collage, visual memory and unconscious influences

I am still reflecting on the learning and inspiration from this weekend's collage workshop with Dorothy Field. I spent some time today documenting the pieces I created over the weekend, and found one I felt was good enough to mount - it fit beautifully into a black shadowbox I've been hoarding in my studio for a while. Other pieces may not be worthy of framing, but are still worth looking at and learning from, and I've posted a few here.

Dorothy articulated the process of collage really well, I thought. It is an artform that is loose, intuitive, playful, and unconscious, yes; but there comes a point in the process when careful observation, a tight modulation of visual energy, and a rational, focused approach to composition become very important. It's all about relationships, and finding a reason for the various visual elements, the bits and pieces, to converse and conspire together. It may be about harmony or dissonance, connection or contrast, but it is always, primarily, about relationship.

In this exercise I was exploring visual weight and contrast.

I've also been reflecting on the fact that collage as an artform did not emerge until the 20th Century - which makes complete sense, really, when we consider the nature of the modern world. We have so much STUFF. More than we have ever had before. We have so much waste, so many scraps and bits and pieces. Imagine the value of things like paper, ink, glue, and pigment, not to mention print and photographs, in pre-industrial or early-industrial society, then imagine our own mountains of scraps and packaging and print and paper... the human imagination, and the artmaking urge, play on whatever is available, from bone and mud to newspapers and packaging. Collage is the timeless artmaking urge playing on modern materials.

I'm thinking of it as visual composting now. From a pile of messy, disparate scraps, comes this rich loam of visual art, right? (Please forgive me, I've been gardening a lot lately, and am especially proud of my newly acquired composting skills!!)

This little collage (top) is a good example of visual composting. This was done as a warm up exercise in the workshop. I adore Chinoiserie wallpaper and Toile (examples, bottom) and have spent lots of time looking at various specimens of them, but they were the farthest things from my mind when I did this little exercise. You see what my visual memory, collaborating with my unconscious mind, did?

Here's another bit of wisdom I got from Dorothy, and it applies not only to the physical elements of collage, but to the bits and pieces of ourselves that we bring to our artmaking. It falls into the simple-and-obvious yet pithy-and-profound category: Everything you know you gotta use. That means don't hide from the stuff (in yourself) that you happen to think is ugly, or boring, or irrelevant. Use all the juice of your life. Do you want to be making art with your ego, or with your whole, authentic self?

inspiring collage workshop

I spent the weekend fully absorbed in collage, thanks to a workshop with the wonderful Dorothy Field. Dorothy is a gifted and generous teacher. She shares deeply and freely from her own life and creative process, and brings her lively and curious mind and her mastery of the dynamics of composition to her gentle critiques of each of her student's work. It was an inspiring two days. Witness my busy workshop space above!

A note to my readers: I find it irritating when people apologize for being away from their blogs. But I do want to acknowledge that I was away for a time, and now I'm back. I'm looking forward to re-engaging with you all and sharing some of the changes and insights the last few months have brought. I did miss inhabiting this space.

The Artful Life e-course; Creativity, Mindfulness, Life-Balance, Self Care, and Fun!

You are a bright light,
and you are capable of incredible goodness, joy, and creativity
in every aspect of your life!

Your Artful Life e-course is an exploratory journey,
a scouting mission into the untapped creative possibilities of your life.

This isn't about self improvement or some dramatic life make-over.
It's about revealing the magic and beauty that's already there in your life:

your hidden treasures,
your dormant talents,
your overlooked gifts,
your own unique possibilities for grace.

An e-Course That  Explores Balance 

in All Aspects of Our Lives as Women!

Class begins September 15 2012!





Our journey will be an exploration of the Seven Keys to an Artful Life:

• Love your Body
• Nurture your Spirit
• Indulge your Creativity
• Practice Loving Self Care
• Create Your Home Sanctuary
• Savor Your Relationships
• Share Your Gifts

We'll spend an intensive month - September 15 to October 15 2012, the length of one moon - exploring these Keys and discovering ways to gently integrate them into our lives.

Each week will start with the delivery via our private blog of a hand-made playbook for the week's Keys.

We'll look at two keys each week, exploring them through our playbook, essays from me, journal prompts, videos, and sharing on our private blog.

Your homework (always optional) will include both guided self-reflection, and 'artful challenges,' which will allow you to apply the keys in real and practical ways to your life right now.

How highly would you value the chance to relax more fully into the beauty of your life?

What is the gift of authentic presence worth to you?

Your investment for this one month intensive ecourse is $128 plus two to three hours per week to play with the course materials. If you register by midnight PST August 15 2012, you'll get the early bird rate of $108 for the course!

I'll help you gather the tools you need to live more vividly, more authentically, and with a richer enjoyment of your already-awesome life.

And together we'll craft a plan for moving forward, a plan for integrating all Seven Keys to an Artful Life into your daily life in the coming year.

We'll have a lot of fun along the way, too.

I'll be sharing with you some of the rich diversity of my own creative life, which means we'll get to play a little bit with everything from art journaling to bellydancing, from mindfulness meditation to the beauty of healing foods.

By the end of our moon together, you'll have:

• A solid plan for bringing more creativity and spaciousness into your life.
• A personal self-care calendar for the coming year.
• A deeper appreciation for the abundance that's already there in your life,
• and a deeper understanding of the bits of your life that need work.

Two weeks before class begins, I'll be sending out a PDF with fun & artful activities, prompts, and exercises to get you started laying the groundwork for our intensive month. Then on September 15, on the New Moon, our journey begins!

