We three crones- a successful workshop

The Emerging Crone Workshop was a wonderful day for us all. We had a very intimate day, a quiet day with perfect weather, and the group was small due to some last minute emergency type cancels. At first I was bummed about that thinking the other attendees might feel let down, but I knew from experience that things usually happen for a reason, and that was the case yesterday.

Because of the small size the gathered crones were able to really share some intimate details of their lives, and it turned out, they had a shared experience of one being an adoptive mother, and another being a mother that gave her child up for adoption years ago. This shared experience allowed them to really help each other with their wisdoms in ways that never would have happened had it ben a bigger group. I felt like a conduit for them! It was really special-and we also just had wonderful conversation about family, death, aging, life....moving, changing, and finding sense of place and the importance of that.

And we sewed dolls. And laughed. One of the guests had a dream the night before about prickly throne turning to wings, so she brought rose stems and feathers for her doll. I loved that.

And as usual the backdrop of farm and Misfits was soothing and the weather could not have been better. Birdie the llama was a hit with guests, the flock was admired by the knitter in the group, and Rosie the pig was...well not that grumpy! People really love seeing the donkeys, Boone and all the other creatures in the real, after reading about them on the blog for a long time. I have to remind myself, this life is a storybook for many, including me-it's just I live within it, others get to jump on the pages from time to time and experience it.

I learned a lot too since this was the first small gathering here. I have logistics to work on, that is true of any event no matter how big. I remember that after each Pino Pie Day in Oregon I learned something to make it better the next year. That will happen here.

I also got got grounding from my guests, and it brought even closer to the realization...all is well, all is as it should be now, I am where I need to be now, all is well, all is well.

Emerging Crones

There is still plenty of time to sign up for the workshop. I am keeping enrollment open until the 15th. Today I started creating some forms just to loosen up and get ready for the class. I plan to have some beginning forms for students so they aren't intimidated by the blank slate.

The class explores our intuitive natures, strengths, wisdoms -through communing and doll making. There is no sewing experience necessary.

Read more at the workshop blog.

Annah Assumpta's wool

Isn't it beautiful? She produces locks of silvers and grey and muted ivory white. I am so excited to be able to share some of her fiber with anyone attending the September workshop [see new pricing]. I will also have lots of other fiber, some from The Misfits themselves.

Martyn also reminded me as we were peeling cedar posts that the  Indians used to make clothes of those wood shavings so I will have some of that too–and any other treasures I find in the woods or land.

Visit the workshop site to read more about the class here at Apifera, directions and all that good stuff. There's no experience needed for this class, and if you sign up with a friend there is a break in the price.

The Crone Cabinet

The Crone Cabinet-including a doll from Ireland my mother gave me when I was five.

There's an old cupboard in the house that I have named The Crone Cabinet. As I am now entering my emerging crone years, I have placed some things in the cabinet that remind me of the years ahead, and what will be important to me as I age. Animals, of course, warm cloaks of felt, baskets of flowers...a donkey I certainly hope, as Pino and the gang are only 1/3 of the way through their life. I hope I am in a position to have them with me. I try not to dwell on the future, but I hope there are animals for me.

The upcoming workshop in September is all about us emerging crones, how we are growing in strength...deep inside our bones so to speak. I hope to encourage a communal day where we share story, offer optimism to the pessimists, or peace to those who need healing...little wisdoms exchanged over needle and thread as we make our crone dolls, and surrounded with the animals of Apifera.

And I am SO EXCITED that I will have some fiber of one of Apifera's recent additions–one of the new CVM Romeldale sheep. It is fitting that her fiber will be available for the workshop attendees, as she is the elder matriarch of the flock. Her name is Annah Assumpta which is also fitting as "Assumpta" her birth name means one who is ambitious, independent and not easily influenced, with courage and boldness. Not only does this suit her personality, it certainly holds true of the wisdom of the crone. Her face just exudes strength to me.

I have adjusted the price a bit for the workshop. People who needed to travel far way have a lot to pay for, so I adjusted it downward a tad to help. August is never a time for me to get people too motivated, but I really think this is going to be an inspirational and healing workshop. I plan to start some doll work next week to get people excited about doll making– remember, you don't need to be an artist or sewer to enjoy this class, it is hand sewing and intuitive doll making. I will have forms started so people don't feel lost.

