Dream Killers vs Dream Catchers

There are certain people you encounter in life who listen to you share the desires of your heart, mirror back to you those dreams, and encourage you to pursue the thing you most want to do. And then there are those who will, for one reason or another, speak words of discouragement to your dreams, giving you bits of their own "wisdom" which feels like someone just rained all over your beautiful parade of creativity. They cause you to doubt your sanity for being so audacious as to think you could ever achieve beyond what you are currently capable of doing. I call the former Dream Catchers. Your heart is safe with them. The latter are more like Dream Killers, and it isn't always easy to know the difference until it is too late. Looking back over the last few decades, building my career as an artist, I have encountered both dream catchers and dream killers, maybe you have too.

This week the official announcement was released, I am the excited and proud recipient of the Racine Art Museum Artists Fellowship, one of four awarded this honor every other year. When I first moved to Wisconsin, the call had gone out for the 2016 RAM Fellowship and in my enthusiasm I applied without hesitation. You may remember me sharing about the nicest rejection letter I ever received, in which the director had enthused how much they loved my work and that I had been a strong contender. Hands down, I thought, I would apply again the next time around. 

Over the course of the past two years, I encountered a few of those dream killers, who shared with me the impossibility of someone like me ever receiving this award, I simply wasn't qualified. I have encountered this kind of talk before and usually don't give it much merit, but I have to admit, this time it got to me. It very nearly kept me from even trying. Fortunately I encountered more Dream Catchers, two of which gave me a pep talk outside my studio door and then a friendly nudge the day before the application was due. 

Well I already shared the outcome with you, if not for those Dream Catchers, I wouldn't be writing about this today. But it gave me pause to think, how often am I the one who dismisses my own dreams before I even try? As a visual artist, it is easy to become isolated in our own studios and even our own head space. I am grateful I have a community of like minded artists and dreamers to check in with and encourage me to keep going.

This brings me back to what I believe is one of the biggest benefits to taking an art workshop, connecting with those like minded dreamers and getting encouragement to stretch beyond our comfort zones. Just over a week from today, I get to play host and student when artist Michael Shemchuk teaches in my Racine studio. Coming all the way from California, Michael will be sharing his unique abstract collage painting technique, with an emphasis on composition and design. We will be working on creating a triptych over the course of that one weekend. There is just one seat available if you have been thinking of registering, now is the time!

Many of you had inquired about whether I might be teaching another workshop in my studio and I am excited to offer you the opportunity to participate in a semi-private workshop created first for members of the Patreons and Peers group, with the remaining four seats now available to you. The class is scheduled in my studio on June 2nd and 3rd -read on for details and registration information. 

Boxing Encaustic - A Semi-Private Workshop Opportunity
June 2 & 3
Racine, Wisconsin
$300 

This is a very special opportunity to take a workshop in my studio in a small group setting. Limited to 6 participants, this class will focus on the creating collage with encuastic wax on cradled panels with the introduction to incorporating assemblage elements into your work. 

The class was created for members of my Patreons and Peers group first and the remaining seats are now open to my newsletter and blog readers for a limited time. It is not currently listed on my workshop page or being advertised to the general public. Your early bird opportunity to grab one of the remaining four seats!

To register click here. The supply list is small and will be emailed to you, but mainly includes bringing your own collection of collage material and found objects. 

A good beginning is half the work

Here we are, already heading into the second week of February and just like clockwork, every single year, I find myself wondering how the month of January flew by so fast. 2018 is 1/12th over! I've barely had a chance to catch my breath from the busy holiday season to even think about all those New Year's Resolutions. I mean, it's already February, why even bother now?

Is it even worth it to begin something new if we have gotten off to a later start than everyone else seems to have? Sound familiar?

In one form or another, this self-defeating belief creeps into our thinking and keeps us stuck in old behavior patterns, preventing us from stepping out of an established routine to try something new. I didn't take the traditional pathway to becoming an established career artist, no degree or MFA or any formal training, it wasn't in the cards for me. But where would I be now if I hadn't decided to let go of the security of the known career path when I was approaching my forties, to start experimenting with mixed media and collage?

