Painting As Therapy

I found out today, after waiting three weeks for results, that I tested negative for Lyme disease but the lab failed to test for the other tick borne diseases. When I saw the doctor three weeks ago I expressed my concern that I thought I might have babesiosis this time. And I still don't know if that is the case.  Guess I should be thankful that it isn't Lyme this time. (Though it could still be; negative results are not a guarantee that it isn't present and active.) Have to go for new lab work. Sigh...

In the meantime, I have been pushing through my days, doing what I can and resting when I need to.
I did start the Cosmos Flowers mixed media paintings on Tuesday. I've completed the first and am working on the second today. Here is a progress shot:

I'm also developing ideas for some collages. Here is a shot of that:

My Inner Hero: The Gardener

The gardener has been the main character/persona/role that I have played in my life. Longer than the roles of mother and wife. I have never regarded gardening as heroic, but in retrospect, I see that it is. Firstly you need strength and stamina to create and tend a garden. I developed upper body muscles from all the digging and cultivating I've done in the past twenty years on this property.  It takes imagination, creativity and faith. And perseverance. Gardening has taught me so many life lessons. There are so many parallels between spirituality and gardening. There as so many references, parables and metaphors in the Bible related to gardens. So much to write on this topic. Glad I have that full blank page! It will be completely filled in before too long.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 1Cor 3:6

Spring and Summer Dates for Practicing the Art of Being Fully Present: A One Day Retreat

This one day retreat is intended to help you relax and help you connect to the quiet beauty that is all around you. For anyone looking to stop or slow down for a few hours.
 
Guided exercises will help expose you to unique thoughts and experiences.

This retreat will provide plenty of quiet time.  We will spend time in the gardens, create a small flower arrangement as an act of meditation and work in a visual journal.
Come revive your soul, free your spirit and live the day through your senses.

 
Location: My home in Stratford, CT.
2014 Dates offered:

Friday, May 30
Friday, June 13
Friday, June 27
Monday, July 7

8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Retreat is limited to 8 participants.
Fee is $60 which includes a generous continental breakfast and healthy lunch.
To register or if you would like further information, please email me at susan@susan-ernst.com

Practicing the Art of Being Fully Present

Note: This post also appears on my blog, Hortus Conclusus.

In July my husband and I stayed overnight in a luxurious bed and breakfast in Raleigh, NC. It is too bad we were there for only one night. It really is a place to go to spend a few relaxing days. After breakfast we walked around the gardens before heading on our way. I was reminded of our honeymoon. We drove up to Nova Scotia and stayed in bed and breakfasts and country inns. I found that to be a delightful experience. Since that time, which was 27 years ago, Bob and I often discussed owning a b&b in the country some day. Back home from the trip and tending to our gardens, I began thinking about how I could make that dream a reality today. No, it isn't practical to turn our tiny house into a b&b, but what could I do to invite people to enjoy the peace and beauty that I experience while spending time in my gardens?

I was also reading a book called An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor at this time. I found it extremely inspirational and life changing. Chapter Two, entitled The Practice of Paying Attention is what helped me to formulate the retreat.  (The seeds of which had already been planted last year while reading The Artist's Rule by Christine Valters Paintner, which is along a similar vein.)  I realized that I didn't need a fancy house and immaculate gardens in order to help others see and hear what I do when I am outside. If I love it, won't others as well? I took the chance and offered this one day retreat.

Yesterday, six wonderful women enjoyed their time here. They got to relax, reflect and spend some needed alone time. We did end the day with sharing. It was moving to hear what these women were able to experience from the assignments they were given and the time they spent alone in nature.

 I plan to hold this retreat on a monthly basis from May through September. The women encouraged me to add other themed retreats as they would like to participate again. Follow this link to view some of their comments here.

Garden Songbirds Set 4

I have begun another set in the Garden Songbirds series. I like the background layer of book pages and ephemera so much I almost don't want to cover it up! Maybe I will make a few pure collage pieces that focus on these papers next.

More Garden Songbirds

As I've posted previously, I am enjoying creating mixed media collage paintings lately. Since re-organizing my studio last June, I had planned to spend the winter months creating collages to use as backgrounds for paintings or prints. I have more paper of all types and ephemera than I will ever be able to use up!

While working on the Garden Songbird Series, I kept coming up with different papers and colors to try. Here are two sets I've just completed.

With these, I began adding old loan payment stubs which are stamped with the date the payment was made. I found these among the papers my grandmother saved. I'm not sure what the loan was for, but it was paid off between 1977 and 1979. It looks like she made weekly payments. She probably made weekly trips to the bank to deposit her paycheck and made a payment on the loan while she was there. Since each date is unique, I have decided to use them to name each mixed media painting. Also added to these collage paintings are handwritten notes of many types which I retrieved from the recycling basket over the years. These include computer programming homework dating back to 1997 when my husband returned to school to study that. Also included are calligraphy practice done by my daughter and music notes from when my son took bass guitar lessons. I have also added pieces of the many to-do lists and other notes I write on pieces of scrap paper. These may be obscured under the colored tissue paper or the paint applied on top, but I know they are there. Working with these pieces of family history, I am connected to my family, even when they are not physically with me. 

These six mixed media collage paintings are available at my Etsy shop.

Garden Songbirds Mixed Media Collage Paintings

Enjoying the process of creating the mixed media collage paintings of the foxgloves as well as the finished product, I decided to use this technique again for some small bird images.

Beginning with pages cut from old books on birding, assorted ledger papers, snippets of decorative paper and hand written notes, these were glued to matboard.

 

Next I applied torn pieces of assorted Asian fiber papers. On top of that I added line drawings of garden songbirds. The first two came from the drawing it did for Birdsong and two other monoprints. I have also used this drawing for the title page in a visual journal. Wanting to make this a trio, I added the finch-like bird. I was originally going to paint the birds brown, but decided to make it more spring-like so used a robin's egg blue acrylic paint.

Garden Songbirds I

Garden Songbirds II

Garden Songbirds III

I am happy to say that this set of three has found a new home.