An honest view of aging-it's the bones

"And yet I look at men and women my age and older, and their scalps and knuckles and spots and bulges, though various and interesting, don’t affect what I think of them. Some of these people I consider to be very beautiful, and others I don’t. For old people, beauty doesn’t come free with the hormones, the way it does for the young. It has to do with bones. It has to do with who the person is. More and more clearly it has to do with what shines through those gnarly faces and bodies." Ursula LeGuin

This really resonates with the transition I feel I am in, and will be for some years, as I go from looking somewhat fresh and 'young' to at this stage, really looking like I'm in my upper middle years, which I am. I seem to always prefer images of me with my face partially covered. My braid clumps still look ok, despite the fact my thick hair is thinning more.

I am almost embarrassed to write about some of these things. But it is an honest upheaval [at least it feels that way at times] to me. And with the upcoming Emerging Crone Workshop, it seems appropriate to talk about. One of my hopes is that the workshop will help other women in the same transition, or that women who feel they've already gone through it will help us emerging crones.

The reason I feel silly sometimes admitting it on a public space like this is...well, I'm not that bad-I mean, I don't have an illness, I am loved, I have a solid foundation of spirit and home, work I love, a mate I am best friend's with, and my body and face and 'appearance' to the outside world is 'not that bad.' Martyn assures me in his eyes I am still the woman he met. When I look at him, I still see him too, but when I look at photos, he has aged of course but in a way that doesn't bother me a t all and it's as if he gets more chiseled and more handsome to me as he ages. Could it be he sees my sagging towels and bulging middle in the same way? How could he? But, perhaps he does.

But the outward appearance of my body and face is not what gets things done, it is not what helps me create art, or help my animals or build barns. My appearance has nothing to do with how when I look out at beauty of the land - I am moved.

But it all goes back to old wounds, doesn't it-for all of us? When I was young I had a terrible body image of myself. I had red [bright orange to be exact] curly hair and I saw a fat girl in the mirror. I would look at many of my peers and see long thin legs and straight long hair which was the in thing then, and I would feel chubby. I truly believed I was chubby. But when I look back on photos, I really wasn't. How this started, I think, was when I was about eight years old, my father told me point blank I was too young to be fat. My mother immediately scolded him and reassured me I wasn't. But I felt it, I owned and continued to view myself that way well into my twenties. To stand up for my father, he had a chubby childhood and always struggled with his weight. He loved good food and was not obese by any means, but as a kid and teen he was a bit chubby, and I know that what he said to me was his stuff, not mine. But it took me into my adult years to understand that.

It was well into my late twenties when I began to settle into what I thought I looked like to the outside world. And from about 35 through my early fifties, I felt good about what I saw. I wonder if this is sort of an optimum age for many women–our bodies still have hormones and we are still very young looking. It took me so long to get to that point in my life of acceptance of my appearance, that when it all started going south I thought, so soon? I just got here.

I also hesitate to discuss this because when I hear a forty year old, or fifty year old who looks great to me discuss her wrinkles, fat, etc, I want to reach out and say...just wait. But they are going through it in their own pace. I remember turning 40 and looking great. Even 50 I felt great. Oh, a little bulge hear and there, but still jobless, still strong. Genetics is really much of it, and hormone loss. Living a healthy lifestyle, working in nature, eating right, doing yoga daily as I have done for years is not going to keep my body from sagging, or my middle from expanding. I have given up on that thought. I tossed all the ill fitting closes and bought new ones. I wondered if I was rich would I have my sagging towels and waddle tightened. I don't know. I'd rather use the money to pay the barn off.

But doing the best I can do with activity and lifestyle choices can help my bones stay stronger, and my lungs can keep giving me oxygen, and my skin might stay free of skin cancer if I keep it up.

I want to stay strong. I want to get to a point where what I see in the mirror is just like a painting, or a story line, or a blank canvas welcoming me each morning.

But what I've always sensed about aging is...it gets better, emotionally? I mean, the part of looking in the mirror. I'm not afraid to die. I actually think death will be...a release of everything. But seeing my face so visibly changed, and sag, and hair thin out, and bulging middle-it is a struggle to go through it.

So I really love what Ursula Le Guin says. And I don't think any of us should poo-poo the real angst many of us face when we see our bodies and vessel really changing in what we perceive to be unflattering, or ugly, or not what we wish for.

I am focusing on breath, and bone as I go forward. It isn't all pretty, but pretty doesn't grow muscle, experience does. When I work with the animals, it with intuition, and heart-they sense that and work with me. I doubt they even notice my neck.

Visit the workshop site to learn more about the upcoming September workshop here at Apifera-a day of doll making, communing, healing with animals and each other.

