ART Unraveled

I just added a link to the ART Unraveled website. GO! It's an awesome lineup of talented people (yeah, I guess I am, too) teaching incredible classes. This is cutting edge stuff! And it's an art retreat; you take classes but you also socialize, meet other people who are as crazy about art-making as you are (or more so!) and swap stuff, buy stuff, sell stuff, make stuff... OMG it's awesome.

Thanks

So many people left lovely comments about my jewelry on Facebook. It really makes me feel good when somebody likes my work.

Today I feel like doing cartwheels. If only I could do them without breaking my neck.

More Classes!

Dazzling Dichroics--Fused Glass Cabochons

Classes I'm Teaching

These are the photos for the Charm Bracelet/Necklace classes I'll be teaching at ART Unraveled (AU) in Phoenix, 2010. Woo hoo! I'm so pleased to be accepted! I'll share the website and registration information very soon. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at:
ARTandSOULtoo@aol.com

New Book Cover!

OK, I think this is just the tentative cover, not the final version. But it'll give you an idea, anyway. It's from the promotional brochure that goes to bookstores and distributors. Click on it to get a larger view.

Yes and No

Yes, I've just been accepted to teach at a national art venue. (More about it later.) And no, the Madison A&S art retreat is not going to happen. Not this year, anyway. The promoter's health took a bad turn and she was forced to cancel Madison. Fortunately her other shows are still on for 2010, and I hope to be accepted to teach at one of them.

So, woo hoo and boo hoo. Ya win some and lose some.

A New Direction

I finally did it. I revealed a photo of myself. Honestly, you wouldn't think it's a big deal, but I have a terrible case of Photo Phobia.

I had to do it. I've been accepted to teach two classes at the new Art and Soul Retreat in Madison, and I had to submit a photo and bio. I couldn't be happier about teaching these classes. And that's my new direction: I've taught for many years, but never at a national-level show. And I wrote a book! It's coauthored with my friend Chris Hansen, and will be released in June of 2010. I did the process photography for the book, too.

It feels creepy to write a bio for myself, but it was required for the application process. Here it is:

BIO
As a mixed media artist, motivational speaker, and teacher with over twenty years of experience, Peggy’s goal is to provide a safe and non-judgmental place to practice the four E’s: Enjoyment, Empowerment, Exploration and self-Expression. Her classes focus on having fun as well as learning techniques. She earned her Master’s Degree in Life Coaching with an emphasis on Creativity, and leads workshops devoted to claiming one’s Creative Spirit through art; her business name, ARTandSOULtoo, reflects that combination. She currently teaches fused glass and mixed media jewelry, polymer clay, paper making, metal working, gourd art, WishCrafting, and assemblage. Her book Making Mixed Media ArtCharms and Jewelry will be released in Spring of 2010.

At a later date I'll post the class descriptions and some photos. But I can't promise that I'll keep this blog updated. It's more fun to make art than it is to write about it. 

International Charm Day

Today is International Charm Day! I thought this would be a good time to blog. I won't promise that I'll keep it up, since I already have all I can do looking at everybody else's blogs, but at least for today I'll post something. Head on over to Amber Dawn's www.InternationalCharmDay.blogspot.com for prizes, classes, and activities.

In the last few years I’ve been in roughly four dozen charm swaps. My collection is astounding! I know I should post photos, but do you have any idea how much time that takes? And making charms is so much fun that I’d much rather make new ones than take pictures of old ones.

Last week I heard from a publisher (Kalmbach, publisher of Art Jewelry and Bead & Button magazines) that the jewelry book I wrote with my friend Chris Hansen is going to be published. This is a dream-come-true for me. There’s still a lot of work to do. I still have to take something like 300 photos and do a bit more writing. But—Yippee—I’m going to have a for-real book with my name on it. And I’ll actually get paid!

My glass jewelry is sold through a lovely gallery called Artisan 133. I recently started selling my glass platters there, too. But the economic trouble of the past year was just too much for a new venture, especially one selling art, and they’ll be closing up shop. It makes me so sad. I loved the place.

I’ve been teaching Art and Craft classes at the Arlington Heights Senior Center for about two years now. If you live in the area, you ought to check it out. The classes are varied, the prices are reasonable, the facility is beautiful, and the people are welcoming and friendly. And you don’t have to be a Senior to take the classes. Upcoming classes include Basic Jewelry-Making (“Bead All About It”), a Trash-to-Treasure class called “Junque Jewelry” and a gourd-decorating class in the Fall. I also give classes in dichroic glass jewelry and polymer clay.

A few years ago I earned a Master’s Degree that focused on Life Coaching and Spiritual Direction. I specialized in creativity and art as tools for exploration. That’s why I call my blog (and my business) ARTandSOULtoo. My thesis is that many people find it difficult to articulate their goals or emotions but are able to express themselves through creative activities. For example, I can’t always figure out what life-task I want to work on next, but I can usually describe it in my journal. I use colored pens and diagrams and lists to map out my direction. I visualize where I want to be (or what I want to be doing) in three months or six months or even ten years. (Notice I don’t mention sketches or drawings. I can diagram fairly well, but I never took the time to learn how to draw, and I don’t plan to start now.) I’ll be teaching a class in this, too. I want to call it WishCrafting.

Since I started doing this kind of self-work I’ve accomplished pretty much every goal I set: teaching, writing, making jewelry, publishing a book, working with glass and having my work in a gallery. Now comes the really hard one: exercise and healthy eating. Since the first of the year I’ve exercised faithfully, with one long break for flu/pneumonia, and a couple of short breaks with no excuse but laziness. (I procrastinate until it’s too late.) But you know, I’ve been eating for a very long time (all my life in fact) and I have some seriously deep habits to change. Most of the worst ones involve carbohydrates and snacking before bedtime. I have to figure out a new way to reward myself, since it makes no sense to celebrate losing weight by eating something that makes me gain weight.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.

Peace,
Peggy