New Year Collage

I enjoy taking the time to reflect and think about the new year. Last year I made an intention stick; this year a collage.

I gathered with two friends who have been on retreat with me twice this past year. We came up with our idea of an "at home" retreat which proved very helpful in our individual journeys into creativity.

I have made collages many times.....alone and with groups. This gathering to create a new year collage fell on the final days of our second retreat. Together we focused on the year ahead as individuals yet the camaraterie made this time very special.

There are several major events ahead for me this year and I gave them some focus. But the magic of creating collages is that images that are selected may manifest or predict a future event. For example, I made a collage of skiing in the Alps because that is something I wanted to experience. A few years later, I visited Switzerland and randomly selected three ski areas to ski. When I returned home and looked at my collage......................ALL the images were from places I visited and skied. Even a spot where I ate lunch outdoors in the snowfield was in the collage!

So, here is my new year collage. Let the magic to happen.

Sunday Sketches

I have been on retreat this week........at home!

An idea that formulated over breakfast with a couple of my creative friends. Today ends our "seven day at home retreat." The basic rules were: to spend at least 3-4 hours a day creating and meet together one or more times during the week to process with a final session this evening.

I have six water-based oil paintings and three watercolor & ink sketches! What could I accomplish if I kept at this pace?!?!?

The Lucuma tree which I first saw at Willa T'ika in the Sacred Valley of Peru was the inspiration of the first paintings.

This watercolor and ink sketch shows the branches, leaves, and fruit in the foreground with the shape of the bark in the background.


And the oil painting.....

At Home Retreat

Going to retreats are inspiring and provide valuable new insights.

And can be costly!

Two friends and I came up with an "at home retreat" which began Monday and will last one full week. The basic rules: spending at least 3-4 hours a day creating and meet together two or possibly three times during the week to process.

I bought several canvases and gessoed over a few to prepare myself. Water-based oils has been a favorite medium as of late.

Trees will be the subject of this week's creations. The Lucuma tree which I first saw at Willa T'ika in the Sacred Valley of Peru has become the inspiration of the first paintings. This lovely tree is the dominating figure in Carol's landscape and gardens.


Oil painting to me is a "building up" process as oppose to watercolor which is immediate and spontaneous. So with that in mind, here are two renditions in oil of the Lucuma tree's bark and stage one of these paintings.




In addition to these paintings, I also did two ink and watercolor paintings which I will post at another time. I am on a roll!!!