IVY NEWPORT

Studioworks

Journal
a letter from ivy

Dear creative friends,

Welcome to Issue #8 of the StudioWorks Journal! I hope you honored, witnessed and celebrated your creative growth last month! It feels good to acknowledge our wings spreading and our courage blooming. This month, as a natural progression of growth, let us dive into exploring creative transformation and embracing our creative alchemy! For truly, as artists, we are constantly working with metamorphosis – from a white page to vivid color, from stillness to motion, from dreams to manifestation. As creators, we are in a perpetual state of flux. We are powerful in our ability to transform!

xo,

How the Studioworks Journal unfolds…

So you may be wondering, where do I start? To that, I say, wherever feels right to you. Each month we will have a theme, a creative affirmation, a power word, a color palette, sketchbook exercises, art projects, articles, recommended reading and access to wonderful inspiration and resources. I want you to think of this as a delicious new magazine, you know the ones you occasionally splurge on, with soft, velvety pages, beautiful images and inspiring content!

Each issue will invite you to explore your creative practice in whichever way works for you. Experience each issue at your own pace. Take what resonates with you and put the rest aside for another time.

Grab a cup of something lovely and dive in.

AUGUST THEME

Art & Alchemy

Just for a minute, I want you to imagine a mighty sorceress. She stands in her power. Back straight. Head held high. Her outstretched hands reaching up into the stars. Her palms hold glowing, spheres of light. She is a conduit between this world and the next. She draws energy to her and wields it with grace. A white space is before her. Empty and waiting. With one hand she touches the surface. Color blooms from her fingertips. Suddenly the expanse of nothing becomes something. Forms and lines and shapes flow and meld and shift. She stirs the images. Some fall away. Others rise. Her heart pounds and her eyes brim with tears.

She steps back and witnesses what she has created.

This, my friends, is what WE DO! We are that sorceress! We are that powerful! We pour the magic of our expression, our soul, our emotions into the alchemical process of making ART!

Others may think art is just putting some paint on a canvas, or copying what you see into a sketchbook but we know better, don’t we?

Art is a transformative act. Engaging in our creativity will, guaranteed, change how you feel, how you live, how you exist on this planet. Whether you paint, draw, sing, dance, write, cook, garden – you are embracing one of the most powerful and divine gifts we have been given – the power to CREATE. To make something from nothing. To change what is before us and within us.

Alchemy, historically, often refers to the practiced science of attempting to change lead into gold. Lead is cold, lifeless, dull. Lead is stagnant, lead is heavy. Leaden is a heart with no joy. Leaden is a life with no magic. A blank page is the same. It tells us nothing. It bears no story, no depth, no passion.

Creation is the gold. The shimmering element. The treasured act is that of breathing life into something that was once empty. Art is gold. Art adds the gilded edge to our life. A sparkling plane that reveals our own inner magic and infinite, glittering facets. Our stories, our dreams, our pain, our joy – this is the brilliance of us. Art allows these things, these precious gemstones, to spill over and fill our world with that which words cannot express. This is the alchemy of Art.

When you approach the canvas, that blank expanse of nothing. Remember that you wield an incredible power to invent, imagine, design, and yes, destroy within that space. Have faith in this power.

Your brushes are your wands, your paints – your magic potions, your endless imagination – your spellbook! Engage in your alchemy. Embrace the transformations you are capable of. Seek the changes your soul desires most. Turn lead to gold – for you are an alchemist.

Art & Alchemy

by : Ivy Newport

“Alchemy, at its root, is the transformation of self.”
– Unknown

WORD OF THE MONTH

Alchemy 
the process of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary, sometimes in a way that cannot be explained.

Synonyms – magic, sorcery, enchantment, magical transformation, transmutation

This word has typically been seen in medieval chemistry and is the word used for the supposed science of transmutation of base metals into silver or gold. However, it’s roots go back much further to Greek and Egyptian ties. It may be related to an old name for Egypt (Khemia, literally “land of black earth,” found in Plutarch’s work), or from the Greek word khymatos “that which is poured out.”

As mentioned before, artists are alchemists – creating and transforming in the act of expression…often without logical explanation. A special and powerful magic indeed.

