Medicine Drums

I recently attended a workshop with Jennifer Wust of Mountain River Drums and created my own frame drum- this is Riversong. 

Jen makes beautiful drums and leads drum circles,
 these are some of  her hard working drums and they have been played by many people over many years. 

 We have decided to collaborate on painted drums with Jen creating these beauties and me painting on them. So she has sent these ones up for me to experiment on and get used to what will work on them.

So far I have tested various inks, stains, paints and dyes for application and they will need to go back out and do some more work now to see how the drums work with these art materials on them and also how the art materials hold up to life as a working medicine drum. 

Birds on the Brain

I am deep in study this year 

but still in touch with the fabulous women of the Australian Art Swap Group on facebook

 and while I am not doing many swaps I could not resist this one. 

Janie OBrien hosted a Nature Booklet swap and I of course chose birds.

It was fun to just play and make art.

30 Days of Painting Challenge

I have a few online spaces I inhabit and one of them is a very special warm and safe community the  Australian Artist Swap Group on facebook. The name is pretty clear we are all Australian residents as I started this group to save on postage costs and facilitate an active swap community locally.

We have lots happening in our group with all sorts of swaps travelling all over the place. We do Artist Trading Cards and Postcards, Travelling Art Journals and Deconstructed Art Journals, Bookmarks and Tags and Art Dolls, Photo prompts, Colour Challenges, Nature Booklets- so many inspiring things to make and trade and we are always happy to do new ideas as well so that is why we are going to do the 30 days of painting challenge.

Inspired by the beautiful and talented Judy Wise  we are gathering a group to work on a single canvas for 30 days, even if it is only for 5 mins and the 30 days do not need to be consecutive but we will be tracking our progress and sharing the experience and images on our group with ‪#‎AASG30daychallenge‬

We already have 2 of our lovely members away and enjoying the challenge and I will posting prompts and inspirations over the 30 days, if you are wanting to join us we are always welcoming to new members who meet our few guide lines - you need to be a resident of Australia and keen to join in with the group, there is no pressure to join the swaps we have  few members who are there to appreciate the art produced and the energy of the group. We do not do any selling in this space and it is a very safe and encouraging space where we welcome and appreciate all abilities and contributions, ranging from the children's ATC swaps right through to the Travelling Art Journals

 Oh and in other news I am working on a brand new web site at Fig Tree Sanctuary It seems all River Girls have to grow up eventually and I need to come up with my new business name in the meantime it is Fig Tree Sanctuary, so pop over there if you would like to see my latest developments as I complete my training in art therapy and intentional creativity. 

Sacred Journey

My quest is a sacred journey of consciousness, every time I do the work of Color of Woman I become more conscious, more focused and I feel it deep in my soul. It is metamorphosis as I am transformed from the old into the new.

I am here to discover and embrace my piece of the red thread; I am here to serve our precious Earth, the Divine Feminine and my own dreams.  I am here to open myself and learn how to bring this incredible transformative process into the sacred space I am creating to meet my beloveds and offer them connection, creativity and safe space.

The path I walk follows those who came before me and those who walk beside me, we are all connected in a beautiful transformative healing community and as I journey with my sisters I am shedding the tendency to carry too much of the thread, I am honouring myself by recognising my limits and empowering myself to focus just on my piece and to do it well. We are a community that can offer much, to many, I do not have to do it all alone and this is so freeing and nurturing.

My community is crying out for new solutions to serious problems I feel that call to serve my community and I am eager to do so. I will bring intentional creativity to these people, It is a privilege and an honour I gratefully accept.

My First Red Thread Circle

A magnificent day it was on Saturday when I led my first Red Thread Session. I was joined by a small group of wild and soulful women who really did not know what they were in for.  The setting was in a friend’s beautiful home I started our workshop in her lounge room with a bit of an explanation about what intentional creativity is and a run through of our session.

I was working with these women to uncover their internal life script, to listen to that little voice inside us all who is the critic and can bring us down and then to learn how to reconnect with soul and nurture that voice to allow them to hear their muse.

We then did a guided meditation to become relaxed and grounded in the space and I read Shiloh’s poem – A poem of self-forgiveness. The magic was already working, my ladies were feeling it and in touch with their soul, tears flowed, emotions came to the surface and we all entered into a very safe, vulnerable, open and sacred space within the circle of the red thread.

We moved into a bright and sunny room where I had loved setting up this beautiful space for my guests, and here we created our cards, there was still lots of deep emotional work happening here but it was interspersed with laughter and music, chocolate and wine, and in between playing with paint the ladies faced some deep truths and learned how to turn them around. 

I learned so much as well.

