Incite, Create, and Renew!

For those of you who are on my newsletter (what???  you're not on my newsletter list?  Well let's change that!! ;)   Sign Up Here,  I had a giveaway for my subscribers to enter into.    The prize was "Incite 2"  (Look who's art was featured not just in the book but also on the inside cover jackets!!!)  plus a bunch of goodies--and I'm here to announce the winner!

And the winner is...Patricia Stark!  Congratulations, Patricia!!   Thank you so much for following along and entering.  I appreciate all of my followers both here, my newsletter subscribers, and of course all the other social media sites out there. I hope I can inspire you to live your life in a creative and colorful way, each and everyday!

If you would like to purchase a copy of your own, believe me, you won't be disappointed. It is a collection of over 100 pieces considered some of the best in mixed media for 2014!  Here is a link to the book:  Purchase here.     

Just when I thought things were slowing down yet, the pause I felt was only for a few 'minutes' because we are about to kick it up in high gear again come January.  First up, I'm participating in a new collaboration (well new to me!!) called Creative Jump Starts 2015, brought to you by Nathalie Kalbach and sponsored by Liquitex.    Haven't heard about CJS?  Well, it's a fantastic quick bit of inspiration everyday for 25 days in January by 23 artists....and get this. It's only 25.00 folks.  If you are feeling a bit in need of variety and putting a fire under your creative muse..this could be just the answer for you!  

Hop over to Nathalie's blog to check out more info and to register!  

Speaking of workshops,  if you didn't see my top banner when you hopped over to the blog--you may have missed the fact that I'm finally releasing a new painting workshop that has been one of my most requested classes online....Previously only an in person class, now you can join in this intensive (but FUN) work shop online as an e-course.   Several hours of videos, and tons of painting techniques, journal work, color exercises, doodles, and more will be included in your tuition.  We will put the brush to the canvas and create PODs and Portals in a "Pod-Tastic" way!!

The work shop will begin January 7th but you can register now and save 15.00 off the retail price.   The class is open ended and self paced, that means you have unlimited access to the class and can work at your pace. So whether you want to do the projects over the course of 6 weeks, 5 months, or 2 years...heck you can do it!  I stay active as a mentor for you as long as you need me within my 'office' hours and you can share your work and get to know your fellow students via a private facebook group.    For more information and to register,  please click HERE!  I'm super stoked about this class as its' one of my favorite ways to 'play' on the canvas but even more than that, the dance with color, doodling, shading, etc...is so fun and energetic, you can't help but enjoy yourself!.

 As if all this goodness wasn't enough, there's more fun to be had this week.....my besties who are also my business partners in our joint retreat venture, ReMe Retreats, Inc. will be getting together on Friday to solidify our 2015 programs for our 3 retreats.  Previously we only had one event, then we added a second last year--and this year we are offering 3 Ocracoke retreat experiences.  To say this is just an art retreat wouldn't be correct...it's more than that.

 It's about making new friends in one of the most peaceful and serene surroundings in the world.  Beautiful, breathtaking yet grounding.

 It's about letting your hair down or putting it up. Laughing with your new "ReMe" sisters....

Creating to your hearts content, full , and renewed.

 It's about Relaxing while viewing a peaceful sunset. A glass of wine or other cocktail of choice and soaking in the awesome beauty of the world around us...both feet on the ground and the wind at our backs.

 It's about gifties and surprises we have in store for our guests that are more than just an afterthought and a just cuz.  We want you to know that YOU are why we do what we do and we are so grateful for YOU, our guest.

 ReMe is about infusing creativity in your life with fun, easy to follow  but incredibly insightful classes by 3 instructors in the areas of painting, jewelry and assemblage,  bookmaking and surface printing.   In other words, we show you how to do lots of cool schtuff. :)

 You might walk in alone, but you'll walk away with 11 new friends, lots of memories, tons of laughs, a suitcase full of new treasures and a belly full of awesome food your hosts (myself, Jean, Penny, and one of our house mother's extraordinaire's cook in house for you from morning to night, we have you covered in every way).  You pretty much just have to show up with a few changes of clothes, your toiletries and you are good :)  haha.  

