Claiming Space

Several of my artist friends are claiming studio space, either in nearby business spaces, or in their homes. Recently one wrote about moving her studio into one of their largest rooms, with her husband's blessing. She realized she had "permission" all along, but didn't feel "worthy" of that large room. She invited us to notice where we play small, and if it's time to shift! 

This is a timely inquiry! For the past three years, I've had

Dining nook Atelier

my Atelier in my little dining nook, a space about 5 x 6', which opens into my kitchen. My daughter asked a few days ago if I'd thought of moving my seating area into that nook, and "claiming" my living room for my art! It's an area ~ 11.5 x 20' and I'd thought of using the back section (10 x 10') but not of moving my seating into the nook! 

Front living room

I go in cycles of more organized and clutter-full, and am currently in a cluttered need-to-dethug and organize phase! Sigh. And my daughter asked her good-at-cleaning and organizing husband, "which should and do first? Move stuff around, or declutter?" ... (you guessed it! ... sigh) I found this kool video on creativity and clutter from the "Clutter Fairy," nice to watch while I'm sorting through some piles! And she offers some great tips on going through craft stuff, to make it easier to get creative! 

As a Virgo, I have a tendency to want perfection, and can get overwhelmed when it's gotten chaotic. (CHAOS: Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). I love the energy of rearranging, and cleaning around that! So, .... on with it! 

Last night at our Red Thread Circle, our inquiry was

around the messages of Cancer, what are our crab claws ready to release, what are they opening to receive? I played flute while Sepha led a meditation, and then we moved to out art materials. 

I drew a crab on the white board, and told the kid's story about a hermit crab decorating its shell, then outgrowing it, and needing to move on. One gal, who's changing jobs, used that imagery. A couple of others painted hands, closed fist and open to receive. I had a tangle of seaweed that my crab was moving out of.

This morning, I'm sketching the spaces to rearrange, and thinking of better organized storage. I cleaned out the under-stair closet on 4th of July, and plan some shelves and bins for seasonal things stored there. I had a field trip to Ikea last weekend, and got a Råskog cart for in use materials, and some lights (and lots of ideas!) 

Happy Paint Party Friday! 
What are you ready to release? 
What are you opening to receive?

October Musings and another show!

October is one of my favorite months, with its Bright Blue skies much of the time (turned rainy & overcast just this last week!) I'm not as fond of the days turning shorter, but give me a cup of tea & a good book .... It's also time for the Art Harvist Studio Tour, where artists around Yamhill County open their homes & studios over two weekends. It always fascinates me to see where other artists create, & (when available) how they decorate THEIR homes!

Sekhmet - Love is our Soul Purpose

 At the beginning of the month, my friend Brooke invited me to be her featured artist for Nov & Dec at Walnut City WineWorks, where she manages the tasting room! So I visited the tasting room (& sampled some wonderful white wines!) to get a sense of what pieces to bring/ create.

The current show, watercolours, hangs in windows between the tasting & press room, with several wall spaces. I can picture Sekhmet on the wall behind the tasting bar, & Ether & Zypher in two of the windows. Visit their FB page

The windows are tall & narrow, five in one bank, a door, & two more windows. Ether is 14 x 14", Zypher 16 x 20", so I visited Merri Artist for matching canvases, & have several ideas ... time to get out the magic paintbrush!! The weekend after Thanksgiving they will host an event, so I may take my harp & play a bit, surrounded by some of my ladies!

You can visit my art adventures on my FB artist page, Nadya's Atelier 

Posting to Paint Party Friday - what's on your easel or drawing pad this week?

Art of Allowing Painting 1

The invitation to Flora Aube's Art of Allowing was simple - "WE are on the journey of becoming, and the most graceful way through is to learn the art of Allowing; deeply listening for when to move and when to be still, when to charge against the edges and when to sit in our breath. It is cultivating the wisdom of relationship with the Great Mystery and serving as a midwife to the birth of Beauty in our lives and on our planet. This is the high art of embodying the Priestess within, empowered with full access to our divine gifts of Creativity."

