“Pirate Queens:
Daring Visual Journaling on the Coast of Ireland with Soulful Guide, Juliana Coles”

Set sail to the mystical Atlantic coast of Ireland for an epic creative adventure!

Join an intrepid sisterhood of kindred spirits to discover the remarkable Visual Journaling tools created by Juliana Coles that blend authentic journal writing with gutsy raw imagery in the safe container of a book for self-expression.

Within the pages of your Book of the Sea, you’ll uncover hidden histories and a brave, unfamiliar voice—she stands at the edge of the coast, gazing over Clew Bay. You know her. She’s calling. Women, it’s time to reunite the Sisterhood of the Sea.

This soulful retreat, set on the Wild Irish Coast at Essence of Mulranny Studios, invites you into deep, expressive artmaking. Led by the gifted Juliana Coles, we’ll explore mixed media techniques including layering paint, collage, writing, stencils, hand lettering, mark making, and drawing—yes, you can draw! Your book can be a journal, sketchbook, altered book, or any format you choose (see video for guidance).

We’ll also keep a Visual Travelogue, capturing our outings and landscapes through expressive mixed media journaling.

This circle of kindred spirits is no accident. Around a shared table, stories emerge through scraps, maps, ocean hues, empowering words, and intuitive mark-making. With over 25 years of experience, Juliana gently leads us in finding our creative voices and reclaiming our stories.

Answer the call. The Sisterhood is waiting.

Learn Juliana’s powerful methods for self-expression and instead of replicating Juliana's work, you will develop your own natural voice and style.

This is the journey you cannot not take.

Feel the roar of the sea as it crashes across the pages of your Visual Journal—a place where your voice rises, not in imitation, but in true, wild self-expression. With Juliana Coles as your guide, you’ll uncover your own unique style using her powerful, intuitive techniques.

Permission to come aboard?

Inspired by fierce pirate queens, sea witches, and women of the sea, we’ll dive into symbolic storytelling, hand lettering, and mixed media journaling to uncover our personal mythologies. In the land of illuminated manuscripts and enduring magic, we connect with Ireland’s history while forging bold new maps of our own.

Your Pirate Journal—or Book of the Sea—is more than a sketchbook. It’s a life preserver. A compass. A container for your alter ego: a daring Pirate Queen who takes no nonsense, steals back her treasure, and charts her own course. Through unsent letters, layered collage, and deep journaling, we’ll summon lost heroines and uncover the untold stories of women who ruled the seas—like the legendary Grace O’Malley.

This is a call to return—to a time, a place, a knowing. Whether by ancestry or intuition, you’ve been summoned to the Sisterhood of the Sea. Prepare with intention. Come ready to remember. What you need is already waiting for you in Mulranny.

Recommended reading for your journey:
The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau
With Love for the Journey by Lou Ann Granger (in loving memory)

In 1987, while working towards my BFA at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, these two disciplines crossed over and I began incorporating journal writing with mixed media drawing; in this blending I discovered my distinctive artistic voice. As an introvert with learning disabilities due to Epilepsy and a lifetime of seizures, turning within and then revealing that vulnerability externally onto the page became a natural outlet of expression for me. This was not a process I saw in a book or learned in school. When I initiated this practice, it was quite unique - I didn’t know anyone else working in this way. My peers’ sketchbooks were predominantly pencil drawings and so they were curious, “what are you doing there? What is that?” This inquiry made me pay attention to what I was doing, and eventually I developed a methodology that I would teach to others. I made a career making art, teaching and traveling; sharing my process for healing and transformation became my mission in life.

For over 25 years I have facilitated creative expression retreats and courses utilizing the power of storytelling in the complex, beautiful and safe container of a book. Visual Journaling is an active meditation technique and spiritual practice that accesses archetypal signs and symbols from the unconscious for inner dialogue through self-expression.

What began as a personal inquiry into creating new pathways in the brain after epileptic seizures, Visual Journaling has become a soulful, raw, relevant, authentic and life changing process now used by art therapists, teachers, artists and professionals around the world. Connecting with others to share our stories has been the jewel of my journey.

I have taught extensively in the US as well as Greece, Canada, Egypt, Mexico, Portugal and Austria. My Visual Journals are featured in over 30 publications, and in 2014 I authored/illustrated “Ghost Pirate: The Legend of Juana La Loca,” illuminating grief and loss. From 1998 - 2006 I presented exhibitions of my students’ journals that were profound and moving events. Though introspection is not highly regarded in this society, I knew, even in those early days, that the work we were doing was life changing and I felt it necessary to share those remarkable, alive books as inspiration to others to develop their own healing process of self-expression. I am passionate about the intensive work we do which is deeply challenging and cloaked in shadow but as Carl Jung said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” You call that darkness? I call it beautiful.

From all of us here at EOM

You are warmly invited to stay a while.

We invite you to imagine standing on the panoramic hillside of our studio, taking in the spectacular views of Clew bay and Croagh Patrick (Ireland’s holy mountain).

Open your heart to the profoundly moving drama of constantly shifting Atlantic skies, reflecting an ever changing light show on the bay. The wildness and drama of this spectacular area belie the peace and connection you will feel to Ireland and to this very special place.

Lay on a blanket in the heather and watch the stars emerge on a clear night or walk along the rocky shores, to gather shells, driftwood and memories. Find yourself letting go of the stress of everyday life, feel the mystery and beauty of this land, awakening your senses.

This unspoiled place provide a safe place of inspiration and experimentation to stretch your skills in whatever medium you are working on, in an amazing state of the art studio..

Join us in Mulranny, Ireland.

Dream about the history of past times, evident in every field with old stone walls, every stoic castle and each abandoned cottage.

Local Villages

Meet the local people, warm, friendly and always happy to chat and share a story or a cup of tea. While you're here, take some time to explore the charming village of Westport, where you can shop at the quaint stores and perhaps stop by a local pub or two.

Connect with Nature

Finding something to inspire you is not hard with the richness of the various eco systems surrounding Mulranny - from marine to mountain landscapes, with grasslands, bog and heather hills - this enchanted land casts a spell on any artist.

Enriching Excursions

Visit historic sites. Learn about the infamous Irish Pirate Queen and visit one of her many castles. Hear the story of our Stone Age ancestors and experience the myths and magic of Irelands spiritual roots while standing in one of the ancient stone circles. This is indeed a land of legends!

Find Your Inspiration

Make sure to pack your camera and sketchbooks because you're about to embark on a journey that will capture your heart and fill your mind with boundless inspiration. Prepare to be swept away by the sights, sounds, and stories that make this place truly magical.