For two decades I've been teaching, leading, and facilitating workshops, retreats, and classes for women. Whether I'm teaching movement, visual art, creativity, or wise woman ways, my focus is always on guiding each woman home to herself, home to an appreciation of her unique shining spirit and perfect, wise body. I'm so excited to be bringing these teaching gifts online, and I trust that the same gifts and spirit that have allowed me to connect so deeply with so many in-person circles of women over the years will also allow me to connect through this medium, with you.

Testimonials:

"Bronwyn moves through life with ease and grace.  She is an inspiration for any person wishing to add beauty and creativity to their existence.  As a dance teacher she taught me to feel strength and power in my body.  As an artist she has shown me how one can craft objects with deep simplicity and complex beauty.  I am honored to have her in my life and always look forward to her next creation or word of advice."
                           
~ Arielle Fraser, Vancouver, Canada

"Bronwyn is a wonderful, gentle, skilled teacher and leader.  I am someone who likes to dabble in art but has no talent whatsoever, and I found Bronwyn guided me through one of her classes with ease, patience and understanding. Her praise at my attempts encouraged me to continue. Her peace, patience, talent and grace radiate from her wherever, whenever. I want to be just like her."


~ Roxanna Mandryk, BC, Canada

 

"Bronwyn ~ she is Grace on earth and an innate teacher with wonderful skills! Bronwyn saw the dance light in me as she does in others and her own light radiates!  I benefited by increased self-esteem through her classes, I benefited in learning proper technique for Raqs Sharqui style, including a Teacher Training Certificate in this style, also my overall health improved and so did flexibility and overall feelings of mental wellness. I have Lupus and some limitations, as indeed a lot of dancers do, Bronwyn is gracious and kind and knowledgeable where anyone would feel like they 'fit in.' "


~ Layla Kukkola, Comox, BC, Canada

"I found Bronwyn a gentle inspiring creative leader sharing her love of dance, meditation, art and theatrical expression. I found my fear drop away as I experienced the teacher giving the message of “there are no mistakes, only variations!” I would love to participate in another retreat led by Bronwyn."

~ Jenny Nash, Vancouver, BC





 "In early 2011 I took Bronwyn’s course, “The Artful Blog.”  I completely enjoyed the course and found the content very useful.  Bronwyn was patient and helpful too when I had questions.  When I signed up for the course I had a personal blog just for fun.  I was able to spruce it up and improve the appearance.  Now I have a business site and blog.  Looking back over the content of this great course, I can see that I need to review it all and make some changes!  I’m glad that I still have access to this course so that I can review the information and apply it."                          ~Loran Hills, Utah, USA

"What I loved about having Bronwyn as a dance teacher was that she taught us more than just dance steps. Dance was more about finding ourselves creatively and expressing that through our movement. Her classes were more about us as people in the dance, being the dance, rather than students just "doing" the dance.  I loved this because she encouraged and honoured our intuition."

~ Lisa Hamilton, BC, Canada




"Bronwyn is a great leader and compassionate champion of women's empowerment.  I attended the first class she taught in my area, and within a year or two it evolved into a community of diverse women of all ages.  We all developed our creativity and confidence. With Bronwyn's expert teaching, I was able to perform solo and in group choreographies, something I had never done before.  I have not found another  teacher who could compare to her.  Bronwyn is also a creative talent in her varied other endeavors... your involvement with her is most likely to be beneficial and rewarding beyond your expectations."           ~ Julia Gardner, Vancouver, Canada


Class begins September 15, 2012.  Your investment for this one month intensive ecourse is $128. plus two to three hours per week to play with the course materials. If you register by midnight PST August 15 2012, you'll get the early bird rate of $108 for the course!

More Testimonials:

These beautiful words of appreciation are gleaned from the stack of cards and letters I've received over the years from my students and women's retreat participants. These cards and letters live in a special hand embroidered pouch  in  the special drawer that also contains love letters from my husband, and little treasures from my daughter's childhood. That's how much I treasure the work I've done with circles of women, and how much each student's experience means to me!

"Through my workshop experiences with you, I have found a multitude of things that I really like about me. That is the greatest gift!"

"You are making a difference every day with your teaching style and your deep understanding of the human (woman!) condition."

"I can't recommend Bronwyn's teaching style highly enough. We had soooo much fun!! We laughed and shared and opened our hearts... she facilitated a fabulous melding of personalities into a weekend of growth... and some epiphanies too."

"You helped inspire me to follow my dreams, trust my intuition, live my truth, speak and sing my voice, dance my joy, and feel my pain authentically. I am so incredibly grateful to you for that..."

"We thank you so much for your leadership and guidance! You are opening our minds to greatness and our bodies to freedom!!"

"It's been almost a week and I cannot get you or the workshop out of my mind! It was so powerful and enlightening. You had such an effect on all of us. Thank you for all that you shared... I am a fan for life!"

"Thank you Bronwyn for all your love and patience and for all your encouragement and your special gentle way of teaching. You've opened up such a world to me!"

"Bronwyn, you are an amazing, elemental force of beauty and inspiration..."

"Thank you so much! (After your workshop) I felt so inspired, rejuvenated, and full inside!"

"We all loved the way you helped us, you are a true and loving goddess!"

"Your teaching has enriched my life and allowed access to my soul...Thank you!"

“Bronwyn ... I loved your workshop... you have the rare gift of bringing joy to people...”

"I love your classes because they take me outside of the box and into a place where creativity and inspiration dwell. This is one of your great gifts as a teacher... you create an atmosphere that is absolutely positive... you make every woman aware of her inner beauty."

Class begins September 15, 2012.  Your investment for this one month intensive ecourse is $128. plus two to three hours per week to play with the course materials. If you register by midnight PST August 15 2012, you'll get the early bird rate of $108 for the course!