I learned I can do this deep and sacred work even when I am not perfect, that I can be a vessel for others to access them selves and heal themselves and in the process find my own healing.

I learned there is a very real need for this work in our communities.

I learned to pack a few boxes of tissues next time. 

This was my first experience working with art and creating sacred space for anyone else outside of my family and it was pretty scary but so very very worthwhile. 

Feedback from my ladies is all very positive and I am ready to start planning my next workshop in this transformative, sacred work. 

My Legendary Self

This was my first painting in the Color of Woman school and she represents my legendary self. She is powerful, she is knowing , she is grounded and centered in the beautiful earth right here where I live, in the massive arching fig trees and the mighty flowing river.

She has been within me for ever and at times in my life I have been very much in touch with her, she is fierce and takes no nonsense and can be quite domineering, she knows what she wants and she gets it, She is in me ancient and noble and she is also my younger self.

I lost touch with this aspect of myself but I need to welcome her back, I need that fire in the belly; I need her spark and confidence.

She is midwifing my rebirth and mothering my fragile new self, she is teaching me to look after myself, to prioritise myself and my self-care, to recognise my achievements and the worth and value of all that I do and offer. She is telling me I am enough, I am worthy, and nothing is beyond me. I am accepted and loved and appreciated just as I am.

My story is changing rapidly as I am undergoing a metamorphosis to reclaim all of that for myself.

Unfurling - Metamorphosis

This year is one of the most wonderful years I can remember and it is only April!

I am seizing the opportunities presented to me and transforming my life. I am doing such deep soul work in my studies and welcoming the new found understanding and appreciation of myself.

I am on a Red Thread Quest doing the Color of Woman training and learning so much about myself and intentional creativity. I am also learning how to work with others using this method to empower others to get to know and express themselves and for self-healing.

This painting came out of my sheer delight of painting in the way I am being trained to in the Color of Woman, it is using a 13 step method and intentional creativity and I just can’t get enough.

 Unfurling marks that point in my life where I have just woken up, I have so many wonderful things in my future all unfurling around me and I am just drying my wings and taking in it, almost ready to take flight. 

Dreaming into Reality

As a single mama I have been putting my needs and dreams on hold for years, but as my darling boys have grown up so much and are becoming more and more capable and mature I am really grabbing every opportunity I can to realise my long held dreams. 

With the help of my best friend and partner Kathy,  the boys and I are living in town in our beautiful new home and things are moving towards  creating a magical art studio downstairs. The boys have taken to town like ducks to water and love living here and they are taking full advantage of their independence to stretch their wings and do more and more all of which is fabulous for them and is opening up more and more time for me to follow my dreams. 

This year will be huge for me on a personal level as I am undertaking 2 courses of study and hope to be opening my studio by July.  I am very excited about everything  falling into place, especially my courses, they are both online and I am very grateful for the fabulous opportunities we can access on the internet, what an amazing difference it has made to the world.

I am training as an art therapist with Rob Gray at the Center for Educational and Clinical Art Therapy CECAT   and loving this course.   Rob is passionate about art therapy and his course is very engaging and inspiring.  I am looking forward to the personal growth this course will bring me as well as preparing to bring this wonderful form of therapy to my community.

The other course I am doing is Color of Woman teacher training with Shiloh Sophia and I am so happy about this course. I have been drawn to Shiloh ever since I noticed her powerful divine feminine art works and I love all that she brings into the world. I also feel this will bring great healing and personal growth to my community and cant wait to be offering this in northern NWS.

2016 will be huge for me, filled with healing, personal growth, incredible learning, reaching out to those opportunities and  realising my dreams.

The Australian Art Swap Group

Wow so much is happening over in our facebook group The Australian Art Swap Group . We are a very friendly, safe supportive growing group who are sharing art and inspiration is so many ways.  We have regular ATC swaps and DAJ (Deconstructed Art Journal page) swaps and so many other fabulous community building activities. Journal prompts, digital post cards, index card swaps, photo prompts and general fun chat. We also facilitate a regular ATC swap for our kids - its open for adults to join in as well as long as they appreciate the delightful cards our younger members create. Like the 2 gorgeous Funky Feathers ATCs created by Ellie (5) and Jake 

We have also just launched our 3rd round of The Australian Art Journal Swap, its very exciting to see everyone deciding on their there and creating their journals and blogging about it. So many wonderful women are stretching themselves to try something new, joining in the art journal swap is quite a big commitment and learning to blog in the process. I am so grateful to these brace creative women for joining us. You can hop over to our swap blog on the link above and follow along with these journeys and who knows you might want to join us in our group- We have 2 rules- You have to reside within Australia, this is to minimise our postage expenses andYou have to want to be in our space to be supported, inspired or involved and you need to be a little bit active in group.