It’s the sunny month of July and I’m sitting comfortably at my studio table, art all around me. Last month, I wrote that I planned to travel to Virginia for an ecoprinting course with my friend and artist Lotta Helleberg.
Nature, in her inimitable way, intervened in the form of pneumonia. And, despite my best attempts to care for myself, I ended up with a cracked rib and two rounds of steroids. After a heart to heart conversation with my sister, a wise nurse, I cancelled the trip to Virginia.
“What am I going to write about in my newsletter?” I moaned. Her response: “You are going to write about the healing process.”
Illness is a good teacher. Over the next several weeks, I realized that the healing process and the artistic process have several very important qualities in common: patience, trust and faith.
As we set out to make art, the end is unknown, and the road not quickly revealed. We show up each day, hoping to be open enough to heed our Muse (however she may appear). And when we are led in directions unfamiliar and uncomfortable, we try to trust and have faith that we’re heading in a generative direction.
A beautiful by product of illness is time to think. And as I did, I came up a new idea I want to share with you.
Harvesting our Gifts;
An Art & Yoga Workshop
Sunday, August 12, 10 am - 2 pm
Hendrixx Farm
I've long wanted to teach a workshop that combines my love of art, art therapy and yoga. I finally have all the components: a place to make art and practice yoga and a yoga teacher. My friend, Pam Peterson, has offered her home as a location. Pam owns Hendrickx Farms, a beautiful 8.5 acre farm with gardens and a light and spacious interior.
I'm teaming up with Khara Strum, a gifted yoga teacher and healer. We are offering a delicious mix of heart opening yoga, a short guided meditation and lots of time to spread out and dive deep into art. This month we'll focus on our theme "harvest" and working in collage and mixed media.
"Harvest" is our trial balloon and we're offering the class for $25 to cover the cost of materials. The workshop size is limited to 6 lovely souls, so let me know as soon as possible if you'd like to join us! You can email me to register.
What's Cooking in the Studio
Now that I'm back in the studio, I'm focused on a series for healing environments. I've really enjoyed working on commissions for New York University and realized that creating work for hospitals, clinics and hospices brings together my love of art and healing.
We recently had the interior of our house painted in preparation for my daughter's wedding and I am now in possession of 16 sample jugs of Sherwin Williams house paint. Oh my gosh, the fun begins when I open each jug, wondering what I'm going to find and how it's going to appear on the paper.
Using box elder leaves, a vine that crept through our back fence and pistache, I've been juxtaposing prints that mirror the abundance of summer trees, the way in which they overlap and provide green spaces for us sweltering humans.
