Goodbye - Hello!

Hard to believe that another year end is on our doorstep.  It has been an exciting year for me and Colour Garden Studio.  The usual ups and downs mixed with good connections with people near and far.  

Word is getting out there about my classes in Lumby and my online classes through Zoom Video conferencing are fun and well attended.  I love that I have connected with people in the North America, Europe, Australia and India.  It's a privilege to get a tiny glimpse into their lives, What a remarkable technology that allows us to connect in this way over a common interest.  I am still amazed by it all when it works well!  Such connections matter more and more in a challenging and changing world. 

I am one of those who are very fond of Boxing Day, when it's all over and I can sit and digest all the experiences and food without having to do too much, (except open the fridge).  It's also a time when I can take a look back at the previous year and look forward to the next. Sometimes, I am glad a year is gone and look ahead to the New Year that holds it's promise of things to come.  A threshold in time.

Have you ever heard of an Idea Bank? Well, that's a spot where you write down all your ideas,. It could be on your device or in a notebook or journal.  I have a journal with a tab I have labeled IDEAS. They all go in there, the good, the bad and the meh.  In about October I had an new idea.  I want to introduce more people to SoulCollage in a gentle and fun way. So with the largess of the White Valley Community Centre, I hosted the first FREE SOULCOLLAGE SATURDAY, card making session.  Instead of a fee, people were asked to bring items for the Lumby Food Bank and they gave BIG!  

There were 9 of us in all and we sat for an afternoon, cutting and pasting images that grabbed our attention.  I endeavor to make this a monthly session on the LAST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH until it warms up then we can decide if we want to continue through the spring and summer.  It was a great afternoon of Soul tending and I hope more will join in the fun next year. 

There was lot's of colour about for the Zentangle TangleTown Workshop in November too.  A full class of happy tanglers learned how to use tangles in a cute winter scene.  

Just about every year around this time, I look for ornament designs.  So this year, I discovered a different one and am offering a NEW workshop; The Spinning Zentangle Ornment on Saturday, December 21st from 9:30 to 12:30 at the White Valley Rec Centre in Lumby.  As usual all supplies will be included.  Click on the Classes and Workshop Tab to find out more and sign up and pay online. 

Warmest regards to you and yours for a safe and cozy Christmas Season,

Loretta

Embracing November

I must say I do struggle this time of year when the sun is obscured by cloud and or fog. Like right now I can't see past the houses across the street.

So, this year, instead of getting into a funk about something I have absolutely no control over, I decided to celebrate it with my Zentangle Art.  I have been tangling to the YouTube videos of Romi Marks (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8u9nvCY25rzbWKMsx7LqfEK4rOK4CfqT) If you know my usual work, I like to use bright colours in my artwork with bold contrasts, so this use of muted tones is a real departure, but I am kinda liking it.  In the piece above I used ergosoft coloured pencils over my usual buttery prismacolors.  They are a bit harder so they create more of smoky feel.

When I began, I thought about the colours of late fall, before the snow comes to brighten things up.  The greys, bronzes, dark golds and yellows which are so deep and rich. I used a lot of shading with the pencils too to give the piece some depth.

I chose a golden yellow for the center Zengem stone. This reflects what I see out the kitchen window early in the morning if the sun is shining. It bathes all the dried grasses and plants with this lovely golden hue.

But, I haven't forgotten my colourful ways! Click on over to my workshop page where you will find information on the next workshop in Lumby, November 16th!  It's going to be fun and energetic enough to lift any of life's fog.  See you there!!!

Oh! And just like that the fog has lifted and it's bright and sunny again.....like life!

Tangled Twig Assemblage by Loretta West

Autumn is here for sure, no denying it any longer, my flip flops are out and my socks are in!  I love this time of year as creatively my mind it is bursting with ideas.  I have way more ideas than I have time, that's for sure. 

