brave in all things

(it reads, "brave in all things" - inspired by a very special mantra necklace my friend liz made for me many months ago. i've been thinking about her a lot lately as i head off to artfest where we first met three years ago. she's been my art world/retreat partner-in-crime ever since, and i will miss her so much this week as i head off without her.)

so, my parents have been visiting us here in seattle for the last few days. my mom and i have fluffed a bit (as in sprucing, rearranging, and all things decor and house). she's who i got the decorating gene from and it's always delightful to have her come and get crafty with me. yesterday, in no time flat, she made these most adorable cafe curtains for our kitchen out of scrap fabric. the woman loves to do things like this and i always feel really lucky when she visits and cutefies everything she touches. greggie, my beloved stepdad, is happiest when he's building something, fixing something, or playing outdoors (long distance roller blading...yes roller blading in his 60s!) so we've put him to work on a few projects in between long walks and hikes with our dog, bella (no roller blading in rainy seattle this week). 

that's where i've been. just enjoying their company, whether we're cozied up in the house all day or out and about. i adore them so much. i really do. mom and i are headed to artfest in the morning. i took her last year for her 60th birthday and she loved it so much, she's going back with me again this year. i have a feeling i'll return home this weekend with many photos and stories and moments that will stay with me always. artfest is like that. super memorable and meaningful. i can't believe this will be my 4th year attending. wow. 

see you on the flip side, peeps. hope you are having a great week. and that you are feeling brave in all things. 

xxo

artfest spots open

(seattle sky, taken with my iphone)

hi friends.

my sweet friend liz elayne has had a death in the family and will not be able to attend artfest next week. she is currently in route to her family's home and asked that i post this message in hopes that we can find someone who can take her place. her spot is now available as well as her mother-in-law's spot who was also planning to attend with liz. neither one of them will be coming, so TWO spots are available for this sold out retreat. 

please spread the word. this is an opportunity for two people to attend a pretty magical art retreat in port townsend, washington. they would be sharing a room in an officer's house with me (i'm sharing a room with my mom) and one other dear soul (five of us total). please see the artfest website for details on what an officer's house is and what the set up is. 

liz's classes were with ludwig, wise, and shay.
her mother-in-law's classes were with england (two days) and then mika.

again, please see the artfest website for further class information - you would be taking liz's exact classes. and whomever takes her mother-in-law's spot would be taking her exact classes. 

liz is open to payment ideas - and prefers to sell both of these spots for the full price, if possible, which is approx $650. this price includes lodging, classes. and lunch for three days.

please email me directly at kellyraeroberts [at] gmail [dot] com. i will be assisting with
coordination while liz is with her family.

thanks so much,
kelly rae

snippets from the week and an upcoming retreat

this week has been chock full with friend dates, visitors, phone calls and time with john. i've squeezed in work, too, but i'm loving all the variety in my life this week. here's a snippet of what i've been up to:

("what i do upside down" 48"x48" painting by portland artist jennifer mercede.)

yesterday, i spent the afternoon with jennifer mercede (whose art i gushed about in this post). we talked shop for hours and hours and i just adored her - totally delightful. check out her etsy shop here. and her full portfolio over on her flickr site here. be warned, though. there will be drooling. 

andrea and matt were here with their dear dear sweet ben. andrea has some great photos over on her blog today with more photos of our adventures, including the fort we built in the living room (serious f.u.n.). 

(andrea's hands)

i've really missed andrea since moving to seattle. i miss our weekly dates at our shared studio in berkeley, the ease of having a dear friend just down the street. it was a special treat to have her and the family for a few days here in seattle...and boy did we make glorious messes in the studio (ben got in on the mess making, too....check it out). andrea made a gorgeous painting and began another, but even without finished paintings, the time spent creating side by side was treasured and special. it seems i've had several opportunities lately to have people over for creative time in the studio, and i'm loving every single minute of it. so yes, totally loved having andrea here. adore that girl. 

and speaking of andrea.......