“True alchemy is the science of the heart. Become the alchemist that transmutes your heartfelt dreams and brings it into form.”
– Unknown
Word of the Month : Alchemy

by : Ivy Newport

WRITING PROMPT

From lead to gold

Understanding that you have the capability to transmute, transform and alchemize your life through art is powerful indeed. Let us take some time and explore this topic in our journals or sketchbooks.
Take at least 10 minutes of meditation before you begin to write. Set an intention that you are going to be open to this writing session and that you welcome all loving wisdom.

Let’s begin with asking some questions and have faith that you have the answers. Take deep breaths after you ask, then wait for the urge to write the answer. Don’t question your answers.

“An Alchemist is one who transforms everything with love.”

– Emmanuel
In your journal or sketchbook list these questions…

  • What in my life can I transmute from dark to light? (this could be old wounds or fears, a relationship or a situation) How can I use my art to begin this process?

  • Recall a time in your creative journey when you transformed something, either a piece of art or a situation in your life? (Be descriptive.)

  • How do you feel when you are able to shift and transform something creatively? (List the emotions you experience and any physical effects too.)

  • How has leading a creative life transformed your way of being in the world? What small changes have you made that affected your life as a whole?

You will see one of our guest artists, Renee Mueller answer these questions in An Artist’s Voice section! Read on my friends…

Writing Prompt

by : Ivy Newport

Monthly Affirmation

Each month we will have a positive affirmation. I recommend you print out this affirmation and put it in your sketchbook or somewhere in your studio. Recite the affirmation out loud each time you show up to create. Saying words aloud is powerful and can begin to re-write some of our own limiting beliefs or calm our fears. Try it now…

Color Palette of the Month

This month, we are embracing the limitless possibilities of alchemy and transformation, so we are going rainbow my friends! Think of a single crystalline prism. Pure white light passes through and is refracted into a spectrum of colors! Spiritually speaking, the rainbow is an expression of raised consciousness and enlightenment. It is also, of course, the depiction of our energy centers or chakras.

The light is the Divine. 

You are the prism. 

The rainbow is your art!

So…we get to play in this field of infinite color this month! Get ready…your inner child might squeal a bit. (My inner 7 year old delights in organizing crayons in rainbow order! Doesn’t yours?  

*Paint swatch info – I used my Arteza Watercolor pens for my swatches but use any medium and collect a red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue and indigo to create your spectrum.

Need a breather and some relaxation?

Try this lovely Rainbow Meditation I found for you!

Creative Alchemist Prompt – Suncatcher
  • Hang a suncatcher in your window. (I got this one.) Invite rainbows of light to dance across your space. Let this be a reminder of your connection to the divine and how your art is the radiance your spirit reflects.

AN ARTIST’S VOICE

Interview with Renee Mueller

I’ve asked my dear friend and fellow artist, Renee Mueller to share some thoughts about intuition and her creative practice…

What in my life have I transformed from dark to light?

There is one, particularly painful dark period in my life which stands out. When I first thought about sharing it with you, I immediately rejected the idea. It meant drumming up old stuff and exposing a part of my life that was deeply personal and extremely painful. Why on earth would I want to do this? Trust me, I have other dark moments, but this one was at the top of the list. So, I walked around it for a while and finally decided it was the most transformative period in my life to date and art was a big part of it all.

For this to make sense, I should start at the beginning.
I am an artist and teacher and have been a dancer my entire life. My training in ballet began at the age of 3. It was everything to me, and the only thing I truly wanted to do with my life.

I received a Fine Arts degree in Dance and Choreography from the University of Michigan. I had the honor of teaching at the University’s Musical Theater Department, was part of the International Dance Collective in Bonn, Germany, and danced professionally. My career as a choreographer and teacher was incredibly promising, and I felt utterly fulfilled as an artist.

During this time, I married a man who I thought supported my life as a dancer; however, over time, he became resentful of my work and eventually gave me an ultimatum, my marriage or dance. I was heartbroken. Leaving dance was one of the darkest periods in my life, and I didn’t have an inkling of what to do next. We managed to stay together for a couple of more years, but eventually, it ended, which only made everything darker. No marriage and no dance, It was pretty bleak.

