Cosmic Smashing

One of my favorite protects is to create Cosmic Smashbooks, and Art Journals! 

When she was in her color of Woman teacher training, my Red Thread SiStar Catt Geller wanted an option suitable for low-income participants. She thought of using simple composition books - and Cosmic Smashbooks were born! I corresponded with Catt, and was granted permission to teach local classes, and love seeing the books that emerge! 

Reiki 2 Good Medicine journals

This year, Catt is launching her Teach the Teachers training, and there are still a few slots open! Contact her if you're interested! 

Here's a lovely little tutorial on making an art journal with watercolor paper. I like making small themed booklets (a even simpler format is the fold out style, no sewing!)

Apothecary jars 

And here are a few art journal page ideas -  let's art journal  
Looking for inspiration? Here's a challenge with monthly themes: Art journal journey

Do you have a favorite format for art journals? 
HåPpÝ Paint Party Friday! 

In the Still Room

It's been a lovely, busy week. I played harp for a wonderful new moon meditation circle Sunday morning (Mother's Day), in a sweet rural setting, and nice weather, so we were outside. I got to stay for brunch under the trees, and later in the day had time with my kids and the local Grands.

This week I was puttering in the Apothecary, framing shelves, partial glazes, ...And feeling close to completion, .... 
Now, the Muse wants:

Apothecary

• Gel for "carvings" on the shelves
• An Alembic still (! - She saw one on another painting, and has to have one!) 

  

  Alembic still

• A button box, full of family treasures - did you have a button box? I could spend hours with my mom's! 
• Real items: key and leaded Crystal, a knob for beads and a pouch to hang from (apple burl, from an artist friend) and buttons from the family box for knobs on the drawers
• a few more Nick-Nacks, perhaps an amethyst cluster, little statue, dropper bottles ....
• Titles on the books (far right)

Because the canvas is angled, I plan to add a hazel branch above the narrow end (right half), ... apparently it will be wrapped with Red Thread from circles led and classes taught, and the key and lead Crystal will hang from it ...

I used my editing feature to sketch in some of the ideas she has for me, ... I'd glazed the star

violet, ... that seems the perfect place for the still! And life the other dragons, Scarlett will peek out, ...

An early layer was a rich "compost" glaze, that seems in order over the star...

Happy Paint Party Friday! 

What tasks has your Muse set you?

Creativi-tea Time

This week I had tea with SiStars from around the globe with my RT friend Denise Daffera and the Purple Ink café, via Zoom technology! I was at my daughter's, so used a sweet teacup my granddaughter KK received from her friend Gabby, when she went over for a sleepover. Bone China, with a lilies of the valley pattern, it reminded me of having tea with my mom! Like Denise, I grew up sipping tea and sharing stories with mom. Ssh p as a teen, she encouraged me to collect bone China teacups when we traveled to Canada. At home, I often use a handthrown cup, and have several to choose from.

As women shared their tea cups, and memories of other tea parties, I remembered when my

Cup from Elaine W

massage mentor introduced me to an older German woman, who needed in-home sessions. I would bring my (heavy!) table, and after the session, she began inviting me to stay for tea, which included some fresh baked goodie.... 
When Helen requested I come twice a week, I told her I could come do massage two times, but not do "tea party" both days!! We would drop into a mix of English with some German words, and I'd hear parts of her story.

We always had herbs in our garden, and when my kids were young, Michael and I would gather our own favorites for Monday night tea blends. He loved sage, I prefered Lemon balm, and a sweeter brew. We had a wonderful black English peppermint from his elderly friend who lived in the house "my" gallery, 10 Oaks, now occupies. 
Like my folks, we liked using local honey, and would use a bit in our brews. Sage or ginger and honey we favorites got sore throats, and in the late 80s, I took an herb class to learn more medicinal uses. Our local friends Melanie and Andy Van Hevlingen grow some of our favorite herbs.

During my years at the mountain hot springs retreat, Breitenbush, several co-workers loved tea and tea ceremonies. Rosa was born in England, and Gwynne had studied at the Guild theatre school in London. I'd often be invited over for elevenses, with tea served from a pot, and perhaps jam on a biscuit or bread from the kitchen. I was happy to discover a coconut black tea at our local Velvet Monkey tea room, similar to the one from a London tea shop. At Christmas, Jamshed would host a well attended high tea with poetry, in the lodge with a fire burning. 

One housemate, Ray from the kitchen team, was an expert at simmering the spices and making fresh Chai. Like the little Red Hen, he encouraged Emily and me to make it sometimes, but no, we wanted his brew, and would patiently wait for our chai.

For our Red Thread Circles, we often brew tea in a pot, along with small oranges, nuts, chocolate, for help washing and clearing emotions raised as old stories are processed. We have a collection of tea cups, and teas, as well as tea in bags for individual use. A teapot appeasers in many of our Apothecary paintings, brewing new stories.

What favorite memories of tea and tea parties do you have?

Happy Paint Party Friday! 

Alchemy and PRISMs

The last month or so our Intentional Creativity community has been busy brewing potions in the Apothecary, trudging "tragedies into remedies" through the alchemical painting process. With IC, we often bring old stories conscious, and then using creativity to shift the old pain into remedies, which we can draw on when someone has a similar experience, but no longer need to carry in our bodies, or even our fields. This. is. huge.

Bezoar

For many of us, there are old stories of being left out, less than, not important. There may be stories of abuse, receiving unwanted attention, making "bad" choices, and collective stories of persecution for having the "wrong" beliefs. Students come to our art circles with stories of "not being creative," often because some authority told them they weren't, decades before!

These old stories go into the pots, ingredients are added, and healing elixirs are distilled, remedies labeled, and lovingly placed on the shelves. Labels are added as we decided these Remedies.

Bezoar in dark blue container

We did some of our process in journals, led by the wonderful Jenafer Joy.  You may recall my Bezoar from my last post, which, pearl-like, forms around an undigestible object (often hair) in the stomach or intestine of an animal. Harry Potter fans will remember this as a universal antidote to any poison! Quite handy to have in the Apothecary! 
My potions are still brewing, I love the bubbles rising from the goblet, old views which no longer serve have been rewritten...

I took the canvas to our open studio last weekend.... It's repurposed, and I didn't notice 'till I'd been painting awhile that it's wider on the Left (20", only 18" on the Right!) It was home stretched, and meant to hang vertically!  
So, part of the medicine is adding ribbons and ornaments, I've got a hazel branch that will be integrated above the Right side! And the Perfection Queen just needs to stand down! 

Apothecary

Shiloh and Jonathan are currently on an Australian teaching tour, and are offering PRISM in Melbourne. This is a wonderful glimpse into how art dovetails with quantum physics and reality, and changes we make on the canvas can ripple out into our lives and the world. 
This will be offered online, and registration for this year's virtual PRISM training is now open. I took this class in 2016, and look forward to being an online Hearth Tender again, and to see what appears on my canvas. 

What's on your easel? Happy PPF!

PRISM -2016 (In process)