Squam Art Workshops

Picture it. The place where "On Golden Pond" was filmed. Rustic wooden cabins with fireplaces and screened porches and lake views. Down comforters and crisp mornings. Mountain air, a scenic lake, tall forest trees, fabulous food (I can't stress this enough), angels in human form all in one place making a dream together. Now add in art supplies, several hundred artists, my blogging heroes and one brilliant Blue Poppy (and her help meet T.) and you have the miracle of Squam Art Workshops.

amy says:
I was lost but now am found. amazing grace . . . you blew our worlds wide open. thank you isn't enough.
posted on: September 15 (a comment posted on Elizabeth's site this morning)

Of course we knew it would be good. You could figure that part out just from the photos of that pristine lake and forest in the uplands of New Hampshire. But how good. Just how good it would be I (for one) never could have guessed.

It was so good I have teared up and even cried a little at the sweetness of so many uplifting souls gathered in one place, just being incredibly perceptive, inspiring, and creative.

One wonderful thing for me was getting to stay in the house with all the teachers (OMG) so I got to meet them up close. Here are just a few.

First came Andrea Scher, whose blog has been a beacon of beautiful observations and kindness. This was her first time teaching at a retreat of this sort and her students were glowing with praise and gratitude that she came. She is incredibly warm hearted. She helped me make a big decision that was weighing on me. She knows how to sort things out.

And oh, gosh. I got to meet Jen Gray who came to help Andrea. Can you say girl crush? I am mad for everything this woman touches. I just want to follow her around and learn how to be so cool. Watch her Wonder Woman video here. What a brilliant artist and lover of the good things in life.

Penelope Dullaghan - the moment she rolled her car window down and asked for directions I just said, "hi Penny" and we made a connection. Love her blog, her work, her baby bump and her good, sweet self. She has a wry wit and I challenge you to get a photo of her with a straight face. Such an honor to meet another one of my blog friends.

Liz Elayne came to take classes and help Elizabeth with the details of setting up the camp for us. What a love she is. We never did get around to doing yoga but you can partake of her beautiful writing at her blog. I can feel her big, warm hug right now.

Andra Hepler came to teach doll making. In the photo above she is wearing an apron that Liz Elayne made. We had many sparkling moments together and we have Andra to thank for helping Elizabeth get to her first Artfest several years ago which was helpful in getting the idea of organizing Squam Art Workshops to emerge.

Kelly Rae came with Mati Rose and together they led a panel discussion on the theme of "Taking Flight Into the Creative Life" which is also the title of Kelly's new book. You can read Kelly's words about Squam here. This was a huge leap in the professional careers of both of these young women. It was thrilling to witness their happiness, their nervousness and their success.

I met Catherine Slye, seamstress and purse maker extraordinaire. Funny, smart as a whip, the life of any party. She can say the funniest things with a completely straight face and the purses her students made were gorgeous.

Elizabeth Bunsen and Susan Tuttle. Go to their blogs and bask in their creative brilliance. Oh, the beauty of the spirits present was overwhelming. The faces, shining with love and joy.

Elizabeth's beautiful journal.

This is the big cabin we stayed in.

Swirly Girl Christine Mason Miller celebrated her new book, "Ordinary Sparkling Moments" at a party on Friday night. The room was softly lit and golden as rain pattered hard on the rooftop. We all congratulated Christine on her own sparkling moments at Squam; a book launch with hundreds of new friends.

Lisa Occhipinti taught in the room next to mine and I grew to adore her huge laugh and wonderful stories. She's the only one who got more mosquito bites than me so I stood close to her for protection. She's funny, gorgeous, accomplished, kind and super creative with several businesses to run. Wowsa, girl.

That's Ms. Blue Poppy herself on the right. The rumor was that she and her man gave up their work vacations to build dividers and otherwise prepare the camp for all of us. What an incredible gift to the art world that was. I thought about it all the way home. What a difference a person who is inspired and who carries out their dream can make. Because I believe each of the women who came to SAW will take with them, back to their various communities, a spirit of optimism and hope that will lift others too. Oh, Elizabeth. How we love you and treasure the gift you gave each of us. Thank you a hundred times over.

