Flora Bowley
I've so enjoyed Bebe Butler's wonderful offering - The Painted Guru: Discover how art can heal the heart, inspire the soul, and soothe the mind. The conversations with a variety of artists about their journey, what creating art has meant to them, and the places where art brought healing or new possibilities into their own lives are so inspiring. So much of what they are talking about is what brought me to art journaling in the first place - a place to play, to explore, to create freely. But also a place to dig deeper, and find meaning, and work through things. A chance to express myself in a new way, in a more natural way for me. Through images when there are no words, or the interplay of words and images.
Flora Bowley was one of the first artists profiled, and I just love her work. I'd never heard of "intuitive painting" - which may be more a reflection of how out of touch I am! It's something that I love about art journaling, and I've loved learning and exploring and seeing what others are doing in that form. But to see it taken to this level artistically amazes me, and I could watch it all day. Even more, it makes me want to get out the paints and play!
Untold Stories
There's something about choosing some colors and just starting - maybe with a vague direction, maybe without even that - and just seeing where it leads that is so much fun. And so often it leads me places where I would never have thought to go.
The Painted Guru is a series of conversations, about 25-30 minutes each, with the artist, one each day. The artist's page also includes an introduction, a link to their website, and a free gift. There's a wide range of gifts - right now I'm painting with the amazing Art from the Heart retreat gifted by the amazing Amber Kuileimailani Bonnici. Here, too, I have come across classes like this for art journaling - but this is on a canvas, which makes it more special. And in a way, more scary as the stakes seem higher. But she is a gentle and friendly guide as she encourages me to dig deeper and take risks.
What it comes down to is - there is so much more out there! It's easy sometimes to stay in our own little rut of what we know. I love visions of the wider world of possibilities, and that's one of the things The Painted Guru provides. Another is the opportunity to hear from people doing wonderful creative things - whether they started out in art school or just started doing art because it's something they needed in their lives.
If you're feeling stuck, don't stay there! Open your eyes to inspiration - it's all around you.
