Call me your "summer accountability art coach"

There is still two weeks before this virtual opportunity starts.  

Called "a workshop"- it technically is just an online check-in, so you can do it from anywhere that you have access to Zoom. You only need to take notes the first meeting, June 15 at 7pmEST. You get your own materials and make your own hours.

How it works:

I will start you off with tips and tricks to setting up a studio practice that will help you complete a series of work. By walking you through handy steps and thought process, I will set you on the course with a weekly mantra. 

Once a week, Tuesday's at 7pm you will check in with me and we will discuss issues like time management, frustrations and any other blockages you may be suffering. If you miss a session, it will be recorded and available to check out when you can. You will work on your own during the week towards your individual goal. I just keep you on track by being there, to check in and ask how we, as a group, can support you.

 

In the end we have an opportunity to celebrate our successes with an exhibit of our work together through the MidHudson Arts Council in Poughkeepsie NY. 

This is a great opportunity if you want to get some art done, but know that a summer calendar can be like a run-away train. Together we will carve out time to focus, decide on a realistic scope for your series and you will create works that you will be proud of. 

Signing up soon at www.artsmidhudson.org/workshops  Registration ends in about a week.

Cost $100 -$115 for ages 16+

Classrooms aren't the only place to learn by L. Pearson

The secret to staying young is to stay curious. And there are so many ways to keep that fire alive in your kids. Here is an article by Laura Pearson about finding new pathways to educating kids in the world. Laura Pearson is passionate about teaching the younger generation. Edutude was built to share resources on how to keep children engaged and in love with learning. 

The pandemic revealed the importance of being able to master learning remotely. With that in mind, the following ideas can excite, engage, and instill a love of learning in children of all ages. 

 In the Backyard The best classroom in the world doesn’t have a single wall, and you have access to it right now. Plan to allow your children to spend some time learning under the sun. This might include anything from growing your own garden to collecting rocks and minerals that are unique to your area. From your own backyard, your children will also be able to bear witness to wildlife -- just be sure they know how to do so safely. Backyard birdwatching, an activity condoned by the Audubon Society, is one fun way to do this. A pair of binoculars, a camera, and a notebook are all the kids need to get started with backyard birding. Another example of outdoor activity that doubles as an educational opportunity is gardening. Gardening offers a unique opportunity to witness plant life grow from seedling to sustainable food source or habitat for your local bee population. Additionally, gardening teaches life skills such as responsibility, creativity, and self-confidence.

Hands-on Activities Even the youngest member of your family can get in on the learning, and educational toys that teach problem-solving, communication, and executive functioning skills are an excellent way to educate babies and toddlers. Educational toys do not have to be expensive, and even something as simple as blocks or a toy phone can enhance your children’s ability to learn without having to sit at a desk to do so. Teens can also learn fundamental skills without a textbook. Science can be taught in the kitchen, and social responsibility is something that older kids can easily learn by getting out of the house and volunteering. You can also teach budgeting, and many banks offer special accounts just for pre-driving-aged students. These and other activities geared toward early teenagers may even help them take their mind off of the turmoil that is middle school.

Educational Excursions If you’re not particularly creative, it may be a bit more difficult for you to think of educational activities for the kids. Fortunately, you do not have to, and there are plenty of places that cater to inquiring minds, all you have to do is get them there. Children’s museums that make a great day or overnight excursion, depending on where you live, include: ● Children’s Museum, Indianapolis ● Boston Children’s Museum, Boston ● The Strong, Rochester ● Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore A few excellent zoos that can also elevate your educational endeavors include: ● San Diego Zoo, San Diego ● Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Powell, Ohio ● Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington ● Bronx Zoo, New York What we all want for our children is for them to be excited about learning. This may or may not happen in the classroom, but you can bet that it will happen when they are engaged outside of it. From gardening to taking a museum tour, there are many ways to educate your children, and there’s no reason not to explore them all.