(me, andrea, liz)

i'm so thrilled to announce that i'll be joining andrea and liz for the Be Present Retreat, held Oct 14-17th on the oregon coast. more details coming very soon, but i wanted to mention it as i know folks are making plans for this fall. the theme of the retreat in unearth. i'll be teaching a full day painting class called unearthing our messy, creative, painterly selves. we'll get messy, have fun, paint full paintings with gorgeous backgrounds and sweet faces. andrea and liz are also teaching at the retreat , something i'm really looking forward to. i have a feeling this is going to be a wonderful few days with all of us (teachers + students) learning from one another, sharing meals, our stories, staying up late, and embracing our creative unfoldings....mark your calendars. registration begins mid-april. this is a small retreat (approx 22 slots), so spaces will fill up quickly. and we'd love to have you! stay tuned for more info soon! 

in other news, i'm getting ready for my parents to arrive tomorrow for the week (from florida). i'm sooo excited :)

videos, studios, and more

remember when mati and painted this painting together and i promised i'd post the video of us painting it in progress once i was able to get over my technical difficulties? the truth is is that i never got over my technical difficulties, but thank god for matt passmore. matt, thanks so much for taking our 1.5 hours of video and time lapsing it down to just over 3 minutes. we are so appreciative. please excuse the cheezed out music, the plethora of bootie cracks, not the best positioning, and bad lighting toward the end. it was our first try with video, and even with all the mistakes, i still love it. mati and i are hoping to do several more collabs together...can't wait for that (and the videos)

speaking of mati, check out her giveaway and ginormous etsy sale going on this week!

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i wanted to thank the folks over at Studios for including my creative space in their current issue on stands now (isn't that a stunning cover?)! this issue is packed with great spaces, including a nice photo spread of tim holtz's studio (i'm a huge fan). but what is most meaningful and special about this particular issue is that my sister, jennifer valentine, has a special and unique piece of art that is featured (with a how-to article). so fun to be together inside the pages of such a great magazine :)

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one last thing....special thanks to new seattle friend kelli for the lovely write up (i blushed) over at fierce + nerdy (loving that site name). kelli also created a fan page for me over on facebook. i'm feeling a bit shy about that one, but if you'd like to become a fan, then head on over here! 

stay tuned, a special announcement in the next day or so :)

dream assignment: picture hope.

Shutter Sisters Dream Assignment: Picture Hope from LittlePurpleCow Productions on Vimeo.

hi friends, this so important. i hope you can  help. my friend jen lemen is on a mission to capture the faces + stories of hope all over the world. would really love it if you watch this stunning video and then vote. if she wins, we all win.

more information about how this all happened here on jen's blog. but most importantly, register here, and then vote here. it takes just a minute....and we'd be so thankful if you could spread the word...you can embed the video to your sites from here. i deeply believe in this dream assignment and i get the chills thinking about all the possibilities for jen, her travels, the hope in the faces of those she will encounter, and how their stories can change all of us. 

more soon :)

what is and is not okay.

please know that this post comes from a place of sensitivity and tenderness. in the big scheme of my life, none of this really matters, but i do think it may be time to clarify exactly how i feel and what's okay and what's not okay.

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it's just not okay:

to use one of my images as your profile photo on facebook/myspace/blogger or any other website without an artist credit. this violates copyright law.

to make copies of instructions i've given in my book, articles, or in class, and publish them to your blogs and websites. it's also not okay to reword my instructions and use them for a class you are teaching for profit, or to submit them to magazines for publication.

to publish videos or photos on your blogs and websites showing my book/class instructions/painting process step by step.

to teach projects from my book via video, articles, books, blogs, and online classes without my direct permission. absolutely not. it IS okay to teach projects from the book to creative circles, non-profit organizations, school classes - i just ask that it's not for profit.

to replicate my paintings + designs and then sell (or submit for publication) your version/copy of my work. i have been amazed at what i've seen out there - exact color schemes, sentiments/words, backgrounds, body poses, faces. please don't copy. whenever i see artwork for sale that looks way too similar to one of my images, my heart sinks with major disappointment. that is the honest, messy truth. more on this below - my issue is with selling/publishing only.

to copy my words from my website/blog and post them to your websites/blog. that's called plagiarism.

