HEADSPACE + HEARTSPACE Page 20 of 22

Internationally-renowned book artist Rachel Hazell to teach at Do What You Love retreat in England (May 2011)

Posted on 2010-12-03 at 10:01 am.

(Image credit: Kelly Whybrow)

I am hugely excited to announce the second of the three fantastic art teachers who will be joining us for the Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat in Yorkshire, England next May. Rachel Hazell, known as ‘the Travelling Bookbinder’, has made a career of creating extraordinarily beautiful books in extraordinary places – from lighthouses in the Shetland Islands to on board a ship in Antarctica.

(Image credit: Rachel Hazell)

Joining us from Scotland, Rachel will share her love of all things booky in her workshop ‘Maps, Charts and Other Discoveries: An Extraordinary Expandable Sketchbook Journal’. Rachel invites you on a literary quest of folding, following lines, cutting, composing, gluing and constructing.

One step at a time, with plenty of demonstrations and fool-proof exercises, there will be opportunity for wordplay and expressive adventure. Spread over three days, there will be time to make a literal and metaphorical journey. Building pages of content and layers of meaning into an utterly unique work or art that is private, personal, portable, precious and presentable – a papery expedition of exploration and discovery!

NB: It is likely that much chocolate will be consumed during this workshop…

(Image credit: Shannon Tofts)

Rachel Hazell’s motto is Read Make Love Books. She believes that everyone has a book inside them. Rachel has voyaged far in pursuit of good book art, and with three book-related Masters degrees and a plethora of teaching experience, Rachel is looking forward to another adventure with you.

Internationally-renowned book artist Rachel Hazell to teach at Do What You Love retreat in England (May 2011) static+badge retreat

More information will be available on the Do What You Love retreat website to be launched in December. This retreat will be cosy and intimate – small enough for everyone to get to know everyone – so places are strictly limited. Registration will formally launch with the new website in December, but if you want to be the first to know about it (and get in on the early bird discount), sign up for the new Do What You Love newsletter at the top of this page.

American painter Flora Bowley and British mixed media artist Priscilla Jones will also be teaching at the retreat!

Flora Bowley to teach at Do What You Love retreat in England!

Posted on 2010-11-30 at 11:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

I am absoutely thrilled to share the news that American painter Flora Bowley will be teaching a three-day workshop at the Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat in Yorkshire, England next May!

(Image: Tyson Robichaud)

Flora’s painting style is gorgeously unique, bursting with colour and beauty, and she is an incredibly gifted teacher. The one day class I took with Flora a while back was one of the most freeing days of painting I have ever experienced. So you can imagine how exciting it is that Flora will be travelling to Europe specially for this workshop, where participants can sink into three days of indulgent creating with this wonderful free spirit.

In “Bloom True – wild and delicious painting with Flora Bowley“, the class will explore a whole new way of painting from a space of freedom, non-judgment and experimentation. This process is about loosening up, letting go of expectations, having fun and allowing paintings to unfold naturally. The class will paint on giant canvasses, with access to acres of stunning countryside for inspiration and outdoor classroom space.

If you are able to join us, I can promise you will never look at painting the same way again.

‘Freed’ by Flora Bowley, acrylic on canvas 36″ x 36″

As part of the retreat’s creative enterprise sessions, Flora will also share some of her experience in making it as an internationally-acclaimed professional painter, who has licenced some of her work with Anahata Katkin’s ‘Papaya!’.

‘Thirty-six’ by Flora Bowley, acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 36″

Flora lives and works full-time as a painter in Portland, OR, where she is inspired by magical forests, abundant gardens and a thriving community of fellow artists. Flora’s love for life and spontaneous nature are clearly visible in her vibrant, easily recognizable paintings. Throughout the year, Flora enjoys travelling, teaching workshops and painting in colourful locations around the world.

Flora Bowley to teach at Do What You Love retreat in England! static+badge retreat

Internationally-renowned book artist Rachel Hazell and award-winning mixed-media artist Priscilla Jones will also be teaching at the retreat.

Is it just me or is the year rushing past?

Posted on 2010-11-23 at 11:42 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

I need to breathe.

To take a moment to stop, and just be.

To listen and reflect a bit before leaping ahead.

There are some huge things happening in my life in the next few weeks, not least the culmination of a project I have been working on for over a year, the launch of my new creative business venture (more very shortly I promise!) and Christmas in our new home.

It is all incredibly exciting, but also stressful. Scary even (except for the Christmas bit!)

I have a to-do list a mile long.

I cannot see the floor in my studio for the mess.

And I really don’t want December to come and go without taking time to reflect on the incredible year that will soon be coming to a close.

So I’m going to stop, just for a while.

To breathe a little.

And maybe even drop my to-do list in the bin and see what happens… I dare me…

***

How about you? Has the year flown past for you too? How will you make sure you find time to look back over the past year before December has come and gone?

Taking to the streets in the name of art

Posted on 2010-11-16 at 11:06 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Steaming cappucinos, yards of bunting, warm welcomes, gorgeous art by emerging artists and the chance to poke around people’s houses – what’s not to love about a local arts trail?

I discovered some gems on the inaugural Headingley Arts Trail this week, not least the vibrant paintings of Julia Keates, inspired by her travels across the world. Here are some of her works on display in her lovely home, where she paints in her large attic studio.

