Studying With The "Masters"

I'm so excited to share that I'm going to Art & Soul Retreat in Virginia Beach this weekend to paint and play with my own personal, modern-day Master... Mindy Murphy Lacefield! Yippee! I'll be taking her Play Journal workshop where she'll coax students to let out their inner child and play and get lost in the process of painting, writing, and journaling.

If you follow my blog, I'm sure you've seen a lot of the paintings I did from her Paint Your Story online workshop...

And then mixed media pieces inspired by her True Free Spirit class online...

And maybe a few from the mini Frolic class she offered virtually! But there's not too much better than studying with someone you admire — in-person — for two days straight! I've met Mindy Lacefield and her spirit is just as colorful, whimsical and tenderly sentimental as the work she does. She is such a loving, approachable person and everyone I know who's life she's touched is more playful today... in part because of her.

Now that's what I call a Master!

Thoughtful Thursdays: Paint Like A Child!

About a year ago, I discovered this exuberant young painting prodigy via a video on YouTube about her first solo exhibition in New York City. I immediately fell in love with the thoughtful innocence of Aelita Andre. Typically adorned in a tutu as her painting attire, she has not yet been stifled by the words, comments or discouraging remarks that many of us have experienced in our lives that have kept us from creating freely. I hope to one day be this innocent and free again. Now where did I put that tutu?

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

~Picasso

Coincidence? As I was looking up this video to post on my blog, I found that Aelita Andre is having another solo show at the Agora Gallery in NYC which started on June 6th and runs through July 3rd. I may just have to check that out!

Thoughtful Thursdays: Play Time!

As an artist sometimes you want to take a break from doing your own work... add some new techniques to your repertoire... and, well... just have a little fun! And that's what I'm going to do. Mindy Lacefield — an artist I've admired for some time now — is teaching an online class entitled Paint Your Story. In it, she'll show you how to paint from your uninhibited 7-year-old's perspective. To let go... to be free... to play!

I had actually entertained taking the class when she first wrote about it. Funny thing is... she ended up in the Jesse Reno class I recently took! Seeing her work in person and getting to know her a little better made me think... oh yeah... I need to learn these playful techniques. Classes start on April 9th and I'm so excited!