The art of PLAY retreats

Late last month I traveled over to Seattle and Port Townsend for a 4 day art retreat called "PLAY". I wasn't teaching, I wasn't taking classes/workshops, it was 4 days and 4 nights of uninterrupted studio time. I completed more in those 4 days than I normally do in a month of studio time at home. Here are the pieces I worked on....

"Entangled" 

4"x4"x1.5"

Mixed Media

Painted for the 2012 Valentines For Aides art auction

My first attempt at translating work from my Book of Dreams onto a large canvas. 

"Clarification" 

36"x18"x1.5"

Mixed Media

"What We Leave Behind" ~ from the Book of Dreams journal

First spread in my new visual journal, the view from my seat at Play!! Note all the art supplies piled on the table ;) 

What an amazing experience! And so many beautiful like minded souls, I miss them all.

Art Unraveled ~ Phoenix 2012

I just returned from a quick trip to Phoenix where I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Linda Young, the coordinating genius behind Art Unraveled. She was so kind to give me a tour of the resort where all the magic happens and to answer all my many questions.

I am thrilled to announce that I'll be teaching three of my favorite workshops at Art Unraveled in Phoenix this coming summer.

Transferring Memories : Sunday

In this workshop we will learn over a dozen different techniques on how to transfer images and text directly into a handmade origami memory book!

Learning to See : Monday

Learning to draw isn't about learning how to use a pencil (we all know how to hold a pencil), it is about learning to see the world around you. I'll be teaching my visual journaling style + shading values techniques with a pencil that will bring depth and dimension to all your journal pages.

The Savage Mirror : Tuesday

 He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened. ~ Lua Tzu

Lets spend a day getting to know ourselves, seeing ourselves for who we truly are or where we really want to be. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of having to draw a portrait, we will get around that!! I promise. We come to the mirror to express what is in our hearts, through the use of guided exercises, collage, expressive drawing, painting, and writing. The savage mirror reflects those traits and dreams that the human eye cannot see but are nonetheless obvious when revealed.

If you have any questions about my workshops please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you!!

First Workshop of 2012

This will be the first time I have offer a workshop in the Boise area. It will be nice not to travel so far. I am hoping that I will get some excitement about visual journaling closer to home. What better way to start than to teach a bookbinding class, then get them excited about drawing and journaling?

This is also perfect timing for me. I need to make a new book for the upcoming year.

"Clarification"

"Clarification" ~ from the Book of Dreams
mixed media: ink, acrylic, china marker, markers, gel pen, thread, ashes

While finishing these pages up over the past 24 hours I finally came up with some concepts for my submission into The Sketchbook Project. My theme, Encyclopedia of the Scarlet Thread. I have a lot of work ahead of me between now and the end of January.

I also think I am going to translate this particular imagery onto a larger canvas. I like the overall look and feel.

work in progress...

So I had this dream back on Sept 19th in the middle of the day. I usually don't take naps during the day, but during this time period I was experiencing insomnia and slept when ever my body/mind would allow. I recall awakening from the dream with the word "clarification" echoing very clearly in my mind. Sometimes I think I know best... I should have listened. I know this doesn't mean a lot to anyone else but me, and that is just fine with me. It is all just a way to process anyway.

Sometimes i look at the pages in my Book of Dreams and wish that I was painting/drawing them on large canvases. But then they would have the chance of being taken away from me. That would be fine by me if they weren't so personal. I wonder how other artists deal with selling their art that is very personal. I need to investigate more on this subject.

Shattered Lens

"shattered lens" ~ traditional dipped pen, with india ink washes and touches of acrylic washes

Book of Dreams

dreamt: Aug 14,2011

I'm a slowly getting pages from my book of dreams posted here. This dream went something like this...  "I recall rolling a manual camera around in my hands, the lens was shattered and I was trying to figure out how to fix it. I looked through the broken lens and could see a man climbing some stone steps towards me. It was like looking through a telescope backwards, as the man was very tiny and far off in the distance. When I pulled the lens away from my eye I was surprised to see you climbing the last step right in front of me."

Then I awoke.