But, life had a few beautiful gifts in store for me, all was not lost. I met my husband, Marc, and we’ve been married for 20 years, and we have our beautiful daughter Olivia. He has fully supported and encouraged my creative journey and is my biggest cheerleader.

With a renewed sense of self, I set out to excavate my creative soul and look for a new creative outlet. I needed a bit of direction, so, like many artists searching for guidance, I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I was faithful to all the exercises and creative explorations.

I have always loved to draw and decided to take lessons at the local art center in our town. I thought it would be helpful to be around other creative people as I began to explore drawing and painting. While there was a great deal of trepidation, there was also beautiful stirring deep in my heart, something I hadn’t felt in quite a while. So, I kept taking classes, reading books, practicing, and experimenting – I couldn’t get enough. There was a renewed excitement in creating for the first time in ages. The darkness was lifting, and a beautiful incandescent light was pouring in.

Fifteen years later, I’m still drawing and painting. And, I’m happy to say that I have let dance back in my life as well. After the encouragement of my husband and daughter, I teach dance a couple of nights a week. When he told me that I needed to honor that part of my life and to pass on my knowledge to young dancers, how could I say no? He’s a pretty amazing human.

I have concluded that our creative ideas and practices are essential to living a happy and fulfilled life. Whether it is writing, sculpting, gardening, cooking, drawing, painting, or dancing, if it fills your soul, then honor that feeling and create.

Recall a time in your creative journey when you transformed something, either a piece of art or a situation in your life?

My creative journey has been a winding road, and it has been a transformative one as well. I’m still the artist and teacher that I’ve always been – even with that one brief intermission. I have embraced the entire journey, even the dark parts, because they all lead to where I am now as a wife, mother, and artist. For this, I’m grateful.

I traveled from the world of the performing arts to the life of a visual artist. There were many highs and lows during this journey, but I continue to persevere. While I will never stop learning and trying to improve my work, I now have made it my mission to guide and support other artists so they can gain confidence in their creative voices.

I teach workshops and online classes and share my techniques and philosophies. I believe that our creative gifts are sacred, and when we honor these gifts and fully embrace our creativity, we will live a more fulfilling life.

I believe everyone deserves to express themselves in the art form of their choice, to feel inspired and create from a deep, soulful place. And most importantly, to be encouraged and supported throughout their journey.

    How do you feel when you are able to shift and transform something creatively?

    Quite often, I will begin a piece and love the direction it is taking. I have music on, candles flickering, and I’m feeling inspired. Then, all of a sudden, I don’t feel it any longer. I just stand there, frustrated, and hating what I’ve just created.

    I have learned to walk away from the piece for an hour or two and think about it. I will take a walk, cook, or read a book (I don’t look at anything on Social Media during this little pause) Sometimes, I will take a sketchbook outside and make a few, small drawings of the piece in order to figure out what needs to happen.

    After I let it simmer a bit, I go back to work. Then, the awful feeling of resistance sets in, it is almost debilitating when it hits. It is real and I feel it so deep in my body that all I want to do is escape. I have to fight to overcome this feeling. I would love nothing more than to check my email, Instagram, Facebook, maybe even do the laundry!

    But, I don’t stop, I’ve learned that this is the time, it is when something is about to happen, and I force myself to push it out of the way and keep working.

    To best describe this moment, I would have to say; it is like a beautiful, white space that sits in between the resistance and the work. I feel it and can almost see it. Time will slip away, and my heart begins to beat faster. I feel the excitement bubbling up deep within my chest as I move toward the other side of this intoxicating space. I don’t want it to end! My studio has art supplies strewn across every surface as I leave the resistance behind – I believe it is my soul guiding me through the work as it is meant to be created.

    I live for the moments when the ‘space’ opens up, and I feel resistance leaving. I wish it happened every day, but it doesn’t. I think we can all agree that resistance is all too happy to help with the laundry instead of allowing us to create art.

    How has leading a creative life transformed your way of being in the world? What small changes have you made that affected your life as a whole?

    When I went through the dark part of my life as a creative, I didn’t fully understand the power of creativity. Because of this discovery, I feel it is of the utmost importance to support my family and friends and their creative ideas.

