Dream Adventure, Day 4

I woke early again today, my heart filled with joy and my mind spinning with all I have learned and what I have ahead. I wish I could be in the studio now! I spent a part of last evening looking at batik supplies, I have a feeling the first order will go in before I even leave here. So many supplies, so much to learn, so many new possibilities.
But before I get to all that I am off to explore some trails this morning, I think I will skip Morningsong today in favor of exploring the campus, and gardens before breakfast.

My home away from home and also where the batik
and music studios are. I don't have far to go in
the mornings. 

Flowers from the gardens, wet from the rain.

So far this is my favorite piece.

First projects are completed!! My very first was not what I hoped, some of the colors are too similar.  Its Ok, I am learning and I still love my first baby. LOL My next two projects are much better. The one with the sun I call my kindergarten drawing. I was waiting for other things to dry and didn't want to just sit so I played around. LOL

The kindergarten drawing, it still has some wax on it.

I had all good intentions of going to yoga this afternoon and Contra dancing tonight but I just LOVE doing the batik soooo, I would rather stay in the studio and work and thats what I am doing.










These two pieces are created  using a painting technique. it is challenging because you are layering a lot of colors and you don't really define the design until the end. I can't wait to see what they look like in the end.

All I have to do is the final immersion in black dye and then I will boil the wax off.
Except for a few spots where black will go this entire piece is covered in wax.
This will have three layers of dye on it when finished.

The start of a floral painted piece. I have wax on the few spots I wanted white,
now I will wax the spots I want to remain these colors and then I will
dye paint another darker layer. Then wax, then dye paint over and over. In between they have to dry and hour and then get rinsed and dried again. It is not a fast process.

It's 10:20 and I'm just getting in from a night in the studio, have I mentioned how much fun I am having? I am almost at the halfway point, this week is going too fast!!

Dream Adventure, Day 3

I am up and about early. I don't want to miss a thing! The first scheduled activity is MorningSong, a Dutch tradition, combining storytelling and music. Today it is the folk school director who will tell an "interesting and romantic history of the school". The meals here are wonderful so much of the food is grown here or is local.  Time for breakfast then I am off to class.

Class has been wonderful, batik is so addicting. I am working every minute beyond class time that I can to learn and absorb all the techniques I can. I find the layering of colors to be my biggest challenge but I am slowly figuring it out and sometimes it's just a surprise. LOL . Tomorrow I will be working on some painting techniques. I am going for some more challenging designs. This is only the first full day and I've started/finished 5 pieces.

Everyday I am still overwhelmed with excitement just being here, I can't stop smiling. I have however stopped squealing which I think makes Carolyn happy although she said she didn't mind. LOL
Tomorrow is class and yoga and then Contra dancing in the evening, I am looking forward to trying that!!

Dream Adventure, Day 2

We are starting our day quietly, I wandered amongst the flowers and historic buildings in Asheville waiting for the day to wake up.  Soon we will be on the road winding our way through the mountains and on to Brasstown.

We are here,  the beauty of this place is beyond what I could have imagined. I feel like I am barely breathing, When we arrived I started to cry, which is no surprise for me, but they where genuine tears of joy!!
We checked in, settled in our room and then explored just a small portion of this beautiful campus before we headed to orientation. After we had our welcome and introduction to life at John C. Campbell we headed to the dining hall. Dinner was wonderful, meals are served family style and it was fun meeting some of the other students and discussing their interests and art.
After dinner we headed to class and WOW, we dove right in. I have already started my first batik, I discovered the joy and challenges of applying wax. Tomorrow I apply my first layer of dye and while it's drying I will start another batik using a different technique.

My first day here is coming to an end and already it is more than I could have imagined. If the rain holds off I will explore the campus at sunrise, I  can't wait to discover the gardens. My dreams tonight will be sweet and full and I look forward to the adventures of tomorrow. I will wake up once again with the amazing realization of how blessed I am.

Dream Adventure, Day 1

I am waiting for my chariot to arrive and my bucket list dream adventure to start. I barely slept last night, my excitement kept my brain imagining all the possibilities. I am so excited to be on our way, every mile brings me one step closer. 

The miles roll by and I am bubbling over with excitement. As we are talking Carolyn mentioned she has a gift for me. I look in the car what do I find? She is feeding my crazy addiction. This is a Pez I don’t have, a great addition to my collection.

It feels as though there is a certain magic to this trip, the 8 hour drive has gone so fast, the gods of the highway smiled on us and the beauty of the mountains as we approached Asheville was breathtaking. Tonight we stay and rest and then the adventure really begins. After check in tomorrow afternoon we have orientation, dinner and a class meeting, I can hardly wait to walk through the door.

But in the mean time we have warm, fresh chocolate walnut cookies at the Doubletree!! We can have as many as we want...this could be bad. LOL

Yep...this is going to be bad!!!!

The Beauty...

It is an amazingly beautiful morning. We are in the middle of August and yet it feels like fall is in the air. Days like this always remind me of how beautiful and sweet life is. I just want to stop and let the peace and joy of mornings like this sink in and fill me up with so much joy that I could float away.

I know some of this joy comes front the fact that my next fabulous adventure begins tomorrow, I have been preparing for so long and I can hardly believe the time has finally come. I was reminded again yesterday of how incredibly blessed I am to have this life, to have these these opportunities, to have a wonderful son and to be surrounded by friends.

You never know what the future holds, I may never pass this way again and so I will live this life, drink in the beauty of everyday and flourish in the wonder of it all.

Riding the Roller Coaster

Some days emotions can be like a roller coaster and some days I just don’t want to ride.  I’m not even sure why my emotions are all over the place tonight but it makes me feel guilty to be sad when everything is going so well.

I was told that you can be happy and still be sad sometimes and it’s OK. You can’t be happy and depressed but you can be happy and sad. But why doesn’t it feel OK?

I think we learn as children it’s not OK to be sad and cry. How many times did we hear, “dry it up” or “I will give you something to cry about”. How many times were we unable to stop and we were smacked for expressing our feelings. I think some parents teach children that the only OK emotions to have are the happy ones.

I’m in the time of life when I think my fluctuating hormones contribute to this roller coaster ride, when you think of it it’s like being a teenager again, without the pimples. And just like being a teenager the sad emotions disappear as quickly as they came and you hop off the ride saying “WHEW” it’s over but knowing one day you will ride it again.

Dreams, Adventures and Creative Flow

Five days, in just five days I leave on a dream come true, bucket list adventure. I am going to school!!  Not just any school, the John C. Campbell Folk Art School, around for over 80 years it is the best folk art school in the country and I am going.

I am going to immerse myself in a peaceful learning vacation. I am going to revel in the creative flow that can only come when surrounded by a community of creative, artistic souls. I am going to walk, and dance and learn!!

Am I excited? To say I am excited would be an understatement. To be able to spend time with a dear friend and learn new skills has me dancing with joy. I will forever be grateful for this gifted opportunity to learn, to grow as an artist and as a person, to explore the possibilities of taking my art in new directions and to share what I learn.

As my life unfolds and I continue to grow I truly appreciate how blessed I am. I am grateful for all that has come my way and I will work hard to pay it forward as best I can.  This is a life of joy and beauty, and I wish for those I love and care about to find the same, no matter where their dreams and their hearts take them.