ivy newport

Studioworks

Journal

a letter from ivy

Dear creative friends,

Welcome to Issue No. 85 of the Studioworks Journal.

As we step into a new year, I’ve been thinking about the kind of momentum that returns after a season of softening. Not urgency or pressure, just the quiet sense that something inside is ready to move again.

In the lunar calendar, 2026 is known as a Horse year. Even if you are not familiar with Chinese astrology, the symbolism is easy to connect with. Horse years are often associated with renewed strength, vitality, and a clearer sense of direction. They mark periods when energy begins to rise again and movement feels more natural. What interests me most is the inner shift implied by this symbolism: the steady pull toward something meaningful, the willingness to take small steps, and the return of a gentle creative spark.

This month’s pages explore that idea of beginning again. The goal is not speed. It is presence. A beginning that feels grounded and sustainable.

My hope is that this issue offers exactly what you need for the road ahead, a calm and encouraging start to a new creative season.

xo,

Welcome to issue no.85
By : Ivy Newport
Monthly Theme
The Horse as Muse: How Artists Have Used the Horse to Explore Power, Motion, and Spirit

A new year always brings hopes of transformation and the anticipation of fresh horizons. Whether manifest in resolutions, projections into the future, or some other version of turning over a new leaf, people instinctively look ahead, wondering what the coming year will hold. Ancient cultures had their finger on the pulse of this human tendency and created complex predictions based on cycles, elements, and animal energies. 

Notably, Chinese cosmology included an astrology that assigned, in a twelve-year cycle, a specific animal, element, and set of characteristics to each year, offering predictions about the year as a whole and the people born within it. 

2026 is the year of the Fire Horse, a dynamic pairing whose creative potential is vast and volatile. Throughout time, people have looked to the horse as a symbol of life force, and when you join this with the power of fire, this year is on track to be fast-paced and dynamic. From an artist's perspective, we can harness this bucking bronco by looking to the past and examining how the horse has inspired works that convey power, motion, and spirit. Join me in taking a look back before charging ardently into the year ahead. 

A Brief Horse History

As long as people have been making art, the horse has been a persistent and powerful muse. From cave paintings to ancient statuary, mosaics to masterworks on canvas, the horse appears repeatedly throughout history. As an early form of transportation, a means to harness labor (horsepower), a symbol of status, a religious motif, and a fundamental part of warfare (send in the cavalry!), the horse served both practical and ideological functions.

With their impressive size, speed, musculature, and intelligence, it’s no wonder that horses compel artists to reach for the implements of their craft. When coupled with the extensive symbology and lore surrounding them, their capacity to inspire redoubles. 

In Norse folklore, horses were carriers of souls. For the Greeks, horses pulled the chariot of the sun god, Helios, bringing light each day. For Christians, the horse represents divine power and judgment (behold, a pale horse). In Islam, the horse represents bravery, chivalry, and victory in battle. For the Celts, horses were harbingers of good fortune. In China, the horse denotes good luck, success, speed, and energy.

At the core, horses represent some of the most cherished ideals of humanity: Freedom, spirit, untamed energy, self-reliance, strength, vitality, devotion, and wisdom. By carrying such lofty meanings, they cannot help but inspire.

Some Potent Equine Art

An early work of equestrian art that encapsulates both political power and physical might is the 3rd-century CE Roman Empire Charioteer Mosaic Table. The piece depicts a chestnut steed with a blue-clad charioteer, representing the elite class. Horses were pivotal in warfare during this era, and chariots often led the charge on the battlefield. Aristocrats also purchased horses to display in chariot races as a status symbol. Hence, this piece denotes power on many levels.

Leaping forward a few hundred years to Tang dynasty China, we encounter the 8th-century piece Night-Shining White by Han Gan. Commissioned by the emperor, this monochrome ink-on-paper painting depicts a horse tethered to a post, its gaze directed with deep emotional intensity toward the viewer. Evoking classic themes of Chinese Mythology, the fiery horse, with characteristics of the dragon, is just the sort of celestial steed to find contemporary relevance in this year of the Fire Horse.

