Last Fall, I attended an art workshop with Jeanne Oliver at her beautiful studio in Castle Rock. Jeanne is a remarkable woman who is funny, generous, kind, and has the sweetest soul. I walked away from the experience with a full heart and incredibly inspired. So, when Jeanne reached out to me to teach an art class for her creative network, I didn’t have to think twice. Absolutely!

However, the day came when I had to start creating the class, and I just stood in my studio without a single spark of an idea. Jeanne and I had talked about touching upon my life in the performing arts, but every idea and sketch I came up with didn't seem to ignite a single spark.

So, I decided to think like a dancer. I turned on my music and a beautiful song by Nina Simone started to play - a spark! Finally! I would create a class inspired by women in the performing arts. There are so many creative directions that you could take from this subject - their history, their art, their music, and even who or what inspired them as artists. The possibilities are endless, and that is what we need to get started as creatives, just the inkling of an idea to open the gateway to creativity.

This class will touch upon some of my favorites female singers, dancers, and choreographers, along with room to explore. And, like most art classes, there will be a variety of techniques, color exploration, and step by step lessons that you can use in your work. I have also included a little music to stir your soul.

In the class, I will share concepts from classical dance and music that you can bring to your creative practice - concepts like, preparation, practice, repetition, theme and variation, storytelling, and symbolism to name a few. We will draw, paint, and explore beautiful stories that will inspire you to create.

As I created each lesson with intention, I worked to stay very open and allowed the class to evolve in the direction that it needed to go. I even reworked a couple of lessons two and three times until I "found the work," which seemed to expose more of who I am as an artist. If I'm honest, I experienced feelings of vulnerability while creating the class, but, I believe that is the only way to create in order to share work that is truly me. Not to say that my other art classes are not me, they most definitely are and I always feel a bit vulnerable before launching the class. But, as I continue to work as an artist and teacher, I’ve learned that I must bring to light more of who I am in order to grow and create from an authentic place.

I hope you will join me for front row seats for my new class, Les Femmes. You can register at Jeanne Oliver's creative network here

xo

Renee