 As Thanksgiving approaches I think about what a gift all this creativity is....even when the "brain rats" with their ideas keep me from falling back to sleep in the dark morning hours.  Better out than in, I always say, so I have been making these cool assemblages to hang my Zentangle art and other found objects from and it has been really fun to do.  At present I am offering this as an online demo, but I am thinking it would make a very fun workshop in Lumby this winter too.   I will let you know when the next demos will be coming up via Zoom Video Conferencing.  www.zoom.us

I have also been thinking of what to offer in October as a workshop in Lumby and have been tangling these cool and slightly creepy Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls which utilizes a LOT OF COLOUR!  Which translates to FUN!

I will be doing the hard part of drawing the skull shape for you and then ease you through the tangling with step by step instructions.  I can hardly wait to see what you do with this idea.

So below are the details and if you'd like to sign up online please click on this Buy Now Baby Button! Otherwise contact me at lorettawest18@gmail.com or call/text 250 938 4308 to pay another way.

And that's not all!!  If you sign up and pay by 5 pm on Oct 18, 2019 your name goes into the bin for a free drawing for some Cool Art Supplies, so don't dilly dally!!

Age group

Adult 16 and up $35.00 CAD Youth age 11 to 15 $20.00 CAD Adult Gift Certificate $35.00 CAD Youth Gift Certificate $20.00 CAD

SPRING SPRoINgS Slooooowly.....

Some years it seems like spring will never come. So here I sit in the middle of March looking at the snow piles that surround my house....harumph!  Very thankful that the walks have cleared so I can walk upright again without the watch-for-ice shuffle.  Now don't get me wrong, I do love winter as I love to ski and snow shoe in the smokeless air. But.... by about the end of February I am ready to get my hands in the dirt again and feel the warm sun on my skin.

Winters can be hard on bodies, especially as we age. (just ask a snow bird)  I find that in the winter my joints are certainly less than supple.  We are so fortunate to have someone in Lumby who can help us to move better and make peace with gravity.  

When we first moved here, my body was pretty stiff from moving boxes around and my low back was very cranky.  I did the usual to try to relieve it, yoga, massage, heat, ice, SI belt, acupuncture and all provided temporary relief which I was grateful for, but none helped me more than when I attended a Feldenkrais Class in Lumby.  I had taken classes before lead by my physio years ago and decided to give it another go. I met Carie Bicchieri, the Feldenkrais practitioner and after one class with her, felt much better and  with repeated classes felt better and better.  So now it is my go to when any body part feels stiff or stuck, which is pretty much....a lot.   Feldenkrais involves no stretching or aerobic activities, just gentle sequencial movements within your range of motion, so that you unwind slowly and gently.

I noticed just how light and relaxed my body felt and how clear my brain was after a Feldenkrais lesson, more so than with yoga (which I still do and enjoy).  Then the wheels started to turn, how to marry Feldenkrais with my Art For BEing practices like Zentangle and SoulCollage, into one BIG WORKSHOP??  So I approached Carie and she was game to try. 

Together we have created a day of  Relaxation and Fun where we Carie will lead you in a gentle Feldenkrais lesson and I will lead you in the Creative Play side of things using Zentangle, Collage, and lots of Colour!

We are Calling it a SPRING BREAK FOR BODY AND SOUL and hope you will join us on Saturday, April 13th.  Click on the Workshop tab and you can see more and sign up! 

Wishing you warm Spring Days!

The Return of the Light

As usual for this time of year, my husband and I have been reminiscing about past Holiday Seasons.  The one that usually tops the list is when we traveled to Stockholm in November at the very start of their Advent Season. There were Christmas Markets in the squares, and random folks were singing in the streets. There was outdoor skating with big bonfires and yes, actual hot roasted chestnuts for sale. Oh and glug, (hot mulled wine), that you could enjoy while shopping .  You could partake in many a Julbord, which is a giant Christmas buffet, held from November to Christmas at various restaurants around Sweden.  There weren`t huge light displays, but everything was quietly decorated and beautiful.  

