hello goodbye (this party's almost over!)

Where did the time go? It's been a monster art bash and while things are winding down, we aren't finished yet! To date we've painted 5 paintings and given away 10 bonus prizes while raising $1200 for Half the Sky foundation.








Each dollar raised will be used to purchases art supplies for preschool children living in welfare centers in China. Each dollar donated represents our collective belief in the healing power of art. Each dollar represents this community's commitment to connect, share and empower ourselves and others through creative expression. We painted and you showed up and I cannot begin to express the gratitude, awe and pride I have in what has been accomplished here.

Yes, we're this proud:








I am really excited to present the final prizes for this week. I cannot think of a more appropriate special guest to close out our party than the artist whose work was the inspiration behind the collaborative pieces by myself and Cowgirl - Sarah Ahearn Bellemare.

When I first saw Sarah's work, my immediate reaction was "I want to create paintings like THAT." There is an evocative, playful, poetic quality to her work that continues to inspire and fascinate me. I was able to attend a day long session with Sarah at Squam last fall and discovered she is both a gifted artist AND instructor. Her teaching style encouraged spontaneous play, invention and a welcoming of the unexpected.

piece created by myself and Cowgirl using Sarah' s 2 minute prompt activity

Last Spring Sarah's book Painted Pages was published and it became my immediate go-to book for those times I need to recharge the creative batteries. It is also the inspiration behind the works Cowgirl and I created for this art marathon. So I am really excited to announce that one of this week's prizes is a copy of Sarah's book!









Sarah is also donating a print from her Etsy shop and she let me pick - not an easy task as I have 3 of her prints hanging on my walls, her calendar AND an original piece (did I mention I love her work?) - but it seems only fitting to offer this symbol of the fading summer season:

strawberry and pansies
6 x 6 inch print matted on 8 x 10 inch mat board
more information here

The final piece by Cowgirl and myself is inspired by some nocturnal visitors who augur the impending change of seasons ...

Owl Magic
6 x 6 inches mixed media on gesso board
(in honor of my mother who my father & I called "Owl"; she entered the hospital last Thursday night but should be coming home this week. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes.)

So here it is, our final giveaway! If you've already donated, then your name is in the hat to win. If you haven't made your donation yet, well ... what are you waiting for? Head on over to our pledge page and then be sure to either leave a comment here or email me: lishofmann(at)novia(dot)net. Be sure I know how to contact you in case you win.

The party ends this Friday, so get your comments in!

Congratulations to last week's winners: Hummingbird Joy: Amy; animal cards - Mandy; Pink Fox print - Kim.

joy-filled presence (august art bash & family celebrations)

We have been partying hard my friends. There has been much celebrating – balloons, cake, dancing and beaucoup arty goodness spilled across the table. We surpassed our initial goal and are working diligently towards our new goal of raising $1400 for Half the Sky foundation. There are two weeks left in this art marathon and each step, each painting, each and every donation matters.

But we haven’t forgotten this marathon is also a celebration of the connections and inspirations that have brought us to this place in our journey. And it seems fitting that this month-long festival of art and joy encompasses another significant celebration for today is the 5-year anniversary of our family.

Five years ago in an office complex in Guangzhou China I became a mother. The moment Cowgirl was placed in my arms my life set off on a new trajectory. To say she has profoundly altered my understanding of myself is an understatement. She has moved my heart and soul into closer alignment with my truth. She has tested me, challenged me, inspired, humbled, awed and yes, frustrated me beyond belief. But being her mother has cracked wide open the shell I had unconsciously built around my spirit and I am loving every minute of this wild and crazy ride.

My life has been the clichéd experience of “when the student is ready, the teacher will come.” Repeatedly the teachers I need for the lessons at hand have miraculously manifested in my life, in my dreams and in my meditations.

This week’s special guest I feel very blessed to have in my life as I consider her a guide and peer on this spiritual/creative journey. The first time I came upon Pixie Campbell’s blog and etsy shop, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. In my own practice I had been experimenting with sacred rituals - attuning to the insights and teachings of the natural world around me. My habit had been to turn to books, to experts and teachers to teach me how to listen and know myself. I was breaking away from that and felt a little “out there” until I found Pixie.
Through her writing, her painting and now in her SouLodge Pixie invites us all to tap into the wisdom that is our birthright as children of this earth. While she offers the example of her practices - sharing what has supported and guided her on her journey - she encourages us to look within ourselves and to trust our intuition and instincts.

