Introducing, Your Creative Connection Gift Certificates. An excellent gift for the artist on your list – OR – the perfect thing to whisper in Santa’s ear. Whether you are the generous giver or the desirous recipient, these handy gifts are an easy way to add miles of smiles to your Holiday celebrations! They come in a variety of options to be the perfect fit for any budget.
The available amounts include: 1/2 Deposit ($75), Full Deposit ($150), 1/3 Balance ($455), and 1/2 Balance ($680). If another amount better suits your needs, or you would prefer to gift the entire Your Creative Connection experience, please contact us, and we will gladly customize to your precise specifications.
Orders received by December 15th have the option of electronic and/or physical delivery. Our Presentation Certificate will arrive in a beautifully hand-made folder, complete with wax seal and ribbon (and a snazzy, die-cut decal). All orders received after December 15th and before December 22nd will be delivered by e-mail to the purchaser. Gift Certificate purchases in the amount of the Full Deposit or greater, made by December 1st, entitle the recipient to our special Welcome Gift -- as noted in last week's Registration opening.
We wish you and yours the happiest of Holidays in the coming weeks!
- PLA & MDP
Thankful Thursday - We Give Thanks
“Love is prayerfulness groping toward godliness.
Love is poetry born out of the sheer joy of being.
Love is song, dance, celebration:
a song of gratitude, a dance of thankfulness, celebration for no reason at all,
for this tremendous gift that goes on showering on us, for this whole universe,
from the dust to the divine.”
~ Osho, The Power of Love
I am truly, perhaps inexplicably, thankful for EVERYTHING! I carry “a song of gratitude” in my heart. I dance *and pray no one is watching* within my thankfulness. I revel in “celebration for no reason at all.”
Maybe it sounds inconceivable to hear someone say that they are thankful for everything – I suppose it could also sound somewhat trite. On second thought, it might even sound a bit crazy… Granted, my view is undoubtedly tinted by my experiences of the past 2 1/2 years, but I still feel (more than anything else) grateful. Don’t misunderstand: I am in NO way thankful that my beloved died – but I AM grateful that he did not suffer, we were not wrecked by the cost of an extended hospitalization, and that we lived fully and together up until the moment that we didn’t. I cannot claim to be directly thankful that the company that employed me for the past 20 years closed its doors, this past summer. I am grateful beyond measure that other opportunities continue to arise that make it possible for me to pursue a creative life as an alternative, though. I am by no means thankful that my home was burglarized last fall, especially in light of the fact that that experience has had far reaching consequences. I can honestly say, however, that it could have been so much worse! I am eternally grateful that my dog was not harmed, they did not set my house on fire, or cause senseless damage (i.e. broken windows, destroy the furniture, or vandalize the interior). For all of these things, and so much more, I am daily grateful…
Essentially, I am humbled every day by the richness of a life filled with love. The love of family, friends, and my trusty side kick (the one and only Wito) lifts me above any worries over what I lack. I am grateful for lessons learned, wishes granted, dreams fulfilled, opportunities presented, choices given, shoulders cried on, and the support of an amazing network to remind me *because we all forget how lucky we are sometimes* that I am enough, that all will be well, and that worry only robs us of tomorrow’s joys.
I wish you more blessings than you can count – “…from the dust to the divine”!
- Penny
“Wherever I have knocked, a door has opened.
Wherever I have wandered, a path has appeared.”
~Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens
I am grateful for the life I’ve chosen, or rather the life which has chosen me. If, 30 years ago, someone had suggested that I would become a mother, wife, artist, art instructor, and art consultant, producing my own work, directing art events, and working with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, I’d have wondered what crystal ball they’d used to see that future for me. True, I’ve always been drawn to art (pun definitely intended). From the moment, clear in my memory, of my father presenting me with my first box of 64 Crayola crayons at 7 years old, I’ve called myself (just to myself, at first) an artist. I’m eternally grateful to my father for his early and constant support. I’m also grateful to my mother for her admonition to “get your education, since you don’t want to be an artist starving in a garret”. And now, I am thankful for the unconditional love and support of my husband and son, which make my life’s work possible.
Whenever I’ve asked for help, it appeared. Sometimes the help came in unusual ways or took unexpected forms (the Universe has an interesting way of doing that), but I’m grateful for how so many of my requests were answered. People have entered my life for a reason, a season or a lifetime, and I’m thankful for all I’ve learned and shared as a result. And, when the road ahead looked uncertain in my progress to this life, an idea dawned, an opportunity beckoned, the right person appeared, a door opened, and the path was made clear.
And so, on this Thanksgiving Day, I give thanks to all I’ve encountered on this wonder-filled journey; my family, friends, fellow creative travelers, and to those I’ve not yet encountered: I can’t wait to meet you!
- Michelle
The Wait is Over
Registration for our 2018 Haw River Mixed Media Retreat is now OPEN!
