October's Wine, Women and a Paintbrush

These are photocopied self-portraits, over-painted, and collaged. There are a couple more to add as soon as my camera battery is recharged..

March

The gathering of women at this workshop was amazing. The connections, the interactions, the surprises were truly fantastic and it was just a great place to be for a few hours.

Someone suggested recently that perhaps, in light of our focus on process rather than outcome, we shouldn't be putting the finished pieces up on the blog. That they essentially defeat the purpose of letting go of expectations in order to really be present at the evening, letting whatever happens, happen. It makes me think about the need for both - the ability to, in the moment, let go of outcome, judgment and expectation, and also, in the end, to honor the outcome, no matter what that is. It seems to me that as women, and caretakers, we spend alot

of time giving - usually without expectation - and probably not nearly enough time appreciating or being appreciated. So maybe Wine, Women and a Paintbrush is a

place for both. An opportunity to let go of the daily responsibilities for a couple of hours but also to acknowledge and be acknowledged for what we've accomplished.

These pieces turned out beautifully. There is so much thought and heart in every one of them. You could feel that in the room and it showed in the way that women who'd just met were there for each other with support and guidance.

Fabric Paper

A new twist on collage. This process uses cotton fabric - or, in this case, an old sheet from value village. We added glue and images from magazines and cards to make quite a thick but flexible cloth. It has endless uses - book or journal covers, framed as is, cut up to use in other projects, part of an art quilt, postcards, the list goes on. The best thing, however, about our February evening was the conversation about life and love and where we belong.

Today I am Grateful for Me - A Mixed-Media Self Portrait

A self-portrait seems like the most daunting of creative endeavours. Why is that? Do we feel we can only attempt a portrait if we have the skills to get the likeness just right? Or is it because we really have to look closely at ourselves; if not at our actual features, then at ourselves, our lives, our values, etc. Sometimes this navel gazing seems like a huge task that we don't have the time to do "properly" - with genuine reflection and effort. Does "properly" mean that we need to get it RIGHT? Goodness, there seems to be so many things that can stop us dead in our tracks because we have this perception that we must get it right.
I think of that quote...."boldness has genuis in it...", you know it:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” - Goethe



So with that abandon to action, I attempted a self portrait that became a wonderful exercise in letting go and surrendering to the process. Surrounded in a variety of papers I found appealing, magazines I love reading, pages from old journals, and a current writing on Gratitude, pictures of family and a selection of my own artwork that had some meaning for me, I let loose with scissors and gel medium. The process of collage was completely absorbing and enlightening as I watched myself be moved and inspired by certain images, colors, and words.
The whole process was inspired by the book Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts, so I can't take credit for the idea. I can however own the courage it took to jump in and allow myself the gift of engaging in the process. It's hard to give ourselves permission to take the time for these things most of the time....so for this I am grateful - to myself.
In the end, it was very moving, enlightening, and fascinating as the painting spoke to me on it's own as I worked. Only one brief moment felt frustrating...when my critical brain piped up to observe that my facial features were out of proportion. I was both amused and grateful that my Wise Woman (right brain) very quickly quipped back..."that's OK, it's SUPPOSED to be like that!"