I'm exhausted and haven't unpacked yet so I'll close for now with this picture of my sleeping quarters at SAW. Those are down comforters, pillow top beds, sooooo warm and comfy. Everyone who attended is already saying "next year". Even John is planning to come. Elizabeth is going to have her hands full accommodating all of us.

Namaste.

Off on the Red Eye

One last farewell before John and I leave for the airport. Worked very hard this week shipping boxes, writing new proposals, putting everything in order so I can be gone for a week without leaving anything undone. Spent lots of time with my kitty. He is just a little rag doll now but his affection seems to increase as he continues to weaken. He sleeps on our feet or our shoes and talks to us in a croaky meow. He represents a long and treasured era in our lives.

Heads up on the great Art Fair that happens after Squam in Sandwich, NH. If you are in the area and can come I am sure it will be a wonderful opportunity to shop for lovely handmade things. I know of several artists who will have soft goods, books and so on; let's have a nice turn out for these deserving people. I, of course, will be recording the event for you.

I'm looking forward to seeing many old, well-loved friends there as well as meeting for the first time many of my blog heros. If you are coming, safe travel. I'll be back in a week. Ciao.

Deep Summer Garden

In between art fairs and packing teaching supplies and packets for Squam I've spent more time than usual strolling through the garden, enjoying the bumper crop of strawberries that the recent rains have brought forth.

Late summer, a crisp edge to the mornings, lengthening shadows and vegetables to harvest. Beauty in every corner of the garden as we gather tomatoes, kohlrabi, carrots, corn and beans in our baskets and enjoy great feasts of simple foods at the end of the day.

This is the second year John's grown Frijoles Rojas De Seda. Our friend brought the beans from Honduras and they are indeed silky and red. It is a beautiful bean both in the dried form and on the pod (below).

We like these beans pureed and then spread on corn tortillas with cabbage salad and shredded cheese.

John grew several types of watermelon this year. Watermelons make summer the season of eating. One of my favorite fruits, don't you agree?

These big boys will be ready pretty soon.

Perennial hollyhocks, did you know about them? They bloom late in the year after the annual hollyhocks are pretty spent.

A successful planting of amaranth, an old grain that came to us via the Aztec culture. Highly nutricious and voluptuously beautiful with its long, velvety wine red flowers.

The apples are coming along, promising a bumper crop of fall cider this year.

Peppers galore. Also tomatillos (no photo) that we'll cook into some of our favorite recipes.

We are eating corn for every meal except breakfast now. We are the (ha ha) children of the corn.

Tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes. I ate 3 of them for breakfast.

This is our favorite - stupice. It has a short growing season and is perfect for our climate. Of course we grow the Orenco Gold and Federle and some others as well as the little volunteers.

More fall flowers; the Japanese Anemone, a shade loving flower that grows in pink or white. The grapes are nearly ready, the figs are awesome, nature is generous. Thank you for joining me. I have to confess that John is the green thumb as well as the hard working gardener. I just encourage and appreciate; grateful for all of it.

Art in the Pearl Eye Candy

What a beautiful week in the North Park Blocks of Portland. Despite cool temperatures and rain we had a brilliant turn out for the eleventh year of Art in the Pearl.

Look what I bought from Amanda Blake. Two oil paintings of such tender beauty that I will feel nourished by them forever. So intelligent.

I get shivers looking into the expressions of the faces she paints. This is where I live. Didn't I pick out good ones?

And here is the fair woman herself; as lovely as her work and just as authentic. Deep and gentle.

Oh, there were so many outstanding artists this year that I couldn't stop clicking my camera. Above is the work of the excellent Ms. Chris Giffin. The link will take you to her page at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery.

Diane Culhane was there with a body of work that I liked very much. She's using more white in her paintings now which adds contrast and a whole new look.

