It's That Time of Year… again...

I've been thinking about this past weekend…
that weekend of 

t h a n k f u l n e s s… 
that begins the lovely season of  

g a t h e r i n g...

gathering
our thoughts 
our lists
our plans
our food 
our gifts
our connections with friends
our connections with family…
g a t h e r i n g…
all the little pieces that 
will make up the 
coming weeks.

As I work on some gifts from the heART

and prepare for boutiques...

and as I

g a t h e r

I am continually reminded of all the blessings 

that have been put on my path. 

It is in the spirit of gratitude, that I approach this season 

with eyes wide open and a full heart.

p.s. those sweet little woodblocks above, were created by moi in a wonderful online class 

by Junelle Jacobsen… the Art of Holiday Goodness - still available for sign ups.

Check out my etsy shop if you are interested in any woodblocks for gifting.  

Stretching Out of the Comfort Level.

“Creativity takes courage.” 

~Henri Matisse 

Have you ever worked on a piece that caused you 

to stretch a bit out of your comfort zone?

Don't laugh... but initially, for me it was the use of textural products...

unryu rice paper, gesso, modeling paste and more. 

I was so accustomed to how my paints worked on a flat surface... 

on what I was most comfortable with.

It took quite a bit of trial and error to get my color to look pleasing over texture.

It was such a stretch in the beginning... 

and yet it became that gentle reminder 

to be brave in the "process"...

because that's where the

magic 

happens.

I chose to share this piece because it was based on one of the projects 

from Junelle Jacobsen's Wild Art Summer

I know I mention Junelle a lot here, 

but I am a big fan of her online classes.

I've come to know the comfort in her style of teaching.

She has a way of connecting, sharing, and teaching to everyone.

from the beginner to the seasoned artist...

from the "baby lamb" to the "mature ewe"...

(she's a little cray cray for sheep)

all from her overwhelmingly big heart

and her most grounded soul.

If  you are interested in working with watercolors,

stretching your wings,

while learning some fun and playful techniques, 

that will free your soul to create beautiful art...

I highly recommend her Fall/Winter class online.

It starts October 22... with a warm & welcoming 

Open House on October 15th.

sign ups going on now...

Can't wait to see what she has in store for us.

I give it 10 hearts up!

the Art of Holiday Goodness by Junelle Jacobsen

Does Watercolor Scare you?

An essential aspect of

creativity is not being

afraid to fail.

-Edwin Land

Fearless, fearless... that's what I know to be true.

The mind says "be fearless"...
but the heart says... 
"Yikes... this is out of my comfort zone"

So many people tell me they think watercolor is a difficult medium.

I don't know why, but watercolor came easier to me than oil and acrylic.

Although I LOVE both of these mediums... 

there's something about the organic nature of watercolor 

that forever calls my name.

I think the "uncontrolled" temperament of the medium 

is what scares & delights at the same time.

I've been asked by so many 

to share some of what I know...

the hows and whats of my process.

Talk about having to be "fearless"...

I finally completed the process of learning how to make a video

that I feel comfortable putting out into the world.

Grateful for a course that I highly recommend...

(by the incredibly talented, 
most fabulous soulful photographer
Vivienne McMaster...)
I now know that I can be 
"be fearless"...

(after really being out of my comfort zone)

 in creating video's to share along the way.

Thank-you Vivienne McMaster! 

This is only the beginning...

(to learn to make "soulful video's" and more... check out Vivienne McMaster's online courses!)

Palettes of color....

"I think palettes 

are a glimpse 

into the soul 

of a painter. 

Yep, you're going to heaven."

~Brian Schnetzer 

(friend extraordinaire)

When I posted a photo of my watercolor palette on facebook recently, 

one of my dearest friend's 

left the words above on my page.

I was so touched...

(well, he's that kind of person- one of those rare & cherished friends)

...he gave me cause to think...

our palette says a lot about who we are 

and how we approach our work.

If you've been on this blog space of a journey with me ... 

you are probably well aware of 

my affinity to 

w a t e r  C O L O R. 

(with an emphasis on the color part.)

 So many sweet friends have been asking about what colors I use, 

what type of paint, how etc. 

I thought it might be fun to start sharing some posts 

on the "how to's of what I do's".

I kind of see myself as a "rebel" when it comes to following (NOT) 

hard core "tradition" in watercolor. 

The very essence of the medium, evokes freedom and lack of control...

which is probably why I love it so. 

I am always learning lessons on 

 l e t t i n g   g o

a n d

t r u s t i n g,

when I create with watercolor.

Upon taking a deeper look at my palette, 

I noticed that I didn't have all of my colors lined up exactly 

with warm and cool colors in their proper place. 

I tend to put random bursts of color 

"outside of the box"

so to speak.

I also noticed that a lot of times, those random bursts of color 

are used in my work, as that color gem- that little sparkle added to the page.

Wow, there's more to your palette when you start to really look at it.

It's kind of a metaphor for how I like to create

and live my creative life.

What paint?? I am asked often...

I like a combination of Holbein & Windsor Newton brand.

You can see from my journal book pages 

that I am a big fan of wet on wet and glazing techniques.

I believe those techniques, allow me to achieve a lot of depth, 

as well as an organic feel to my work.

The "pear and lavendar" spread above, is from one of my journal books-

inspired by all that I learned from Wild Art classes with Junelle Jacobsen.

I am sooo in love with journal pages...

as it allows the freedom to explore and create 

for a larger work.

Tomorrow starts a "new session" of Wild Art  called 

Wild Art Summer.

