The Clearing Creativity Salon

Yesterday I had the complete and tremendous joy of presenting the 'Clearing Creativity Salon' for and with a group of artists and art's educators at a hidden jewel of a center called Alternatives Inc.

On the natural calendar of the Earth Wheel January represents the moon of cleansing and release. Throughout the morning we 'wound the wheel' exploring and considering what it offers each of us in terms of birth gift and birth challenge. After lunch we each went into a three hour period of silent studio time and we closed with a magnificent 'Show n Tell'...each participant bringing us more inspiration to carry home from the day.

Ahhh...a circle of women making deep spiritual art for sheer joy....my favorite kind of day.

A Wonderful Journey

This is the Creativity Salon gang on September 20 at the close of two weeks of wonderful art/life in my old stomping grounds of Ohio.

My time away started with 20 terrific Art Therapy students at Tri-C Main Campus where I presented a workshop titled 'HALT, METTA and the Bodhichitta Heart'. Next day came the opening at FAVA GAllery, a beautiful exhibition with my pal Lynne Lofton wonderfully attended by many old friends and new. For me there was a blast from the past when Larry Plank came up to re-introduce himself after 30 years. He remembered my days back then of driving to church bazzar's with an easle in the back of my pick up truck. I would draw portraits of children from life for $2.50. The lines of parents with children would form. I'd work swiftly to capture a likeness in charcoal a practice that helped me learn anatomy and instantaneous critical review. What a surprising memory he delivered!

It's so fine to see paintings find their forever homes and that too happened a bit at the FAVA opening. As the afternoon came to an end the last gasps of hurricane Ike swept through the region wiping out electricity and bringing in another level of experience...call it camping out. I did that for 36 hours at 'Hummer House' a wonderful home in the woods bordering the National Park land where I was staying. When the 'lectric went out so did the well pump thus no water, no plumbing of any kind. Camping out. In bed with a flash light at 8pm hunkered down with Merle's Door a good dog story and a great read.

I had the joy of spending an afternoon with 20 college students at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association's Environmental Education Center bringing them ideas for combining Science and Creativity in my 'Scientivity' program which they can weave into their biodiversity lessons with the year long sixth grade residential program.

I also so enjoyed offering a private salon for a great women's art group who call themselves 'The Art Junkies'. Being with them and hearing their tales helped me get set for the last day and the Salon with the 20 of us pictured above. The 'Love...Your Life...Creativity Salon took place at Hines Hill, a magical place in the National Park. Anytime that I can be there with a group of creatives is a wonderland.


As the days unfolded there was time for family, friends and business including a meeting at the Cleveland Clinic's new Art and Medicine Institute. It's so fine to consider a holistic approach consciously being woven into the workings of this major medical center.

I remind myself that the ability to return to wellness funnels through both the Fine/Expressive Arts and the Medical/Healing Arts. As individuals we have the opportunity to research each of these dynamic pathways toward evolution personally and globally. Creating a mix and a blend that can serve to bring us back into a state of balance even if we don't necessarily 'recover' completely from what ails us.
I am ever grateful for the steps that unfolded for me when I needed to find my way back h'om'e following dire straits. This two week journey brought me back into contact with many of the environments, individuals and circumstances that facilitated that grand adventure.

Thank you to each and every one.

On the Road Again

Hanna moved through without leaving us anything other than leaf litter on the lawns....love it when the hurricane force wears itself out naturally.

And now we're off...well I am anyway. Don't you just love a road trip? This is a lovely trip 'back home' through the soft curving mountains of the Allegheny range and up into the farm lands and woods of the glacial moraines of Ohio. Petrol prices aside, the leaving of one place and the turning toward another seems a bit necessary for mental health from time to time. The winding road, the distance from here to there, the way thoughts wander as the miles unfold.
I particularly love the opportunity to look over my shoulder and see my day to day pattern from a distance. And the coming home to those we love is always the very best...so of course ya gotta go someplace first :-)

There will be a lot of art/life packed into this two weeks...a new grand niece to meet, that will be so fantastic in itself. And then there is the FAVA Gallery opening fun on Sunday. If you're in the Oberlin area hop over to see the beauty that Lynne Lofton and I will be sharing.

Throughout the time away I'll get to see many of my Lifecycle clients for updates and energy tune-ups, something that benefits us at any time don'tcha think (energy tune-ups we're talkin' here). In addition I will present 4 different workshops (two of them in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with all of its amazing fall beauty, the photo with this post is from my last Creativity Salon at Hines Hill Conference Center in the park). And, last but not least, I am so happy that I have been recommended to meet with the Program Director at the Cleveland Clinic to learn about their new Art and Medicine Institute. I'm deeply moved when I can share my 40 year history and love of creativity as a healing tool.

All this plus the best of times with dear old friends (and new) will give this experience the most wonderful glow from beginning to end.
Happy Trails to you too!

Tuesday at the Wren...continues...

Opening the studio and spending the afternoon

creating together has been a heavenly idea...

harkening back to the first Saturday Creativity Salons that ran at my Fairhill Studio digs from 1991-1995.

Here we have less space but the access to the gardens expands our boundaries beautifully.

We'll meet again this week with a different mix to the group...some artist friends returning... some coming for just one week as schedules allow...