Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Colorful New Year!

"Artful Affirmations" © for the HoliDAZE and the gift of PRESENCE!

The holidays are a busy time of year and we often get so caught up in the flurry of activities that we forget to pause, to breathe, to practice being in the present moment.  This holiday season, I challenge you to give the "gift of presence."  By giving your loved ones, your friends, your family, your neighbor, co-worker, or even a stranger your time and full attention (even just for a moment), you are giving them the "gift of presence."  You are saying to them "you matter," "I am listening," "I understand,"  "I value you."  You are showing them love, compassion, connection, and validation.  What better gift can one receive? 

The "gift of presence" is a gift you can give to yourself as well!  Not only will you feel satisfied, connected, fulfilled when you give this gift to others, but when you give this gift to yourself, you will feel centered, grounded, grateful.  Try to pause for a moment here and there throughout your busy HoliDAZE.  Instead of going full speed ahead, multi-tasking to the max on auto-pilot and wandering around in a daze, slow down and be aware of your surroundings, your feelings, the moment.  Sneak in some quiet time to read or reflect.  Give yourself permission to drop something off your "to do" list.  Unplug from the internet, TV, etc. and reconnect with yourself, your family, your loved ones in person.

Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting another monthly art workshop, "Artful Affirmations" © for the HoliDAZE and the gift of PRESENCE!  During this workshop, we focused on the importance of being present in the moment as we created visual reminders of our intentions for the holidays.  It was a fun, festive evening of friendship and creativity.  Thank you to Anne Marie, Jaci, Kathy, Carrie, and Melissa for giving me the gift of your presence and creating such unique and wonderful "Artful Affirmations" ©.

In an effort to follow my own advice, I am going to try and remain off-line as much as possible during the holidays, so I can better focus on the present moment and the miracles that surround me.  Merry Christmas! xxoo  ~jackie

Student artwork by: Carrie, Kathy, Jaci, Anne Marie, and Melissa

Wonderful Weekend Retreat!

I recently returned from my first job as retreat facilitator!  It was a truly amazing experience and another dream come true!  About 7 years ago when I was a counselor running my personal growth group,  "Mother Nurture," friend and yoga instructor Karen Jaynes and I first talked about hosting a retreat where participants could nurture their mind, body, and spirit through yoga, art, meditation, massage, etc.  I am so happy and grateful to Karen for making it happen!

I created and taught the "Artful Affirmations for Living Your Yoga On & Off the Mat" Workshop, specifically designed for the theme of this retreat.  I chose the lotus blossom as a symbol of growth and transformation, providing inspiration for our project.

Ten beautiful souls attended my workshop.  We had a wonderful morning together sharing our journeys, playing with paint & paper, creating and expressing in a meaningful way.  Though everyone  started with a lotus flower,  each piece turned out so unique and each message was powerful and personal to the individual.  It was a truly moving experience!

Not only did I enjoy teaching my first Retreat Workshop, I enjoyed serving others, practicing yoga, going on nature hikes, eating healthful meals, attending holistic workshops, participating in a full moon bonfire ceremony, and most of all--connecting with like minded people both on and off the mat!  The only regret I have is not booking a massage when I had the chance.  Next time, I am definitely working that into my schedule!

I left the retreat feeling exhausted and exhilarated at the same time.  Though the retreat was a lot of work, it was well worth it.  I feel blessed and honored to have spent the weekend in such great company and with people sharing their gifts, their time, and their passion.  I look forward to doing it again in the near future!  We are hoping to host another retreat in Spring 2014 and will keep you posted.  Until we meet again, Namaste!

New Artist at the Artful Gift Shop!

Hi, just wanted to let you know that there is a new artist at the Artful Gift Shop!  I am happy to announce that my meeting yesterday with owner Peggy James went very well and I am now an Artful Gift Shop Artist!  I have several pieces for sale in the shop ranging in size from 4"x4" to
12" x12."  If you are in Vienna, VA please stop by!  The shop is located on Church Street and carries all kinds of unique gifts from local artists--cards, jewelry, soaps, artwork, and more!

The Artful Gift Shop

Wish Granted!

Wish Granted!