At our hotel, we noticed that every morning and evening they had lit votive candles throughout all the common areas, giving the place a cozy and festive feel. It was very welcome as the sun appeared for a very short time each day.  Upon our return home, my husband jumped on the candle wagon and started placing them about our home, so that when I awoke in the morning they would welcome me with their warm glow in the darkness.  It was simple, but it was magical.

Winter can be a dark time for some (Thank goodness for Happy Lights!),  but it also can be a wonderful time of introspection, where we are given time to administer to the INNER SACRED SELF.  It may also be a time to shed a new light on old issues and grievances.  A time to let the light in through the cracks, and a time of letting things go just a little bit more to ease the loads of life. 

So with this in mind I am offering a New Workshop where we will Celebrate the Return of the Light and create together lovely ZENTANGLE VOTIVE LIGHTS for you to enjoy for years to come.  Either for those dark days or for a special occasion....Light always lifts the spirits.  It will be held in Lumby, BC, on January 26th, 2019 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.  The cost is $35.00 per adult (16 and older) and $20 for the younger set aged 11 to 15.  As usual, NO EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED AND ALL IN CLASS SUPPLIES ARE INCLUDED! 

GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE AVAILABLE

Just click on the Classes and Workshops Tab on the right and you can pay right away on line.  If you pay by December 31st, 2018 you will be entered to win one of my original Zentangle 3D framed artworks from my HOUSE PARTY series. Which is pictured below.  The drawing will be on NEW YEARS DAY, January 1st, 2019!

You may also pay via etrans, cheque or cash.  Just send me a note via email lorettawest18@gmail.com or text or call 250 938 4308 to arrange payment. 

Wishing You and Yours the Brightest of HolyDay Seasons!

  

SoulCollage - My Experience

Many times I am asked just what SoulCollage is and what it can do for a person.  It is a hard question to answer quickly. The short answer being that our deepest self (the Soul) speaks best through images. SoulCollage involves choosing images intuitively and then cutting them carefully and placing them on a card and moving the various images around until it "feels" just right, then gluing them on a card to keep.  But that's just the very surface.  The process continues where one has a "dialogue" with the card which provides a gateway to your inner wisdom that all too often is silenced by the intellect and constant brain chatter and other distractions.

So let me tell you how I became involved in SoulCollage.  One day about 4 years ago, I briefly met another artist and SoulCollage Facilitator at a gathering, and then she showed up a few days later at my yoga class and we got to talking (serendipity rides again!).  She told me about SoulCollage and how it has helped her with her life challenges.  Then we talked about eventually getting together to make art.  I was a bit sceptical about this SoulCollage, but intrigued at the same time.  I checked out the www.soulcollage.com website and was even more intrigued but did nothing about it.

Some time passed and I was walking my dog near my home one day and this car slows and pulls up beside me and it's this same gal.  Hey!  She says, I'm house sitting near here, let's get together to make art!  So we did and we had a great time.  We had similar interests and hatched a plan to do a learning exchange. I would teach her Zentangle and she would teach me SoulCollage and another artist would share her Mandala knowledge with us.  It worked! I was  now hooked on SoulCollage and wanted to do more.  This same friend was offering a day long workshop which I took and really enjoyed.  I couldn't`t glue images down fast enough!  It`s as if a fountain had opened inside me and stuff was pouring out into the images I chose.  Apparently, my Soul had a lot of talking to do!

The making of the cards is fun and quite often revealing.  We are all many layers of existance, not good nor bad, but just as it is. We are all multi faceted, from being a partner,  a healer, a friend, a confidant, or a hero and the list goes on and on infinitely.  All these different aspects of our psyche reside within each of  us and come out as needed in our day to day existence. The cool thing is that they all hold wisdom for us, even, the shadow aspects of ourselves which we tend not to like to listen to.