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it is okay:

to be inspired. to experiment. to learn techniques and then to make them your own. the techniques shared in my book/articles/classes are meant to be a jumping off point for you so that you can keep going, expand, grow - totally okay, and celebrated! i don't claim to take ownership over ANY techniques. i just ask that you not use the techniques shared in my books/classes/etc to create works that look strikingly similar to mine and then to start selling those works that are near replicas.

to copy my work as you try and find your style. totally okay and expected. but it's not okay to sell your version (copy) of my work if they look exactly or very similar to my paintings (colors, hair, positioning, background). if you aren't sure if yours is different enough from my style, then it probably isn't. listen to you whispers on this one before you sell. more on this below.

to use the projects/techniques from my book/articles/classes as a starting point to get your creative spirit thinking, breathing, rejoicing. keep going. put your own spin on it. i promise your creative voice and style will eventually come thru. and when it does, release your paintings out into the world (selling, gifting, whatever you choose) so that you can make room in your heart spaces for more paintings, more growth. i love seeing how people adapt and manipulate and expand what they have learned from my book/articles/classes and successfully integrate it into their own styles.

to post photos of your book projects on your blogs, etc, but please give credit to my book

to send me an email asking if you can use one of my images for any reason.

to grab images from my flickr and website for a blog post. but you must give credit.

to feel unsure what to do. just ask me. i swear i'm nice, gentle and understanding :)

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in the interest of being as specific as possible, here are my answers to the questions and concerns that have been coming my way for awhile (and yes, these are actual and real questions + statements i've received in my inbox):

I have been in dilema over some of the things I made (some of my best work ever... if I do say so) after reading your articles in Cloth Paper Scissors and your projects in your book. I normally sell my work at shows and soon on etsy when I retire next month. My dilema is, that even though on the back of a few of my angels I wrote that they were inspired by Kelly Rae Roberts I still don't feel right about selling them. Please let me know what you think if you have a moment.

here's what i think: if you have an inner whisper that cautions you against it, you should follow your gut. the whole point of the book and the articles are to inspire people to learn new things, to evolve in their creativity, to keep going. it was never the point, or my intention, to have others replicate my work then turn around and fill their online shops with these near exact replicas.

whenever i take a project-based workshop from an artist, or buy their how-to books for that matter, i never sell those works. why? because it was simply an exercise to get my creative juices flowing. i saw something in their work that called to me. i wanted to learn more. i wanted to satiate that need. i wanted to create something out of my box. it would be wrong of me to profit from their instructions from a specific project (jewelry, painting, or otherwise). sure, i can incorporate their techniques into my work and make it my own, but specific projects from someone else's class, articles, or books are off limits to my etsy shop unless it's a project/painting/piece that clearly integrates their techniques along with my own and clearly + mostly represents MY style and not theirs.

i would encourage you to consider not selling any projects or paintings that were created by following my instructions as outlined in the book or in the articles unless it clearly deviates from my style. it's one thing to be inspired and to use the techniques in your work, but it's another to copy and then to sell/publish. your heart knows the difference. listen to it.

why does it bother you? you already make a good living and you're already established as an artist. who cares if there are a few copycats out there selling work that looks like yours?

my entire livelihood is dependent on making a living from my work. not just selling originals and prints, but also very important licensing deals for stationery, wall art, and gift items. to me, it's about artistic integrity + professional credibility. for example, if art directors are scanning blogworld and etsy for potential talent for licensing contracts (and trust me, they do!), and they come across several patchwork collaged angels - all with very similar patchworked backgrouds, bodies and hairdo-s - then they'll inevitably wonder who the originator was of this paritcular 'look.' in some cases, the licensing deal may go to an individual who really has no claim to that 'look' - they were just simply following directions from a nameless/faceless person (me) who wrote instructions in a book/magazine, loved it so much, and filled their etsy shop with these creations. to me, this is unfortunate and unfair. and i consider it stealing, even if the intention of that artist was never to mislead, or copy. as a professional artist, my credibility is weakened with each and every copycat out there - it's my actual livlihood and career being jeopardized.

you should have thought about all of this when you decided to publish your techniques...you asked for it.
i don't think i should have to pay a price for loving what i do and for encouraging the creative souls of the world to go for it - to claim that inner voice and create art. i deeply believe in the power of creative possibility. but i never gave anyone permission to recreate my paintings and then make a profit from it in their online shops or otherwise.

can i post photos/scans of the work i've made from your book/articles on my blog?
yes, of course! put them on your blogs, on your flickr sites. give them away as gifts. i just ask that you give credit where it's appropriate. and yes, even SELL these works - just please make sure they aren't near replicas of my work.

i'd like for people to see all the different steps of my painting that i made from your book. do you mind if i show step by step photos of my painting in progress on my blog?
i would prefer that you not do this. it's not okay to take a published project with published directions and republish the steps on your blog, even if it's your painting. feel free to refer them to my book for specific instructions.

can i make copies of the instructions you gave in class and publish them on my blog, or rewrite them and teach a local class with my version of your instructions?
absolutely not. it's wrong, and unprofessional. please do not copy the instructions from my book or articles, reword them, and distribute them as your own. also, please do not create online videos of what you've learned from me and claim them as your own.