And like all of the contributors to our party, Pixie is generously offering two prizes … and she let me pick them out! I knew immediately the first prize has to be her deck of 30 totem cards.

image courtesy of Pixie Campbell

for more info go here

I love and use this deck regularly. On the back of each card is her reading for that guide and each image is taken from an original work of art. I prop my card against my altar for daily inspiration.

The second prize from Pixie is a print and I struggled to decide which one to pick! In the end the image and the message of this critter seemed tailor made for the spirit of our party:

Pink Fox by Pixie Campbell

"She is the voice of the conversation taking place in our hearts right now."

full description found here

Meanwhile, Cowgirl and I were inspired this week by one of our favorite birds, the small but fearless hummingbird.

hummingbird pin i rediscovered!

This summer we were blessed to see many of these little warriors of joy while on vacation in Colorado. Their presence always reminds me to savor the delights of life which are all too fleeting, remembering that magic is available to one who seeks it out with passion and energy.

Our offering this week is Joy-Filled Presence

6 by 6 inches mixed media on gesso board

The all-important rules (how to enter to win): if you haven’t already done so, get thee to our Half the Sky pledge page and make a donation. If you’ve already donated, then you are automatically entered into the drawing for one of Cowgirl and my paintings. (Only one more painting to go after this week!)

To qualify for one of Pixie’s prizes you must have made a donation and either leave a comment here on or email me at: Lishofmann(at)novia(dot)net. Receive additional chances to win by blogging, tweeting, linking on facebook or any other means of helping us spread the word. Be sure to let me know in the comments or through email.

For more information about this art marathon and Half the Sky foundation, you can go here. To catch up on the last 3 weeks of partying madness you can peruse all entries here (or click the cute little button I made on the right hand sidebar!)

We will draw the names on Sunday night and post the winners next Monday, August 29 when we will announce our final week of prizes.

It has been a whirlwind of emotions and energy ... thank you all for your continued support, encouragement and enthusiasm! I am taking time to savor all these gifts of connection: family, friends, guides, and sparks of inspiration that brighten my world.

"Your beloved and your friends were once strangers. Somehow at a particular time, they came from the distance toward your life. Their arrival seemed so accidental and contingent. Now your life is unimaginable without them."

- John O'Donohue, from Anam Cara

our first night, 5 years ago in China

What is calling for your attention? What guardian or guide is assisting you presently? Who would you like to call on for support?

Update: Congratulations to all our winners from last week! Mourning Dove Love - Diana; Faith in her Path - Karen; Awakening - Meegan and Effy's journal - Esther. Your prizes will be sent out soon!

blessings ... for us all (52 photos project)

This week's prompt for 52 Photos Project had me thinking about the basics ... the foundation which lies underneath everything ... light, composition, contrast, and spirit, meaning, intention ...

For Solitude

May you recognize in your life the presence,
power, and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,
that your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of the
universe.

May you have respect for your individuality and
difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is
unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that behind the facade of your life
there is something beautiful and eternal happening.

May you learn to see your self
with the same delight,
pride, and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.
- John O'Donohue, from To Bless the Space Between Us

don't be shy (come on in!) - August Art bash continues

Are you having fun? Can I interest you in some fresh goat's milk cheese mixed with cranberries and horseradish? Lots of crackers to choose from and please, refill your glass! The bash continues and we have 3 more weeks of surprises and prizes to come.

Amazing to say, In two weeks time we surpassed our initial goal of raising $1000 for Half the Sky foundation. I am truly humbled and awestruck by the generosity and loving spirit of everyone here. Given there is still a lot of partying to come, I've raised our goal to $1400 just to make things interesting. You know, a little challenge is a good thing!