    One thing we do as a family is to visit art museums together – we love to slow down and just meander through the exhibits. Afterward, we have lunch or dinner and talk about the art we loved (or didn’t love). It has become an important family ritual that we started when Olivia was very small and we make it a point to cherish this time together.

    I have finally made it a habit to meditate every morning – it has been an ongoing struggle for years, but I’m very committed to the practice for now. I find that if I write down what I need to accomplish in my day, then sit for about 20 minutes, my mind just relaxes, and I feel centered. If I skip a day or two, I can see the impact it has on my day and my creativity, I am much more scattered, and I get less accomplished.

    I take a daily walk to get moving. I don’t listen to music or answer my phone during this time. Walking is not only great exercise, it has really helped me creatively as well. I highly suggest taking a walk to lighten your mood and open your heart and mind.

    I love to read, so at the urging of a dear friend, we started a book club. We get together, have wine and snacks, and talk about our book, Taking the time to read beautiful stories and then talk about them can be enlightening on so many different levels. And, stepping away from responsibility to hang out with friends for a couple of hours is good for the soul. You just never know when a conversation will spark an idea!

    This past year I reached out to a couple of women-run businesses, one a flower shop and the other a small, curated gift shop in our town. Together, we offered a little pop-up art class and invited our mailing lists. It was interesting how everyone was so uncomfortable in the beginning, and then by the end of the night, they were talking, creating, and cheering each other on. I think people want to create, but life can get in the way, and by offering this night away to make art gave people permission to do something they love to do.

    These are small things that have profoundly affected my life as an artist. I have come to learn that art is more than going into my studio to create, it is about filling my heart by connecting with people, nature, and finding time to just sit and be quiet.

    To learn more about Renee and follow her beautiful creative journey, you can visit her inside our CREATIVE TRIBE

    MASTER ARTIST GUIDE

    Remedios Varo

    This month, I bring you the work of Remedios Varo, an often overlooked, female surrealist and alchemical artist. She was born in the small town of Anglès, located in the province of Girona in Spain. Her father, was a hydraulic engineer, whose work often required moving his family throughout Spain and North Africa. Varo’s mother was a devout Catholic and although she had a close relationship with her mother, Varo turned away from Catholicism and related more to the universalist ideas of her father. As a young girl she was drawn to the fantastical literature by authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and Alexandre Dumas. She was passionate about learning more about alchemy, magic and mysticism.

    Varo’s artistic training began early in her childhood, as her father would often have her copy his technical drawings and plans. Many times, asking her to do them repeatedly until she got it right.

    Her formal training began at age 15, a time when very few women were admitted into an art school. She attended the Real Academia de Bellas Artes in Madrid – a school known for its classical curriculum, aligned with the techniques of the Old Masters. Salvedor Dali was actually expelled from the school the same year as her admittance.

    Varo gravitated to the Surrealists and later in her life became very involved in this group of artists, both learning, creating and exhibiting with them. Later in life she ended up in Mexico, where supported by a financially sound spouse she became prolific in her creations and is still celebrated as one of Mexico’s most treasured artists. In 1963, at the height of her career, sadly and unexpectedly Varo died of a heart attack.

    Her other worldly images speak to the nature of the universe, alternate realities and the mechanisms of humanity. They are complex, ethereal and sometimes haunting. They tell provocative stories of the imagination and invite us in to the inner workings of her heart and mind. Enjoy…

    A description of Varo is beautifully expressed here :

    The visionary lone painter, Remedios Varo, typically portrays herself sitting at a desk engaged in magical work, embarking on a journey to unlock true meaning, or dissolving completely into the environment that surrounds her. As a well-studied alchemist, seeker, and naturalist, however dreamlike her imagery may appear, it is in fact reality observed more clearly; Varo painted deep, intuitive, and multi-sensory pictures in hope to inspire learning and promote better individual balance in an interconnected universe. Interestingly, and understandably, it was not until the last 13 years of the artist’s life, having fled war-torn Europe, found a home in Mexico (amongst a community of other displaced Surrealists) and finally become free of ongoing financial constraints that she was able to paint prolifically. Every work completed by Varo demonstrates profound technical skill and an extraordinary insight into human nature.

