Inspire Me Thursday - 'Breath' (long post!)

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." -- unknown

mixed media on 12x12 wood panel

I had so many breath-taking moments at ConvenZioNE's inaugural mixed media art retreat a little over a week ago in Pleasanton, CA that I wanted to share it with you all at Inspire Me Thursday! I have to tell you, the creative energy there was so electric - so many kindred spirits in one place at the same time plus the town & surrounding areas were so beautiful.... I also felt myself catching my breath when meeting 'mixed media art celebrities' Lisa Kaus, Sally Jean Alexander as well as Dawn DeVries Sokol author of the book '1000 Journal Pages' featuring many artist friends. Some of the actual journals were there with the pages from the book to see in person, sooo cool.... (Dawn, so glad you liked my journals and that I'll be contributing to the Moly_exchange you've hosted, will be in touch soon!)

Susan Tuttle was a wonderful & patient teacher, thoroughly explaining her techniques, with step-by-step handouts to take home -- just a great soulful, experience for all of us in her class. Also, I do think I liked the smaller class size (and retreat attendee size in general) because it was more intimate & personal, but that's just my opinion :> My self-portrait piece was about 90% finished by the time the class ended. I had some finishing touches when I got home but pretty much the whole thing, start to finish, was done during Susan's class -- can't wait to try out more of her background techniques!

Here are some pics from the trip. After the opening day lunch we were free to explore & browse the many shops & boutiques on Main Street at Bella Galleria. My favorite (and everyone else's too I think!) was American Harvest. Folk art, cottage-style decor, and vintage treasures married with fabulous displays & lots of mixed media goodies, oh my!

Closeup vintage dressform - what a great idea, now I know what to do with that box of vintage vowel cards.....

Me & Susan at Saturday nite's group dinner, fabulous margaritas, great food & the best of company :>

The lovely Lani Kent, Susan & Dawn DeVries Sokol pose for a quick pic near the end of the night....

The hills & area surrounding Pleasanton were absolutely breath-taking! Vineyards surrounded by rolling hills, dotted with homes in small clusters here and there.

Time to go.....I will miss the beauty of that area, the many experiences I shared and all the creative, artistic souls I met that weekend -- until we meet again :>

Reads, ConvenZioNE / Michelle of B. Original

What a great mail day it was yesterday!!! I am so looking forward to immersing myself in these books.

Last nite I made myself some Jasmine tea (the leftover tea was just as delicious this afternoon iced when the thermometer started to rise!) and opened up Art & Fear - very insightful so far. I also couldn't resist peeking through 1000 Artist Journal Pages and recognized quite a few names in there - can't wait to dig into that book!! I'm looking forward to bringing it to ConvenZioNE in August for a book signing by the author Dawn DeVries Sokol. This gathering of creative souls will also have many other events going on including extraordinary workshops, breakfast with SARK, Bella Galleria -a gallery & boutique walk, live music and and fine dining to name a few!!

Speaking of ConvenZioNE.....part of the reason for this post is also to officially enter my name into the FREE ConvenZioNE Spending Spree. At the opening lunch, special guest Michele Beschen from DIY and HGTV, will draw a name to celebrate her participation at this inaugural event. The winner gets their registration fee reimbursed on the spot!! I've been watching Michele's B. Original epsiodes for awhile now and just love her can-do attitude, eclectic style and no fear approach to creating. Visit her blog courage to create to see what she's up to.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

'Home' at last!

Hand*book journal - pitt pen, watercolor, colored pencil

Hello friends!!! Where do I begin? So much to share with you all & the days are flying by. The ride down was very long and tiring, but for the most part the move went fairly well.

Setting up our new nest so it's comfy & cozy for everyone though is something else all together! Feels like I just got settled into my remodelled studio last fall and here I am having to set up all over again :) Last year at this time I was still coming back down to earth from my first Art & Soul retreat and now I'm blogging from our new home in Texas. Ah well, such is life - change is good and sometimes necessary for growth in so many ways. I've decided to think of this transition period as a valuable, learning experience, a doorway to fresh inspiration and new adventures.

With my move also came a decision to sign up & reserve my spot at the very first ConvenZioNE in California! So many wonderful instructors to choose from but I decided to book a class with my dear friend Susan Tuttle, who incidentally just posted about home and what it means to her. I swear her posts are always so heartfelt & timely for me, truly :)

The picture in my new blog header is of the Pecos River. It was taken during a recent day trip to the Seminole Canyon State Park. Because it was very hot that day (102 degrees), we agreed to explore it further at a later date.

Anyhow I have much more to share.....all in due time :)