Yes...that was kind of a joke but not really. This retreat is all inclusive other than your travel.  Check in will be Monday at 3:00pm check out is Saturday morning.   Food, lodging, classes, supplies, beverages and a cocktail hour, guest speakers, little tours and more are all included.  Peeked your interest?  Our blog will tell you more about our retreat with sign up buttons on the left sidebar if you are interested.  Any questions---please feel free to email us at reme@remeretreats.blogspot.com    

Back to my point, Friday we meet again to finalize our NEW details for our program and we are basically counting the days until our new adventures begin. Hope you join us!!

And that my friends, I think is all for tonight. I meant to get this blog post up earlier but...silly me doesn't know how to work the computer when she's buying stuff.  I had to go pick up my microwave at my quote 'local' store...which I didn't realize I had in a store that was over an hour away from me this evening. Ha!.  whoops.  anywhoo.  Now you know the other side of me ;)

Until next time!

Jodi

Soul Food....WINNER IS...

Hello friends!  I'm a bit late posting  the news about our Soul Food workshop winner, so sorry! I'll be announcing the winner in just a minute...:) 

 My travels this week led me to a beautiful little town in Tennessee where I taught 2 classes at the Art Barn which is owned by the lovely Dawna Kinne Magliacano( who is a super talented artist and teacher herself) , and can I just say we had a blast!  Look at all these shiny happy faces!!  Our first class was "Paint the Town" which was an in person version of my online class, "Funky Little Cityscapes.  It was so great to meet these two group of students, everyone had such a unique take on all the projects as always, it's fun to see it all come together into the amazing fun work that they did!

(picture courtesy of the Art Barn).

Be sure to check out more of the photos and like the Art Barn on Facebook! And of course if you are in the neighborhood, stop on by!  They very often have classes on the weekends and craft nights every here and there during the week!

I have to send a special thank you and shout out to my new friend Brenda Bliss Delaney who hosted me for this event, it was so great to meet one of my 'art sisters' in person and be so welcomed in her beautiful home.   Thank you Brenda for everything!!!

It's funny how things work out,  I met Brenda in Nashville when I was a vendor for the Art Is You retreat this spring, it was an event that I decided at the last minute to join in on...you know, it was one of those things that I could very easily fallen flat on my face because it's a 9 hour drive, 2-3 days away from home and only a 5-6 hour event. But as it turned out, several great things happened because of following my gut instinct to go...from having a great sales turn out, to picking up a new gallery (Hello friends at 413 Glassworks)

 ...making new friends that are very precious to me...and Brenda helping me take on this opportunity to teach in Tennessee again....And I was invited to TEACH at Art is You in Memphis next year because of my vending at the event. WHHHOOO HOOOO!!

See...following your gut has a way of putting you exactly in the right place at the right time for multiple reasons.

And for those of you who decided to stop by my Soul Food blog post and join in for a chance  to win, well for one of you...it also turned out to be a lucky decision because someone of course won a full tuition to the class (a value of $125.00)!!! See....amazing things happen when you just go for it!

I loved reading the stories of what feeds YOUR Soul...oh my, it's worth going back and just reading all the comments. So much to be grateful for, isn't there?

I think that when you take a look at your life, and put things into perspective, there is so much gratitude to share, so much to yet experience, and so many people yet to touch in some way.

I've been thinking about all of this and more lately...perspective is a word that I want to dive in more in another blog post that's kinda sorta related to feeding your soul. Well, I won't keep you in suspense anymore...the winner of the Soul Food Class is:

Miss Lura Brown....

whooohooooo Lura!!  Lura has been a facebook follower/friend of mine for a while and has had her share of ups and downs but it's great to read from her post that she has overcome a lot of her obstacles and found her happy place.  It's amazing what a renewed sense of purpose can do for one's 

Soul.

I hope that this prize to you Miss Lura continues to feed and nourish you in  the way that you deserve to be for years to come.

Lura, email me at jodiohl@hotmail.com to claim your prize!

Congratulations!!

 Until we meet again,  remember that life's big moments are few and far between...it's the little moments, the little things that really comprise our greatest gifts and memories.

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Please check out what's new in the shop!!

 

Create Because Your Life Depends On It

Whooohooo...what a fun week it's been reading all of your comments about the article, the colors and texture of my new pieces, and the upcoming classes and retreats.  Life is good, and so happy you have been inspired by my little corner of creativity!