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i hope that help clear things up. i know that most people who have crossed the line have done so without intention. and most didn't mean any harm whatsoever. but i also think it's important that we all continue to be good stewards of the creative life and continue to gently educate on what's appropriate and what's not, especially because breaking copyright law is very serious business (esp work that is licensed, published, etc) and something not to tangle with.

warmly,
kelly rae

reworking older paintings, and giveaway winners.

i wanted to share this photo of my sister in law liz. she was inspired by the recent paintings that mati and i did together and asked if she could come tinker with paints in my studio. the two paintings she made were a result of her tinkerings. pretty cool, eh? she's never painted before and i'm thinking perhaps she should do it more often. 

while liz discovered her painting bliss, i worked on reworking an old painting. here's what it looked like before (published in the jan/feb 09 issue of memory makers magazine):

and here's the reworked version:

loving her new colors, hair, and updated face (painted with these this time around). i notice more and more how much i love taking an older piece and making it new again. it's a fun and easy trick worth trying (you should totally try it). 

also, i'm finding the less attached i am to a painting in progress (or an older finished painting), the more i love it when it's all said and done. if i'm too attached, i don't have the courage to rework it completely (like the painting above). or, with a painting in progress, i often reach a certain stage where i'm afraid to do anything more to it out of fear that i'll mess it up (i've become attached). but what i'm learning is to push past that point. to be less attached. to be okay with potentially messing it up. because there really isn't ever a true mistake or messing up. one thing leads to another, perhaps a string of happy beautiful accidents (leading to a pretty painting) that would have never otherwise occurred had i not pushed past the i don't want to mess it up phase. as i'm writing this, i'm realizing that this whole paragraph could be a full on metaphor for life itself. hmmmm. bottom line: there is potential and possibility everywhere if we're willing to push thru the part where we think we'll mess it up. right? right.

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okay, now for the lucky winners from my last post:

artgirly wins the clutch (her word was seek).

laura stewart wins the signed book (her word was tissue). 

winners, please get in touch with me so i can get your goodies out to you!

and thanks again to talented force + inspiration alisa burke for the generous giveaway!

an alisa burke giveaway (two winners!)

(it's like eye candy, all of these clutches - all made by artist alisa burke)

today's giveaway includes two very cool items: a one-of-a-kind clutch (made with hand painted canvas) by artist, alisa burke. giveaway also includes a signed copy of alisa's book, canvas remix. details below....

(that's me with my new fave dress (bodenusa.com) and my new fave alisa burke clutch)

(one lucky giveaway winner will win this hand painted alisa burke clutch. love how it has the word true in the mix of the paint - a funky accent to your basic black dress, no?)

my editor introduced me to alisa via email in early 2008. alisa's book, canvas remix, was a few months ahead of mine in the publishing process and she became a much needed support and mentor to me during those months of preparing, writing, and launching my own book.  alisa's book launched in july 2008 and i've been so happy to watch her (and the book's) success unfold and do well. truly, it's a fantastic book that encourages (and show's us how with well written step by steps) messy, graffiti - inspired, layers upon colorful layers of painting. painting like you are free-spirited. no boundaries. no rules. 

(another lucky giveaway winner will receive a signed copy of alisa's book)

i love how her book introduces us to techniques that use traditional materials but push and stretch the bounds of what painting should be and look like. why not infuse a little bit of punk rock? and vintage? and playful graffiti? and i really really love that she shows us how to make a wide range of projects, including painted wallets and purses. here a couple sneak peeks of my other favorite projects in her book: 

(messy monsters! how adorable are these?)

(flowers...maybe for fashion or garland or gift wrapping or on and on.) 

