Workshops and Happenings in the Studio

"But Who's Counting Anyway?" 9x9 collage on deep canvas by Crystal Neubauer

Much to Look Forward to in 2014!
This past weekend found us celebrating my oldest daughters marriage to her wonderful fiance in Chicago. The tables at The Healing House Art Studio were overflowing with glitter and lanterns and escort cards and other wedding type paraphernalia. And my internal list maker was ticking away with tasks like "buy shoes" and "answer email from florist". It was a joyfully busy time!

I have two more workshop dates left in 2014 that I am super excited to be doing.
First up, October will find me traveling out to LA on my birthday to teach through Make Art In LA in the beautiful gallery space known as "The Loft, at Liz's" located above Liz's Antique Hardware in the historic Miracle Mile District. Saturday's workshop is sold out, but there is still space available on Sunday October 19th. Be sure to register soon at the Make Art In LA website and come celebrate my birthday weekend with me by creating beautiful works of art!

November will find me back home in The Healing House Art Studio teaching "Exploring Collage Combinations"; a two day collage intensive focusing on combinations that work with collage, including mark-making, encaustic wax, photography and textured painting. The workshop will run from 10am - 4:30 on Saturday November 1st and Sunday November 2nd. As with all of my 2014 workshop offerings at the new studio, this one will include all supplies, plus lunch and beverages both days. There are only four seats left so be sure to head over to my workshop page and get registered for the pre-holiday fun!

Live It As If It's Your One Life"

"Pleased To Meet You" 9" x 9" collage on canvas by Crystal Neubauer

(another excerpt lifted from a previous Facebook status. This one written on September 5, 2014)

Maybe it's hormones or the change in seasons, but the weeps are coming easily this morning. My oldest daughter is getting married in two weeks, my son will be celebrating a year and a half of sobriety the week after that... 

I remember, as if it were yesterday praying for friendship, just one friend please, and now my life is filled with women who are living beautiful creative lives becoming all God meant for them to be. Each one has a piece of Him they carry and are honoring Him by taking the steps to become their fullest selves possible.

I couldn't be any busier without losing something really important. Today my life is overflowing getting ready for the wedding, preparing for a weekend workshop at The Healing House Art Studio, and finishing my book. And lest you think, through the random and selective Facebook status posting, that it has been easy-for any of us- it hasn't, and isn't. I've had to take steps that are HARD and make sacrifices that are DIFFICULT to achieve these things.

But hard and difficult don't translate to bad. This morning I read the words "God honors our involvement, invites our participation" and I know that to be true in my life. Hard and difficult things can be muscle builders. Getting active in the process of building the life God intended for you is validating and identity building.

Start today towards building the life that is burning inside of you. Ask yourself what it is you were meant to be. Ask God to give you a clear picture to set before you when things get tough; kind of like hanging a picture of that bikini on the fridge when you are dieting. Ask Him what the next right step is for getting there, and then pursue it with everything you've Got. Better yet, pursue it with everything He's got, and freely given!

You were created for the more. Be courageous and don't settle for anything less. And lest you are mistaken about that, courage isn't the absence of fear, it is the very real presence of it and moving forward anyway.

"Pleased To Meet You" side view - 9" x 9" collage on canvas by Crystal Neubauer

Lessons learned at the American Craft Expo: Remembering the Why

"The Reality of Priorities" 9" x 9" collage on canvas by Crystal Neubauer

(this post was written in the form of a status update on Facebook this past Monday after my participation in the American Craft Exposition Show and Sale last weekend.)

The sky is dark and spilling rain in angry sheets, but there is that distinct glow around the edges of it that tells you the sun is not far away. It is the kind of weather that makes it very tempting to stay tucked in to the cozy cocoon of comforter and sheets just one more day. 

Today I feel more alive than I have in a while after spending the entire day in bed yesterday, but alas, the fact that my upstairs rivals any boys college dorm has forced me to put feet to the floor and set about the task of returning to a normal routine.

I have given myself ample time to think of all that transpired over the weekend, as a participant in the American Craft Expo, and still I find it difficult to express any of it in words.

There were conversations with people who made it a point to come out to the show to see me. Some who are very dear friends, and others who I met for the first time in person. And then there were conversations with those who were introduced to my work for the first time as they explored the show. I am always humbled and warmed by these encounters; I think it has to be one of my favorite reasons to be at a show like this. I am always awed by the stories I am told, and the glimpses into the lives of those who tell them.

Sales were not what I hoped they would be, but gratefully, there were sales that I am thankful for to be sure. In those hindsight moments, I realized I should have spent more time preparing smaller works, as there are always a number of folks who just can't invest in the frames or larger canvases that dominated my booth walls but still want a treasure of their own to carry home.

New opportunities have been opened to me from the being there. Some pretty darned huge and just for me. And others, the whispering of a promise for the future, perhaps the next steps on this journey God has set me on. That's the way it has always been with Him and me. I see something I want to try up ahead and he gives me just enough light for the step I am on, lest I loose sight of the why along the way.

That's the number one carry home from the weekend. Don't loose track of the why. Sure we're out here to earn a living, and doing it with what burns a hole inside from raw desire is pretty darned cool. But the why of it has more to do with Him. And them. Those people and their stories. What a privilege it is to be able to listen to them. It is like hearing the very breath and heartbeat of God.