This weekend I celebrated my birthday with family.  In addition to being showered with artful gifts:  photo lights, gift cards for art supplies, money for Bloom True art e-course (thank you to my loving & supportive family), something totally unexpected and amazing happened!  My birthday wish came TRUE in under an hour!

I've wished on birthday candles since I was a little girl and some wishes came true, others didn't.  But I have never had a wish been granted so quickly!  When blowing out my candles, I wished that someone would buy the two "artful avenue" paintings I had in the Del-Ray-Geous art show.  I knew the show was closing this weekend and as of Thursday evening, nobody had bought either painting.  

I made my wish around 8:00 p.m. on Friday and around 9:00 p.m.,  I received a congratulatory email from the curators of the show saying that BOTH of my pieces had SOLD!  WOW--those must have been some strong wishes and powerful candles!  To top it off, when we went to the closing reception yesterday, we found out that my daughter Zoe made her first sale!  Congratulations Zoe and thank you Dawn and Maxine!  Hope your wishes come true!  Gotta remember where I bought those candles!

Celebrating Autumn Abundance!

May the beauty and abundance of autumn surround you!  This is an amazing time of year and my personal favorite.  You can't help but notice the abundance of natural beauty as the leaves change from green to bright yellow, vibrant orange, and rich crimson or how the sun casts a warm, soft glow in the afternoon sky. I am choosing to focus on abundance this autumn.  I am inviting abundance into my life and enjoying and appreciating life's fullness and richness!  I am celebrating the abundance of autumn with walks through the woods, time with my family, cooking and creating!  I hope you will join me!

Del-Ray-Geous Weekend!

Del-Ray-Geous Opening Weekend!

Thanks to Lesley and Dawn for curating a great show and hosting an awesome opening night! The Del-Ray-geous Show runs from October 4-27 at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery in Del Ray, Alexandria.

Closing reception and awards take place October 27, 3-6pm.  I have two mixed media pieces in the show, "Artful Avenue 1" and "Artful Avenue 2!"  Be sure to vote if you come by!

Art on the Avenue Artist Demonstration!

I truly enjoyed my first time doing a live painting demonstration!  I've painted in front of students before when I've taught classes. I paint in front of my family and friends on a regular basis.  But this was the first time I've ever painted in front of a huge crowd of friendly strangers!  It was a sunny, hot October day in Del Ray and hundreds of people showed up to partake in the Art on the Avenue festivities!  I demonstrated painting and collage, showing whoever was interested how I create my "Artful Avenues." I had fun chatting with everyone who stopped by my tent and especially loved engaging the children who were oh so happy to help me cut out windows and doors for my colorful buildings!  I would definitely do this again!

Artful Avenues!

Join me at the Del Ray Artisans this Friday, October 4th from 7-10 pm for the Opening Reception of "Del-Ray-geous"!  This show celebrates the fun, unique, and art-rageous personality of the Del Ray neighborhood!  I have two mixed media pieces in the show, "Artful Avenue 1" and "Artful Avenue 2!"   I will also be doing an "artist demonstration" from 2-3 pm in front of the Del Ray Artisan Gallery at Del Ray's huge annual art event, "Art on the Avenue!"  Hope to see you this weekend! 

Dreams Set Sail in September!

Now that we are back into the school routine of September, it's time to let our "dreams set sail!"

I am happy to announce that some of my dreams are setting sail this fall!

The BIGGEST of these, is that I will be teaching an Art Workshop "Artful Affirmations," at the AWY Yoga Retreat in November!  I have always dreamt of hosting and/or teaching at a retreat.  My friend Karen and I first talked about hosting a retreat several years ago, back in my "Mother Nurture"days as as a counselor.  Karen has graciously organized this entire retreat and brought me aboard--thank you Karen! The theme of the retreat is "living our yoga on and off the mat."  The link is below.  Hope you can join us!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/AWY-RETREAT---Living-Our-Yoga-On---Off-the-Mat.html?soid=1102243211943&aid=eYJGcnH0nHo

I am also happy to announce the return of my monthly "Create & Celebrate" art parties!
These parties are a great way to connect with yourself, your creativity, and your friends!
I provide all materials, and instruction--you provide the snacks and drinks.  For $45, it's a great way to spend an evening!  To register, please contact me at jackietury@gmail.com.

