yarn, paint, and other deliciousness

So, not long ago I went looking for a particular ball of yarn. I'd bought it at a sale last year and I thought it would be perfect for a little project I had in mind. I had to look in a lot of places because it turns out that I have a lot of little stashes all over the house, some I'd almost forgotten about. In the search (which was ultimately successful you will be glad to know) I realized it was time I took a good long look at this...

No, this is not a photo of my favorite local yarn shop, though much of it came from it (them). This is the sum total of my, ummm, shall we say... inflated sense of knitting prowess and productivity?

You could be kinder and say that it is a table full of hopes and dreams, of gifts planned (and time run out of), of love in a squishy colorful pile of wool. It's all that and someday it will be more but for now it is at least separated by color and packed safely away...and I'm working on some new projects just in time for Christmas.

On the painting front, which has taken far more time than knitting of late, I am in the 6th and final week with Connie Hozvicka, of Dirty Footprints Studio and her inspired, supportive, talented and lively community of women. Somehow she's gently pried my tightly clenched fingers off my little art journal and prodded me into painting big. I mean, really BIG - as in larger than life. It's exhilarating and, well, I love it in a big way.

Fearlessness

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. ~Alan Alda

So today begins week four of Fearless Painting. It has been a great experience to get to know and hang out with this group of women in virtual community. It's hard to explain how it works so well, being all online, but Connie, our fearless leader, is amazing. Every Sunday I get to click on a surprise package of videos, inspiration, challenges, and new assignments. It's like Christmas every week. What could be more delicious! The remainder of the week we paint, post our paintings online and comment on them, journal, share in weekly chats, blogs, and more. We come from every age, every walk of life, and many countries from the US to Romania, England to Australia, but what's been really great about Fearless, besides the wonderful sense of community is that I am PAINTING. A lot of crappy paintings and a few 'good' ones, but it's not about good or bad, it's about doing it, about being open to whatever comes along, about questioning where it comes from...in short, it's about process rather than product and that is enormously freeing - and joyful, intriguing, exciting, fun, and yes, less and less fearful. We're exploring our wilderness and our wildness with paint.

If anyone out there is interested in painting fearlessly, I strongly urge you to slide on over to Dirty Foot Prints Studio Workshops to see what she offers. And check out Connie's blog, too which can be accessed from the same link.

So here I am on a beautiful Sunday morning, sitting by the first fire of the season with a cup of tea, checking in on my tribe at Fearless, talking on the phone, making mental lists of things to do. I have three days off this weekend but they are slipping by so quickly! There is painting of course, the garden to winterize, the Sketchbook Project to start (yes, START! I haven't done anything but gesso some pages together to make them stiffer and only 2 months to go - eek!), dogs to walk, Etsy to check in on, wool to spin, books to read, and so much more. I am happy as I can be. All good.


You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith. ~Mary Manin Morrissey

Dream BIG!

Playing in the World of Creative Journaling

Busy, busy, busy...have been working on getting my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project going but the pages are so flimsy that they are only good for pencil drawings which are not my thing...so, little by little I'm gesso-ing pages together to make it more sturdy. i hope to get started this week though the unusually damp weather is slowing down the drying time. My theme, assigned by those in charge of such things at Sketchbook Project headquarters, is 'secret codes', which is surprisingly fun to work with. I have a lot of ideas for it and will post pics when I get started, but meanwhile up above are some recent pages from my ongoing journal.

I've joined a hundred or so other people at 21 Secrets, hosted by Connie Hozvicka of DirtyFootPrints Studio. 21 Secrets is an online creative journaling extravaganza that pulls 21 different art journalers together to teach their favorite secrets. It has been great fun and I've learned some new tricks. In fact, I've enjoyed it so much that I've signed up for Connie's next online class which is entitled "BIG" - it's all about painting BIG. As I am a dedicated small format painter, this will be a challenge for me and I'll be sure to share my experiences as I venture out into larger canvases.

Back to 'work' ;)

Art Journaling Workshop coming up Saturday

Come and join us for a fun afternoon in a beautiful setting.

How could I have forgotten to post this????

THE most exciting thing that's happened in a while is that I got off my butt and did something about my long time dream of having a dedicated studio space in my house. After much thought I hired a friend to build a dividing wall in my garage, leaving half for storage and half to be....ta da! This space. It's rough. I still have a long way to go. It has to be better insulated before winter and there is drywall work to be done, flooring, and more, but it is usable and I love, Love, LOVE it. It makes me super happy.

One of the best things about it, aside from the fact that it keeps my art supplies and work from overwhelming the rest of the house, is this:


I can lounge on the sofa with the dogs while playing with new ideas, waiting for paint or glue to dry, or even nap. It's fabulous, I tell you. Everyone should be so lucky.

This week I'm in full gear getting ready for the Introduction to Art Journaling workshop which is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, October 9, at Crystal Mesa Farm. It's going to be so much fun - like being in kindergarden again but without the mean teacher I had back then. Lots of paint, paper, glue, glitter, ideas, and much more. I will post the flyer tomorrow with all information.

I've joined the Sketchbook Project (see button to the right) and they've already shipped my sketchbook. Think about it. 2800 sketchbooks by all sorts of people all archived for posterity. My theme (chosen for my by randomness) is "secret codes". Hmmm... I will post pics of my book as I go along so you can see how it's coming along. Feedback appreciated.

I've also signed up for an online art journaling class for myself. You can find more information here: DirtyFootprints Workshops. It's my little treat to myself for the month of October and I'll be posting some of the results of what I learn here, as well. It looks like a busy, exciting, expanding, fun month!

The Sketchbook Project

What a cool idea! I found this on a blog called ihanna and, wow! Check it out by clicking on the icon and, what the heck, join! I'm going to. In fact, I'm going to go do so now.

It's getting to be autumn and that's just wonderful

It's September which means we're moving into my favorite time of year. The air is clearer and just a little cooler, though not quite crisp - yet. There's a quality in the light that illuminates everything in a slightly different way. Autumn is always a time of personal reflection for me, which makes it the perfect time to create and experiment with new ideas in my journal.


I've been having a blast planning a new workshop on creative journaling. It will be held the afternoon of October 9, at Crystal Mesa Farm. Think of the last time you felt completely free to express yourself. Did you write? Make art? Take a photo? Creative journaling brings writing, art, and photography together to celebrate life. We'll share ways to create expressive pages with color and images AND words that capture the essential moments of your life. From here, you can take it as far as you want to go. Beware: once you start this, you'll be hooked. Class size will be limited to ten participants and I'll post more details soon.



My next Intuitive Collage workshop will be September 18, 2:00 to 4:30 PM, at Crystal Mesa Farm . Intuitive collage requires no artistic ability - because you've got it whether you know it yet or not - all that's needed is an open and inquiring mind. See the previous post for further info and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at mary@marikio.com.



"Always remember, joy is not incidental to your spiritual quest. It is vital." Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

"Almost all creativity involves purposeful play." Abraham Maslow

Have a great week and think about how you can playfully celebrate the joy and beauty of your life.