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recap: one lucky commenter will win a signed copy of alisa's book, canvas remix. another lucky commenter will win an original alisa burke clutch (photo above). there will be two winners! thank you, alisa, for the goodies...we are so lucky!

okay, giveaway rules:

* to enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this post, but just a one word comment. let's make this fun. look up from your computer. what's the first word you see? type it in....no matter what (i just looked up and the first word i saw was unveil. hmmm)!

* just one comment per person, please.

* i'll announce the winner in just a couple of days.

* go! 

pretending until we're not pretending anymore

"you can dare to take that unspoken dream seriously"

i keep jen's trust notes on a little table in our house so i can walk by each day and read a new one. a little bit of magic every day. 

dreams, unspoken or not, are living, breathing, sometimes screaming (or quiet) whispers of our hearts. we've become so good at discrediting them: unpractical. too expensive. too complicated. but what i've learned is that our whole life's potential lies in the spaces between these whispers. if we pay attention to them, perhaps even take that first step and acknowledge them, then we breathe a bit easier knowing we've spoken a truth. out loud. 

i talk a lot about listening to our whispers (our life, really) in chapter one of Taking Flight, but i keep going back to what jen's hope note says: taking them seriously. to me, this means a number of things. it means sharing my dreams/goals/wishes with my friends and family - giving them a starting point. it means writing them down. it also means waking up each morning sometimes pretending i'm already inside the life i've always envisioned. this may sound strange, but when we walk around in the world pretending to be confident and creative and strong, then a funny thing happens. we become confident and creative and strong. i've seen it happen in my own life over and over again. 

another strange thing happens when we make tiny steps toward our dreams. perhaps while pretending to be fearless, we do crazy things like open an etsy shop. create a website. send out emails to editors about possible article ideas. paint big canvas'. perhaps we pretend we're not so shy and ask a local blogger out for lunch. or we submit our poems and essays to our favorite publications just to see what happens (even though we have no idea what we're doing). and then magic happens - somewhere along the line we find ourselves no longer pretending. instead, we are indeed fearless, taking step after step toward our dreams, living the lives we've always imagined, and taking ourselves (and our life's potential) 100% seriously.

i'm curious. what would you most like to pretend to be? it could be anything (fulfilled/sure/carefree/creative/etc). and while you're pretending (until your not pretending anymore), what would you do toward actualizing your whispers/dreams/potential? i'd really love to know :)

more soon including a great giveaway. 

blurry but i don't mind.

"every dream too good to come true floods my heart when i'm with you"

mason jennings lyrics

on aging

i'm getting older.

i can feel it. and i can see it when i look in the mirror. my eyes seem to be getting smaller and deeper while my cheeks get larger. my skin is dry, always dry. and my chin is heading south. i've noticed the skin on my neck is loosening and my hands. my hands, if you could only see. they are old, dry, cracked, wrinkled, and worn. not to mention the inherited arthritis in my thumbs and hips. 

it's a strange thing, this aging. my spirit feels both youthful, like that of a teenager discovering the joys of life, and old, like that of a 90 year old woman resting in all the love she's known. i suppose this is more of my feeling in between. not old enough yet to carry my years with grace, but not young anymore with the energy and the youthful face. i'm in between. i'm almost 34. 

i'm hesitant to love getting older, but deeply know that i want more of it. i want years. and years. and years. i want to grow old with john. for us to have a family. for us to be fun parents and lovers. i want to always be an artist, inspiring and youthful and a giver of great advice to the younger creatives of the world (like friend judy wise). i want to always have my spirit in tact, no matter the trials + heartbreaks that i know are ahead. i want to keep my friends, always. and to celebrate and to cry with them through the years. i want to wear my heart on my sleeve. and tell the truth and to be vulnerable, even when i'm 70. i really just want the years. all of them.

i want to grow old. 

(started out as a demo at artnest, then finished at home. it's called 'together always, always')

it's so hard for me to explain where i am. i just know i'm in between. in between feeling settled and new. in between feeling grown up and young. newly in love, forever in love. i just feel oddly at a starting place in so many areas of my life but also feeling grounded in ways i haven't in awhile. i'm in between dream living and wondering if it's all real. in between knowing who i am and becoming someone new. between giving up what's not working and clinging to what feels familiar. and i'm in this vague space of practical things too like not knowing how to nourish my body thru cooking but deeply wanting to figure it out. on the cusp, always. same goes with making friends here. on the cusp, spirit wandering waiting for the moment to tangle up with another......my tears found me in utah in good, healing ways and now i find myself deeply longing for family. i think i might finally be ready. 