Here's the scoop:
Retreat Dates: Thursday, October 11 through Monday, October 15, 2018
Location: Haw River State Park, Brown Summit, NC
Deposit: $150.00
Double Occupancy Retreat Fee: $1350.00
Single Occupancy Retreat Fee: $1400.00
Your All-Inclusive Retreat Fee includes: your lodging, 3 meals a day -- plus delicious snacks,
3 full days of instruction, all necessary art supplies for your 3 Studio Sessions, exhibition materials, nightly Open Studio, and loads of special surprises.
All it takes to reserve your space is your deposit and completion of the Registration Form.
Plus, when you become a Creative Explorer by paying your deposit on or before
December 1, 2017, you'll enter our Kaleidoscope Circle
and receive a special welcome gift.
3 Artists, 3 Days, 1 Surface, and a Show!
3 Artists, 3 Days:
Our Special Guest Artist will be revealed in early 2018! Stay tuned for the big reveal!
Michelle Davis Petelinz will guide you in customizing your mark-making with your own personalized stamps, and various surface designs with gelatin mono printing.
Penny Arrowood will show you quick and easy ways to banish the empty page; we will then use elements from each of your Studio Sessions to create a finished, hand made book -- perfect for capturing memories of Your Creative Connection.
1 Surface:
And a lovely, sumptuous surface it is! 100% cotton paper, mould made in the USA, perfect for painting, print making, ink, collage, or writing applications.
A Show:
This is one of the features which sets Your Creative Connection apart: on Monday, we'll gather to view the work from everyone's Studio Sessions at our Au Revoir Extravaganza!
Are you ready to become a Creative Explorer? Great!
Visit the Registration Form on our website to begin your journey.
After you've registered, you'll be directed to PayPal for payment of your deposit.
Thankful Thursday - Art of the Carolinas
As mentioned in last weeks Thankful Thursday post, Michelle and I have the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild (CMMAG) to thank for our ever having met. In much the same way, we also have the CMMAG to thank for our 10-year association with this incredible event! Every year artists, instructors, and vendors gather in Raleigh, NC on the 2nd weekend in November for Art of the Carolinas (AoC): the largest Art Supply Tradeshow in the country – alongside 4 days of workshops in every medium you can think of (acrylics, colored pencils, encaustics, mixed media, oils, pastels, and watercolors)! It’s like a Creative Circus – with wonderments to behold in every ring: materials, workshops and demonstrations galore!
A moment of levity, as we look back on a decade of artful adventures at Art of the Carolinas (photo: Laurel Rupe -- altered in the Prisma app)
In 2017, along with celebrating 10 years as the Workshop Faeries of Art of the Carolinas, we also celebrated a decade of Sponsorship by Strathmore Artist Papers. Since the very 1st iteration of what was “The Make & Take Room,” and is now “The Try it Zone,” we have worked with Strathmore to promote and highlight their latest offerings at the show. From Artist Trading Cards to Mixed Media Journals to Toned Sketching Paper to Artists Tiles to Toned Mixed Media Paper, they have provided the basis for the Member Artists of CMMAG to develop demonstrations geared to featuring the products of various Vendor Sponsors at the event. This year, we also celebrated 9 years of partnership with GOLDEN Artist Colors and Ampersand; we welcomed new (to us) Sponsors: Pebeo, Amsterdam/Royal Talens, Gel-Press, and Speedball/Akua. We also had the pleasure of working again with the myriad offerings of Marabu.
So, you may be wondering, what has all of this to do with Your Creative Connection? Well, over the course of the past 10 years, we have discovered how well we work together and with others in organizing and executing a 4-day creative event. We have also had reasons to revel in the expansion of our own creative community as a result of our affiliation with AoC. All of this serves us well as we embark on our mission to establish Your Creative Connection as an event not-to-be-missed! As we finalize all of the details, and add more creative wonders to the line-up, we are growing more and more excited for all that awaits our Creative Explorers in 2018!
Tools of the Trade -- our constant companions for our time at AoC -- packed up and ready for our next encounter!
Remember: if you have not yet done so, please take a moment to subscribe to our Newsletter! That will give you the inside track on all things Your Creative Connection. There’s BIG news coming, and we don’t want you to miss any of it!
Until next time,
- PLA & MDP
Thankful Thursday - Art in North Carolina
We are thankful and fortunate to live in a vibrant, growing community which values its art and artists. Your Creative Connection joins a variety of artful venues offering a diverse array of creative opportunities and exhibitions. Here are just a few of our favorite NC artful destinations:
Visual Art Exchange (VAE): Established by artists in 1980, VAE is "a hub for a diverse network of artists, a venue for artists to advance their careers, and a voice to influence positive change for the creative community". VAE, the creative incubator, is Raleigh's longest running private, non-profit visual arts organization. Frequent, cutting edge exhibitions, SPARKcon (a yearly, citywide art extravaganza), and the Ignite Creativity Summit are just a sampling of what VAE offers.