The faulty thinking of "why bother now" can be even more amplified when we have started strong down a particular path and gotten sidetracked by life somewhere along the way. Then the "why even bother now" messages get reinforced with the good ol' "I had my shot and blew it". 

"It's too late..." is a roadblock of a self-protective thinking pattern gone-awry, making us weary of starting something new when we have grown accustomed to the way things are. We come up with rational and reasonable sounding excuses not to try, but the bottom line so often comes down to fear of the unknown, or what author of The War Of Art, Steven Pressfield, calls "resistance". 

After much experience with these mental obstacles, I now recognize that when it comes to stepping out of my comfort zone to achieve something I've only dreamed of doing, taking the first step is the hardest. I don't always know exactly how to begin, so I don't even try. 

That's why I firmly believe that half the value of taking an art workshop isn't only about learning a new technique, but in finding the freedom to let yourself try. 

In my Wax, Paper, Scissors workshop experimenting and trying something new is the name of the game. And because I know that a common obstacle to trying a new technique is the expense of purchasing supplies and tools you have never used before and don't even know if you'll like, I've decided to include nearly everything you need in my February class. This is one of the biggest benefits of taking a workshop in the artist's studio - I don't have to be selective about what I bring for you to use, because we are in my personal workspace. Everything I use is right there. 

Won't you join me in giving yourself permission to try?

Why Not Wisconsin?

"It is so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas." ~Paul Cezanne (Kenosha, Wisconsin North Pier Lighthouse, photo featured in USA today by Phil Koch) Hello friends, I am getting set to head to the studio for the first time all month. Short of running in for an hour to pack supplies and returning to dump supplies and pack more supplies before running back out the door, I have not had the opportunity to just spend time creating for what seems like an eternity.  There are a few projects on the work table that I need to spend time finishing up, and I'll start shooting video footage for my new ecourse this month (yes, finally!) but it is also time for me to get out a few blank canvases and start a new body of work. There are times that facing that blank canvas is a thrill and times where it really is a dreaded task. After such a long time away, it is sometimes hard to get back in the proverbial saddle again and let the creativity flow.  Reflecting on the workshop I just wrapped up in California and looking forward to the latest addition to my schedule at the Sedona Arts Center in October, I realized that many people choose which workshop to register for based on the location where I'll be teaching. I get it, It is fun to travel and explore new regions of the country, especially those that are known for their scenic landscapes and surroundings, but it made me wonder, why not Wisconsin? I grabbed the image above from a recent post on USA Today's Facebook page taken by a local landscape photographer, Phil Koch. The image is literally what I consider to be my back yard. Okay, my actual back yard is a parking lot of the townhouse we live in, but it is a half a block to Harbor park where this image was taken and where we walk daily. Lake Michigan offers a never ending display of splendor and photographers from the world over have captured it's many moods on any given day. One of the hotels that I recommend to people traveling to take a workshop at my own studio is right there at the other end of that pier- the Wyndham Garden Harborside. A 15 minute drive down Sheridan road, my studio is located in Racine, Wisconsin and my drive there offers me great stretches of Lake Michigan views. So often on my way to work, I cannot resist stopping at one of the roadside parking lots and walking the beach looking for driftwood and sea glass. Granted, my February workshop might be a few months shy of the perfect beach combing weather, but did you know that Racine is also the home of the Racine Art Museum, which offers a world renowned collection of contemporary craft - the largest collection in North America?  Free Ice Skating at Monument Square just a short drive from the studio, outstanding local galleries to explore in Kenosha, and plenty of great restaurants and cute shops in each location, there is plenty to do when class isn't in session- oh, and there is always the cheese castle or one of the many Racine Kringle bakeries, to get a taste of that true Wisconsin flavor - after all, we are America's dairyland! Nestled a mere 30-45 minutes away from Milwaukee, and just over an hour to Chicago, the studio is perfectly situated for a stop during an extended vacation. Take a workshop and then leave yourself plenty of time to explore these two great cities.  Next up is my Wax, Paper, Scissors workshop and if I haven't managed to convince you based on the studio and great location alone, I'm currently offering to supply your art panels when you enroll, two 18" x 18" panels will be waiting for you, along with all the supplies and tools the fee already covers; encaustic and cold wax, adhesive, watercolor paper, and other supplies and tools you'll need. All you need to bring is your own collection of ephemera and found papers to make your projects more personal! Two months from today, I will be welcoming mixed media artist, Michael Shemchuk as a guest artist/instructor in my studio and chances are, the weather will be warming up enough to explore the beaches, as if having the opportunity to explore collage with this abstract master isn't enough! Check out the description below and sign up soon, the class is nearly full!

