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!  

"Music in Art"-- My first show as curator!

My husband Paul and I are curating our first show together at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery in Alexandria!  Can't believe opening night is only a few days away!  The show opens June 7th and runs through June 30th.

We chose the theme "Music in Art" not only because the two go hand in hand, but because Paul is an artist AND a musician!  Much of his art reflects these two passions!  I on the other hand, am a music appreciator, not a musician!  Embracing this theme has been fun, but a little more of a stretch for me.  I am looking forward to seeing how the other artists interpret this them and explore the relationship between art and music.  

Curating our first show has been a great learning experience for both of us. We have gotten to do everything from writing up the press release, newsletter article, and call for entry to designing and mailing the postcards to choosing, hanging, and arranging the artwork.  Somehow we have managed to do all this while still taking care of our family, working our full-time jobs, and creating our own artwork for the show.  

It seems the process of creating our artwork revealed a bit of our personalities.  Paul focused with laser-like intensity on his one new masterpiece.  He went over the top with his attention to detail as he hand cut, sculpted, and painted a huge cardboard rendition of Jazz Legend Jelly Roll Morton.  I tended to be more scattered and free-form, working on 6 different paintings at a time.  I would start one piece and when I got to a point where I wasn't sure how to proceed, I started another.  Eventually, I finished all 6.

Here is a sneak peek…more to come soon!

Joyful Journey Affirmations!

This series was inspired by the return to my own artful journey and a series of photos I did with my daughters.  This school year, I found myself coming full circle to resume a journey I began several years ago.  I knew then that I wanted to center my life around art and creativity and the same is true now.  Although I am currently working in a full time job that is not art related, I committed myself to resuming my journey and creating an artful life for me and my family.  Lucky for me, my husband and two daughters are on artful journeys of their own--it's so wonderful we can share this passion!  

The first piece in this series is "find your path" which is what I am trying to do (aren't we all?), while maintaining some sort of balance.  In order to find your path, you have to get out there and search!  You may have to try several different paths before finding the one that is right for you!  This image was based on my daughter Autumn who loves an adventure and a photo shoot we did in the woods.

The second piece is "climb your mountain." For me, this piece offered encouragement.  Despite the roadblocks, obstacles, and detours, you can do it--keep going!  You can and will climb your mountain and reach the top! This image was based on my new hiking boots and the mountains and glaciers I planned to (and did) climb in Iceland and beyond.

The third piece in this series is "make a splash." This piece was created to remind myself that when it rains (or when things don't go as planned), don't get discouraged…pull on your boots and go "make a splash!"  Don't take yourself or life too seriously.  Go play, have fun, jump in a puddle! You can still be "sunny" in the midst of a storm. The image was based on photos I took of my daughters jumping in puddles and playing in the rain.

The fourth piece is "jump for joy!" Don't worry…after the rain, sunshine and summer are just around the corner!  It's time to take off your shoes and "jump for joy!"  All the hard work you put into this journey will be rewarded!  The flowers will bloom and so will you!  It's time to celebrate!  This image was based on my daughter Zoe who loves to dance and jump for joy!

Hope these affirmations will be helpful to you on your journey!

Ocean Affirmations!

Here are some new minis I created to go with my "be a star" collage in "Cloth Paper Scissors" magazine!  Each beach inspired piece has an ocean inspired affirmation!  I am trying to practice these affirmations in my daily life..."listen to your whispers," "be open to possibility," "share your treasure," and "be a star!"  The beach has always been a source of healing and inspiration for me!  Hope you enjoy--see you at the beach!