Ann Fleming brought her gentle and technically difficult bronzes that just keep getting more amazing all the time.

Anthony Hansen was there with his big sculptures made from recycled parts. You can read about his extraordinary technique at his website.

There was outstanding entertainment all weekend long. My favorite were these stunning women from India who danced and thrilled us with their exotic presence.

Jana Grover came from San Francisco and brought her painting of a blue javelina. She explained to me that they are not pigs but rather peccaries which is a type of rodent. Cool!

She did the crow ten commandments, two of which are pictured above. Wish I had photos of all of them to show you. They were very clever and very funny.

Eileen Goldenberg is the President of International Encaustic Artists and I am her fan club. She is someone I look up to as a brilliant artist and an advanced human being. Her work is breath taking. She came to us too from the bay area and if you are lucky enough to travel there, she teaches from time to time. Highly recommended.

Jim C. Brown travelled to us from Canada and has always worked in plaster. He is experimental and likes to poke the envelope as I do. This year he is painting great troweled pigmented plaster paintings on board (beautifully!) that I adored. He sands and fiddles with them - bravo, well done!!

Lisa Burge came from Taos, NM and brought her oil paintings and monotypes. Oh, to take a class from her. I love her work; it makes me wonder at it's mystery. I want to get inside her paintings - they are so compelling.

Marilynn Host is a paper mache and gourd artist from San Martin, CA and she brought her little piggies, crows and other colorful creatures to make us happy. I love paper mache. These creations really made me want to play in the studio.

Mark Heimann is here because he dresses like a pirate and I think he's awfully cute. hee hee. Seriously, he is a fine ceramic artist and has been active on many art boards in Portland throughout the years. He also has a line of pirateware that is sure to bring a smile.

Wendy Dunder is the artist who has fabricated these amazing art lamps out of shaped wood and tissue paper. My photos cannot begin to show the beauty and craftsmanship involved.

She has better photos than this at her website.

Terry McIlrath is a friend and my own guru. Over our long friendship he has held up the lantern of truth many times for me (as has his partner Debra). They work together under the name of Joule Fine Art and their work is delightful and always changing. I love the variety in all his design elements - I could stare at one painting endlessly.

Sa Boothroyd is a painter and printmaker from Canada that I first met two decades ago at the Bellevue Art Fair. John and I both purchased her prints from her then and love the work she is doing now in painting. I love to see how we've all evolved over the years.

Vladimir Ovtcharov is an artist who was born in Bulgaria and whose work really defies description.

Part oil painting, part assemblage, these complex shadow boxes full of mystery and beauty just exist to delight and inspire. His work has been quite different in the years I have seen it here; always new and better with each change.

A fine Portland tradition. A horse tied up the the horse rings that were embedded in the concrete curbs so long ago.

At the end of the fair John and I repaired to our favorite Mexican food restaurant to enjoy a faustian repast. (I'll diet tomorrow.)

I couldn't resist showing John and his creations. He is an artist of the soil and a good one too.

Several announcements. You must sign up for Artfest 2009 today. I'm sorry not to have given more advance notice but that's the way this week has gone. If you know about Artfest you know it fills up on the first day and you must get your letter off on time.

Secondly: Kelly Rae's book, Taking Flight arrived on my doorstep last Friday and it is a wonderful book. My technique is the final chapter showing one of my encaustic collaged paintings and how I made it (Kelly Rae takes our instructions and does a work of her own following the general guidelines) ... a very nice book that includes artist interviews with a hand full of artists and loads of techniques for you to try in your own way. If you're like me and curious about how other artists approach their work, this one will surely have something new for you. Kelly is a very inspiring role model for anyone who wants to launch a new art career.

I have more but will post again; sending out love to everyone who visited me at my booth and in particular missy Allegra who told enchanting stories involving everything from Cordon Bleu cooking to Chinese Ambassadors and life in Venezuela, Spain and beyond. My imagination reeled at the pictures she painted.

All for today. More soon.