I want to introduce you to some special guests joining us this week. I am really excited to have these lovelies here as they both have been such dear friends, supporters and guides on this wild creative ride. They are the type of people you meet and instantly fall in love with. Open, honest, brave and inspiring in their quests to explore and share the healing power of art, they invite others to examine, question and challenge one's accepted notions about self, spirit, and creativity. They are both Wild Women answering the call of their intuition; through their art and writing they playfully encourage us to join them.

I first met Soraya Nulliah through Leah Piken Kolidas's Creative Every Day challenge. We both were somewhat new at blogging and uncertain about our place in this world. A comment here, a comment there and it felt like I was communicating with an old friend. A mother of a beautiful girl, Soraya has been a great source of support as I negotiate parenting a strong daughter while attempting to balance time for art, writing, family and spirit. On her blog she blends her life, her passions and a fierce commitment to raising awareness about the plight of women in India, her home country. Her paintings reflect the wisdom she had gained on her path and this week she is offering two archival prints as prizes for our party.

faith in her path 8 x 10 " matted
more info here
(i have a copy in my yoga room)

awakening to the fullness of herSELF 8 x 10 " matted

Our other special guest is the one woman band of art journaling - the effervescent, no punches pulled Effy Wild of Wild Precious Studio. I came to know Effy through Connie Hozvicka's 21 Secrets course and then more intimately when Effy embarked upon a vlog challenge. Her enthusiasm and zest for all she does will have you skipping along behind her. Yeah, Effy was the one who got me to make my first vlog! If you want a place to play, learn, connect and create with other equally passionate artists, I highly recommend (and hang out in) Wild Precious Studio where there are numerous groups offering up challenges, ideas, techniques for art journaling, mandalas, collage, and all matter mixed media. If you want to discover how art journaling is a tool for self recovery, healing and great joy then check out The Elements of Art Journaling course which she will be offering as a self guided version this November.

I was thrilled when Effy took my bait and agreed to create an altered journal especially for our party!

front view

back view

detail of cover

Mixed media altered composition book ready for use as a writing journal OR an art journal. Cover is made with artist quality materials. Knowing Effy, I imagine there is a lot of glitter and sparkle to this journal that the camera cannot capture. This is the same kind of journal we were guided to create for the Elements course. The pages can be glued together to reinforce them for art journaling or left as is and used as a journal for writing.

Finally, here is an offering from Cowgirl and myself:

mourning dove love 6 x 6 " mixed media on gessoboard

Mourning doves have been making their presence known in my neighborhood. As I walk the dog, they sit perched upon rooftops and their coos rain down upon me and bless us as we go. Their arrival always reminds me to take stock of my emotional life, considering what needs to be expressed and released. They remind me my comfort and security resides in a loving heart and family ties.

The quickie rules to enter: If you haven't already, make a donation on our pledge page (be sure to leave your name in the honor roll). If you have donated, then you are already entered to win one of the works by Cowgirl and myself. To enter your name into the pool to win Soraya's prints or Effy's journal, be sure to leave a comment on this post or email me: Lishofmann(at)novia(dot). Make sure I have a way to contact you should you win! One donation, a month's worth of prizes!

For the complete rules and information on Half the Sky foundation please check out week one of our party here.

Time for me to circulate ... do make some new friends, pull up a chair and lose yourself in conversation. How are you spending these final days of summer?








Congratulations to the winners of last week's prizes: Sylvia - "Penguin Family"; Jane and Angela - Sedona landscapes by Connie. Don't despair! Three more weeks of wonderful prizes and multiple chances to win!

invoking sacred spirit

The dwindling days of summer create a yearning to dive deeper in while there is still time. This weekend a wonderful confluence of opportunities allowed me to do just that.

Crazy to think I've been away from this spiritual oasis far too long:

Power of Love temple with Ganesh ceramic mural

Friday night I made the 45 minute pilgrimage to another world (crossing the swollen river - poetic implications beyond my skills at this moment) to attend a Havan or Vedic fire ceremony. A time to symbolically cleanse myself of accumulated negativity and put forth my prayers and intentions for this period of my life.



















It was a return to my spiritual roots, a chance to reaffirm my need for sangha or community and commit to returning more regularly. It was the night before the full moon and I left feeling lighter, clearer and resolved to reinvigorate my practices. On the return drive, I saw a shooting star just as I re-crossed the river which I took as confirmation of the rightness of my actions.