Portrait of 'Night-Shining White', a favorite steed of Emperor Xuanzong

By Han Gan, c.750

A painting that strips away all externalities, revealing the horse's incredible musculature, free spirit, and raw beauty, is Whistlejacket, completed circa 1762 by George Stubbs. This portrait excludes the rider, background, ornamentation, and all other distractions, allowing the magnificence of the racehorse to burst from the canvas. The painting's impressive life-size scale evokes the unbridled power of animal energy, vitality, and spirit, quietly prefiguring Romanticism’s celebration of nature.

Whistlejacket

By George Stubbs, 1762

The Outlaw

By Frederic Remington, 1906

Tapping into mythological power and depicting the awe-inspiring intensity of the sea is Walter Crane's 1892 painting, The Horses of Neptune. Crane garnered the idea for the piece during a trip to America, where the sight of the raging surf compelled him to personify Neptune’s untamed horses. The painting captures the motion, spirit, and potency of the sea in animal form.

Uniting the dauntlessness of an unbroken horse with the tenacity of the rider who risks life and limb to tame him is the series of bronzes by Frederic Remington, 1906, titled Outlaw. These gravity-defying sculptures capture the hair-raising moment when the animal's entire will is intent on throwing the rider and reasserting its freedom. The piece rests on a single foreleg, appearing to float in mid-air as the rider gracefully bends backward toward the bucking bronco, miraculously holding his seat.

Bringing the ancient into the modern, Julie Ferris pays homage to Botticelli in her 2020 piece, Birth of Vienna. Both a nod and a parody, the painting depicts the artist’s first horse emerging like Venus from the sea. Humorous and beautiful, the large-scale piece puts a contemporary spin on the horse's enduring power to inspire.

The Takeaway

From time immemorial, the horse has been a friend to the artist. Both an aesthetic specimen of incredible beauty and a treasure trove of symbology, horses gallop through the human imagination, generating creative marvels along the way. Whether depicting unbridled freedom, displaying speed and dynamism, or harnessing mythological power, the horse is an apt vehicle for expression.

In this Chinese Astrology year of the Fire Horse, we have a golden opportunity to tap into the horse’s symbolism, allowing it to ignite our imaginations in the days ahead. As loyal as it is intelligent, the mighty steed can be our ally, keeping our creative spirits alive and carrying us triumphantly through the new year.

“Where the horse goes, there also goes the heart.”
- Xenophon
The Horse as Muse: How Artists Have Used the Horse to Explore Power, Motion, and Spirit
By : Ivy Newport
Following the Fire Horse: Creative Guidance for 2026

The arrival of a Horse year often brings a subtle shift in the way we move through the world. In the lunar calendar, the Horse carries the qualities of purpose, vitality, and forward motion. When combined with the Fire element, the energy becomes warmer and more directional. It is not a blaze that overwhelms. It is the quiet glow that gathers in the chest when you know it is time to begin again.

For artists, this year invites a different kind of momentum. Not a rush toward productivity, but a gentler leaning into what feels alive. The Fire Horse suggests clarity rather than force, and a willingness to walk toward the work with renewed intention. In a creative life, that can feel like a breath of fresh air.

Here are a few ways this energy can guide your practice throughout the year.

1. Create space for movement

Even the smallest shift in your surroundings can encourage a new creative rhythm. You might clear a corner of your studio, remove a pile of materials that no longer inspire you, or rearrange your worktable so it feels easier to sit down. Think of it as setting the path for the Horse to walk. When the space opens, the energy follows.

2. Let something old be released

Fire years often encourage honest letting go. You might gather unfinished paintings or sketches and decide which ones still carry life. Some pieces can be repurposed or transformed. Others may simply need to be released. Burning an old artwork in a safe, tiny, symbolic way can be deeply cleansing. Shredding or burying a piece works just as well. The point is to acknowledge what no longer holds your creative spark.

3. Choose one direction, not many

The Horse moves with purpose. This is a good year to pick one creative focus that feels meaningful and follow it with steady, calm attention. It might be a color palette, a new series, a medium you want to explore, or a personal project that has been waiting patiently. You do not need a grand declaration. A single clear choice is enough.

4. Work with warmth

Fire brings warmth, and warmth brings openness. You might explore a warmer palette, softer lighting in your studio, or materials that feel tactile and grounding. Even holding a warm drink as you begin can help shift your mood from hesitant to ready.

5. Move your body before you move your brush

The Horse is a creature of motion. A short walk, gentle stretching, or a few slow breaths can reconnect you to your physical presence before you begin your work. Creativity often arrives when the body feels awake.

