Jill Segal's Newsletter

Summer 2009

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Greetings Friends!

 I hope you are all having a wonderful, creative, relaxing, joyful, summer.

"Let the beauty you love, be what you do."

"There are one hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground" Rumi

"Choose to experience each sacred moment."

 I wanted to give you an up date of all the exciting things I have been involved with since the last newsletter, and to notify you about upcoming classes and workshops.

TRAVEL NEWS

In May I returned to Peru again, and stayed at the beautiful, inspiring garden retreat centre called Willka T’ika. www.willkatika.com

You can click on each photo to view a larger version

While there, I organized an art program for children, from a remote mountain village, and did a couple of workshops with the children, at Willka Tika. It was so heart warming to see how excited the children were to be there in such an unfamiliar setting, and it gave me so much joy to provide them with the supplies of watercolours and oil-pastels, which they had never experienced before.

They loved drawing and painting pictures of their families, homes and surroundings, and did this with great enthusiasm, in bright colours, and delightful detail. It was interesting to observe how each child started off by drawing the mountain peeks in the background, and incorporated the familiar local animals (llamas and Alpacas), and the colourful clothing of the people in their villages.

 Carol Cumes, owner of Willka Tika has set up a children’s fund to help these remote communities build classrooms, and libraries. It helps with school supplies and provides hot meals for the children. Carol plans to continue providing art classes for some of the children on a regular basis, and I hope to be involved with this.

Carol’s story is really interesting. Have a look at the website and history of the children’s fund.

Want to make a positive difference to the lives of Andean Children? Support children's educational projects in remote Andean villages. For donations of $100 or more, receive Carol Cumes' beautiful new book "Chakra Gardens, Opening the Senses of the Soul." Please tell your friends. Visit the Willka T'ika Children's Fund at www.chakragardens.com for more details.

I also returned to Machu Picchu, and managed to climb part way up the towering Wayna Picchu. (That is the tall peak one sees in all the pictures of Machu Picchu ruins.)

Machu Picchu is a magical, mysterious place and continues to provide much inspiration for my painting images.

WORKSHOP NEWS

In June I taught a Yoga and Painting workshop at my studio, which everyone enjoyed thoroughly. This is a wonderful combination. Doing Yoga and meditation before painting really allows one to access one’s creativity and be in the moment. In this way, we can let go of self-doubt and self judgment and allow our authentic creative self to be expressed.

This process is relaxing, joyful and exciting, and promotes health and wellness.

I will be facilitating more of these workshops in the fall. See below for details.

Once again in July I taught my workshop Collage and Acrylic Explorations at the Haliburton School of the Arts and had a great time with a wonderful group of enthusiastic students. This School is a fantastic facility, offering all kinds of interesting creative courses in all the arts. It is a hive of creative energy for six weeks during the summer. Everyone who attends finds the courses and environment fun filled. and stimulating. www.HaliburtonSchoolofTheArts.ca

I will be teaching this exciting Collage and Acrylic Workshop in my studio in September. See below for further details.

FALL CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

A) CREATIVE EXPLORATIONS WITH ACRYLIC AND COLLAGE
 
SESSION 1    

Date:   September 24 – October 29th 2009 (6 classes)
Time:   9.30 a.m. – 12.30 pm.
Fee:      $180

In this exciting process oriented course you will learn to combine collage materials and acrylic paint as a means of personal visual expression and distinct visual vocabulary. With a creative spirit, you will be encouraged to explore and experiment with new concepts and ideas, using acrylic paint, oriental and stained papers , magazines, old paintings,  found objects, photographs,  and anything else that you would like to adhere to your support surface. You will learn how to make your own stamps and gel transfers, and build textured surfaces with gel and gesso. Composition and design principles will be addressed. You will benefit from individual attention and group dialogue. Personal creative expression and uniqueness will be encouraged.

B) CREATIVE EXPLORATIONS WITH ACRYLIC AND COLLAGE CONTINUED. SESSION 2

Date:   November 12 –December 10, 2009 
( 5 classes) (Dec 17 will be a make-up class)
Time:   9.30 a.m. – 12.30 pm.
Fee:      $150

C) BEGINNERS CREATIVE EXPLORATIONS WITH FLUID ACRYLIC

Date:    September 24 –October 29th 2009 (6 classes)
Time:   1.30 -4.00pm
Fee:      $180

Have fun expressing your creative self with vibrant fluid acrylics. In this class you will learn methods and techniques using acrylic paints and acrylic products, that will start you on an exciting journey of discovery.

D) CREATIVE EXPLORATIONS WITH YOGA AND ART

In this workshop, you will be introduced to Gentle Kripalu Yoga, which facilitates relaxation, connection to your body and self compassion. It calms the mind and allows you to connect with your authentic Creative Self.  From this “Centred Place” you will have the opportunity to explore your creativity, and reconnect with the joy of self expression, in a funfilled, non-judgemental environment, using acrylic paint, oil-pastels and watercolour crayons.

Date:   Saturday, October 24, and/or November 28, 2009
Time:   9.30 – 4.00pm
Fee:     $ 70 plus material fee of $15 if you don’t have your own supplies.
Place:   18 Prince Edward Blvd, Thornhill

E) WATERMEDIA AND COLLAGE WORKSHOP  At THE JAPANESE PAPER PLACE (Toronto)

www.japanesepaperplace.com

Date: November 21, 2009

Time 10.00am -4.00pm

 Watermedia (Watercolour or fluid acrylic), and Collage workshop.
In this fun-filled workshop, you will learn how to create and develop abstracted landscape imagery, using fluid acrylics or watercolours, combined with stained papers and other collage materials. Personal creative expression and uniqueness will be encouraged.

F) KRIPALU GENTLE YOGA CLASSES

Kripalu yoga is a gentle form of yoga. It emphasizes self compassion, self respect and honouring the needs of one’sown body.

In this class you will learn basic postures (asanas) and how to co-ordinate these with breath and movement, thereby developing body awareness. You will learn yogic forms of breathing and how to sequence breath with movements to assist you in creating physical, mental and emotional balance, and stress release. For experienced students who enjoy a gentle class, this class offers an opportunity to deepen your practice and refine your ability to be guided by your body’s innate wisdom.

Class Size is limited

Dates and Time: Monday 5pm -6.15pm Starting September 14 (5 classes. No classes September 28, October 12)
Fee: $10 per session
Register early as class sizes are limited. A deposit of $25 is required with registration.

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"Most people go about their goals and daily activities hoping that the accomplishment of things will bring them joy.  It's much more productive to take joy in the activity, then you are not waiting for your circumstances to change to be happy.....because you already are." 
J. Hough www.TheVitalyou.com

“Art like life is a journey, not a destination, so we need to enjoy (the process) the trip !!!”

 Enjoy the rest of the summer and your painting journeys.

REGISTER EARLY FOR ALL PROGRAMS AS CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED. A DEPOSIT OF $25 IS REQUIRED WITH REGISTRATION

Please contact me if you require any further information,

Happy Summer,
Jill Segal

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