. It is safe to be seen here. My gratitude to Ann Stokes for her vision all those years ago - a vision that holds me and my community of sisters who came for renewal. For rest. To be restored to deep breath and balance." - Donna M. 2022
“The solace I felt creating work in the Guest House was unparalleled to any feeling I've had creating my work. I have been brought to my knees in multiple instances here. Laying on pine needles looking up at swaying trees, watching the late morning light dance on my drawing, drinking in the light of the full beaver moon, the sound of an owl hooting and so many other perfect moments. Every inch of moss, mushroom and snarled branch has instilled an immeasurable amount of inspiration I will take to my small studio in New York City. Thank you for this sense of belonging, inspiration and magic. Thank you for this vibrating sense of awe." - Dana 2020
“If one were to name a good thing about 2020, it would be my discovery of Welcome Hill. I love it here so much - the walks, the mornings, the sunsets. Peace.” C. J. Phillips 2020
“I arrived here so deep in grief I couldn't feel anything. Such a gift, this space that feels so deeply like home - not like a place for me to live, but a place that affirms life - my life in connection with all life. I badly needed that in order to engage my own creative capacity. The colors of Autumn fed me beauty and I remember love as a state of being. So grateful. “ - Elizabeth B .2020
“It’s wonderful to have a magical artist retreat available at an affordable price. I’m grateful fo the opportunity to be quiet and read and wander the trails - and focus on my creative work. “ - Diana W. 2017
“I regained my balance at Welcome Hill. I spent my days working hard on my art and losing myself in nature walking in the woods.” - Leslie T. 1998
“My last dawn in the studio before leaving for Montreal. I have lived here for one and a half years, watching the sunrise from the treehouse bedroom, writing very much, making theater, learning magic, traveling the backroads of my mind, ending one way of living and beginning another. For me, the studio has been a transformation chamber - a place that makes possible deep change and hearing inner voices. I think Ann and her friends created something so rare that it qualifies as a miracle. and I wish that it may work for all who follow, as it has worked for me.“ - Harriet Ellenberger February 1, 1987
“I had no dramatic adventures at the studio and that was the beauty of it. No drama. No distractions. I enjoyed the uneventful days of quiet and isolation and watching the change of season which I had not seen in 15 years.” - P. Dayton 1980