Squam Art Workshops Day 3: Primary Colors

OK now I'm interrupting my 5-Day Challenge to bring you the last instalment of reports on my classes at Squam Art Workshops.

But before moving on to the class, I just had to post this picture taken by my cabin mate G:

the girls of Brae Cove + 1 (photo by Amy Gretchen)

For me much of this year's S.A.W. experience was about these women, about the comfort, the stories and the laughter we shared around the fire.

It was about my feeling worthy - and sometimes not - of having them in my life, wondering what I'd done to deserve the friendship of such wonderful kindred spirits. When I was done wondering I'd go back to the conversation in front of the fire and promptly forget all about my insecurities. I'd laugh until it hurt. Then all was good again.

Thank you ladies. From the bottom of my heart.

Now on to Day 3 shall we?

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Workshop: Primary Colors

Teacher: Mary Beth Shaw

What I learned: that three primary colours can make a LOT of other ones; that I like purple more than I thought I did; that playing with paints and experimenting with colour is potentially a great way to warm up before hitting the canvas; that scheduling a "lighter" session for Saturday morning is a great way to wind down the workshop portion of S.A.W.

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After Friday's heavy learning this light, playful workshop was just what the doctor ordered. There was music (love, love, love Mary Beth's playlist!), there was laughter and fun.

palette sample using one of the triads

But don't be fooled, just because it was fun doesn't mean I didn't learn anything. Encouraged to experiment with three differerent triads (red, blue, yellow) of different tones + white, it was enlightening to discover just how many colours can be created with only four tubes of paint. Try it, you'll see!

5-Day Challenge + an Invitation

I'm temporarily interrupting my post-Squam trip report to kick off another 5-Day Challenge. I want to paint and this is the quickest way I know to get me there!

yesterday's results: a work in progress, 11x14 on wood fiber panel

she looks a lot like this one, non?

For those of you who are new here, a 5-Day Challenge is when I pledge to go to the table and paint at least once a day for the next five days (or the next four in this case since I started yesterday). And I invite YOU to join me!

Whatever your medium - film, words, melody, paint, yarn, wood, clay, string, pine cones, fabric or glitter - it doesn't matter. Your "art table" might be your computer screen or your dark room; mine involves paint.

It also doesn't matter whether you go to the table for ten minutes or two hours, the goal is to defeat resistance by showing up at the table at least once a day for five days in a row.

It's about practice and play - no perfection necessary.

Care to join me?

Let me know in the comments if you do! I'd love to see what you're up to.

Squam Art Workshops Day 2: Painted Icon

I realized today that my return to work after S.A.W. was easier this year than any of the past three. I suspect is has something to do with the fact that I'm leaving at the end of October to pursue creative and business possibility.

OK I suspect it has a LOT to do with that.

On to Day 2...

practice faces - the one on the left was drawn with a charcoal pencil, the one on the right

with a charcoal stick; both need a bit of work, but I'm happy with the initial results

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Workshop: Painted Icon

Teacher: Misty Mawn

What I learned: how to use a grid to draw a face; that if I squint my eyes while looking at a portrait, shadows become shapes and when I focus on drawing the shapes, facial features magically appear; that I like to draw with charcoal because it's very forgiving; that just because I did something successfully before doesn't mean I'll do it again on a particular day; that I can easily descend into a negative spiral when I'm frustrated and that sometimes, maybe I just need to walk away instead of pushing through

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What a pleasure it was to see Misty again! She was my first teacher at Squam in 2008; in that first class I picked up a paint brush for the first time since kindergarten and never looked back.

I learned some very practical techniques in this class that I look forward to practicing here at home. I also learned a lot about myself and my (in)ability to navigate the tricky process of painting when things just aren't. going. well.

It was a tough class for me - lessons about the self are sometimes the hardest ones, but the good news is that personal turmoil aside, I got to watch Misty work her magic with a paintbrush. And that alone made it all worthwhile.

Day 3: Primary Colors coming up next...

Creative Inspiration

"The demons are innumerable, arrive at the most inappropriate times, and create panic and terror... but I have learned that if I can master the negative forces and harness them to my chariot, then they can work to my advantage.... Lilies often grow out of carcasses' arseholes."

~ Ingmar Bergman

Ideas are swirling, cogs are turning and possibility is permeating my heart and soul, the whole slowly morphing into faith and trust.

Here are a few things, people or spaces that have been inspiring me these past few weeks...

1. Marked by the Muse - Because Stephey Baker's artwork has captured me. Her Dream Song Series is magical.

2. Sophia Leadership - Because Heather Plett is bold, she speaks of leadership infused with creativity and intuition, and she is very convincing.

3. Bergman's Island - Because it's fun to learn about other creatives and what makes them tick. This is a beautiful and informative documentary about Ingmar Bergman, his life and his creative process.

4. Goddess Leonie - Because Leonie Allan Dawson is not afraid to dream - and act - BIG.

5. Dirty Footprints Studio - Because Connie Hozvicka is not afraid to paint and paint BIG. And while watching her video below I felt an unmistakable and undeniable YES rise through my chest.

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What inspires you these days?

When Resistance Awaits

"Art begins with resistance - at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor."

~ André Gide

After several weeks without painting I am pulled to the art table yet I resist fiercely. That usually means it's doubly important that I go.

Postscript: I let my muse guide me and this is where she led me. It's a work in progress, but I like where it's going.

a work in progress

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What pulls you today? What resistance awaits to be overcome?