6. Follow curiosity instead of expectation

Fire Horse years are known for intuitive leaps and sudden clarity. If a new idea catches your attention, let yourself follow it for a few minutes. Make a quick sketch, write a sentence, or test a small color study. Curiosity is the first step toward momentum. It often knows the way before we do.

7. Let your work travel with you

Horses are companions for the journey. This can be a year when your creative work feels easier to integrate into daily life. A small sketchbook in your bag, a simple travel watercolor set, or a pouch of collage scraps can help you stay connected to the thread of your practice even when life pulls you in many directions.

8. Remember that momentum can be soft

Not all movement is fast. Some of the strongest changes happen quietly. You might find that the most powerful moments this year are the ones where you simply return to your table after a long break, or allow yourself to take one more step when you feel unsure. The Fire Horse teaches us that steady motion is a kind of magic.

The year ahead is not asking for perfection. It is asking for presence. A warm, gentle step at a time. A clear intention. A willingness to follow the spark that shows up, even if it arrives in small pieces.

May the Fire Horse lead you with clarity.May your work find its rhythm again.And may this year bring you a renewed sense of trust in your creative path.

“The horse is the image of grace and strength united.”
- George Stubbs
Following the Fire Horse: Creative Guidance for 2026
By : Ivy Newport
WORD OF THE MONTH
Pathway

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a pathway is defined as:

• A track or route formed by being walked over.

• A way of achieving a specified result.

What does the word “pathway” mean to us as artists?

A pathway is something that forms through movement. It begins as possibility, becomes visible through use, and grows clearer as we return to it. It is not a fixed road or a rigid plan. It is a living route shaped by presence and choice.

In a Horse year, the symbolism deepens. Horses move with a sense of inner direction. They follow instinct, shift their pace as needed, and respond to the terrain without losing their sense of where they are headed. Their pathways are not straight or perfect. They are responsive. They are alive.

For artists, this offers a gentle reminder: our own creative way forward does not need to be predetermined. It can unfold through trust, curiosity, and movement at our own rhythm.

A pathway often begins before we notice it. A color that keeps catching your attention. A subject you return to without thinking. A material that feels comforting in your hands. These are the quiet openings. The small natural turnings in the creative landscape that point toward something waiting to be explored. Your pathway may not announce itself loudly. It may appear as a subtle pull rather than a clear destination.

This month invites you to pay attention to these signals. Notice what draws you in. Notice the choices that feel easeful. Notice where your energy gathers without pressure. These are the places where pathways form. Not through force, but through alignment.

You might keep a simple record of what feels alive each time you sit down to work. Not a plan, but a trace of your steps. Over time, patterns appear. A direction emerges. The pathway comes into view.
This is how movement begins in creative practice: gently, honestly, through repeated steps that feel true to us.

Ask yourself:

• Where do I feel a natural pull?
• What direction feels kind to begin?
• What quiet thread wants to be followed a little longer?

A pathway teaches us that clarity comes through motion, not before it. It reminds us that beginnings can be small, intuitive, and grounded in curiosity rather than achievement. In a year shaped by Horse energy, this is our invitation. To move in a way that feels connected. To follow the terrain of our own creative lives. To trust that each step shapes the way ahead.

Pathway reminds us that the journey forms as we walk it. It becomes our own through attention, presence, and the willingness to begin.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Word Of The Month
By : Ivy Newport

Creative Intuition & Writing Prompt

Let’s tap into our creative intuition and do some self-reflective work inspired by our theme. Below you will see our month’s Oracle/Tarot card spread. But fear not, if you are not one drawn to using oracle or tarot cards, no worries, just use the accompanying reflective questions as writing prompts for your journals!


Here’s a three-card oracle card spread designed to tap into your creative intuition and our themes. This spread and its journaling prompts encourage reflection on the artist’s inner wisdom, the magic of inspiration, and the journey of trusting intuition in the creative process.

creative intuition & writing prompt

download creative prompt

Connecting to your Spirit Horse

Card 1: The Horse Approaches
What energy is seeking to guide me now?
This card represents the spirit of the horse that comes toward you at this moment in your creative life. It may appear as strength, curiosity, restlessness, tenderness, or confidence. Horses sense our inner state and respond with honesty. This card reveals the quality of energy that wants to walk beside you as the year begins. Notice how it feels and what it awakens in you.

