I am such a lucky girl – CREATE Mixed Media Art Retreats hosts one of its events practically in my back yard. For four days I got to teach an amazing collection of women just down the road, then had dinner with my family and slept in my own bed each night. The students were awesome – some were in more than one class, and a handful took three. Some were repeat students, and some were new-to-me, and some totally new to this kind of venue. It was so rewarding to see how each artist interpreted the assignments and projects, bringing their own personal flair to the table. I thoroughly understand that it can be difficult to create-on-demand and often a student may experience performance anxiety but while we may be there to learn technique or make a specific project, I think the most important thing is to come away with the momentum to keep going. I've said this before, sharing your enthusiasm for creativity is more important than what you create. I hope I did that last weekend. The other beautiful thing that happens at these events is we get to widen our circle of friends – making connections with fellow artists through a shared experience can be life-long. I know because I've done it.
Here are most of the students I was privileged to spend time with – some got away before we took pictures.
I will never forget this event and some of the very cool things that happened in the workshops. I witnessed big break-throughs and many subtle a-ha's. Lots of eager girls who tried lots of new things and shared freely their discoveries so that we all could learn even more. That's what happens when you are in the classroom – the energy is so positive, so thick, it's nearly as visible as the hanging humidity outside. I always depart feeling motivated to do it all over again, with a notebook of scribbled ideas for next year. In one class I presented a little start-up assignment that became its own thing, took on a life of its own, and we ran with it because it was constructive, productive, and a really useful tool to review and remark on the results as a group. I think that assignment could become a whole class and I can't wait to start planning it.
A special thanks to all my students, the event planners, and the entire community of artists who were present to make this such a remarkable retreat. There was an Artist's Faire Friday night and it was a great success for my little GPP table. Fallon was a terrific helper – thank you to our customers for your patience as we got you through the line. Here are some more of my displays – these were spray painted with all the stencils I sell, in the extreme heat we suffered through recently. A few of the shots of paint never made it to the surface as it actually dried mid-air. Crazy.
Doesn't it look like the stencil sheets are hanging there? I love how the edges show so you can see exactly what the sheet looks like.
Next big teaching gig for me is Art-Is-You in Connecticut on October. Hope to see some of you there! For details on my classes click on the WORKSHOPS button in the toolbar on top.