Calling all emerging crones

{Early registration is over. But if two people sign up together there is a break in price}

Are you in a transition in your life? Are you entering your fifties, sixties, or older and feeling restless, stagnant, scared, optimistic, pessimistic? Are you seeking internal acknowledgement of who you really are in an older skin? Do you look in the mirror as you age and wonder who that is-or maybe you are unable to accept the signs of aging in your body and are mad, sad or lost confidence? These are just some of things the September Emerging Crones workshop can open up answers to, or at least begin paths to understand our power as we age, and acceptance of an older body but a very strong will and heart.

A day of intuitive doll making [no experience necessary], sharing internal myths and story, and the healing companionship of farm and animals. Read more and sign up at the workshop blog.

Emerging Crones workshop is set for September!

So very excited to announce that the Emerging Crone workshop is now set for Saturday, September 17, 2016 here at Apifera Farm in Bremen, Maine. We will work in the current barn, with stalls of Misfits around us, sewing dolls, sharing crone wisdom, learning from one another, healing each other, guiding out stories lurking in us-or just listening.

The idea for this workshop has been long in the making, and when I had my painting workshop a summer ago at the old Apifera in Oregon, one thing we all realized was the love and story that comes out of gathering together at a table and working with our hands, and sewing is a wonderful way to do that-our foremothers knew this, of course.

Read all about it and register at the workshop blog. There is an Early Crone registration until July 15, and then you pay the regular price after that.

Announcing: Emerging Crone Workshop [Doll Making and Sharing Wisdom}

Been a long time coming-this workshop idea has been in my head and heart for a couple of years, and now it will happen! As we grow old gracefully–or not–emerging out of youthful skin into our middle age and older forms, we have new wrinkles that are ripe with wisdom and story. As we sit together, gathered in the barn, we will use our hands and inner muses to create wisdom doll-perhaps emulating a favorite elder we know or miss, a crone we wish to be, or a spirit animal that acts as crone. It will be lambing season, so new life will be around us, but so will the retired matriarchs of the flock, and other wandering Misfits.

Read all about it here. If this class fills up I hope to add another.

Women in shade growing wings

Above: words from one of the attendees scratched on the back of her painting

Wow.

Amazing the impact five women have coming together in 100 degree heat, surrounded by Misfits who love, lady llamas who kiss, and one red horse who shares of himself to prove my lesson plan. It all happened here, Saturday, and the day was genuinely inspirational, for teacher and attendees.

The morning started with me happy to see overcast skies. The temperature would soar to 100 that day, and that fact had some Oregonians back out of the workshop. I understand, of course. But my remaining attendees were all coming from out of state-Omaha, Indiana, Georgia and Connecticut. I vowed to myself that I would not let the heat brings us down-and you know how I hate heat. I had a back-up plan too, an air conditioned studio. And the fact that the once eight students would be four made my studio space a perfect fit if needed.

We started the day with the donkeys, communing, to settle everyone in. We visited the sleeping but as usual very grumpy pig, Rosie. Then we headed to the new barn to do the first official workshop under her roof since we finished her this spring. I had Boone ready to partake, and some of The Misfits would be nearby for breaks.

The purpose of the class was not necessarily to finish a painting, or learn to paint better, or draw realistically–it was to explore something I have been learning and doing for twenty years as a professional, to explore and learn our individual inner languages. That inner language is abstract, and can not be learned overnight, or even in a lifetime it is so vast. It can not be expressed in words, but it is there. That language is like metaphor, and it is the gatekeeper to our stories. Stories we can write, paint or create tangibly and bring back to the outer world to share. Sharing story is a universal gift we all have, a universal gift we all need.

I had Boone handy for two reasons. One, he's a horse and he smells great and is majestic and beautiful and having him sticking his big old head into our workshop would make everyone happy. Just a given. Two, horses are capable of awakening intuition in us, mirroring our authentic feelings that we people are taught to hide - and it dawned on me of late that that is what painting does for me. By teaching people to open up to their inner worlds where an alphabet is not present, they can begin to recognize repetitive shapes, colors and textures that are our own internal guides-metaphors, really, to our feelings, fears, joys,...and our souls. It's love really. To share that in art is a gift.

