love forever

Squam Online Workshop: Abundant Wildlife

Exciting news alert! My dear Squam Art Workshops is holding it's first online workshop, in partnership with the wonderful Alena Hennessey, called Abundant Wildlife. Registration is open now and the class runs from April 30th- May 25th.


In Abundant Wild Life, you will have the opportunity to work directly with Alena as she guides you through a carefully crafted curriculum that is brimming with techniques and experience to help you deepen your connection with the best and most fulfilled...abundant, wild, life. Through mixed media, journaling, photography, meditation, interviews with successful artists and a little bit of magic,  Alena helps you explore a mind, body & spirit approach to creativity.

Alena is an extraordinary resource who brings a wealth of specific design skills (her client list includes: ABC Studios, Target, Urban Outfitters, Galison/MudpuppyStationary, Papyrus, Monique Lllulier, Lark & Loon, and the City of Chapel Hill, North Carolina) but even more, she is an amazing teacher and guide in the artful experience. I speak from experience: I took a class with her last September and it was awesome! After the class, I felt invigorated, refreshed and full of creative energy.

Find out more and wath the video about the class here.

 

Motoi Yamamoto / Salt Installations

Following the untimely death of his young sister, Motoi Yamamoto began making these incredibly intricate ephemeral installations of salt. Not only are his pieces a commentary on the fleeting nature of life but salt is a large part of the death culture of Japan, used often in funerals. Can you imagine seeing one of these in person?
via Trendland

Music to Create By

Vanessa Bell Painting by Duncan Grant- from the National Gallery

I've been doing a lot of writing lately and, while it's hard for me to work in silence, I can't very well write to the blare of the latest MIA song (that's for looking at runway shows) so I've been listening to a lot of instrumental music. I find that anything romantic or sentimental with cello or piano gets me going. If I can imagine one of the brilliant minds of the Bloombury group painting or writing to it, it's got to be good. It helps for me to get a visual in my head of an artist busy at work and then I can get to work too!

So, here is what's been on my Spotify playlist lately:

The Hours soundtrack by Philip Glass
The Atonement Soundtrack by Dario Marinelli
Yo Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone
Claude Debussy
Actually, any piano music by Philip Glass
The Downton Abbey Soundtrack  (although I skip over the singing parts)

What do you like to listen to while you work?

Note to Self: Okra Makes a Darn Good Stamp

But not a good vegetable! Ok, that's just my opinion but, seriously it makes a great flower stamp, Who knew?

Wonderful inspiration and photos from Tend Collective

The Art- Squam Part II

I don't get a lot of chances to make art for art's sake. That is, most of the things I make are work of some sort. It's incredibly hard to just sit down and make myself something when deadlines and checklists loom closeby. But my one and only responsibility at Squam was to give a speech and I did that the first night!  After that I was free to have fun, make art and try not to take myself too seriously. The last part is always the hardest. I had to keep reminding myself that I could just make what I felt like making, experiement with new techniques and that it didn't have to be award winning work.

So here's what I made:
Day One: Botanical Printing with Maya Donenfeld

This class was all about making prints using the natural world as our inspiration. It might be cliché but I am always so inspired by the shapes of flowers. Maya had these beautiful farmer's market bouquets on each table and they provided the starting point for a lot of my prints. We began with more basic silhouettes, then spent some time outside sketching (So fun!Why don't I sketch outside more?) and then worked on a more complicated print in the afternoon. I experiemented with layers of colored prints over each other. not perfect but I like the idea.
I look forward to using these prints in my sewing projects, incorporating them in patchwork and applique.

Day Two: Cardboard wonders with Diana Fayt

This class was right up my alley because I love using old materials to make collages. Even though I am familiar with multi-media collages, I learned a few new techniques and got to experiement with adding paint to my work, something I haven't really tried yet. And really, the best part of the class was just having the time and mental space to make things and play! I'm really digging how this piece came out. Again with the flowers you say. I guess I was just loving on flowers last week!

Day Three: the Joy of Intention with Alena Henessey

So, the funny part of taking this class was: I showed up without an intention. Duh, what was I thinking? Luckily I recovered from my mind-melt quickly and realized that my intention was to make a safe creative place for myself both emotionally/spiritually and physically. I mean, that's the theme of the whole week! Again, duh.
I made this piece to represent my creative nest: one that is filled with color,layers of print and pattern but has that balance of negative space and openness.
This was just a morning class so I really had to be challenged to make quick and thoughful decisions in my art making. I don't mind a little pressure every once in a while! 

Thank you so much again to Elizabeth and all of my teachers for the best time ever!