Off to Portugal

Flora Bowley

On Wednesday I'm off to Portugal.  Take a breath Jules... it has come round sooo quickly and I'm not quite prepared for what I'm about to do.

I'm going to Bloom True, to take a 2 day workshop with Flora Bowley.  I have loved and do love her work and I'm pretty excited to be learning a different stylee of painting.  Having had no real painting tuition, we're going to be completing 2 big canvases (by big, around 75cmx75cm).   Wow.  How on earth am I going to get them home on Easy Jet.

I had really wanted to go on the Do What You Love Retreat in Yorks organised by Beth Nicholls, which happened recently, and from the feedback from my friend DillyBoo Swirly Girl that looked amazing (Flora did a 3 day workshop there) Check out Dilly Boo's painting, it's amazing!  So I saw the workshop that was suddenly put on in Portugal and in talking it over with Will, decided that it could be a real retreat for me.  A Re-Treat.   So I'm going Wednesday, returning Monday and will have 2 days on my own there, 2 days to explore Lisbon and the area where I'm staying, which I think is called Estoril?  I'll be back on Monday and hopefully have in my possession 2 canvases.  Here's hoping so. xx

A bit about Flora Bowley: 


She is an internationally celebrated painter, teacher, inspirationalist, and world traveler. Flora believes there are no mistakes in the creative process and strives to do something new in every piece.  Her unique process of layering free-flowing color with natural forms and expressive mark-making combine to create lush paintings born from the present moment; chaotic, subtle, mystical and ever-changing.  

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. Throughout the year, Flora enjoys traveling, painting, and teaching her “Bloom True” workshops in colorful locations around the world.  Her work can be found in numerous galleries and also on a variety of unique products made in collaboration with the uber-groovy paper goods company, Papaya.  She is currently working on a top-secret book due to be released in the Spring of 2012.

One of Flora's many paintings "Deep Peace"

The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap

The Love Fairy

So I haven't written a blogpost for over a week and I wondered why.  Then I realised I had set myself the challenge of no TV 2 week challenge.  Here's the thing.  I haven't achieved everything on my list but I am part way to organising space and I have just been painting quite alot.  Not having TV in my life and listening to classic fm has made a subtle shift and created Space in my Soul.  I am writing about this alot these past few weeks. 

So.  I am taking part in the Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap which is being organised by Beth Nicholls from Do What you Love for Life (she's organising the fab retreat in May in Yorkshire).  The idea behind the postcard swap is to create a postcard, on the theme of LOVE and it has to contain some kind of 'stitching'.

So I have worked on my Love Fairy.  She was asking to be made so that's what I did.  Using Matt photo paper which has a durability to it, I created my background and added the Love Fairy. I used a variety of mediums, acrylic, tulips, glitter, and I have recently purchased Faber Castell Big Brush Skin Tone pens which are just divine. 

Reverse side

So the next step is I sent this off to my recipient in USA and I will be waiting to receive a stitched postcard from whomever has been given my details. We then all write a blog about the one we have got and post photos on a special Flickr album.

It's all quite exciting and something I have never done before.  A great way of meeting people and getting to know this global creative spirited community.  

On another note, I have been to see a lovely venue today in Liverpool to organise my own workshop.  A day where you can learn how to create your own canvas, jules dolly stylee and release the creative soul within.   Details to be revealed when I finalise them but watch this space.  

And so to finish off the commissions I have going on and to paint more for selling, prints and greeting cards.  *Jules does a jig* 

Art Retreats and Amazon

I'm an Amazon fan. Now, I know that it's really taking away emphasis from book stores and I do worry about that, (especially when Borders closed) but I still love the fact that I can search for books and one thing will link me to another.  I also love the fact that amazon will remember what I have been looking at and then send me an email to tell me of books that are similar to what I have been viewing.  That's great really and opens up not only a new selection, but introduces me to new authors.  I'm finding the more I embrace my art self the more I look, read and sketch and plan.  

Today I got a whole new selection of books through from them and found myself being captivated.  Such an amazing amount of effort in these books.   I have highlighted three of them here at the bottom of this post.  What is also so lovely is William has won £50 worth of WH Smith vouchers which he has said I can use.  How fab is that.  I'm not going to use them all, (he deserves them too) but I may just treat myself to one of these books.  There's another one that I love the look of but it isn't published here in the UK yet and it is by Pam Carriker and called Art at the Speed of Life.    

Whilst walking today with Lucy, I was also contemplating my teaching again and wondered about putting on a day workshop called 'Introduction to Art Journaling' or Make your own Mixed Media Canvas'.  I would love to go on a creative art mixed media retreat, there's not that many around in the UK - tonnes - of course, in the States.  However, there is one in Yorkshire in May called 'Do what you Love for Life Retreat' - it's quite steep-price wise.  But I'd love to go.   

Then there's Brave Girls Camp which takes place in Idaho USA, but it's booked out all year, so they're offering Soul Restoration An Online 6 week Course for $99.  There's just so much out there.  What I know for sure, is that the UK is just 15 years behind the states in so many ways.  Not such a bad thing because it gives us something to aim for when we're talking 'retreats'. 

Wouldn't it be lovely to organise a creative arts retreat - meditation, yoga, a beautiful venue, gorgeous vegetarian food and classes taught by individuals who are experts in their field.  Something to ponder I feel.  

Anyway just for any of you who may be interested, here's 3 of the books that caught my eye.

Lots of love for mid week Wednesday 

Jules xxx

1,000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations  by Dawn DeVries Sokol Average customer review: Art Journals and Creative Healing: Restoring the Spirit Through Self-Expression  by Sharon Soneff Average customer review: Journal Bliss  by Viollette Average customer review: