Alma's Workshop

My Christmas arrived a little late this year - January 9th to be exact. The day I took a workshop with Alma de la Melena Cox! Please check out her website at www.almaart.com. Here is the short story of how I found Alma (is anything ever short with me? Grab a cup of coffee and get comfy.) In 2007 we were vacationing in Bend, Oregon. I was browsing a local publication listing all the things to do in the area - activities, shops, galleries etc. So there is a picture of this beautiful work of art - a curvaceous woman with flowing hair and color bits everywhere (not doing the piece justice at all). I cut it out and stuck it in my inspiration journal noting the artist....Alma de la Melena Cox. Fast forward to October of 2009 and my daughter, husband and I are wondering through the 'vendor' night of Art & Soul (never been - amazing - picture me with gaping mouth, drool coming out etc.). So there we are and my daughter pulls my arm and points to a corner and says "Mom, I think you have that piece in your art journal." I look, and to my amazement she's right. There, in person, right in front of me is Alma and all her beautiful work.

I am star struck. I muster the courage to meet her - I just couldn't let myself walk away without doing so. It was a moving moment for me - I'm sure a creepy one for her! I get choked up easily! The day happened to be my 17th wedding anniversary & I felt it was such a gift to get to meet this artist. I see that she is going to have a book coming out soon so I take her card so I won't forget to get the book. If I were clever at blogging I'd have an image of the book, but I'm not so I'll just give the name "COLLAGE FUSION vibrant wood & fabric art using Telamadera Techniques". If you are looking for a new way to use fabric then you MUST have this book.

More time passes. I think I find the book in November in Barnes & Noble - literally squealed with delight to find it & did a little happy dance right there on the spot. I drool over the images in the book.

More time passes. One down and out day, frustrated with life, I remember I have been meaning to find Alma's website. So I do. From there I link into her blog and what should I find there (besides beautiful poetry & images)? Right there in front of my eyes is a posting that Alma will be hosting an all day workshop at her HOME in Sisters, Oregon. I knew immediately that I had to go. I emailed her right there and then & got myself signed up.

Now, knowing me, you should realize I then spent the next month in worry of NOT making it to this workshop. I worried that the weather would keep me from going, that she would cancel it, that the earth would open up and shallow me whole just to keep me from going to this workshop. I simply could not envision anything so good happening to me. I could not imagine that I would get to be with this artist in her HOME for 8 whole hours, learning from her - and eating with her as she also provided lunch!!

But the day did arrive & despite a bit of a dodgy drive through some snow to get there I did make it! And what can I say other than the day was FANTASTIC! Even though her book is clearly written, I am just the kind of person that needs the one on one teaching - hold my hand and walk me through the process. The workshop taught me the process behind the process. What I needed to know was all the thinking that goes into a piece. To me that was invaluable knowledge.

I am the kind of person that wants something done before I've even started it. I have a plan in my head - I spend so much time planning it all out in my head that I forget to actually start or finish a project! Ah, if I could only download my thinking onto a canvas... I was so grateful to learn to just start! You do need a design (thankfully she provided one or I could have been there the whole weekend), but after that you just start. I wanted to grab all my paint and fabric at once - having it all standing by ready to use. No, that's not the way we did it. It was a section at a time. Focusing on one part of the design at a time. Alma encouraged me to trust my gut in my color selections - don't worry about the next step of fabric because we weren't there yet - that would all work out when we got there! Man, that was hard for me to do. Trust my gut??? Patience?? Hello!! She didn't know who she was dealing with!! But I did as she told me. I was so eager to move onto the fabric part & so worried about that selection process that I think she finally caved in & let me go grab some fabric to put by me. Like a security blanket. Here's the funny thing - I didn't use a single bit of the fabric I originally picked out. In fact, my whole piece looked NOTHING like I had planned out in my head!! And you want to know s0mething - it turned out better than I had imagined.

It was such a life lesson. Focus on one part at a time - what is in front of me. Trust that I am making the right choice - and have faith that the what I need for the next part will be there when needed. I know I was meant to be at that workshop & I know that was the message I was suppose to hear. Thank you Alma!

Adventure Boots

This is the (unfinished) piece I made for my husband for Christmas. I call it 'Matt & his adventure boots'. Long story about the whole adventure boot deal. Let's just say my son found some boots that Matt hadn't worn in a while & he ran around the house in them yelling "Look at me! I'm Matt in my adventure boots!" The fact that my son was only in his boxer briefs (I have no idea why) was the cherry on top. So I sat there laughing at my son who looks a lot like his dad & a story idea popped into my head about a boy and his 'adventure boots'. And I thought of my husband and exactly how much of our life has been an adventure - some good, some not so good. But through it all we have trudged forward - boots worn & dirty, but still going.

This year I'll be hitting the big 40 - actually in 16 days to be exact. I really didn't think it would bother me as much as it is. And let's be clear on this, I'm not caught up on the fact that I'm getting grey hair or that the wrinkles seem to be multiplying daily on my face. No, what bothers me is knowing that I'm not living the life I should be living. I just can't accept that I was born to be a bookkeeper. Now please don't get me wrong - it's a respectable profession and people love and thrive in it. I was one of those people for a very long time. But, I feel I have out-grown the profession - it no longer fits me. I have been on a journey to live creatively - to give myself permission to create - even though I don't know what I'm doing half the time. The further I walk down this path of creativity, the harder it is for me to walk the path of a bookkeeper. It's a constant diversion. It started out that the creativity was the side path, but now I feel the bookkeeping has taken that place.

I want the adventure of living creatively. It's a challenge to me. It's a struggle. It makes me feel alive. I could settle for the easy life and continue my bookkeeping business - it's something I'm good at - that comes easily and naturally for me. But I feel like a zombie going through the motions - requiring not much thought on my part. How long can I keep doing this? How much more of my precious life will I give to this career? Give me the 'adventure boots'.......do they come in pink?