Let me try to express what it was like working with these four people. The artist and mother from Nebraska, who had lost her mother recently, was beginning her journey back to life and joy and her painting reflected that. She shared many wisdoms from many shamanic and spiritual quests she had been on in the past year.  Another woman, a photographer,  had expressed her joy in my work and lives with some goats; she wanted to expand into mixed media but wasn't sure how–her painting showed this dreamy, blurry landscape, perhaps waiting for some definition but was beautiful and vibrant on its own, just like her enthusiasm [and wonderful skirt]. The woman from Connecticut was quiet, but when she spoke there were short bouts of wisdom for us. Her painting was so naively expressive [she had just begun to paint and I think was in her sixties] reminding me of Emil Nolde and it really moved me. She painted very deliberately, then stopped for long moments to look-her strokes were tender, but her colors bold. The psychologist from Indiana and once painted and had lived on a farm as a child and would love a farm again. She now works with war vets for the VA and her knowledge of psychology was so fitting for this workshop. I almost should pay her it was so valuable! I had no idea that she was a psychologist, but when she saw the lesson plan as she walked in the barn, she said she internally knew she was in the right place. Her painting was expressive, bold colors and shapes like a sky of odd shaped stars we might see if we ventured to other realms.

We worked past lunch in the barn, the skies still overcast [thankfully] and were comfortable. Boone shared thoughts from time to time, when he realized we were focused on our boards and paint, not him. We had a great lunch in the air conditioned studio with fresh fruit and cold water. The conversation was just wonderful. Everyone had insights that were helpful, inspirational, and encouraging. I too was lifted out of some "stuck" thoughts I had been having. I was encouraged to begin that new book idea I had.

We talked about how the serendipity of the hot weather actually made it a different workshop than it would have been if everyone had showed up in cooler weather. This is NOT to make those who chose not to come feel unwanted-but the dynamic of a group can be shifted so easily, so who knows how different the day would have been with 8 versus 4 [it would have been great, but different].

One huge epiphany I had: when I announced I would no longer do a Pino Pie Day, I said it would open doors for other things, but I didn't know what. What I walked away from after this workshop can be summed up in one word–intimacy. This workshop was intimate, for the attendees, and me. I want to keep it that way. I want meaning as much as those I share it with, and I got it. I was really pleased with my lesson too and had prepared well. After working with animals and paintings for so long, I could get it into words that made sense. The subconscious is not easy to talk about, but it is such a beautiful and rewarding place to venture and return from with a golden gem to share with the village. Joseph Campbell would have been a great addition to this class [oh, would that be a dream come to life for me].

At four, we broke for the final hour to visit The Misfits.  We had painted since two. The sun returned and it was very hot, but we had done our work well. I was really proud everyone worked -and chatted and enjoyed-but they didn't slough of and treat this like a picnic. We were on a mission.

The star of the day in the Misfit Village was lady Birdie the Llama. I think she is a llama version of the resident kitty slut, Peaches [the latter who also shared unselfish attention on guests].

So, thank you,  my Secret Sister Four, as I call them, for coming so far to get to the Workshop. I'm very excited for the future. You re-inspired me in so many ways. I hope I've expressed that.

There will be more workshops coming up. Stay tuned.

Workshop is filling up

If you are pondering taking the June 27th workshop here at Apifera, you might want to consider enrolling now to secure a spot. We have a wonderful group coming from all over the country-I'm just thrilled! This is going to be a day of soul and story, merged with animal energy all around. It will be a gift for me too, believe me.

There are still at least 5 spots left, and I might allow a few more after that. So just a heads up for you.

You can read all about the workshop and sign up if you are ready.

A new workshop at Apifera!

I am beyond thrilled. I don't know what that word would be-"beyond thrilled"- but it is what I am. I have been mulling over workshop ides and have finally set the date for the first 2015 session!

It will be Saturday, June 27th from 9-5. I have an early bird special going on through January 10, so snap it up if you can. The fee is all inclusive [materials and lunch]. You can read all the details at the Workshop site, and also get an idea for accommodations as many of you will be looking at this as a great way to come to Oregon, and maybe explore the ocean after the Workshop.

This workshop is for artists of all levels, and non-artists. While there will be two separate painting sessions lasting most of the morning and day, there will be sessions with the many Misfits of the farm. You can read all about the agenda over at the Workshop blog.

Who is this workshop for?
Artists of all levels and non artists. No painting experience necessary. But painters are encouraged to think of it as a way of opening up to different levels and symbols that can enhance their current work.
Adults only.