Earlier that day Cowgirl and I made prayer ties, a practice introduced to us through SouLodge. I chose fabrics from my mother's stash of quilting squares, settling upon colors reminiscent of the colors of the seven chakras. I took a little license using pink - the color that represents balance within all the chakras - inside of white for the crown center. We filled each bundle with tobacco and offered our prayers for the coming school season. We took turns making our offerings, then said our prayers together as I tied each one up.








Cowgirl knew immediately where our prayer garland should hang - in the tree above our fairy circle. And there our wishes and prayers dance in the late summer breeze.









Savoring all these moments, I took time today to continue with my 49 by 49 project. Each card is a meditation and celebration of the spirit guides, guardians, teachers who have presented themselves to me. I have 32 completed with a little over two months to finish the final 17. I am finding my awareness of my guides grows stronger every day. At times, it feels like they are queuing up to teach me!

top row: crow, lizard, horse
middle row: Kuan Yin, praying mantis, Hathor
bottom row: Durga, coyote, spider

This is what I love: weaving together familiar rituals and traditions with new practices; creating a kind of homemade spiritual stew that fills my soul and brings me home to myself.

What rituals or practices nurture you? I believe it's time to update our cookbooks.

time to reflect

I've noticed I have returned to photographing myself as a shadow or reflection. I catch myself standing by windows looking out but also looking in. And it makes sense to me as I feel I am standing at a threshold - or more accurately lingering by an opening - looking back at where I've been and feeling uncertain as to how I am to step forward.

Part of what is unsettling me emerged when I was considered this week's offering of a reflection for 52 photos project and the injunction to "get creative." Which I know was meant in a playful, encouraging sort of way but landed on surprisingly raw and tender ground for me.

I thought about reflections and despaired at my lack of enthusiasm to really explore this subject with my camera. I almost didn't participate. I just wasn't feeling the enthusiasm to bring forth something new and, well, creative. As if being creative is synonymous with being innovative, original and unique.

And I'm not feeling very unique these days.

Then it struck me - this is where I am right now: I'm done with trying to be creative. My journey isn't so much about discovering a creative self - as if such a self were a new species of exotic bird or monkey (even one that flings paint in an uninhibited way) - as it is coming to understand and befriend myself. I am tired of struggling, striving, mis-perceiving myself as needing to be something more or somehow different, as if a shinier, artier version of myself will make me feel better on the inside. What I need is to bring that inside out and love it and her to pieces. Heaping forgiveness, understanding, respect and appreciation for the me that has survived and thrived on this arduous journey that is life.

So maybe I am waiting to take that step forward because there is unfinished business to tend to within myself.

I've entered the SouLodge and ready to recommit to those practices that nurture and sustain me: meditation, time in nature, an attitude of gratitude for the bounty of gifts that lie scattered all around me but which I overlook as I gaze outward. It is time for some solitude and silence; and it is time to let myself get a little lost because I have spent far too long looking for a final destination. I am already there. I want to know it and yes, I just want to have some fun.

I am creative; life is creativity folding in upon itself. It is not something I need to work at as much as something I need to nourish with attention, commitment and patience. I am surrendering - yet again - to the flow that is my life. I am lighting a candle on my altar as an act of faith and trust in myself to awaken to the gifts that continually fall like ripe fruit into my lap. To comfortably own and express my gifts.

eggshell found on a great spirit walk this past weekend

My circle, my tribe, my family, mentors, teachers, spirit sisters - inspiration swirls all around me. But in the end the task is for me to turn within in order to shine more clearly. To live fully is to embody creativity. And I am beginning to suspect creativity is just an outward expression of Love.

fire spread; Week 5 of The Elements of Art Journaling

Over in Effy's place we've been pondering Fire this week. We explored what is burning within us and took that inquiry onto the page with some active arting to music. Devotion and surrender. They keep coming up for me ...

So excuse me, I'm closing the window, drawing the blinds and cranking up the music. Dancing my crazy dance and doing it for me and me alone. Well, me and perhaps Krishna who plays a mean flute.







Something is about to be cracked open. Until then, I may be a bit reclusive. Or quiet (I am always visual.)