Make Art this Summer with an Accountability Coach

Are you frustrated with not getting to the studio? Do you need help and a plan to make some art over this summer? Are you stuck? Are you currently in a hard place and need some light? Are you confused and trying to find a creative style? Do you have ideas but lack the discipline to show up for them?

Well- perhaps it is time to Show up for the Muse with me via Zoom!!! • Show up each week for 6 weeks • All Media artists are welcome! • Once a week Zoom to check in on your progress • Email support at any time • Exhibition at end of session at ArtsMidHudson

We can do this together! I have been teaching art to all age groups for the last 26 years and have learned that making art is possible for everyone if they just show up. The challenges in life cost all of us time and space, but I am living proof that an art practice can lift you, like a life raft, through turbulent times and it can enrich your participation in the good times. Just a few years ago my marriage was crumbling. I was sitting at the bedsides of two dear dying friends and my father-in-law was degenerating into Dementia. On top of it, my children were leaving home as adults. The feeling of loss and lack was almost unbearable. By a miracle, and through a daily gratitude list, I was able to see my way to the studio. Not expecting to be able to do much, I focused on one thing, the color orange! I painted with that color until the tube emptied. Have you ever looked at an apple (the same apple) for 30 days and tried to see it differently? It is a classic art lesson that forces you to go beyond the physicality of the subject. Certain parameters on your art can actually push you to see through to a liberating perspective. I learned so much about seeing the world when I tried to paint the greens of summer in Pyrole orange! Ever since, I have been showing up every day to paint my way to health and happiness. I have seen firsthand how a daily art practice can transform a life.

Some of each series can be seen on my website: www.tillystudio.com. Now I am passionate about helping others find their way through the challenging times, and even the best of times, by showing up for the Muse. Doing anything for 40 days, and there is historic proof that it will change you!

The details! Go from feeling cloudy to clarity As your accountability coach, I will inspire discipline to the creation of at least 6, and possibly up to 40, works of art! Sign up through www.ArtMidHudson.org , under summer workshops $100.00 per person AMH Members and $115.00 per person non-members This is a virtual class. Our weekly zoom sessions will be on Tuesdays, June 15, 22, 29, July 6, 13, 20; 7pm-8pm You will be guided each week through goal setting, series synthesis, time management, handling challenges, chronicling insights, and of course-celebrating successes! The class participants will be your new support group and I will be available for email support as well. We have a group exhibit opportunity at the MidHudson Arts Gallery in Poughkeepsie!! Expect bonus PDF resources and downloads as well as links to other artists and stories of working in a series. Are you ready to show up? Working in a series has many benefits. It is a tool to process an event, emotion, and even relationships. If you do anything for 40 days it will change your life! Sign up at www.artsmidhudson.org Questions: tillystudio@aol.com Let’s show up together!

Successfull studio tour has me feeling inspired to help you create a series too

 It's been a whirlwind of fun and socializing since we opened our doors to the studio a week ago!

My Pa- Julian in his gallery of kinetic scrap sculptures

Me- Getting a quick break from the mask

My niece Natalie demonstrating her painting technique in the Operating room

Michael in some heated conversation with a fellow artist

My nephew Ian pondering the next step in his cardboard creation

I am amazed by the love and support that came gushing forth from the local scene as well as from family and friends from afar. People came from Brooklyn and Albany, Poughkeepsie and Hartford!! There were fantastic conversations and brief exchanges of possible future dates to gather again. Each one of us with work in the barn had at least one sale. I feel joyous and emotional at the memory of it.

Many of the visitors were curious about the process of creating a series of work, like my "Conversation with Trees During Lockdown"  series, and I will be offering, through Artsmidhudson.org a workshop this summer for those who want a coach to push them through the creation of a 6 week series. 

The class will consist of a group zoom session one evening each week, for 6 weeks. I will guide you through planning and executing a body of work. You will get lots of support, such as downloadable information and exposure to artists who use the series process well. There is also a bonus of an exhibition at the end of the 6 weeks at the MidHudsonArts gallery in Poughkeepsie! 

More in my next post. But please spread the word! Thank you