    Explore and study our master artist, Remidos Varo and create some sketches from her work…feel free to add your own details or simply use her images as inspiration for your own surreal sketch. Remember the surrealists often like to juxtapose imagery…like fire coming out of water or a snake flying or one creature becoming something else…get creative. What dreamlike images can you depict?

    I think that if you shake the tree, you ought to be around when the fruit falls to pick it up.

    – Mary Cassatt
    Master Artist : Remedios Varo

    by : Ivy Newport

    pinterest board

    You can find many of her pieces on our Pinterest Board:

    recommended book

    The book on Varo that I purchased – worth taking a look –

    More info on Remedios Varo

    Click the links below to learn more about Remedios’ biography, timeline and view the full catalog of her work.

    The Butterfly Effect

    So you may have heard of the Butterfly Effect…it’s the concept or theory that small changes can ultimately cause great shifts in a larger system. You may have heard this idea illustrated with the description of a tiny butterfly fluttering her wings and thus causing a hurricane on the other side of the world. While this image is dramatic, it isn’t the most accurate, for we know a butterfly doesn’t create a hurricane. However, we do know that small changes can affect the overall outcome of a situation.
    Why are we talking about butterflies? Well, first of all butterflies have always been symbols of transformation. From caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly – this process has dazzled us and is used to symbolically represent a magical transformation, an alchemical process of one thing changing into another. One rather insignificant, mundane critter undergoing a process that results in the metamorphosis and unfolding of a magnificent, winged creature. It truly is an inspiring feat of nature!
    This process is, however, not without struggle. The butterfly once ready to emerge from the cocoon must literally fight it’s way out of this protective shelter. If you were to witness a butterfly trying to emerge from its cocoon you might think it’s dying or in trouble, yet if you were to assist the butterfly and delicately cut away the cocoon, it would soon die. You see, the struggle is imperative, because in that battle to free itself, it is strengthening its wings. Without the fight, it cannot fly. Another incredible analogy for our own human experience.

    Our art can cause a similar metamorphosis in us. As we begin to transmute our senses, our feelings, our memories and our story into pieces of artwork, it can often give us a sense of freedom. Wings. Yet we struggle to fly. Our creative practice, our inner battles, the risk of vulnerability, these are our challenges. Moving through these is how we strengthen our own proverbial wings.
    Wings with which to lift us higher towards a greater understanding of self and a deeper connection with our own inner wisdom. As we flutter our own wings, we do in fact create ripples of change, not just in our own life but in the lives of others.
    As we transform, as we emerge from the cocoon, fighting to shed the old with our fresh wings, we encourage others to do the same. We create a butterfly effect. Small changes in one heart affect the entire world. Embracing our creativity lights us up, sharing that creativity lights others. It can begin as a tiny flame and spread and leap across walls, borders, oceans, igniting other souls as it is carried by the wind.
    Remembering this is important as an artist. It is a torch we must be willing to carry. We create for ourselves, yes, but we also create for the universal consciousness. Artists have done this since the beginning of time. So, remember your wings, keep your lantern lit and continue to wander into uncharted and darkened lands, for as you travel you pave the way for your sisters and brothers. The tiny flutter of your wings, may indeed set in motion a storm to clear the skies and bring forth the light.

    this becoming will ask for your breath, patience and for your fight, perseverance
    transformation is made of both surrender and strength”
    – butterflies rising
    The Butterfly Effect

    by : Ivy Newport

    The Elements of Alchemy

    While researching alchemy and artists for this issue, I have discovered that there is a vast and deep pool of knowledge, research, history, myth and mystery surrounding this topic. I am endlessly curious, so I wanted to know more…

    It turns out that we artists have history’s alchemists to thank for our art supplies. Everything from paint, pigments, chemicals used for etching and metals used in sculpture – were invented and developed by Alchemists.

    Furthermore, artists and alchemists share a similar fascination with creation and nature as illustrated here by David Brafman, Associate Curator of Rare Books at the Getty Research Institute –

    “The aim of alchemy, to both imitate nature and transcend it, still lies at the heart of artistic practices today. Creativity itself can be said to describe a process of going beyond mere imitation—to create a new reality. Alchemy always carried with it this sense of mystery and awe at the wonders of creation. If you can create an object and give it some soul, you are doing what the divine creator did.

