I feel as if I have been collecting moments all to share with you today.
Moments perfect for this magical day of Summer Solstice.
Reflections of the sky above the maples.
A collection of flowers from my garden.
On my own I tried eco dyeing. These are the only things that really worked. But the process was beautiful to behold!
And then a student of mine and a new friend visited from Washington State.
And she brought her bamboo steamer. And a roll of rice paper.
We made bundles with flowers from the gardens, juniper bark, eucalyptus and tiny pieces of steel wool...
We first sprayed our rice paper with a vinegar and water solution.
Added the elements, and steamed for about an hour... (yes, just an hour and not overnight!)
This is how they looked as they were cooling.
And unrapped as we removed the soggy flowers. Look at these colors!
Thank you so much Jeanne Mclaughlin. For the lovely visit and for teaching me this process! Jeanne is in my on Nature Journaling Workshop and took my live Windows To Your World Workshop a few weeks ago.
For my Nature Journaling Workshop I am always collecting, drawing and writing notes for myself and my students.
Here is the Flickr Site with examples of their works of art and journal pages... And here are two special blogs by very inspired students... Dandelion and Daisy and Portions and Possibilities...
And though most of the workshop is drawing and painting and writing, I made this collage and filmed my whole process for them.
Thes are my left overs... perfect for another collage I think.
May your Summer Solstice be filled with magical moments.
And may the sky reflect in your waters.
And rainbows dance over your fields.
May you always see the astonishing beauty
that is in the air
and so close to the ground.
For this is our world.
I have a workshop coming up in July. I am so honored to be chosen to teach at the Sitka Center For Art and Ecology on the northern Oregon Coast. Read about this new "The Thread That Weaves" here.
Join me as we collage, stitch and create unique artist books that reflect you and the things you love.
During this two day workshop, we will not only be working inside a gorgeous studio/workroom, but will do some of our creating outside on the lush Sitka Center grounds just west of Portland, Oregon.
Maybe now is the time to take a journey to the Oregon Coast?