Taking to the streets in the name of art HAT2

Taking to the streets in the name of art HAT4

Taking to the streets in the name of art HAT5

Have you discovered any local artists near you lately?

What’s in a blog name?

Posted on 2010-11-12 at 2:20 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Tell me, why did you give your blog the name that you did? I am often fascinated by blog names, and wonder whether there is a story behind them, or whether they just popped into the writer’s head when they were creating their new space. Here are a few names I love:

Pilgrim of the Moon
There is a sweet love story behind this name but you’ll have to ask Judit if you want to know about it. I find this name is really dreamy.

Shin Shin
The name means ‘honest heart’ in Japanese, and Maki describes her blog as ‘little notes to my honest heart’.

Nectar and Light
Home of polaroid photographer Jen Altman, to me this name evokes a summer day – sugary sweetness and sunshine

Tangled Sky Studio
I used to love playing that game where you try to find pictures in the clouds, and this makes me think of a sky tumbling with clouds

Doorways Traveler
The title of Lisa Field-Elliot’s gorgeous photography blog suggests possibility, adventure, the unknown…

My own blog title ‘Do What You Love’ came from a deep belief that the world would be a better place if more people were doing what they love. More time spent on things that make you feel alive, connected, expressive and happy can only enhance the experience others have when they interact with you out in the world. Through this blog I wanted to give myself a space, and a kind of accountability, to do what I love (creating, having adventures, sharing stories) and put it out in the world.

How about you? What is your blog name and where did it come from? What other blog names do you love?

Reflections on Squam: I dreamed a dream…

Posted on 2010-09-23 at 11:19 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

… of a place where I could sit on a rocking chair,

on an old wooden deck,

looking out over the stillness of a lake

… where I could think

… listen

… soak in nature

… create

… dive in*

*literally, at 5am. It was icy but I felt so ALIVE

I found that place at Squam Lake, New Hampshire, with a warm family of old and new journeymates.

Thank you friends, for opening your hearts and sharing your laughter

It was a most precious time

***

for the love of trees (and sculpture)

Posted on 2010-09-12 at 4:45 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

A visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park does wonders for the soul. 500 acres of stunning parkland, with internationally renowned sculptors’ work dotted here and there. You can picnic by a Henry Moore, hide behind a Barbara Hepworth or get lost in the forest near the David Nash stairway. You can even take an outdoor class in bronze casting. And it is free to get in!

My man and I had a lovely couple of hours strolling through the land, making up stories about what each piece really meant, and sheltering from the rain in the cosy shadow of the big trees.

(more…)

At home: Welcome to my studio!

Posted on 2010-08-23 at 9:22 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

“Pick one room and make it yours.

Go slowly through the house.

Be polite, introduce yourself,

so it can introduce itself to you.”

(borrowing the words quoted by the lovely Louise Gale as a comment in response to this blog post)

So that’s what I am going to do. Introduce myself, then introduce you, room by room, bit by bit. As we start to make friends with our new home.

Here is a peek of the first one – my studio. Won’t you come in?

At one end it has this sweet fireplace, which will be great when winter sets in. I have just put up this picture for now while I work out what to do with the space above the mantelpiece. Any ideas?

Here’s my painting/making stuff table. There is an easel in the corner but I like making a horizontal mess! The glass table is actually more practical than it looks – it provides a brilliantly smooth surface for painting and is easy to cover, but also makes the most of the space in the room when it is uncovered.

The wooden floorboards were reclaimed from an old school gymnasium. They are full of marks and stories – you can almost see generations of children jumping over benches and off climbing bars (and maybe even sneaking a first kiss behind the pommel horse).

There are three big windows like this so they let in lots of light

Handy storage for my art supplies, and just enough space to squeeze blank canvasses underneath

No such thing as too many art books…

These old picnic hampers make great storage for my sewing stuff – fabric, ribbons, thread for the things I am slowly learning to make!

And above them is the lovely painting from Judit at Pilgrim of the Moon (I talked about it in this post)

One of my inspiration boards. This one includes prints by Juliette Crane and DJ Pettitt, and my Soul Collage cards that I made in California back in February.

I think the paper obsession, stationery obsession and book obsession may be linked…

Finally I have somewhere to put all my bits and bobs – paper ribbon, buttons, lovely shiny things

My little bonsai friend (in need of a haircut)

My reading corner, and all important stereo – a girl’s gotta have tunes to paint to!

So there it is, my new studio.

Would love to have you all come over to create and make mess. What’s your creative space like? What’s on your inspiration board?

Exploring

Posted on 2010-08-10 at 4:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

When you move somewhere new, you start each journey from a different place. We only moved 10 minutes from where we lived before, but I have started to see things I never noticed before. Like this gorgeous stretch of river.

What have you discovered near your home recently?

***

This month I am joining in Susannah Conway’s August Break, sharing daily photos of my life this August. Why not check out who else is joining in, or have a go yourself?

Time out

Posted on 2010-08-05 at 2:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Spent the day on the water today.

Taking a break from it all,

getting caught up in the excitement of a yacht race,

seeing the beauty of the land from the water,

hearing the call of the gulls

and clearing out the cobwebs

as the sea breeze rushed through my hair.

I spent my childhood on the coast

and it feels good to reconnect with the salty air and open skies.

***