mystical animals and alchemy

One of the most influential teachers I've had is Wendy Ellerton. it is an understatement to say we were meant to meet. the number of stars that had to align in order for me to take her 2-day workshop would fill a galaxy. and my only regret is that i didn't spend the 3rd day with her. make an opportunity to learn with her. Wendy brings to life mythical creatures and beings from thin air...she crafts legends and stories of these beings, then creates the image using wire and leather and felt and wood and stones, and whatever else the piece asks her for. she is a calm, certain person, who is more than generous with her time, knowledge, and materials. i am smitten by both her creatures and by her. all this being said...following my workshop with her, i began a bold sculpture of a 6-foot tall CrowWoman. Crows being one of my totem animals, it was just right. the work began fast and furious, but a funny thing happened...my hands became inspired by that work and took side trips through some amazing opportunities and growth and work that i am quite pleased with. but CrowWoman stands as she did 2 1/2 years ago, watching over the studio with just her breastpiece and some feathers and half of a beak. fast forward. it has been a very very long time since i have created art...yes, i have made some jewelry that is definitely wearable art. but Art with a capital "A" has eluded me...the flow of my energy and attention span has been more on the "ebb" side for almost a year, and a date with my pillow has been more compelling than a date with my dremel tool and paints. till last weekend. i took a drive looking for an open house. it rained last sunday like the sky was getting paid by the bucket. pull-over-don't-drive kind of rain. but i drove for 2 hours looking for a street i never found. that i have since found, and it was right under my nose. meanwhile, i made a stop at a shop near this street, and my favorite WiseWoman was working. our conversation ignited me. i tossed the open house idea, came home and began working on CrowWoman II ... a much much smaller version. an 8" version. and i cannot tell you the joy that has returned...the tuned-in, locked-and-loaded, ready for artMuse, endorphin flooding zone this CrowWoman has inspired. for whatever reason, my attention span has shortened - in work, in art, in general. it has become difficult for me to concentrate on one thing for very long, and that was where my frustration was blocking the ArtFlow. and i have learned now that i must think smaller, quicker, if i want to finish a piece. this may change. it may not. but it is what it is, and i am so very grateful for this insight and for the art that does flow. now, back to Wendy. this morning i decided that, despite being backlogged at work, i would not let my spreadsheets steal any more of my time this week. i stayed home, woke up as usual at dark o'clock, and spent those wee dark hours relaxing, thinking, ruminating....letting the art come forth. and it has. in no small part due to Wendy's instruction, and her "way." when i get stuck in the middle of a sculpture, i picture her standing back, tilting her head and saying "well i think this one is wanting to be..." so my points are this: 1) you never know how far your words will travel, and how much influence they will have...choose them carefully, for good or bad. 2) never ever give up on your art 3) listen to your body...it knows what it needs, and swimming against that current Will Not Work. 4)if you teach...give it all...don't hold anything back...your teachings will grow and birth new things which will repeat the process over and over in those that you teach, and again as they pass it on. if it is your Purpose, then do it righteously and authentically and without fear of "competition." 5) your life will be immeasurably enriched by taking a workshop with Wendy Ellerton...whether you plan to work 3-dimensionally afterward or not. 6) if there was anything else in this post that sounded Ah-Ha to you, then I meant it to be there. *smile*