The retreat runs eight days and seven nights, and it is self-directed. Before you arrive Elaine sends a proposed schedule of guided sessions; once you are there you can move things around. She visits regularly for sessions and check-ins, and the rest of the time the studio and your room are yours. Guests have painted alone or alongside other guests working on their own pieces, depending on who happens to be staying.

Each session has a different theme. Elaine's method is what she calls painting honestly — listening to what wants to be expressed rather than trying to paint something that looks good. In practice that means exercises like choosing a theme from a jar, picking colours with your eyes closed, and building a piece one step at a time. Guests have described commenting on each other's drawings and folding those marks into a shared piece.

The setting is a lived-in house, not a commercial retreat centre. The studio is bright, with large windows, plants and open tables for painting, and paintings in various stages lean around the walls. Your room upstairs has a painting corner with an easel, work desk, stool and supplies on loan, so you can keep working at night. There is a small balcony looking over the neighbourhood lane.

Elaine spent 15 years as a software consultant in IT, including four years in Munich, before moving into art. In 2016 she co-founded The Hatchery Place, a creative coliving house in Subang Jaya, with her partner Kevin Yeoh. She runs workshops and one-to-one sessions from The Intuitive Art Hideaway and hosts this retreat there.

The location is a quiet residential street in Subang Jaya, roughly 5 minutes' drive from Taipan LRT station and the USJ commercial area, 40 minutes from KLIA and 15 minutes from Subang Airport. Hiking, museums and shopping are listed as nearby activities. One past guest warned that the house is far from KL city centre and suggested not trying to combine it with sightseeing, because you lose studio time.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation in the ArtBnB room with a private in-room easel - Guided personal intuitive painting sessions with Elaine Wong - All painting materials and tools (acrylics, watercolours, inks, gouache, paper, mixed media) - Daily light vegetarian breakfast (bread, fruit, cereals, coffee, tea) - Snacks and a stocked minibar in the room (fruit, juices, chocolate) - Water, tea and coffee served throughout the day - Wifi connection - Free parking - Luggage storage - Use of the fully equipped kitchen

What's not included

- Airport transfers - Lunch and dinner - Visa fees - Flights - Travel insurance - Additional treatments - Additional activities not included in the itinerary

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