MARCIA'S GALLERY TALK

A very joy-filled Marcia, as you see in the photos, rose to every art challenge I threw out there. Essence became the design term of the week.

She did it! Marcia left with a carry-on filled with new artwork + a head & note pad overflowing with ideas.

Marcia traveled all the way from Seattle to come work with me in the studio for one week. Her heart beats like mine-desiring to use her art in faith-based venues cross-culturally. Her 'story' is a powerful one - that will resonate with the women she meets and works with in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Marcia is a great artist, an eager learner, a woman of strong faith & a new dear friend that I poured into all week. I am filled with anticipation as I follow her journey ahead! I wonder how she will use all that she has learned this past week?

Before leaving, Marcia set up the studio like an art gallery & I caught her on video talking about her work. Click here: Marcia's Gallery Talk

video: I'm still learning

Marcia is now in Nicaragua & she's blogging: Creative Call Nicaragua

Marcia & Marge • Marcia pointing to Nelson on a rare sighting!

MARTHA'S PAGE

My friend Martha is local. Well make that 40 minutes from here. With a full time job it's a treat to have Martha carve out a weekend to come on over.

I love having her come to visit. We have so much to talk about! And of course there's the creating up in the studio.

This time she had 24 hours to hang out and create. Martha brought along a handmade book made by and given to her by Pat, who I blogged about in the last post. She was about to collage on the first page!

Martha staked out the IKEA desk. Though It was covered with clutter, she pushed it all aside and got down to work! Martha's space was like a perch, overlooking the great room below.

I love the the page she designed. What is it about the red, black and white against the paperbag brown? I love it!!!! And I love her minimal design - 9 well chosen images cut into squares and put together forming a larger square. Dynamite! Then we 3 friends signed her page. Well done Marth!

Look at the slide show titled Martha's Page.

PAT & THE 2 DECK CHAIRS

My friend, Pat, is at home in my studio. She always winds up at this table, in this very same space.

What a pleasure to give her the gift of time and place for creating. This time she came for 5 days. I love observing her steady growth as an artist, happening year by year.

We continued where we left off last year with collage & moved right along. Pat made a conscious decision to put aside any glossy pictures to design into the collages and build designs with painted papers and found objects.

One design challenge was to choose an image out of my big box of pictures and use it to inspire a minimal collage that captures the essence of the chosen image.

Pat picked this postcard of David Hockney's acrylic, 2 Deck Chairs. I love what she created! Her own version of "Deck Chairs" (after David Hockney).

I took videos of Pat talking about her collage work. I'll post once I get them into IMovie.

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

It's Sunday & it's quiet. The artists are all gone. That is except me.

Tomorrow I'll reorganize the studio, putting away painted papers, boxes of colored pictures, glue, paint, brushes, scissors, art, papers.......

I'll rearrange the tables getting ready for...hmmmmm I'm not sure what. But I have a few ideas. Perking. I took alot of photos and videos over the last week. Will take a couple of posts to share our experiences of artmaking in the studio.

Thank you for coming, Marcia, Pat & Marth. Let's get together and create again!

Last Sunday - Marcia, Pat, Martha & me. A laughing break!

SUNDAY 4

I would say - we are having way too much fun here. I'm falling behind on the blogging but figuring I have weeks to tell you all about our time - hanging out & doing art.

Photos of the 3 artists taken in the great room on Sunday, around a lunch of classic cheese fondue.

Pat, entered the scene on Saturday with piles of creative writing & art books to share. Before we started dipping the bread cubes into melted Gruyere and Emmentaler, she treated us to a reading from The Artist's Way Everyday by Julia Cameron.

Ustairs in the studio, Martha was surrounded by a sea of red painted papers but downstairs she resumed her role as photographer. She stepped away from the dinner table a moment to take some photos she used in her 'short' about us -

STUDIO VIDEO found in right side column.

There's Marcia, always with a ready-to-go radiant smile. Though we only met in person several days before, we were already knee deep in a rich friendship formed over FB and blogging. I'm spending hours in the studio with her, downloading everything I've ever learned about taking art cross-culturally. She heads back to Nicaragua a few days after leaving here.

So there we are - the 4 creatives - happy, satisfied & filled to the brim with artmaking memories. Our 24 hours together as a 4-some came to a close when Martha had to leave for home and the work week ahead. Bummer! Marth, we miss you!!!

Marcia blogs-Story Ropes. click: Monday in the studio.

Marcia blogs-Making Art Books/Telling My Story. click: Tuesday in the studio.

OCCUPIED TERRITORY

Pat & Martha arrived Sat. afternoon joining Marcia & me.

studio takeover within the hour!

working on collages

yesterday

Marcia

Martha

Pat

me in blue-T

link to Marcia's blog for her experience on Saturday

wordless book art on ledges

MARCIA IN MY STUDIO

On thursday, Marcia flew in from Seattle, Washington for a week.

She spent a good part of the last 1/2 yr teaching art in Morocco & recently time in Nicaragua doing the same.

Our place is the next stop on her journey.

She comes to learn what I and other visual artists have done when traveling with their art to other parts of the world, working along side of faithbased NGO's.

She wants most of all to use:

her passion for art

& her 'story'

as she comes along side & encourages women & children overseas.

That is what we are keeping in mind, brainstorming along the way, & working toward. For a week we'll be looking at & doing art together - learning new methods, materials & formats that she can use on the journey ahead.

First project, still in progress, an accordion book of crosses.

Marcia is also blogging about her time here. different point of view & photos. Do take a look at her blog, Moroccan Art Adventure. Click here for her blog entry.