First To See

"First to see things as they are
then to meet things as they are."
~Mark Nepo   

I am home resting on the couch after a week long trip nearly 500 miles from home. This first full week after the holidays trip has become a favorite time of the year - an annual tradition of gathering with artist and teacher friends, hanging low, creating art, gathering around the table with no real agenda other than renewal in preparation for our individual and collaborative schedules in the year ahead.

The quote at the top of the page contains my word for the year: "See". The choosing of a word, or the letting a word choose me each January, has also become an annual tradition. It helps me to focus on the meaning of that word to set an intention or theme for the year, rather than make New Year's Resolutions.

When "see" first started presenting itself to me, I resisted. It sounded too simplistic and lackluster, nearly feeling like I hadn't really tried very hard to find my word. So I asked for verification and sure enough, the confirmation started rolling in. It isn't about seeing visually, but having an internal knowing. To be able to see what is underneath, a discerning if you will.

Life has a way of being our teacher if we let it. And I have been giving life permission to teach.

I loaded up the car for my annual road trip to the castle, and started listening to the new book I had downloaded on audible. And then about halfway there, I was in the throes of an anxiety attack, something the author said made me aware of the emotions I had been carrying. Each year, this gathering has grown, beginning with a small group of just 3, this year we had 11, and for some reason I hadn't been able to put my finger on, I was feeling a great deal of apprehension about going.

And then there it was, sitting behind the wheel of the car, suddenly I was back in junior high. 

Geeky, pimply, oily faced and awkward, sitting alone at the lunch table listening to the popular kids tease me. Growing up, I never fully belonged to one group or another, and heading to this week long intimate gathering, I realized to a certain degree, I still feel like that sometimes. This group of women represented all those cool kids at the table and I subconsciously walked in carrying the shame and the weight of those childhood wounds fully expecting to relive the experience.

Of course that isn't what happened. Though I have to admit, the first night I was a bit of a mess and had to fight the urge to flee. But I woke the next day able to "see". And it was healing.

First to see things as they are, then to meet things as they are.

If I hadn't been able to see my 13 year old self, I may have carried the emotions with me all through the week unaware, preventing any possibility of true connection with the other artists. I would not have been able to meet myself at the table to know that I really do belong.
And so do you. There is room for us all at the table. 

Now Available Annual Postcard Sized Art Sale - US and Abroad!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

This really has become one of my favorite events of the year. I get to sit down at the table with all of the scraps I've collected while working on larger works throughout the year, with all of the inspiration and all of the design ideas that I've collected for the last twelve months, and make these small postcard sized works of art to offer up to you.

For only $30 you will receive an original postcard sized collage. Compare to my original 4" x 4" works, which typically sell between $75 - $150. 

These special edition works are each one of a kind, signed on the front, original works of art done in the same abstract style and with the same materials I've been using on bigger works throughout the year. They are suitable for framing, collecting, and gift giving.

To allow me to make such a special offer to you, I get to surprise you with the design-grab bag style. Each work is crafted with the same care and attention to detail that I give to all of my original works of art, the only difference is the time I save by not photographing and listing each one individually. 

The art comes to you packaged in a clear cellophane wrapper. Enjoy your original art displayed on a small easel, frame it and hang it salon style on your living room wall, or even mail it to a friend as mail art! 

This is a limited time, limited quantity opportunity that sells out each year and this year they are available internationally too! Be sure to get one while they last!

US or International

US Buyer $30.00 USD International Buyer $35.00 USD