Card 2: The Field of Possibility
Where is my creative spirit being invited to roam?
This card reflects the open field before you, the places where freedom, exploration, and new movement are possible. It may point to a project wanting expansion, a hidden desire, or a part of your practice that longs for more space. Horses move toward openness and choose paths that feel true. This card shows where your creative spirit has room to breathe.

Card 3: The Reins of Guidance
What helps me stay connected to my true direction?
This card offers a guiding principle for the journey ahead. It may be a rhythm to return to, a daily act of presence, or a mindset that steadies your path. Horses respond to gentle, clear signals, not force. This card teaches you how to hold your direction with softness while trusting your inner compass.

How to Use This Spread

Find a quiet moment and imagine calling upon the spirit of the Horse, the part of you that knows how to move with intuition, strength, and awareness.


Draw your three cards slowly.
Let each one arrive like a presence at the edge of a field.


Before interpreting, notice your first reaction.
Does the card feel like approach, expansion, or guidance?
Does it stir warmth, curiosity, hesitation, or excitement?

Write down any sensations, images, or insights that come.
Let the three cards form a story of companionship for the month ahead.

This spread works beautifully with oracle or tarot decks and supports a mystical, intuitive entrance into the creative year.

“And then the heart of the horse beats close to the heart of man.”
- Lord Byron
Fire Of The Heart Meditation
WITH RACHEL HILLARY

Treat yourself to this wonderful and powerful meditation from one of my favorite meditation creators - Rachel Hillary

Here’s a little more information from Rachel…

This meditation experience is designed to envelop you in the warmth of your own heart, to return you to this source of safety and knowledge and peace within yourself. An internal resource you can utilise again and again, and allow to resonate within you and so in your world. The process is very simple yet very powerful, and each time you return to this experience your connection with your own heart, and your own unfolding will grow and expand. 

lots of love,
Rachel

Fire Of The Heart Meditation
By : rachel hillary

download more meditations and connect with Rachel here...

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’s palette gathers its warmth from the earthy, expressive tones that run through our featured horse paintings. These colors feel alive yet grounded, which fits the steady momentum of the Fire Horse and the sense of moving forward with intention.

Ember red and clay terracotta bring depth and energy without feeling harsh. Golden wheat adds a soft, sunlit glow, while warm ochre offers stability and warmth. Moss green gives the palette a grounded calm, and smoke grey brings quiet balance. A muted sky blue introduces a gentle coolness that keeps everything open and breathable.

These colors support the idea of working from a steady center. They encourage you to follow warmth rather than force, to build slowly, and to stay connected to what feels true in your creative rhythm. Nothing here rushes you. Everything invites a grounded kind of motion.

As you work with this palette, think in terms of warmth that steadies rather than overwhelms. Let ochre and terracotta hold the foundation. Use blue when you need clarity or space. Bring in red only where a spark of energy feels needed.

Let these colors help you move with grounded intention, gentle strength, and the quiet confidence of a season expanding in its own time.

"The horse moves as poetry moves."
- Walt Whitman
Color Palette of the Month
By : Ivy Newport
Master Artist Study
12 Master Artist Horses for the Year

For this issue, we are trying something a little different. Instead of focusing on a single master artist, we have gathered a small collection of horse artworks from across art history. Because 2026 is a Horse year in the lunar calendar, it felt fitting to explore how different artists have captured the movement, intuition, and presence of this symbolic animal.


Each month of the year is paired with one artwork and a short reflection. Together they offer a gentle sense of direction, a way to feel into the creative energy that unfolds season by season. This approach allows us to step into the new year with curiosity, spaciousness, and a fresh lens for inspiration.

January

Artwork: Muse on Pegasus, c. 1900 

Artist: Odilon Redon

Redon’s Muse of Pegasus opens the year with a quiet sense of ascent. The winged horse rises in a gentle arc, not with force but with an almost dreamlike lift. The muse sits calmly on its back, as if carried by a current she does not need to control. The image suggests that creativity this month comes from partnership rather than effort, from allowing yourself to be lifted by what feels true. It is an invitation to begin the year with openness, trust, and a willingness to move without strain.

