Zines for planning

When preparing to teach a class, i generally make notes of what I plan to include in my journal, and I have a sets of prompt cards for the flow of an intentional creativity class. Last summer, I happened on a call with the lovely Denise Daffara on working in little "zines" ... but had missed the instructions, lol! 
So after the call, looked up how to make one, and was enchanted! 

Calendar and Zines in process

Who doesn't like tiny booklets? And with the central slit, they fold into a cover and several pages - perfect for a little collage session, or a planning booklet! 

Double Calendar spread, paint and collage

We made zines at our next Red Thread Circle, a double spread from this calendar made a fun booklet that is a bit larger. I liked some of the black and white illustrations of candles and beeswax, so worked around including them. The small blue Zine was made from one calendar page. 

Acrylic paint and collage

The double calendarspread, or even piece of notebook paper is a great size for a small "class notes" booklet, which can be written in directly or painted and collaged. Hers a little "kid friendly zine" tutorial.
It could also be:

• A poetry booklet
• A mini art journal
• A process page - write what you want to compost on the 'inside,' paint over' then flip and fold to "grow some lilies"
• A booklet of symbols you use in your paintings
• Writing about your painting

In our community we create Vision Plan books on watercolor paper as part of the Color of Woman quest. These are a lovely visual way of collating ideas for our work with IC, but in a larger format. 

Vision Plan Book

I am enjoying the compact booklets for collection my class ideas, as another option. 
What's your favorite style of booklet? 
Happy Paint Party Friday!

Harvest Queen and Treesisters

Because of a scheduling *error,* I needed to choose another day for my monthly circle, and decided to offer a little "paint party with a Red Thread Twist." It was my first local class in awhile, ten gals came, and we had so much fun! More classes are in the works, and we're talking about offering little Sip and Paint parties in my friend Holli's MECA gallery.

Harvest Queen in Process

 Two gals who have painted with Shiloh in person and online came from a town about 3 hours away! For many of the others, it was their first face on canvas, and they did so well.

Harvest Queens 

I am on the online support team for the Treewoman class Australian artist Jassy Watson offered a coupe of weeks ago in Sonoma. It's been awesome to see the variety and the wonderful connections with nature women around the globe are making. We began by sketching patterns and shapes from the natural world and human made, and making marks on our canvasses. (I used a square wood panel) Scraps of collage came next, often from pour own writing.

Treewoman - marks collage and sketch

We were invited to begin noticing shapes and forms of trees in our surroundings, plus the season and colors, and even what "season" is prevalent in our lives. I like the process of inquiry and observation in our painting practice!

Tree woman in a Newberg park

Leaves are turning colors here in the Pacific NW, and the rains beginning to come, but it's alternatly sunny, October's Bright Blue Weather! Last weekend's full moon danced into Her branches.

Pearly full moon in Aries

I'm tending in the classroom over the weekend, as some near completion, and others join the journey. I'm thinking of using a tall canvas and having another go ...

Dance of the Treewomen© 2019

What's on your easel or in your journal??
Happy Paint Party Friday!

Into the Fog

One of the scariest of our painting process with Intentional Creativity is the "risky glaze,"  where we take our painting into the fog ...

During my first class, our teacher Elizabeth handed us a  spray bottle, a big brush and transparent color (Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold), a soft cloth (piece of T-shirt) She had us lay our canvases on the floor, then demonstrated spraying the canvas, brushing on the color, and then burnishing it in, using the cloth! ... And then we went off to lunch! 

Yikes and Wow!! 

Used this way, a glaze integrates the colours we've used, and helps unify the picture. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on what is going "into the fog," what concepts are being integrated. We usually spend some time with our journals, exploring these inquiries, noticing insights, and sketching new symbols. We generally sit 5-6 get back from the canvas while writing/sketching, to gain perspective.

The first time I glazed a painting, I was indeed shaking in my boots - what was I going to loose? This painting process becomes a crazy process of "loose her, find her!" ...distinctions disappear, lights darken, colors merge ... Now it's become a favorite part of my IC explorations, and one I look forward to!