    This concept is very relatable to artists. Don’t we often want to breathe life into our creations? To not only depict something we see in nature or in our minds but for that expression to have an energy independent of us. To carry a message or meaning or emotion. To communicate beyond us. The Alchemist also sought out this sense of transference and transcendence. Like Artists, the Alchemists sought to understand the world in a deeper way…on levels that were not initially apparent – to explore both light and dark, known and unknown.

    This leads us to a different kind of Alchemy, that of Spiritual Alchemy, explored by many historically and still today. This spiritual alchemy relates to the universe as a whole as well as the facets of the human experience and namely the purification of the soul in order to reflect the divinity of the spirit. This is beautifully examined by writer and mystic, Manly P. Hall. –

    There are things we can do ourselves each day. We can begin to quiet the prominent causes of confusion. There is no meditation based upon some esoteric exercise that can ever work if the individual has not accomplished a transformation within himself. This was the highest phase of Alchemy. 
     
    Alchemy was to make gold out of base metals AND spiritual alchemy was to discover the eternal gold of reality in all things, which can be released and brought into manifestation by Art, and Art in this case, is the beauty, it is the skill, it is the wonder by which we do what is right because it is right. This type of thing is something that has come down to us for a long, long time and it will continue to come down to us until we obey it. We must find the only answer that there is and that is the utopian answer. That the human being must live the fullness of humanity. Of his own endowment, he must manifest all the manifestations of the conditions of the level of life upon which we exist.

    The Alchemists studied nature and often called upon the elements in their experiments and explanations. The four main elements being – Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

    We artists, also employ these elements when we create. Think about it…our substrates (canvas, wood or paper) – come from the earth, as do our paints, charcoal is born of fire, water – to wash our brushes and air – the breath of the artist while she works. We are very familiar with these elements and they come together in our creations.

    “Alchemy is no mere fantasy, but a philosophy applied to the world, to the elements, to the animals and to man himself.

    – Y.B. Yeats
    History of the Four Elements

    Want to geek out on the history of the four elements? Go here for ancient wisdom and insight –

    The Elements of Alchemy

    by : Ivy Newport

    Alchemical Art Symbology

    The Alchemists created a visual language for the complex processes employed. These symbols involved base metals, scientific actions and ingredients, the planets and even the astrological signs. As a lover of symbology, I found these symbols intriguing and mysterious. They are often seen in many Alchemically themed artwork throughout history.

    Some of these symbols can be seen here:

    Many intriguing ancient images and symbols appear in Alchemically inspired artwork. Let’s look at a few here and what they symbolized.

    Ouroboros

    No doubt, in alchemy, the Ouroboros (Uroboros) represents infinity. The snake, swallowing its own tail and feeding on its own body, this creature represents the cycle of life. It was the concept of ‘one in all’ and the representation of eternal death, rebirth and regeneration. It is a symbol of transforming matter, i.e. alchemy itself.

    Moon

    The element associated with the Moon is – water, and the alchemical process is – dissolution. The Moon dissolves every month, and dissolution dissolves ideas, emotions, thoughts and diverse attachments, and thus it creates empty space for new things to come into being.

    The Peacock

    The image of the peacock’s tail with its iridescence, might have found its origin in the spiritual experience of alchemists. It was meant to represent the astral plane and the colorful apparition part of the transmutation process.

    The Phoenix

    It symbolizes rebirth through fire and is highly regarded as a symbol of regeneration. It is associated with the sulfuric process of cleansing and transformation into fire. It’s important as representation of the alchemic process of death and rebirth of the elements.

    alchemy themed artwork

    Take a look at some of the Alchemically themed artworks I found for us here.

    **Please note that although many of these drawings and paintings are strange, realize that they depict man’s never ending quest to understand the universe, to understand divinity. Da Vinci himself, was considered an alchemist and you may see familiar elements in these images to his own drawings and diagrams.

    “The real alchemy is transforming the base self into gold or into spiritual awareness.

    – Fred Alan Wolf

    To learn even more (yes this topic is deeeeeeep) on Alchemy and Spiritual Alchemy watch this:

    (a cute guy in a man bun will explain Alchemy to you. 😉 lol.