February

Artwork: Frightened Horses
Artist: Sawrey Gilpin

February often arrives with a heightened sensitivity, a sense of noticing more than you did before. Gilpin’s horses capture that moment when awareness sharpens and instinct rises. The muted light and tense posture suggest an inner shift rather than outward drama, the way late winter stirs something quiet but insistent beneath the surface. This month invites you to pay attention to what your own instincts are signaling — the subtle changes, the small awakenings, the readiness that grows even in stillness. February is a reminder that sensitivity can be a guide, not a burden, and that the first sparks of renewal often come through feeling.

March

Artwork: Hest i landskap (Horse in Landscape), 1912
Artist: Edvard Munch

March often feels like a quiet awakening, and Munch’s solitary horse holds that same early stir of life. The animal stands in a pale, open landscape, surrounded by light that feels both cool and expectant. There is a sense of being between seasons, sensing change without fully stepping into it yet. Munch’s gentle, muted colours create a mood of introspection rather than urgency. This month invites you to notice what is beginning to grow in your inner landscape, to lean into the first impulses of movement, and to trust the soft clarity that comes when winter loosens its hold. March is a threshold, and this painting captures the calm, intuitive pause before new energy gathers.

April

Artwork: Girl on Horseback
Artist: Victor Coleman Anderson

April arrives with a feeling of quiet renewal, and Anderson’s young rider captures that tender awakening perfectly. She moves through soft spring light with an ease that feels both hopeful and unhurried, as if the world is opening gently around her. The horse carries a steady calm, grounding the freshness of the season with quiet strength. This month invites you to lean into that same softness to let new ideas emerge without pressure, to follow curiosity with light steps, and to trust the early warmth that stirs your creative rhythm back to life. April is a month for gentle beginnings and the pleasure of moving forward with openness.

May

Artwork: The Years at the Spring, c. 1902
Artist: Lucy Kemp-Welch

May carries a sense of brightening, and Kemp-Welch captures that feeling with tender clarity. The horses move alongside the young woman in a landscape alive with early-summer light, everything leaning gently toward growth and possibility. There is a harmony between motion and ease here, a reminder that vitality does not have to be rushed. This month encourages you to welcome renewal in your creative life, to follow what feels naturally uplifting, and to let your work open the way the season does with warmth, softness, and a quiet confidence in what is unfolding.

June

Artwork: Side-saddle, 1899
Artist: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

June opens with a feeling of gentle assurance, and Lautrec’s rider embodies that quiet confidence. Seated side-saddle, she moves with ease, balanced between poise and freedom. The soft summer light around her suggests a month when clarity comes through calm attention rather than effort. June invites you to settle into your own rhythm, to trust the steadiness beneath you, and to let your creative practice flow at a natural, unforced pace. There is strength in this ease and a reminder that movement can be graceful when you allow yourself to feel supported by the path ahead.

July

Artwork: First Sketch of Neptune’s Horses, c. 1898
Artist: Walter Crane

July arrives with a sense of swelling energy, and Crane’s vision of Neptune’s horses captures that rising force with a dreamlike touch. The pale horses surge out of the sea in fluid, sweeping motion, their bodies shaped by water and light. There is power here, but it is not harsh. It feels tidal, rhythmic, connected to something larger than itself. This month invites you to ride your own creative waves with that same kind of trust,  letting momentum build naturally, moving with intuition rather than resistance. July is a reminder that strength can be fluid and that inspiration often comes in surges, carrying you farther than you expected when you allow yourself to flow with it.

August

Artwork: Grazing Horses IV, Three Red Horses, 1911
Artist: Franz Marc

August carries a rich, sun-filled intensity, and Marc’s red horses embody that fullness with an effortless grace. Their bodies curve in rhythmic motion, saturated with warm color and grounded by the rolling landscape beneath them. Nothing feels hurried, yet everything feels alive. This painting holds the essence of late summer: energy that is strong but steady, expressive yet harmonious. It invites you to savor what has grown, to move at a natural pace, and to let your creativity follow the warmth that still lingers in the season. August encourages you to expand without strain, trusting the vibrant rhythm that rises in your work.

September

Artwork: Two Horses in a Pasture
Artist: Edgar Degas

September arrives with a softer shift, the kind you feel before you can name it. Degas’s two horses stand together in a quiet field, neither in motion nor fully at rest, simply sharing space as the light begins to change. There is a gentle companionship in the scene, a sense of pausing to recalibrate before the pace of the year changes again. This month carries that same steadying energy. It encourages you to slow down just enough to notice what is gathering beneath the surface, to stand with what supports you, and to prepare for a new rhythm without rushing toward it. September reminds you that transition can be calm, thoughtful, and shared.

