Fearless

What do you get when you clear out a whole day to hang out with two good friends in an art studio? A day of art-makin', that's what you get!

Yesterday I had the privilege to hang out with two artful friends, Destree and Shelby. We met up at noon at my studio to create a new journal for 2010. The technique we used was one I learned from Diane Havnen-Smith, a delightful and talented artist in Portland. Since I'll be teaching a journal-making class later in January, I enlisted the help of Shelby and Destree to cut bookbinding fabric and tear paper for that class as well as our own journals (thank you).

As soon as our tasks were out of the way, we settled in for the day . . .

And by early evening, we had ourselves a journal. Here's Shelby's Soul Poetry:




And Destree's Sun and Rain:



Here's me adding some finishing touches to my journal:



My completed journal: Fearless (more on this topic in another post . . .)





Peek-a-boo!





A good day's play!

#400: Happy New Year!

This is my 400th blog post! On New Year's Day 2010! I feel accomplished and proud of myself. I also feel compelled to share a couple of things on this first day of the New Year. One of the things I want to share is my home office, the place where I do my blog posts, keep up with e-mail, maintain my calendar, and prepare for my art classes. My office is a a small little room tucked off of our main living area. Come take a peek . . .













For the past few days, I've spent a lot of time in my little home office. I've been preparing for two upcoming classes (both are FULL). The first is my The Artist's Way: Walking in This World 10-week session (I blogged about this a couple of weeks ago, about how I was having trouble getting a full class, well that has obviously changed . . .). I've been having a lot of fun planning what creative activities we will do each week, and I also have a few surprises for the six ladies who will be joining me on Tuesday nights beginning next week.



The other class that is coming up is my Create A Vision Board. I have planned for a full day of activities. We will be spending time identifying and setting intentions for the new year, and then have lots of time for creating a collaged board representing those intentions. The participants will be receiving some advance assignments to help them get focused on what they want to accomplish during our time together. My goal for the day is to create a safe and sacred space, one filled with candles and music, relaxation and breathing exercises, a shared lunch, and of course, the creation of a beautiful Vision Board. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the process of preparing for a new class.


The point of power is always in the present moment. Louise Hay

*8 Things . . . I Fell in Love With in 2009

I read about a weekly play opportunity from my blog friend Karen and it caught my attention like it did hers, much like magpies are attracted to shiny objects. In fact, the creator of all of this has nicknamed herself Magpie Girl (distracted by sparkly things since 1969). Magpie girl, also known as Rachelle Mee-Chapman, wrote this about her *8 Things challenge:

*8 Things is a little game I made up for myself in an attempt to quieten down my monkey mind. I tend to be a little bit bipolar when it comes to creativity. Either I have a million ideas and passions, or none at all. In the times when ideas are flowing, I rely on lists. *8 Things is a way for me to keep collections of ideas, thought, quotes and quandaries on-hand for later exploration. . . .Want to play along? Grab a button and join me for *8 Things Thursdays. Because..well…why the hell not?

So I've decided to play along. And since just yesterday was Thursday, the end of the year, and why the hell not, I'm joining in right now (I know it's Friday)!

*8 Things: I Fell in Love With in 2009

1. Creating a Vision Board
2. Attending an art retreat with the Portland Art Collective
3. Participating on two task forces for the Oregon State Hospital Mental Health Museum
4. Living without M&M Peanuts
5. Kauai
6. NW String Summit
7. Entering a couple art shows
8. Getting a hybrid car

That was a little harder than I thought it would be. I tried to think of things that were new to me, I also decided not to expound on what I listed, to just keep it simple. That may not always be the case, but for today, it is enough.

2009 Comes to a Close

Yesterday I finally made it back into my studio, a place I had not visited for a couple of weeks (other than to drop things off on occasion) due to the holidays and family gatherings. It felt good to be back. I spent the first hour tidying up and putting things away, then after putting on some music (Black Eyed Peas and later Billy Joel) and making a cup of tea, I dove into three projects simultaneously. I won't give away too much right now because I'll be blogging about each of these projects individually in the upcoming weeks, but I first worked on a piece for a group show, Four Fabulous Females, then I did some preparation on a piece for Mary Lou Zeek's 100 Artists Show, and finally, I prepped a few blocks for a swap being hosted by Susie LaFond through the group: In This House and Garden. Hopefully all of this will be enough to just whet your appetite . . .

And finally, I just want to share some very cool pencils I bought recently and played with for the first time yesterday, Derwent Inktense Pencils. You can color with them then apply a little water and the colors just melt together.