If you were one of those that stopped by my booth, I want to thank you for the words you shared. Each one becomes inspiration for new work when I step back into the studio. Each word a scrap. Each scrap brought together on the canvas in the form of a prayer.

Seattle and Phoenix Bound!

This weekend finds me packing and tying up last minute details before heading off to Seattle to teach in the most serenely beautiful location I've taught at to date, EncaustiCamp, where my classroom has ginormous picture windows looking out at the waters of Puget Sound and the misty image of Mount Rainier in the distance. 

After a week at camp, I pack my bags and head off to Phoenix, where I'll be teaching to a full house, my Art of Intuitive Collage workshop, and Intuitive Drawing and Mark-Making with Collage workshops. These are two of my very favorite things to teach, collage being the medium that continuously calls me home. I am super excited to be teaching the Intuitive Drawing & Mark-Making class, I am passionate about watching people discover they are indeed creative and become confident enough to try. If you are interested in taking an expanded version of this class and will not be joining us at ArtUnraveled this year, you can catch me in September at The Healing House Art Studio, just North of Chicago. Head over to my workshop tab here to register. 

The Birth of A Dream: The Healing House Art Studio

This post is going to be picture driven. There is just too much to tell in words after an entire month of giving birth to a dream. 

This dream began nearly a decade ago and has been burning in my heart ever since; 

The one that was of me having a studio that was large enough to teach in and included enough space for other artists to work in too. 

The one that opened it's doors to the community around it and brought people together. 

The one that encouraged others to find out more about themselves through art the way I have.  

The one that would use art for healing, and hope, and love, and joy, and reach far beyond what I was capable of doing on my own.

Yeah that dream...the one I sometimes lost track of and stored in the back of the closet, but never gave up on, or maybe it never gave up on me.

If you were to stop by to see me anytime this month, this is pretty much what you'd find. Replace that paintbrush with a scrub brush, or a mop, or a broom, but that smile and those spatters of paint have been pretty consistent. 

This little unassuming cottage house may not have caught your attention, were you to be driving by, but this is the place where the dream is taking shape. So much has happened inside these walls in the past month. How could I even begin to tell you?

There I am the first week, after the carpet had been removed. Scrubbing. Every. Inch. Walls, floors, ceilings, inside closets, toilets, sinks. Countless hours of scrubbing. Numerous gallons of water and odor removing cleaning products and elbow grease. And yes, maybe a few tears.

Just about every type of wall paneling and finish you could imagine had been nailed to these walls. At one time, just a little vacation cottage across the street from the lake, who needed cohesive decor when you were spending all of your time outdoors?

Layer upon layer of old flooring. Scraping and popping old floor tiles harks back to my junior high school summertime days, when dad would take us to work to keep us out of trouble, and mom's hair. 

And the community I dreamed the place would be serving, kept showing up to serve me.

Getting in on the carpet pulling action...

Painstakingly taking the time to pull staples and clean up old messes. Just when I would start to despair the work would never end, a neighbor or friend would show up at the door.

And because the details matter, everything gets a fresh coat of paint...

And did I mention all the cleaning?

Seemed like everyone got in on the painting action.

 Even now, tears spring to my eyes and spill down my face, thinking of the love that has been poured in to this dream. This house. This healing house. 

If pictures paint a thousand words, perhaps I don't have to tell you the things found lurking behind that washer and dryer. 

Doors being removed to let in the light and open the space between private studio spaces.

The front steps got a makeover too, but that's nothing compared to what happened to our hearts as we worked side by side.

There is still some painting to do, but the important stuff got done just in the nick of time, my first workshops were held, back to back weekends of Joy in the new space. 

It's amazing what a little paint and elbow grease and love can do to transform a room. 

Doors are all chalkboarded up. And Supplies are at the ready. 

And speaking of supplies, the lovely and thoughtful Jean brought along a housewarming gift on the first day of class. 

And then we dove right in making a mess with our mark-making exercises. Some done to music, and some just listening to our insides. 

Lovely designs in ink expressing what words can't always say.

One of my favoritest collages made from mark-making papers by the very talented Re. 

Plenty of pasting and sharing of ideas happened.

And new friendships developed along with the collage making.

And plenty of talking, but often there were outbursts of silent, contemplative, concentration.

We broke each day for a delicious catered lunch by the ever gracious and talented Tessa.

And after lunch, more art-making.

And after the art-making, exclamations of delighted "Look what I made!"

And then show and tell time, or was that the paparazzi?

Some of the first students to enjoy The Healing House Art Studio. Lots of smiles!

And notes exclaiming "too much fun!" were written on the tables.

And more notes were written on the floor. 

Because once you come to The Healing House Art Studio, you will always be a part of this little community.

Oh and I had to sneak a few new works of my own in there, because in all the hustle and bustle I nearly forgot I had an article due for Somerset Memories.

And this, this is just to show you I don't always look like the paint spattered, high on fumes, version of myself I showed you above. The hubby and I were taking a break at a family reunion the other day, because this month really was full to the overflowing with good stuff. 

Once all the work is finished and the steady rhythm of the place begins, I plan to start a blog dedicated to just The Healing House Art Studio. Meanwhile, like my page on facebook here if you want to keep up on the progress. I've already got a stellar line-up of guest artists scheduled for 2015 and I promise you will not want to miss a thing! 

And speaking of workshops, if you liked what you saw in the pictures above, I've got several more dates scheduled this year. Check out my workshop page here for details.