I'm feeling like a little kid... so looking forward to creating new projects, 

and connecting with an incredible group of people.

If you like the idea of creating in a journal, exploring with watercolor 

and so much more... 

I would highly recommend signing up for Junelle's class. 

It starts tomorrow, but is a go at your own pace online e-course.

It's most inspiring for those who like to

"color out of the lines"... like me.

photo above: Junelle Jacobsen's wild art class

What colors are on your palette?

In my next post, I'll share a little on how I go about painting with glazes 

using my "out of the box" color palette.

Hope to see you in the Wild ART Summer group. 

Tu Tu Tutorial Time...

Ever since "Wild Art" classes... 

I've been looking at the concept of the journal book 

in a whole new light.

It has become a place to experiment,

a place to p l a y 

a place to  e x p l o r e  and make mistakes

and a place of pure f r e e d o m !

I am sharing a technique that I 've been using with kids for years.

It's funny how the simplest ideas can sometimes 

translate into the loveliest of creations.

Grab yourself some foam sheets at the craft store 

and see what artistry you'll create!

Foam sheets? 

Who would think 

these handy dandy foam sheets 

would serve as a cool base 

to make a basic monoprint with?

You'll need two brayers, some block printing ink, a sheet of glass 

and a ball point pen to play with.

Use the ball point pen to draw some designs into the foam sheets.

I chose organic images, as I was planning on 

making subtle background patterns on my journal page spread.

The harder the impression you make with the pen, 

the better the result you will get when you transfer the design.

mmm... pretty...

I already had some block printing ink, but bought a fresh tube of white. 
I chose white, because I wanted to go over 
some other colors that I had previously put on my pages.

When you are done drawing the images, 

roll out some ink on the glass with your brayer.

The plan is to get a good coat of ink on the drawing side of the foam sheet.

Getting a fair amount of ink, should insure a good clean transfer of image.

When ready... flip the foam in the position you want it on the page, 

apply pressure and roll evenly with your second (clean) brayer. 

(oh- did I mention... the transfer will come out backwards from the drawing...

usually not a problem, unless you are writing words...)

This sample shows my first sneak peek, 

where I can tell 

that I needed to get heavier on my ink.

Much better... now I was ready to print on my pages... 

Below is the finished spread. 

I used two different images to transfer. 

I love how the white ink made a subtle pattern on the page, 

and also picked up some faint blue 

from the ball point pen in places.

So much fun, with such a simple process. 
What will you create? 

(Would love to hear if you try it out)

Wine and Canvas Night...

I finally got to launching a little project that I've been working on for months. 

And who better to launch it with 

but a very dear group of friends that have the most open 

"a r t   h e a r t s".

For a while now... 

(probably since the original Kelly Rae Roberts Flying Lessons course)

I've been working toward offering classes for children & adults. 

In the big picture plan, 

I've had the intention of sharing the joy of artmaking 

with groups of people that may, or may not, 
have had any art background. 

Intentions to teach others how to see...
how to use color...
how to create...
and how connect with their abilities.
An intention of paving a way for others to contribute 
something lovely to the world 
as well as to themselves.

Well, last week, I presented my group 
with a mixed media collage night...
"Wine & Canvas" to be exact.
The wine may have come first, 
but everyone was super excited to get to the canvas.
We did a step by step 
and everyone discovered 
that they truly could!

They truly could...  

c r e a t e...

m a k e   a r t...

c o n n e c t   w i t h   c o l o r...

and have fun.

It was magical!

The j o y was 

immeasurable...

...so grateful to have started this chapter.

The door has opened, and more classes are forming.

Working on video's and lot's of fun stuff to share.

want to know more... send me an email... workshops forming...

Planting seeds... and Heart Experiences...

This time of year is a little different for us...

 west coast cali-peeps. 

It's easer to lose track of the seasons, in a way... 

because the markers are much more subtle. 

Cold is 45 degree's and rain is... well...

oh my... blocking the sun from shining. 

The hills reflect light off of a carpet of green. 

Lavender blooms and camellia's burst alive with color.

All of this being  

somewhat of a pre-Spring...

before winter seeds 

come to a full bloom.

I always like this time of year, 

because  

a r t  s e e d s  

planted from the new year

have been taking root.

One of  my seeds included 

creating an art & word journaling class, 

to be shared with 

a Life Group in my home.

 

I've been planning lessons to share with this lovely group of women, 

to encourage expression, spiritual connection and bravery.

I create my sample pages to encourage everyone to 

not   f e a r 

be  f r e e 

and  e x p r e s s.

We talk about "artistic license"a lot...

 and that there are no mistakes, 

just  g r o w t h.

I  have been humbly amazed at the connection that has been made.

The fear that dissolved, and the spirit that is continually felt among us 

when we gather to create.

Take a peek at what a lovely group can do, 

who were fearful of the concept of "self-portrait"

who thought they had no artistic ability...

who all looked at me with raised eyebrows 

when I mentioned the words

"take a picture of yourself on your phone..."

Our h e a r t s became full, 

as the tension went away, 

and everyone got in their own art space.

I am simply  a m a z e d ...

grateful for 

new seeds of growth. 

(Matthew 18:20)

"For when two or three come together in my name, there am I among them." 

...soooo thankful to Junelle Jacobsen for teaching Wild Art to us all, so we can share the process of art journaling in the world and connect hearts... There's still time to signup for Junelle's Spring Workshop~ 

I soooo highly recommend it~ best class ever!