Creative "Advance"

I once attended a retreat that we renamed an "advance". Think about it. Yes, we "retreat" from our every day life, but really each time I go on "retreat", I come away renewed and ready to go. Whether it be a class I take, a real retreat or even taking a day off to go shopping, I usually feel inspired and ready to advance.











Well, this past week a friend of mine, Jamie Kalvestran and I spent three days and two nights creating, experimenting and advancing our artistic selves. We did gelatin printing, soy batik, snow dying and shaving cream printing. It was nice to get away where life's distractions cannot call or even beckon. We "advanced" to the Woodland Cottage which is set up to accommodate artistic types and the activities we love to do. Winnie Johnson, the owner of Woodland Cottage and an accomplished textile artist herself, treated us each morning to a wonderful delicious breakfast that was also a delight to the eye. She shared her lovely vintage quilt collection and we even helped feed her sheep. You can see Winnie's work this Spring at the Shepherd's Harvest Festival May 8 and 9 in Lake Elmo. Or, you can catch her at the state fair in the honey section of the horticulture building. A very interesting woman!

It was great doing all the art, but it was especially nice to be with Jamie. Being with friends is good for the soul. Treat yourself to a creative advance or at least take a break with a friend! I strongly recommend it! Hope your day is filled with creative energy! Cheers

Beautiful & Sparkly

First, my apologies to those of you who, over the past couple days, have had to endure LONG commutes. I find the new snow so beautiful. I love that it covered all the slick ice-encrusted-snow. It brought a freshness to the world. There has always been something so peaceful to me about snow and the wonderful gray/blue color that the sky becomes while it's snowing. The same gray/blue colored shadows that dance across the now sparkly landscape.



The snow is really piling up out there! That's all I wanted to say. I was just so excited about the vignette from my window that I just had to share. Back to work.