 

I truly believe that adding creative time to your every day routine can do so much for your health.  Just like exercise strengthens your body,  art and creating strengthens and heals your mind. 

 Adding color, texture, memories, words and YOU to a physical creation that you can say, I created this with my own two hands, with my heart and soul...well, it feeds your soul.

 

It's funny because I've spent the large majority of my adult life away from creating.  It took a moment or truthfully, years...of crisis and chaos in my life and in my mind to draw me back into that which has turned out to be my own personal salvation.  I could say, why did that all have to happen, but the answer as murky as it may be is,  because, why not me? Hard times are spared by no one, it's how you deal with them that make you the person that you are today.  

I guess I mention this today because I've had to deal with a person in my life that time and time again has chosen to take the road of destruction rather than the road to health and well being.  I became distracted, anxious, sad, upset, helpless and down right angry,  as I dealt with this person because they still have not learned how to cope with their own issues and how to rise above rather than fall into temptation.  All I wanted to do was paint and escape them.  I wanted to run and get away from the toxic air around them.  So I did paint. I did create, and these are two pieces I finished this week despite the chaos that surrounded me when the week began. 

I also mention this because Monday was really the escalation point of the drama I was surrounded by and it was also the day that I posted my giveaway and shared the news of our new venture, ReMe. 
Your messages and comments gave me strength to deal with the situation at hand...and then I painted to deal with it some more.  Sometimes you can't run away, but you can ease the stress when you need it most by infusing creativity into your life.  Some people choose to escape and hit the bottle or worse, I chose to deal with it and then hit the paint bottle. It works. But back to my point, thank you for all the words of inspiration and positive affirmations.  It really meant a lot to me, and I'm so happy to announce the winner of my painting and art goodies, without further adieu....the winner is:

Comment 21 (picked from Random number generator)

 

Tracy said...

I'd love to win! and I can't wait to take your class in a few weeks at The Art Barn :)

9:36 AM  

 

 

Congratulations Tracy!!   email me at jodiohl@hotmail.com so I can make arrangements to get your goodies to you!

 

 

See my friends,  sometimes you just have to have a little faith and put the rest into His hands.  It all works out exactly the way it should be.

 

Until next time, live to create and create to live.

 

Jodi

 

 

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Lots of new items in the shop this week! Stop by and check them out!

 

 

 

Embrace Your Limitations-and Winner of my Giveaway

 Good Monday Morning!

I hope everyone is well rested and ready for a beautiful week ahead, our first full week of June! It hardly seems possible we are hitting the halfway mark of 2013!  

With each passing day, time flies faster than the one before and each year melds into the next in a blink of an eye. 
I think acknowledging this and making the most of each and every day is so important. I know you all know that, but until something sneaks up on you or a life changing event happens, we often forget to make the most of every day and every moment we have with our loved ones.

We forget to do this with ourselves as well. How often do we do something just because others think we should? 

Granted there are times when we just need to do something  or it's the right thing to do, but how often is it that you put yourself to the wayside or make excuses as to why you can't do it?

 Reading through the comments in my giveaway last week really reconfirmed to me that we often make excuses, let fear override our faith and, and put off what we want for the sake of everyone but ourselves, (Among many other amazing 'aha' moments that were shared")

The winner of  my giveaway,  Mo Wassell had this to say,

 "  my AHA moment... so many... I heard something yesterday from an inspirational speaker - basically, to embrace your limitations. I thought of how I don't have much space to create, and even less time, and I tend to put off even trying. But his advice was to use that to push you as an artist... so I will begin creating small pieces that don't take as long... duh! Who knows from there?"

Congratulations Mo! I love what you had to say, even though it was a random pick of numbers that led me to you...I think the words you chose to share with us really are so important and I'm grateful you shared what you've learned.

Embrace Your Limitations.

Make the most of what you have, when you have it (or where you have it).

*******

No excuses, now go out and do great things in the world. We need you to 'show up'.  Time is ticking as we all know. :)

Jodi

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Did you know my class "Painterly in Pink" over at Dreaming in Color is now open for self study work?  Your registration comes with a 12 month subscription to the class AND a 30.00 coupon for product on the Dreaming in Color (website within the Splash of Color family) for the class!

Stop on by and check it out....learn tips and tricks to drawing facial features and painting semi stylized semi realistic portraits.  Over 36 videos shared all for one low price.