But if you want words ... and you really need these words ... then take a listen to these broadcasts by poet/philosopher John O'Donohue. Just be prepared to have your life - your soul - cracked apart.

And be sure to watch this video - it will be the icing on the cake.








(Mel ... this one's for you ... I will meet you by the lake in the middle of the woods ... and I plan on skinny dipping!)

Don't forget to enter our giveaway this week: two original paintings by Connie Hozvicka of Dirty Footprints Studio and an original piece from me and Cowgirl. All the details are here.

this party's rockin'! (August Art Bash continues)

package from our special guest!

Confession time: In general I am not comfortable at parties, never mind hosting them. And I almost talked myself out of this one with the usual excuses: I'm too busy; everyone else is too busy; and the mack daddy fear - no one will show up or really care.

Thank you all for showing us just how much you do care! And for reminding me that when I listen to my heart and act in accordance to its wisdom, then anything is possible. We are just dollars from our stated goal of $1000 for Half the Sky Foundation! I am truly speechless. The generosity, the support, and the outpouring of pure love and joy from all of you has left me with a massive case of the warm fuzzies.

And the party has just got started! It is fitting that our special guest this week is the person who inspired me to live my creative life with arms wide open, welcoming and surrendering to all that it has to teach me. In 2010 Fearless was my guiding principle and thanks to the magic of serendipity, I stumbled upon the first ecourse - Art Journal Love Letters - from the joy -filled

Dirty Footprints Studio

the home of Connie Hozvicka or Connie Cakes as I like to call her. I don't have a picture of myself with Connie - yet! But come October I will be painting alongside her and 11 members of her Fearless Painting tribe when we gather for the retreat Total Alignment in Sedona Arizona.








Connie is the creator of Fearless Painting, an intuitive process based approach to creativity which has blown open my world in so many ways. In Connie's courses Big and Deep I was guided to open myself to my intuition, learning to trust that voice and allow it to take me deeper into both my art and more importantly, my life. I have journals filled with the insights I received through the process of painting fearless. But the greatest gift Connie has given me - and anyone who watches her videos or journeys with her through her courses - is an immense passion for the creative act. And a strong belief in one's ability to tap into vast pools of inspiration.









Actually, two words conjure up Connie - Passion and Abundance. Connie's love of what she does and her belief in the power of creative expression to transform ourselves and our world resulted in a bounty of programs online including her free workshop Total Alignment which just opened this month. If you haven't heard about it, check it out here and in this video (warning: she will have you immediately driving to the art supply store, piling your basket full of goodies and painting before you get out the door!)








The abundance of her creativity is being showered upon this party as Connie has generously donated two original paintings as prizes:













These paintings measure 14 by 17 inches and are acrylic on paper (vellum bristol?) and they are landscapes of Sedona Arizona painted on the summer solstice, so they have gobs of good juju radiating from them.

paintings and photograph courtesy Connie Hozvicka

This week Cowgirl and I focused our work upon one of her favorite creatures, the penguin. Whenever we go to the zoo she likes to stand in front of the penguin display and point out which penguin she is and which penguin is me and her dad and Moose dog. (Usually I am the large, slow looking penguin!) We are very happy to be sharing our love of penguins by offering our Penguin Family for this week's giveaway:

6 x 6 inches mixed media on gesso board

Brief but important recap of how to enter: if you have already made a donation to our pledge page, then your name is entered into the drawing for Penguin Family. To be eligible to win one of Connie's paintings you must also leave us either a comment here or email me at Lishofmann(at)novia(dot)net. Help us spread the word and receive additional entries into the drawing (just be sure to leave a comment telling us what you did: blog, facebook, tweet ...) For the longer spiel on rules, entering and about Half the Sky Foundation, check out week one of the party here.

And for fun, let us know your best party hosting tips or tricks. Cowgirl has a birthday coming, so any support for this party-phobic mom will be appreciated!

Okay, I've refilled the dip and chips, punch bowl is replenished so go forth and enjoy!

Congratulations to our winners from week one: Donna - Duck Love, Liz - Susannah's photo pack, Mel & Tracy - prints by Marisa. Emails were sent, so be sure to verify your mailing address so we can get your goodies to you!