October

Artwork: Horse Frightened by Lightning, c. 1825–1829
Artist: Eugène Delacroix

October carries a sharper edge, a shift in light and mood that Delacroix understood instinctively. His pale horse, startled by a sudden flash, captures that moment when the world changes without warning and the body responds before the mind finds meaning. The painting is full of tension and sensitivity, yet it is also deeply human. This month mirrors that energy: a time when you may feel more reactive, more aware of inner storms, more attuned to subtle disturbances. Delacroix’s horse reminds you that heightened emotion is not a setback but a sign of aliveness. October invites you to move with your sensitivities rather than against them, letting instinct guide your next steps as the season turns inward.

November

Artwork: A Grey Horse, 1618–1621
Artist: Sir Anthony van Dyck

November gathers a mood of introspection, and Van Dyck’s grey horse embodies that feeling with quiet power. The animal turns in a graceful, almost contemplative arc, its pale coat catching the last muted light of the season. There is movement, but it is restrained, thoughtful, as if the horse is listening inwardly before taking its next step. This image holds the depth and sensitivity of late autumn, reminding you to move with awareness, to honor what is shifting, and to give space to the emotions that surface as the year draws toward its close.

December

Artwork: Pegasus, the Horse on the Rock, c. 1907–1910
Artist: Odilon Redon

We began the year with Odilon Redon, a favorite of mine, and I chose one of his beautiful works to close the year as well, bringing everything full circle. A solitary Pegasus stands on a rocky outcrop against a soft, luminous sky. The colours are gentle yet radiant, and the horse feels both grounded and ready to lift away. For the closing month of the year, it carries a sense of quiet vision, distance, and the possibility of a new horizon just beyond sight.

Master Artist Study
By : Ivy Newport
Sketchbook Explorations
Exploration 1
Soft Momentum Study

On a fresh page, make a loose abstract exploration of movement.

Choose two or three warm colors from this month’s palette,  terracotta, wheat gold, ember red, or peach. Let your brush or pencil move in arcs, curves, or gestures that feel like motion beginning rather than bursting forward.

Avoid planning. Keep your hand light.

Reflect: What does movement feel like in your creative life right now, gentle, steady, hesitant, or rising?

Exploration 2
Master Study: Franz Marc’s Three Horses (or Grazing Horses IV)

Choose one of the horse images from your calendar. Marc works beautifully because of his expressive simplicity.In your sketchbook page, make a quick study of the forms using only line or a limited palette. Focus less on accuracy and more on energy: the tilt of the bodies, the arcs of the backs, the warmth of the colors, the way they relate to one another.

Consider working with your non-dominant hand or a continuous line to remove pressure.

Reflect: What part of the horse carries the emotion for you, the curve of the neck, the posture, the space between them?

Exploration 3
Loose Horse Lines

Grab your favorite, pen, pencil or charcoal stick. Look at an image of a horse (see our gallery if you need a reference). On a fresh page, draw a series of horses using a single continuous line. Don’t lift your pencil. Don’t worry about accuracy. Let the line wander, bend, and loop as if it already knows where to go.

Keep your hand light and move slowly enough to notice the rhythm of the shapes. Think of this as a study in flow rather than form. The horses may look abstract or unfamiliar — that’s the point. You’re practicing motion, not mastery.


Reflect:
What happens when you follow the line instead of controlling it?

View Horse Gallery
Featured Art class
Spirit Horse
With Ivy Newport

Spirit Horse is a natural fit for January, a month about forward movement guided by instinct rather than pressure. This class uses the horse as a symbol of inner drive, intuition, and quiet strength, inviting you to begin the year with clarity and trust.

Through expressive mark making and intuitive layering, you’ll explore movement that unfolds naturally, helping you connect to your creative rhythm without rushing. It’s a gentle way to start the year grounded, open, and guided from within.

studioworks podcast
issue eighty-five

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.

issue eighty-five
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.

books to discover & Enjoy

music playlist

I had so much fun curating this list. I hope you enjoy!!

pinterest board

Inspired Studioworks classes

Classes that pair well with this month’s theme in your Studioworks Creative Library