Plein Aire studio

The time was right, I had just finished Mary of Magdalla, & was ready for more. The price was affordable, I said 'yes!' We spent a couple of weeks getting our studios ready (spring cleaning, painting one wall!) & sketching faces ....

We are about halfway through the course at this time - having painted one image, & just beginning a second (the class goes through June, and we'll have access to the videos throughout the summer).

"Painting happens INSIDE us, it's our job to give it birth!" 

We were invited to stay open to the mystery, tap our intuition & inner knowing as we moved into the creative - or Cre-ACT-ive process!
"This is a priactice, an unbelievable gift! Her love knows no limits!" 

Wash: Green Gold & Yellow ochre

Thursday May 15 it was a lovely sunny day, and I set up outside, taking a hazel pruning from last fall, that I'd cut low, & then noticed it would make a great bean (or other) support. A bit of time with some string & a couple of small oak branches, & I had a plein aire easel! (which I subsequently brought inside! 

Flora invited us to take a couple of hours with the wash - dilute paint & water, which we spread over the canvas ....

After the canvas dried, we could transfer a sketch from the faces we'd been drawing, or something seen in the canvas, & then begin blocking in with colour. I'd decided to go with dark skin tones, for the first time, so did a bit of research to choose colours!  

"When you invoke Her from this deep place of Soul, She is the Goddess revealed. She is birthed from the seed within you. She is a gift with a clear message!" Flora Aube.

Blocked

I used my friend Margaret Duperly's 'Rainbow Earth Tarot' to do a reading before beginning. A couple of the cards bespoke heartbeat/drum, so I brought my small drum outside, & as I applied the wash, at times I'd drum on the canvas! I spied a little dancer, & a face similar to the one I'd sketched in my wash! A fun part of having this makeshift easel, the twin sticks for supporting the canvas have a space in the middle, perfect for holding a corner of the canvas when I was tipping it to let the wash run! 

We were invited to spend a couple of days each week 'tending to our souls,' & I wrote "I intend to tend my soul with dance and art. I dedicate my creative energy to healing, wholing, & radiating Light! I was born to share my gifts & live with radical abundance! I am a dancer, a healer, a mystic & a mystery. I stand in my power & empower/inspire others to stand in theirs." ...

Lights & darks

I have been to weekly ballet class, got flowers for my office, & an African Violet for my art space. I have music on while I'm painting, & a candle lit. Sometimes incense ...

I used Yellow ochre (3 parts), Indian Yellow (3 parts),  burnt Umber (1 part), Quinacridone violet (1 part), & some of the Glazing Liquid for her base skin tone. 

One of my classmates wrote: "allowing is much softer than 'letting go' or 'giving up control,' Allowing - that asks for trust! What a beautiful process..."

Flora Asked us "What do you Love?" (about Her) 

I love Her energy, Her wisdom

I love Her emergence, coming out of a cocoon of an idea, a seed of a drawing, taking form, dimension

I love Her PATIENCE with the process, Her Willingness to allow my flow, my process, as I allow her guidance on what's next. 

I love the co-creation. 

I love listening for & discovering different elements as they emerge - Oh! She wants ...

What does she hold in her hand? A globe? A flame? it will become clear ...

Lights, Darks, details, FEATHERS!

Dance - I sketched dancers, tribal dancers, costumes...

The second week we began working with the skin tones, lights & darks on the face, 'cut yourself some slack' (My friend Candy Gordon used to tell me that!) What is she wearing? What colours does she want? 

For my first dark, I used Jenkin's Green, & light: 3 Yellow Ochre, 3 Indian Yellow, 2 Buff Titanium, 5 burnt umber, plus glazing medium ...

And rather than hair - Feathers!! Ooo, what fun, those feathers!

I'm posting to Paint Party Friday!