This day will be perfect for anyone looking for internal answers, or someone who needs a nudge to go a bit deeper into themselves in a unique way. It will also be well suited for anyone who has suffered a loss, or is grieving, or trying to move on from a 'stuck' point. Or, it might be wonderful for an established artist to come open up under the sky of the farm, animals on the side. The painting sessions will be done in one of the barns, and it will be a supportive and encouraging environment. There is no "Oh, but I can't draw" going one here. We will work abstractly in the beginning, using colors and shapes to help us emote feelings, mysteries, fears, hopes and story onto pine board, with paint. We will explore our own personal symbols-that might already be popping into your life-and use them to dig deeper to share our own stories. The second session will evolve the painting into more of a story, with the abstract work as a base. This is how I have been working for years and it allows surprises all the way, keeping the work real, fresh and soulful.

But we also touch the old goats, commune with donkeys and soak in the farm. My hope is that you leave with a sense of hope, inspiration, and farm energy resonating in your heart forever.

I believe art is a catalyst that can translate our personal stories into color, prompting healing, joy and change in ourselves, but also to those on the receiving end. I also have witnessed how being amongst animals helps the hard surface of any stranger grow softer, and singes a second of joy in the heart of even the saddest person. The Misfits will be out and about, some will surely pop in while we work.Who knows, the pig might even show up.

Visit the Workshop site to read more.

Healing Visits and Workshops

I want to connect with teachers, hospice workers, senior care workers and anyone who would like to bring individuals or small groups to Apifera for arranged Healing Days to sit amongst our adopted animals and Misfits.

I am especially open to working with groups and people with special needs or the elderly who seek a visit of healing and comfort from farm and animals.


This might include:

~ returning war veterans, or any veterans
~ the blind, the physically challenged
~ city children with limited funds to learn about animals that have been neglected
~ the elderly

By bringing animal and human together in a farm setting, both will benefit. All heart beats will merge.

There are different ways the day can be structured:

~ Drawing the animals and sharing stories about them - for all ages

~ Communing and talking - often the animals bring up memories that come out and help the person share them in a safe and comfortable setting, and the animals don't judge. Wonderful for the elderly.

~ Reading to the animals - for all ages. Help children with their reading skills without being judged. This has been done successfully in many cities with children reading to shelter dogs. So why not read to the donkeys or many adopted barn animals too?

Group Size:
I would like to keep the group size from 2-10, depending on the needs [and desired activity] of the group. I am also open to private Healing Days with a caretaker and their patient or person in need of a special treatment.

Fees: Non profits, war vets, special needs
I do this all out of pocket and will ask each non-profit group to donate a small amount to help our adopted animals [many of whom the group will be communing with].  Please contact me with your group size and we can discuss if your group is able to provide a small donation to the animals of Apifera, and how we can proceed.

Fees: Schools, teachers, activity groups
Again, please contact me with your group size and other details and we can discuss a fee. The goal is to keep this affordable for all budgets.

Draw a pig...or a goat...or donkey!

Stop over at the Online Workshop site and learn about my Gestural Drawing Classes.

These sessions are for all levels of drawing ability - or for people that want to start drawing but don't know how to begin.

Gestural drawing is a wonderful way to begin a drawing or painting project. It strips you down to an essential element - that essential line that makes up the core of the subject - and urges you to capture a deep natural action on paper in a simple, emotive, fluid, raw way. Sometimes a gestural is so fresh and raw it radiates much more than a preconceived, well drawn piece ever could.

These classes also aim to show you how powerful 'looking' is, and how it is is an active skill that we all need to practice, myself included.

Workshop is still open

I'm having such fun looking at all the drawings people have been doing at the Online Workshop. You can still sign up through December - it is all self paced so it doesn't matter when you start [you do need to finish within 10 months of payment however].

The Workshop's goal is to show the true power of really taking time to 'look', and how drawing soaks you into a subject, in this case, the animals of Apifera.

Read more and sign up at this link.

Post Drawing Day Donkey Nap

The donkeys once again were wonderful models and companions for the small group that ventured to Apifera this weekend to draw and commune with them.

Matilda, as always, seems to have an innate gene for communing. As always, the guests talked about her soulful eyes and old but beautiful posture.

We had perfect weather and the Chess Pie at the end of the session was spot on...if I may say do myself. Rosie put on a show with her unique communication style and I was glad to see Lofa out and about too as we sat in the barnyard after the session.

These Drawing sessions are evolving and I learned that it's difficult to translate the online techniques of the workshop's gestural drawing to the on site drawing sessions. I think it is more important to focus on the quiet communing and healing of the animals, and then offer my simple instructions in the beginning of each session to help people focus on 'seeing' intently with purpose.

