Home from Create Retreat

hello, hello -

I arrived home late Saturday night with my creative cup running over from a magical week of playing with possibility while attending the CREATE Retreat. You may recall my sharing in my earlier post that this was not only my first art retreat but my very first introduction to any kind of formal art instruction. I loved every minute of it.

This happy painting is the result of my play time with Alisa Burke - and the largest painting I've ever created. We had the option of painting while on the floor or standing at large tables. I chose the floor because it reminded me of when my girls were toddlers and we would do everything - on the floor. I wanted to give my little girl inside me permission to come out and play. Can I just say, "THIS CLASS WAS FUN!" You will definitely see more of this hand painted layering imbued into my new work.

I really enjoyed taking Pam Carriker's classes where we were supplied with hot press watercolor paper and all the scrumptious creative tools to create an art journal. Fabulous class and having just learned the difference between cold press and hot press watercolor paper I am now a forever fan of hot press. Do you know the difference? Cold press is nubby paper with the little divets or ridges, hot press is smooth, smooth, smooth - a delicious substrate for illustration. I've already placed orders for new art supplies and am eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Dawn Sokol's doodling class was fun and entertaining - she's such a funny (and fun) girl. I purchased not 1 but 2 of her doodling books so both my daughters can play with their own creative possibility.

JoAnne Sharpe (after having spent time together in an on-line artists' group) and I met in person in her Copic's class.

Jane LaFazio's watercolor class was also an all new and oh so enjoyable experience for me. The majority of my work is done in acrylic and digitally, but because of Jane and her class, I am a new fan of watercolor.

Curiously, it was in this class I became aware that I want (ahem, need) to be more gracious with my learning process - less judgmental - showing more self-kindness in playing with possibility. I am intrigued by the fact that we can behave with ourselves in a way we would never consider being with another - why is that? Do you experience this? I wonder, is it because we want to feel worthy of what we have; worthy of what we hope to have; worthy of another's love and acceptance; and/or that we want to belong? It was grace and self-kindness that propelled me into my artistic discovery and journey into art licensing (read more here) and, like anything that we want to be a part of who we are, we need to practice it daily - do you practice self-kindness?

This past week was in all ways a treat for me, and a BIG gesture of self-kindness. I am filled up having worked with these talented women, learning from them, meeting fellow creative spirits (Lisa, Lisa, and RoseMarie among others), and having shared a couple evenings with my long-time and life-time friend, Lesa. It was good to be back home, near the ocean.

I arrived home with deadlines to meet for licensing, so have yet to fully unpack my art supplies and put my studio back together. This is what it looks like this morning . . .

I'd say, quite a lot like me - a work in progress, and that's okay.

Thanks for taking a peek into my creative world and seeing what's new at Terri Conrad Designs.

As always,

Comments

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I wish I could have taken more classes, I really wanted to take the alisa burke class. Love your work and your studio is so pretty. Will you be at the licensing show in Vegas?

Christine Adolph

Posted by: christine | June 10, 2011 at 10:38 AM