September art party: "Dreams set sail"
Saturday, September 21st, 7-10 pm

October art party: "Autumn glow"
Saturday, October 5th, 7-10 pm

November art party: "Artful affirmations for living our yoga on & off the mat"
Saturday, November 16th, AWY Yoga Retreat (see above link)

Summer Full of Artful Inspirations!

I can't believe summer is almost over!  Where did the time go?  Although I didn't create much art this summer (only 5 new pieces), I did spend a lot of time taking in the natural beauty of my surroundings, enjoying adventures with my family, trying new things and exploring new places.  I spent the summer wandering with an open heart and artful eye--gathering inspiration for future projects along the way!  Hope you enjoy my meanderings and that you also had a summer full of artful inspirations!  Looking forward to putting my ideas to canvas!

Summer started with "letting go" and the combination of "thrill and fear" rising to the challenges of Ziplining and Rollercoaster Riding!

Next stop, the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  The beach always makes me feel better.  I love the ever-changing sea and sky…the vast openness and the great energy of the ocean!

Sunsets and Moonrises became nightly rituals with vibrant colors and magical glows.

One of our summer traditions is a fun family photo shoot at this gorgeous sunflower garden...sunflower sisters!

Our New England Road Trip  provided lots of inspiring views from rocky coasts and beautiful beaches to lighthouses, whales, sailboats, harbors and more.

Summer Sea Series!

Summer Sea Series!  Each mixed media collaged painting is 12"x12" 

Ahhh…summer! Lazy afternoons reading on the back porch, extra time with my children and family, trips to the beach to play in the ocean!  After the successful completion of the "Music in Art" show, I am more than ready to relax into summer!  The first thing on my summer "to do" list was to get a stack of good books for summer reading.  I started with "Language of Flowers" and loved this book so much, it will be hard to top.  The next thing on my list was to create a new Sea themed series based on the "dream big" whale I painted last summer.  I painted a new "dream big" whale and added a mermaid "reach for the stars," a fish "dare to be different," and a snail "go at your own pace."  I hope to take this series down to the beach with me, which is next on my list!   As always, if you are interested in purchasing one of my colorful artful affirmations just send me an email at jackietury@gmail.com.  Happy summer!

"Music in Art"-- Show is in Full Swing!

Opening night was a huge success despite the rain!  The highlights for me were:

1) Having everyone blown away by Paul's 3-d masterpiece(s).

2) Turning around at the end of the night and seeing a red dot next to one of my paintings "Girl on Fire!"  SOLD--so exciting! 

3) Both of my daughters having art in the show--and selling some of their pieces too. So great to have my whole family working together not only to curate the show, but to participate in it as well! 

4) Chatting with a nice couple who ended up writing an article about the show and about our family, calling us the "First Family of Art!" Thanks James for the great press!  Check out his articles in the Examiner! 

 http://www.examiner.com/article/del-ray-artisans-have-mighty-good-show-for-june-2013

http://www.examiner.com/article/paul-and-jackie-tury-first-family-of-art-at-del-ray-artisans?cid=db_articles

5) Talking with all the other DRA artists and hearing how music influenced their art!  

6) Getting a surprise visit from family and friends--thanks Scott, Elena, Charlotte, Chris, Nancy, John, and Laurie!  

Even better than this night of fun and surprises was the day my husband Paul and I took off work to hang the show!  This was our first time curating a show and we weren't sure what to expect.  We had quite a collection of submissions.  Everything from jewelry to glasswork, collage, sculpture, paintings, pastels, landscapes, abstracts, and mixed media.  In some pieces the connection to music was obvious in others it was more of an essence or energy.  We tried to group pieces in the way that made the most sense to us visually.  Luckily we were on the same page and the result was a fun, creative, harmonious day of hanging art and producing a show that brings the spirit of "Music in Art" to life!  I love that Paul and I were able to share this experience together--so meaningful and satisfying!  Paul is my "Music in Art!"  So proud of what we've accomplished together!  Hope this is just the beginning of what's to come!

Thanks to everyone who has helped us with our curating debut!  We appreciate all of your support and couldn't have done it without you! 

The show still has a couple weeks left!  Come on out and see "Music in Art" for yourself!