While there is no photo taking allowed during the session, two guests took these lovely pics. Matilda provided a sound base of hugs, and after the session, the donks were ready for a nap. It's hard work being a healer and model!

Nonsense Song to The Pig

Besides drawing and learning to slow down and 'see', the Online Workshop has a lot of 'play' in it, as a way to warm up and also a way to get people to self entertain and let the internal muse get some exercise.

One way to entertain your muse, sing a Nonsense Song, such as this one I sang to my pig. Now if you don't have a pig, you can sing one to anything or anyone.

You come to this world with an imagination. It seems like some people - due to life's load and hard knocks, shut it down. Or maybe they grew up in a setting where using your imagination was frowned on as a control tactic. I truly believe we are here with these gifts - and out of respect to ourselves and the world, and this realm, we should exercise them.

Learn more about the workshop and sign up today! 

Capture the essence with us

I am having so much fun communing and drawing with my animals as I get the Online Workshop ready for the mid September launch. I haven't sat and just drawn, in one color, without the need to assess, adjust or tweak the piece for certain results, in so long and I forgot how peaceful drawing is.

Drawing these "gestural" to capture the motion from one pose to another is a calming experience, although it also is an active experience and takes energy. Once you do these drawings of any given creature [that includes all living friends like trees and such] you begin a relationship with them, and you open the door to finding their essence.

I like to think of these as my eye relating to the animal and my hand is relating to my eye. But both parties end up with their heart on the paper.

There are other exercises in the Workshop to bring out your inner child [yes, an overused phrase but many have shut that child out]to tell stories, share feelings and relate to memories.

Essence of old goose

I've been very busy working on getting the online workshop all put together. It is a lot of work - really like writing my first book in many ways. But this time it involves writing and filming, quite a challenge when the subject matter are moving, living creatures at your feet.

In order to make the movies and lessons, I have to draw! And it has been intense, but so fulfilling. I haven't sat and drawn like this for a long time. I am getting to focus on animals I don't normally draw - Stevie, the pig...and more.

I was taking footage in the barnyard for one of the gestural lessons and came upon the old goose Priscilla. She is so beautiful. I drew a quick gestural and sketch of her later in the day. Sixty seconds of chalk on paper and it brought the elegance of her neck from my eye, to paper, back into my heart.

Read more about the workshop here.

Early Hen Registration!! Cluck!

As I've already written, the hens get extremely agitated when the term "Early Bird" is used.

"It is we, the hens, who are often up before the birds, hard at work pushing and pontificating while our eggs stretch our bottoms," Florence told me.

Florence almost always speaks for the coop when it involves direct opinion - she's quite stern.

Visit this link to read the Lesson Outline/FAQ's and pay online.

Ends soon! Early Hen Cost: $99.00 [sign up before June 1, 2012] Early Henners also will be sent an art card.

Sort-Of Early Hen Cost: $129.00 [sign up from June 2-July 1]

Regular cost: $149.00 [sign up from July 2nd - ongoing]

New! Online Workshop!

I'm really excited to announce - after being enticed by various people over the last couple years - that I am finally doing an Online Workshop. This will be for artists and non artists of any level, animal lovers, barn-want-oners, dreamers, or dreamers who are stuck not dreaming.

Have you had a loss lately? The donkeys and creatures are healing as can be, and even though you won't be here in person, my videos will aim to let you feel their essence, and recapture it in your heart and then on to paper.

The workshop will focus on seeing, feeling, capturing the essence of animals and moments - and looking for your own story to tell. We'll draw, but we'll also explore story ideas, patterns, shapes, feelings and stuffed emotions. And I have some fun stuff in store too- which you'll just have to wait and see.

There is an Early Hen Registration. Don't I mean "Early Bird"?

The hens get extremely agitated with the term "Early Bird" is used.

"It is we, the hens, who are often up before the birds, hard at work pushing and pontificating while our eggs stretch our bottoms," Florence told me.

Florence almost always speaks for the coop when it involves direct opinion - she's quite stern.

So, I'm so excited for September, and so excited some have already joined in. It's going to be fun!

In late August I will be back in touch - so make sure to keep me posted if your email changes.

Visit this link to read the Lesson Outline/FAQ's and pay online.

Regular cost: $149.00 [sign up from July 2nd - ongoing]
Early Hen Cost: $99.00 [sign up before June 1, 2012] Early Henners also will be sent an art card.
Sort-Of Early Hen Cost: $129.00 [sign up from June 2-July 1]

Course lessons and private course blog will be live in September. You can start anytime after that, and finish anytime at your own pace.