ps - i wanted to let you guys know that i've updated my etsy shop with journals, magnets, a few more small prints like this one, and big ones, too, like the one above. i'll have a large batch of originals available in the next few weeks. 

pps - snowed again in seattle

ppps - i'm rearranging our house again. i think i might be driving john nuts but i can't help myself. it's fun and i like it. 

an artful journey and more.....

the above painting was made by the young, vibrant, talented britt (who just started painting 12 weeks ago...omg!). i met her at the artnest where she took my class and painted this amazing piece. i loved it so much, i bought it on the last day of the retreat and brought it home with me. loved the colors, the crazy hair, the quiet face, and how britt's creative voice + style shines even while trying out some new patchwork painting + oil paint techniques. in fact, i was delighted by all the art nesters in this regard - how every single painting that was born was uniquely stamped with the nesters own style, their own colors, expressions, and little touches. i really, really loved this part of the magic most of all. we are all artists. all of us. and taking classes is a way for us to try on new ideas, new styles, new techniques until our own style becomes more defined or challenged to expand. our creative possibilities yearn for it.....

speaking of classes and students, mati and i are teaming up to teach a 3 day class together at An Artful Journey - a lovely creative retreat held in the santa cruz mountains of california. over the course of the 3 days, students will create a funky chunky coffee table book filled with paintings, backgrounds, and experimental, playful works. we love the idea of this class and this retreat because it will be 3 full days with the same students creating and learning and making - all while nestled into a serene retreat environment. we can't wait. the retreat is scheduled for feb, 2010 with registration beginning july, 2009. so, start planning.....we'd love to have you! all the details on registration and more can be found here. 

in other news, john and i spent the weekend in our favorite city: portland. it was a bit of a romantic getaway with two nites at a fancy (but dog friendly) hotel in downtown. we ate well, wandered, argued + made up, made up some more with celebrations and discussions on love and life, and schemed about how we could permanently find ourselves back home in the city we most love. one day it will happen. until then, i'm loving seattle and all it's offering us in this moment. in many ways, i can't believe the state of our life. so much goodness. i worry sometimes (a lot sometimes) if/when the shoe will drop, when despair will enter our viewpoint. i find myself struggling to accept all the light and bliss, as if i can't fully trust it. i'm working on it, but it's unnerving ....to wrestle with accepting all that is right in my world, to not downplay it, to not be shy. this is the brave in love part that comes up for me. i'm learning. learning. learning. 

gratitude surrounds..

(11x14, canvas board. "gratitude surrounds her")

i've been wanting to introduce more colors to my paintings, more messy, more birdies, more variations to the backgrounds. but boy is it so much lovelier in my head and daydreams than the actual process. this painting was a fight. all day long. struggle, struggle, struggle...until i could see new pieces, new elements being born in my style. i made this piece in mati's artnest class (layered forest painting). it was the perfect, gentle push to get outside of myself and to play, but also to wrestle with the visions in my head. i still wanted patchwork, brayer, paper, girl elements but i wanted a twist. mati's class really helped propel me forward in ways that had me toughing it out. and let me just say that claudine's paints have also really helped me jump outside my color box. i can't say enough about these paints, their consistency, their colors. 

sometimes painting can be downright hard, especially when we are just beginning, finding our style, and then again with each new twist and growth spurt. but i also think it's for the best, totally necessary, and worth it. thank you, mati rose, my creative soul sister and partner-in-crime, for helping me bust thru!

(cropped version)

in other news, lots of goodness swirling around here. there have been friend dates. sunny days. signing up for circus classes (for fitness + strengthening!). creative dreaming about business possibilities on the horizon. painting. working hard. website updates (new website coming soon...working with a really fantastic designer). and finally settling into a bit of a routine now that john is working. i'm really loving my man these days and just can't get enough of him. feels really good. also planning for more visitors next week and then again in late march. so much abounds. after several several weeks of feeling just a tad detached, stale, and blank, it feels truly wonderful to be inspired again, a bit more enthusiastic, and emotional about life.

more soon. 

ps - i've added links to the left sidebar for those of you who may be interested in posting your projects from Taking Flight to the flick group, as well as joining in on the coversation over on the Taking Flight discussion group.

