Once again getting excited...about SoulCollage® Training in June.

 Last weekend I led a introduction to SoulCollage®, for a group of my old colleague's, that I  worked with at Santa Rosa Junior College, for over 25 years.  We are now meeting monthly, to keep the connection we developed going.  Some of us, have been laid off from the college, (myself), others continue working there, and others are now retired.  We all enjoy the memories of the incredibly rich, humanistic program that  we worked in and developed together, with others.  It heartens us in these challenging times to reflect on it , and saddens us to know that what we worked for has been decimated by the California budget crisis.  Ahhh, but thats a whole other story. The arts by the way, were the first to go.

I loved sharing this process with my old friends, and everyone who came, really dove into the process and loved it.  Here is Tana, cutting away as she creates one of her SoulCollage® cards.  I only wish I had photographed everyones cards, but I was having too much fun doing my own to stop and take photos.

So, I am getting excited about doing the training in June.  The last time I was about to go, in March,  I had a freak accident the night before and had to cancel.  I am hoping that nothing unusual will befall me before this next training. (Actually that is a belief that I need to release.

I am also excited because I am starting a SoulCollage® Inner Muse, monthly open studio at my studio in July, and people are already interested.  This will be a wonderful art process, to add to those that I already offer through my studio art practice.  If you live in the area, and are interested, please do get in touch!

So in the light of show and tell, which is really what I love about this blog, I am sharing the three cards that I created that day.

"Mirrors are used to see our face, but art to see our soul..."

~ George Bernard Shaw

Bird Medicine repeats itself again and again in all my art.

And lastly, this card, which I shared in my last blog post, it is  the card that really speaks to me right now.  The limitless blessings spilling over from source, again and again, never ending.  But it is opening to the awareness of its presence that is the work to be done.

Blessings to all.

A wish for us All

Oh please do watch this sweet and short video by Lynn Whipple posted on Lanie Garriety's 14 Secrets for a Happy Artists Life.

14 Secrets for a Happy Artist's Life: A sweet video from Lynn Whipple

Yes!
and now go make something,
do it for you, do it for me, create it for the whole wide world. Amen.

More SoulCollage® cards...still making them

Well lately, life has been grounding me a bit.  I did something to my left knee, and have had to slow down tremendously.  I am trying to let it heal, but it is real slow going.  My impatience has me up and running in my head, but my body can barely hobble.  Today, I wound up canceling on a excursion, and then losing the keys to my studio, and finally, my car was dead when I tried to go somewhere needlessly.  So the universe is truely forcing me to be still and slow down.  Nonetheless, I made 3 new SoulCollage® cards today.  So I am sharing them here, as well as a few more that I did about a week ago.
Without further ado....

                                       Transforming the ordinary to the extraordinary....

                   Trust has always been an issue, but really it is a non issue... because there is a greater story afloat here.

                         I guess I am meant to write about all the wonder, awe and musings....
                                         These first three are the ones I made today....


                                                the following were created in the past few weeks..

 I Am The One Who celebrates  in nature ~ I transform through my connection with the earth

                                   This is the essence of soul..

 The waterfall of abundance.......

I Am The One Who looks within, who notices the patterns of life around me, often taking me  away from what is right on front of me, that is  blossoming and ready to fly right in front of my very eyes.  So . Pay attention.


Today I came across this Mary Oliver quote, it fits to end with this.  


"Instructions for living a life. Pay attention.   Be astonished. 


Tell about it."   — Mary Oliver

Abstraction is a challenge for me

I work in so many different media, that I have to find ways to trick myself into doing some of them.  I love to paint with acrylics, but rarely do these days because I am so pulled by many different processes. One way in which I get myself to paint, is to never leave paint unused.  

I have a magical little girl who comes to paint with me at my studio.  She loves to use lots of color, so after we meet I always use the paint she has left over to begin a new painting.

I give myself permission to do whatever, 

not worry about outcome

spread the paint across the canvas impulsively

know that I can use this as a base for collage so anything goes

be thrifty- and have fun

I have begun a series of these paintings.

This is one that I just recently began and then subsquently

worked on over a series of studio sessions.

This painting kept changing from its initial impulsive, expressive beginning.  I was hoping to stay completely abstract with it, but the last time I worked on it, the image of the bird and then the flower emerges.  I loved each in their own way, so let them stay.  I however, really respect abstract painters and wish I could stay completely abstract and free from imagery.  But I really find that a challenge.  Nonetheless, I like this piece and feel it is complete.

If you are an abstract painter, how do you stay committed to the non representational, I would love to hear from you.  

And another mandala to share with you all

Today in my email I received this photo of another completed Spring Shapes mandala.  This was drawn by Paula DuVander.  Once again, it is so interesting to see how even when working with similar motifs, ie the 5 universal shapes, each mandala is so different and unique/

When I look at this vibrant, colorful mandala, I am reminded of the thick texture of needlepoint or the vibrant colors of Huchiol yarn paintings.    I am so pleased that folks continue to send me images of their completed mandalas.  I will be sure to post them as they arrive.

Enjoy the spring...

Two More Mandala's completed...from Spring Workshop

I asked everyone who attended our mandala workshop on the Spring Equinox to send photos to me when they completed their mandalas.  So I am pleased to share 2 more mandalas for viewing here. 

                          Here is Patricia Water's mandala. For those who don't know this, Patricia and I facilitate the mandala workshops together. For many years, we had a community art studio together, called the Creative Arts Studio.  Our website still holds the name and energy of the studio. Now our workshops are held  in  different settings, as well as at my studio. Our work together continues creatively in facilitating Illuminated Mandala workshops.

This is Marge Gogh's powerful and vibrant mandala. She attended the Spring Workshop. There is so much to find delight in when looking at this one.  I am so drawn to, excited by, and comforted from the wonderful repeating details that form patterns around and within this mandala.  What a delight. Can you tell which shapes were dominant for her in this mandala?

If anymore mandala's from this springs workshop come flying to me, via the etherworld, I will share them here as well. 

Ciao.

Art Therapy Without Borders - So Far 10 Postcards...

So far I have only gotten a total of 10 postcards, from art therapists around the world who participated in the Art Therapy without Borders Project.  I have already posted 5 of them, and at this point I would be really surprised to get any more of them.  So I decided to post the newest ones for all to see and let it go at that for now. 

 This first one is from Renee Bond an art therapy student at NDNU in San Francisco

                             The above postcard  is from Christy Wolfram living in Northern Kentucky

 Natalie Coriell an art therapist from a small southern Illinois town sent the one shown above.  Natalie is the only one with links to an online shop and a blog.  nostalgicscraps on etsy ,  and urbannostalgicscraps blog...unfortunately her blog link doesn't work.  Oh well.
www

 Be My MIrror comes from Christine Hennig in Omaha Nebraska

 And lastly, the one above is from Paul Lee and art therapist in Singapore.

I wonder if I will receive any more of these.  What do you think.  I obsessively sent out about 36 of them at the very begining of the project.  It was fun to participate, but whether or not I will do this type of thing again, I am not sure.  Should I?