that resonates in my artist heart:
Whatever happened to
waiting your turn
doing it all by hand
'cause when everything is handed to you
it's only worth
as much as
the time put in
I think my new friend and sister "creatologist", Renae Meisner,
of Create!Studio in Rapid City, South Dakota,
would agree.
I was privileged to teach one of my favorite mixed media art classes
A Note To Self
in her studio last Saturday.
Before and after class,
Renae and I visited and visited.
I suspect we could've sat down and chatted into the wee hours of the morning
about creating all kinds of things
including the lessons we both have learned
about daring to begin a creative business.
Once our guests began arriving and the warmth of humming voices
filled the studio
the nervous excitement began to flow.
Soon, ladies dove into a pile of patterned papers
and the fun begins.
There is something beautiful that happens when you make something by hand.
If you take the time to create something with your hands,
in inevitably requires your heart and soul.
You create from what is truly important to you.
You create what you feel.
You create and something happens
that is tough to explain.
Renee and I visited about how connections seem easy when
creating.
About how maybe it is because
in order to create
we have to let the guard crumble a bit
and be real
and vulnerable.
Something miraculous happens layering paper and decoupage
and paint and words and meaning.
Lisa's piece above is one you could linger over and look
for detail after lovely detail.
There must be a letting go in the process.
It is a brave thing to make something
and then let people see it.
It is a scary thing
to look at a white canvas.
The photo above shows Brenda's collage of scrapbook papers,
a beautiful quote she brought from Pinterest
and lovely layers of paint patterns;
all of which create a special place to honor her treasure: grandchildren.
What wonderful fall-ish colors!
But each of these women brought their hearts
and filled up the white space with beauty and meaning.
Julie created a gorgeous color-filled collage
from Mother's Day cards from her daughters
and included each one's hand written name in her piece.
How precious is that??
Jamee and Tami
dove in with words and color and paint.
I love the words that they keyed into and highlighted.
I have to mention designer Melody Ross and Full Circle Exchange.
Melody designed this tissue paper for FCE.
I bought it for gifts, but have used it in my collage classes.
Not only does it spark something beautiful in the women and their art at my classes,
Full Circle Exchange is a company doing something well and good and right
in this broken world.
FCE creates jobs and job readiness for female refugees fleeing
circumstances we could never imagine.
I love using their products and sharing about them at my classes.
You can learn about the company here:
Learn about Melody Ross and her company Brave Girls Club here:
You can see in Jamee and Tami's projects
the typewritten words that they have highlighted in these next few photos.
Leslie made this gorgeous collage of all things mountain biking.
When she discovered what you can do to paint
with a paper towel,
you should have seen her go!
Janell made this happy bright piece with so many scrumptious layers.
Perfectly fall and perfectly joyful!
I love the feeling of trying something new
and realizing
I can do this!
I see it happen again and again.
Renae's piece is such a rich example of taking scraps that one might throw away
and collecting in a few color families to put together such depth and interest.
This will be so lovely on her wall.
Each one has a clip so that they can place "A Note To Self" in it
or a photograph of a
moment that matters.
Below are photos from my March "Note To Self" class at Sturgis Photo & Gifts.
I love that no piece is ever alike. Ever.
You can see values, treasures, beliefs, and accomplishment
in the pieces and in the faces below.
If you are interested in attending a class,
here's what's next:
October 23:
LIVE YOUR SONG: mixed media art class at Sturgis Photo and Gifts
November 15:
JOURNAL YOUR JOURNEY: mixed media art journal class at Sturgis Photo and Gifts
Details coming soon!
To reserve your spot for either of these classes,
call Terri Jo at Sturgis Photo and Gifts at 605-347-6570
You can also visit Renae Meisner and myself at our art booths
at the upcoming Pinedale Bazaar at Pinedale Elementary School
in Rapid City, SD, on November 8, 2014.
At my classes,
I use a variety of materials from old vintage books and wallpapers,
to scrapbook papers from
KandCompany,
BasicGrey and
Stampin'Up,
the Full Circle Exchange tissue paper,
old sewing patterns, brown paper bags.
You can decoupage so many things to create a one-of-a-kind background.
I provide sheets of words and many women bring their own quotes or verses.
Note: I'm not affiliated with any of the companies listed above.
They are just some of my favorites and I encourage you to visit their sites.
Join us!