pps - thank you to everyone who have sent emails regarding the demdaco line. i'm loving that you guys are seeing these in stores nationwide and telling me about it! i'm thrilled beyond belief that the collection is off to a fantastic start and that i'm in great hands with demdaco. a serious dream come true. 

just a little more about art nest

i wanted to share a couple more photos from the artnest. above are the snapshots of the trades. oh my. the trades! they were so fantastic that it felt like christmas, each with their own unique artistic twist. wow. and there was also an amazing little tool kit gifted to all of us from artnest hosts julie and candice:

this is what it looked like closed. love the button + ribbon and anthro fabric. and this is what was inside:

how cute is this? loving how they stocked it with items we would use for the classes. these girls had touches like this all weekend. just really special, all the details. the lovely art nester, cassandra, made ridiculously adorable stitched envelopes that held all our class information:

(above two photos by kari of artsymama blog)

speaking of talents and pretty things, have you seen julie's book? it's a book FULL of lovely, lovely projects that perfectly emulate anthro meets vintage meets sweet + adorable. i've gifted this book to several crafty ladies in my life and will continue to give this one out.

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more inspirations:

*my sweet teenage nephew started his own little etsy shop. be sure to read the descriptions...seriously, how insightful/poetic is he?

*friend liz elayne has launched the be present retreats. i know liz and i know this retreat will be very, very special and transformative.

*for those of you who attended squam art workshops last year, be sure to check out all of the details regarding the first annual squam art show!

*friend and authenticity warrior brene brown has launched her new website, announced her new book, and created a campaign for an authenticity movement (badges included!). where would we be without people like brene to inspire us to stay on track, to live with intention? don't forget to check out her current book - major keeper.

*this woman's fierce and brave fight to reclaim her voice after unspeakable childhood abuse - it's people like her that make me believe in possibility. hugely.

*friend jen's new art series. oh my goodness. in love with the messages, the vibrancy, all of it.

*em falconbridge's etsy shop (major blog crush on her). i just bought this print from her yesterday. adorable.

artnest 2009

where to begin. last year, as teaching offers began to come my way, i struggled with whether or not i wanted to do it. there are so many retreats, venues, and options - each offering their own unique spin on the creative experience. some are big retreats held in convention centers and others are small cozy retreats held in cabins, and smaller settings. i firmly believe that ALL creative retreats, no matter where they are located or how large or small they may be, offer truly transformative experiences for all who attend. i've been a student at many retreats, big and small, and i've walked away from all of them completely blissed out. but when it came to teaching, i knew i would need to choose the smaller venues. for the intimacy. for the nurturing. for the opportunities for deeper connections between students + teachers. 

(most of the nesters :)

(artnest host julie. teachers mati, jane, me. and artnest host candice.) 

so when candice and julie invited me to teach at artnest in utah, it was the perfect fit. it was a weekend of 30 women inside one giant cabin. it was quiet moments by the fire. chatty moments around the table. it was bearing witness to creative unfoldings from women who were discovering their creative possibilities. it was small, grateful tears to be a part of it. it was snowy mountains and deer in the backyard. it was storytelling in ways that had me surprised and touched. it was nurture beyond belief with delicious home cooked meals, words of encouragement, slippers + pajamas. it was late night laughter and art-making. it was, for me, feeling a bit cracked open for the first time in a long time, in the best of ways. pure bliss, i tell you. 

(me, demo-ing)

(our messy, beautiful classroom.)

the artwork that was born from our three days together astounds me. we stretched ourselves, took creative risks, some painting for the first time ever. there were happy dances, breakthrus, spilling of tears as release came in unexpected places, and moments of deep pride. as a teacher, i felt like a proud mama bear - not only for the artwork that was being created, but the tender spaces that were being expanded inside creative hearts and spirits. magic. 

(gorgeous, gorgeous. view from outside the cabin.)

below are the paintings that were created during the one day that i taught. i hope mati + jane post pics of their classes, too. i so enjoyed taking both of their classes. i have such a tremendous respect for jane and her craft and i just really enjoyed sharing a room with her and getting to know her (delightful!). and mati's class stretched me in ways i really needed (more on that in another post). thank you artsy mama (kari) for capturing most images in this post.....

thank you julie + candice for creating a retreat with intimacy + heart + soul. for carving out a special space for all of us, teachers + students, to grow and reach and become more. what a gift.