 After we made some cards we let the cards tell us their wisdom by looking at the card and completing the sentence, I am One who.  Then other specific questions where asked.  So for example with my card below the complete sentence is...
I am One who...is Fire, Flashy and Proud.  Yep, she`s in there too!

If you journal in any manner, SoulCollage is a great adjunct to journaling. I quite often journal about a situation then intuitively choose cards to help me with it. What I found was that the more complex the issue, the more cards are needed!  Different than Tarot and Angel cards, these are not made by someone else, they are YOUR OWN CARDS. They hold your own unique wisdom. They do not predict the future, but what I find they do is that they help me to see a challenge by offering many points of view which helps to shed light on it and also cuts to the chase.  There is deep wisdom in all of us, we just need tools to access it and SoulCollage is one such personal tool.

So I continued to work with my cards, but felt I needed to learn more. I signed up for a Facilitator training in Seattle, but it was cancelled.  Then another one came just months before we moved and it was a lot right then, but I went!  It turned out to be just the ticket as I was going through a big life change and the gathering of understanding people at the training was really good for me.  I came away with new knowledge on how to use SoulCollage and a renewed sense of confidence, knowing that I could unravel most problems using my deck as a tool and guide.

When I got home I introduced SoulCollage to close friends and did a lot of card making and journaling. I wanted to use it mainly for myself while we moved to a new home and settled in.

So now we are here, back in my beloved Canada and I feel it`s time to share this creative process with the wider world. The great thing about it is that you can take it as deep as you want, just want to make cards and look at them, great!  Want to go deeper and journal with them?  That`s fine too. The point is to honour and give light to these different aspects of ourselves that are here to help us, they truly are.

I do hope you will join me in the Introductory Workshop on October 20th.  Just click on Workshops and Classes tab and I`ll see you there!  All the wonderfully different parts of you!!

Have a gentle day friend,

Loretta West

SoulCollage Facilitator, Certified Zentangle Teacher, Teaching Artist

New For Fall

SoulCollage card by L. West

Fabulous and Fun for Fall!

I hope you have had a wonderful summer despite the weeks of smoke.  It was hard on my usual outdoor activities, but it did keep me working in my studio on NEW class ideas to bring to you. I also spent a reflective week teaching Zentangle at a retreat.  Together with three old friends,  we led a week of personal exploration for a small group of older adults.  It was a good challenge for me and quite enjoyable by all accounts.  It was great reminiscing with my friends and meeting new folks as well. I will remember my experience at  The Centre at Naramata (https://www.naramatacentresociety.org/) for years to come. 

So what have I been thinking about, you may wonder?  Well to start off this fall season, I have decided to add one more hour to the Zentangle classes so we have more time together. 

 In addition, I am adding something new to my offerings. For a few years now, I have been a SoulCollage Facilitator and have been using SoulCollage for my own life`s path. I love how the use of  collaged images spark the deepest parts of  myself and allow these parts, that are often ignored. to speak and offer often wise and insightful guidance.   We are often our own greatest teacher, and this is a gentle way to hear that teacher`s voice.  I hope you will be intrigued enough to join me in learning how to make SoulCollage cards and understanding this fun process. If you click on the SoulCollage Tab you can find out more about this wonderfully creative process. 

I will also be starting classes a bit later this year, as well.  So beginning in early October, I am offering a Zentangle Beginner and Refresher class for those who are just starting out and also for those with experience who want a refresher or just to tangle in a group again. 

Through the fall/winter we will explore Zentangle in other mediums which will include metal embossing, Christmas Ornaments, Zen-animal forms, Zendala, to name a few.  As always, the classes are geared towards people with no experience to more experienced tanglers, so all are welcome.

And that`s not all!  I have been making short Zentangle Videos and you can view them on my YouTube channel and click like if you like them and hit subscribe if you want to see them as soon as they are made.  

Wishing you a clear sky for days to come,  Loretta