Art is You....Unbelievable Joy and Inspiration!

As I mentioned in my last post,  I literally would have to write several times a day to catch you up to speed on all the meaningful, creative, amazing, fun and fantastic experiences that have been going on over the last several weeks.  I have probably 2000 photos to prove it ;)  Each event, each moment deserving recognition on their own, however as I am behind in posting, that probably will have to be condensed...with any luck I can disperse some of the reflections in multiple posts throughout the next few weeks.

 At the end of April, I made the journey--and it truly was a journey as it took me about 14 hours and 2 days to get to just outside of Memphis , to  Art is You Dixie.   This was my 4th time teaching at an Art is You retreat and this one was amazingly fun and joyful as all the other events.  Previous to this event, I had taken a 2 week vacation with my family so while I was well rested, I also had moments of anxiety---wondering if I could pull off this trip and another one planned RIGHT after this event to the Outer Banks for my own personal retreat with some of my closest friends as hosts..but just like most things in life, if you really want something, you find ways to make it happen. I couldn't have asked for better students or more fun then we had all week and into the next (more about ReMe in another post).

As you can imagine, the week at Art is You Dixie started off with our gloves off and paint slinging!!
My first class was My Gelli's Heart where I combined gelli printing and Sweet HeART magnet making into one major fun filled class. 

 Familiar faces and new friends made in all of my classes...

 Getting messy....(well kind of...I think Brittany's hands are actually pretty neat!!)

 Magical papers transformed into collage elements for our magnets...but big fun had exploring the tip of the iceberg Gelli Printing has to offer!

 Everyone had a different take on the style of their groupings, it was so much fun to see them come together as the day progressed!

The fun didn't end here, I taught 2 more classes "Podtastic" and "Girl Untangled" before finishing out my time at Art is You during the trunk show on Wednesday evening.

Some shots from "Pods" , again, the diverse interpretations along with the breakthrough moments of just letting loose and letting the pieces evolve into miniature worlds of Pods and Portals was so much fun to see materialize.  

Probably my other favorite part of each class is when the demos are done for the time being and we all settle into painting, chatting and getting to know each other...I love the fact that each of  my students in EVERY class was so encouraging and welcoming to each

My last class of the week was "Girl Untangled" which was a drawing, doodling and watercolor portrait class rolled up into one!  While there were a few students who had done portrait work before, there were others who had never--so while excited for the class, there was also a little apprehension about whether or not they could do it....well I have to say any fears that began at the start of the day were tucked away by the end of the class and totally unfounded. 

Each student found their own voice, created their own magic, and painted girls like pros!

I just wanted to take this moment to say thank you to all my students at Art is You, you all made the event so very special and memorable for me for your fellow students,  thank you also for those that stopped by my booth at the Art Trunk show--I appreciate you supporting my art and other artists that showcased their talents that evening.  Your continued support and enthusiasm keeps ups fueled to bring you more creative classes, art and memories into the world.

Last but not least, thank you Salianne and Ellen for organizing a top notch event that truly brings joy and happiness to so many year after year. We appreciate you giving a voice to both students and teachers alike, as well as setting an example for all of us to live a life that is generous towards others.

In case you missed this event, no fear--I'll be teaching these classes along side an assortment of top notch instructors this October at Art is You Stamford. I hope to see you there!!

Those are just the highlights my friends from Art is You... I could write a novel if I shed the light at behind the scenes prep, my journey as a whole, and every moment shared during my classes or in the evenings recapping it all with my room mate and other friends made during the event.

Suffice to say, these are days I will never forget.

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Did you miss my post earlier?  Coming next week is my newest online class "Extreme Portraits"

Stop by my blog post today to enter to win a free tuition to this class!!!