    Sketchbook Explorations

    Before we begin our explorations, I wanted to provide a cohesive theme for us to focus on. This will help unify our explorations and provides us with a simple place to start when approaching a VERY white and VERY blank sketchbook.

    Our sketchbook theme this month is – Butterflies. As mentioned, these winged creatures represent great transformation and a beautiful process of metamorphosis which we often see with our art and within ourselves – especially as we continue to walk our creative path. As always, be free in your sketchbooks – there is so much imagery that comes up when we discuss transformation and alchemy! So let those images rise to the surface of your consciousness and then allow them to spill out onto your page.

    For Butterfly inspiration check out of Pinterest board

    Creative Alchemist Prompt:

    Celebrate the elements – Gather from your home and garden symbols of the elements. This could be a crystal (earth), a feather (air), a shell (water) and a candle (fire). Bring these elemental objects to your creative space as a reminder that you are connected to each of these through your creations.

    Please remember, our explorations in our sketchbook are really just access points to get you into the flow. However, they can also be seeds for new ideas, concepts and themes in your art. Some of them will be more about writing and others more about drawing and painting. You will see below three prompts and exercises explained and photographed from my own sketchbook. You are welcome to expand upon, invent and experiment with your own concepts too. Use our color palette if you want to. You will see I stay in that theme for my explorations. These may feel silly at first but let your inner artist play.

    EXPLORATION 1

    Rainbow Robe

    Collage or draw a figure and create an amazing garment of rainbow colors. Imagine yourself filled with these colors! I loved using a black and white figure and adding rainbow butterflies to her magical robe. I even threw in some Alchemical symbols for fire, water, earth and air.

    EXPLORATION 2

    Wings of Change

    Create a butterfly in your sketchbook, you can collage, draw, paint or transfer this in. On one wing write down some of your shadows or painful elements in your life. Shade this side with tones of gray. On the other wing write down elements, emotions or things in your life that you have brought to light through your creativity. Color this side with all the colors of the rainbow.

    EXPLORATION 3

    Elemental

    Drawing from the idea of the natural elements of fire, water, air and earth used in Alchemy, create a page (or several) dedicated to one of the elements. Which element do you feel the most called to? For me, it’s definitely fire. This could be figurative or more abstract. Use any materials that call to you whether it be paint, collage or simple sketching. Can you incorporate some of the wonderful alchemical symbols too?

    For inspiration check out our Pinterest board

    Sketchbook Explorations

    by : Ivy Newport

    “Transformation is a journey without a destination

    – Marilyn Ferguson
    Creative Alchemist Prompt:

    Take a stone from your garden. Bring it into your studio and paint half of it with gold paint. Place the “alchemy” stone somewhere in your creative space and let it remind you that you can transform something dull into something brilliant.

    AUGUST ART PROJECT

    Expressive Alchemy

    This month, I’m excited to bring you a beautiful lesson from a member of our Creative Tribe of teachers – Sara Burch. Sara is an artist that works consistently with metamorphosis and transformation. Her expressive portraits often consist of many faces and many mixed media layers. She is a true Artistic Alchemist!

    Please enjoy this wonderful creative lesson from Sara…

    Let’s begin…

    STUDIOWORKS PODCAST

    July: issue eight

    You can also listen to this month’s issue of the Studioworks journal. I find I love listening to books, podcasts and music while I draw, paint or go on a long walk. Enjoy.

    Studioworks : issue eight

    by : Ivy Newport

    inspiration: curated

    One of my favorite things to do is to curate inspiration. From Pinterest boards to books, resources, playlists and more – I love to share anything that might facilitate learning, expansion, and sparks of curiosity! Being an artist, we naturally crave these things so here are some of this month’s picks from me to you.

    CLASSES WORTH ENJOYING

    Studioworks classes to check out that align with our themes this month

    RECOMMENDED BOOKS

    Books to inspire your creative path.

    MUSIC PLAYLIST

    A playlist with magic, transformation and alchemy in mind. A mixed blend of musical fun!

    INSTAGRAM MUSES

    These feeds are full of creative alchemy inspiration and a touch of rainbow magic…

    PINTEREST BOARDS