Street art at SPARKcon 2017. (photo: ssimmerman)
North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA): The North Carolina Museum of Art serves the people of North Carolina and all visitors as a premier destination for compelling encounters with art, and its vision is to "enrich lives through the power and wonder of art." No visit to the Triangle area art venues is complete without a tour of NCMA. From its newly expanded African Gallery in the East Building to the light-filled expanses of the West Building, the Museum offers something for every artistic taste. Add in special exhibitions, sculptures in the Museum Park, and films in the outdoor amphitheater, and you get a full spectrum creative work across centuries and disciplines.
Jaume Plensa, Awilda & Irma, 2014, stainless steel, H. 157.5 x W. 157.5 x D. 118 in. each, © J2017 Jaume Plensa, Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York.
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University: "promotes engagement with the visual arts for the Duke and Durham communities. The museum is dedicated to presenting innovative and accessible collections, exhibitions, publications and programs that stimulate intellectual discourse, enrich individual lives and generate new knowledge. Drawing on the resources of a leading research university, the museum serves as a laboratory for interdisciplinary approaches." We love its thought-provoking special exhibitions, as well as its commissioned works, such as "Shadow and Light," shown below.
Shadow and Light, by Odili Donald Odita, Nasher Museum, Durham, NC.
And, while not a 'destination' per se, we are immensely thankful for the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild (CMMAG): If not for the Guild, we wouldn't have met! Founded in 2002 by mixed media artist Jeanne Rhea, the CMMAG mission is to: advance the education of mixed media arts via meetings, workshops and exhibitions; encourage personal and professional development of member artists; explore techniques in a wide variety of media; develop opportunities for member artists to show their work to the public; and promote mixed media work to galleries, museums and the public. We have both served as Guild President, and credit working on Guild programs and special projects as the catalyst for the idea of Your Creative Connection.
CanvaSynergy II by twenty five members of CMMAG, 2016
If you're a mixed media artist interested in joining us for our Haw River, NC Retreat in October of 2018, sign up for our Newsletter, so you'll be the first to know the details, including getting first crack at registration when it opens later this month. We'd love to have you join us for what promises to be a wonder-filled artful experience!
Wishing you a creative day,
~Michelle
Introducing Thankful Thursday
While it is fairly common for folks to spend the month of November listing the things, people, and/or experiences for which they are most thankful, we thought it a practice worth keeping year-round. Whether we do so in tandem (like today) or as individuals, we will offer up a thing or three for which we are most thankful here on the Blog on Thursdays. We invite you to share elements of your own attitude of gratitude in the Comments, below.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, there is scientific evidence that gratitude leads to happiness: “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” All of which is very much in keeping with our philosophy, here at Your Creative Connection!
All of that to say this: We are ever-so-thankful to be sharing our latest artistic adventure with you! ...and there is SO much to share! In the coming weeks, we'll be seeing you here on the blog with updates, announcements, and special 'behind the scenes' snippets in hopes that YOU will be thankful of our efforts.
We are extremely grateful for all of the possibilities that our partnership in Your Creative Connection brings to the fore! We are also super excited for the creative connections that this will afford each and every one of our Creative Explorers. All of which makes us absolutely giddy with the knowledge that Your Creative Connection is no longer a dream; it is a full-fledged reality. The only thing missing is you!
We'll see you here again, soon!
~ PLA & MDP
Hello, World!
Light through the trees -- taken on our Field Trip to the Haw River State Park, 10/20/2017. One of many gorgeous views to look forward to when you join us in 2018.
Greetings!
Welcome to the Your Creative Connection Blog. This is the place to be for all of the juicy details about Your Creative Connection events and other creative curiosities. We’ll post here, after sharing the latest updates with our Newsletter subscribers. What’s that? You say you want to know things before the masses? No worries! Subscribers to our Newsletter receive news and updates up to a whole week before the general public. It’s a low-volume affair, and we’d never, ever share/sell/provide your information without your knowledge – ‘cause that’s just so not Your Creative Connection.
No Tricks – just RETREATS! Yesterday, we took all of our social media outlets LIVE with the unveiling of our website and Facebook page! Be sure to visit us on Facebook, and like our page to ensure that you miss nothing! We also have outposts on Instagram and Pinterest – we look forward to sharing art and artists that we love with you in each of these spaces, as well as snippets of what awaits you at our events. Hop on over and follow us, won’t you? We are currently putting the finishing touches on the plans for our Haw River event in October of 2018 – as soon as everything is in place, Registration will be open! Remember: Newsletter subscribers will get this news first – sign up, today!
Until then, you can find loads of information on how we came to make this particular strong offer, and what you can anticipate at Your Creative Connection events on the website, with more content in the works. We could tell you about it, but we think it will be much more impressive for you to see it! So, stay tuned: we'll be sharing more and more in the days ahead. We look forward to having you with us on this incredible artventure! ...and since it is oh-so-true that more is merrier: how about sharing this event with a friend or two? You never know, it could be just the spark that their creative flame needs -- OR -- you might find yourself a roommate at the ready.
We'll see you here again, soon!
~ PLA & MDP