Blessing Star

After the glaze, it's time to begin to bring her back, a new round of lights, darks and mediums, a round of highlighting, of deciding whether to reemphasise symbols from the earlier layer, or bring in new ones. Here's the story of my hummingbird that is with my Taliswoman, and has become a spirit helper for my IC classes. My WW has a Blessing Star as her ally.

It's also a time to change shapes a bit of if I need to- reposition all eye, lengthen or shorten the nose ...
Acrylics are easy to rework - you can't get this wrong!!

We generally use the Golden Fluid acrylics, delicious colors and richly pigmented, but very sheer. Like my first muse, Gabriella, Wonder Woman has a harp, and I'll use gel to bring in more dimension.

Second glaze

Wonder Woman has gone into the fog a couple of times now, (she was in a hurry, and called for a glaze before Jessica invited one!) 

We used different colors on the right and left sides of the canvas - Quin Nickel Azo Gold, and Quin Magenta, ... I added a bit of iridescent gold over parts of the hair, and burnished with my cloth. Then, I let her wanted a bit, while I explored in my journal. 

One of our inquiries is on allies and arch enemies - which super heroines balance between. What are some of those inner demons?'

We've done another round of lights and darks, bringing clarity and dimension as she reemerges from the fog. We're sitting with any new symbols, the background, and any new colors....

Wonder Woman - Stepping out of the fog

Gabriella's Harp

I love this process of exploration with intention. Here are some thoughts and images on the inquiry, "what would you tell a friend who is considering Color of Woman training," from last year's class, Color of Woman 2018.

Definition and more color

Happy Paint Party Friday

Class - Embracing Mama Gaia

One of my favorite themes for a workshop, especially in April when we celebrate Earth Day, is an encounter with Mama Gaia. So when my friend Margot and I began heart storming for our next class in her beautiful rural space, we quickly agreed on Embracing Mama Gaia! 

We began putting out invitations, and I was especially pleased that two Oregon

Linda Allen

students enrolled in this year's Color of Woman teacher training came! Both Angie and Linda have painted with me a couple of times, and decided that though they are so busy with CoW and life, that this would be a good "reset!" They also felt it was a good way to observe another teacher, as they discover their own flow. (And they loved seeing my prompt cards!) 

Margot and the other three students had painted with me before as well, so the class was easy for me! And I love seeing the paintings develop! 

The Critic and Comparison Queen peeked in, but we sent them outside to smooth out the gravel in the driveway! (One of my favorite distraction tactics!) One beloved with an active critic later shared that she'd sat with her journal and what was coming up, and was able to see more of the issue, and shift it - yes!! She's struggled with this in other workshops, so it was a powerful breakthrough! 

I appreciate Intentional Creativity classes the focus on drawing on one's own images and symbols, and on inner light, and these blessings of insights. Unlike the popular *paint and sip* parties, with most participants creating cookie cutter paintings, each of our IC images is richly unique, from colors chosen to angles, shapes and symbols. 
Each student is invited to delve a little deeper, and see what messages their process and painting carry for them. Each is fascinated by the diversity of images arising from the same (open ended) instructions! 

Embracing Mama Gaia

During our morning circle, I invited each participant to share a favorite mineral, a place in nature, and a metal. I shared about lithium and boron, Breitenbush Hot Springs, and that while I usually wear silver, gold often appears on my canvas. I was intrigued how often salt was mentioned, and the metal copper! The ocean and Mt Shasta were brought in, and the wonderful lichens hanging from Margot's trees.

When we chose our underpainting colors, I also had them then choose metallic paint - I think we all got some copper! I brought along stencils and Dylusion paint, and we used those on an early layer - ferns, leaves, raindrops, sacred geometry ... I continued with my stencil on the sides of the painting, and liked the addition of pattend.

It was a wonderful, rich and powerful weekend. 

my Gaia- in process

Several students continued with their paintings after they were home, and the results are stunning. Mine is in process as well, with stars and symbols beginning to appear. I like the sheen of Micaceous Iron Oxide (Hemetite!) in her hair, and the salmon beginning to emerge. 
Others were content after they finished Saturday, and already knew where their lady would reside. 

What's on your canvas or appearing in your notebook?

Happy Paint Party Friday!