Review of 2016 - It is good to see how far you have come!!

I can't quite believe that we are here already and there has been so much happening that I have hardly had time to keep up.  And now we are here again launching ourselves into the new year, new beginnings, fruit, challenges, changes and more.

This month we were visited by relatives from England and the States, and some are still here as we see the new year in.  I thought I would share some of the moments and highlights that made 2016 for me and I hope to fulfill more dreams and be more of a blessing...

Relatives visiting from abroad, great to see them and spend some time

Say 'flying fish', or Barbados

 Friday night fish fry

You can never get tired of this view!

Chilling and making the most of the time

Birthday outing for Josh in Oistins

Out and about in Bridgetown

Teacher on an online Class

Winning Awards at NIFCA Art Exhibition, Barbados

Meeting up with fellow Artist Ron Cumberbatch .... (Phil you are included!)

Trip to Montserrat - Amazing time will share soon 

Fellow conference speakers in Montserrat

The plane ride to Montserrat in a 7 Seater !

Plane ride over Antigua on the way to Montserrat 

 Barbados 50th Independence Celebrations kicked off in Independence square

 Working on New Art Work and sculptures

Made the decision to get a compost bin to really begin to grow my own

Collecting seeds - got quite a collection now!

Planting some beans - growing quite nicely, will be harvesting soon

Did a talk with Kiala Givehand

Open house - Alzheimer's Association - Arts Exhibition

Barbados Alzheimer's Association - 'Remember Me' Conference

National Union of Public Workers, Barbados talk

Spending time with my mum

Picturesque Hideaway in Norbury

There are so many more moments that were special that I haven't yet written about, but I will be sharing during the New Year.

What ever you do to see the old year out and the new year in, stay safe and remember that within you have a multitude of gifts waiting to be birthed, go be a blessing, use your gifts and see what amazing opportunities come back when you take that step!

And the Awards goes to.......NIFCA Visual Fine Art Exhibition

I won three awards in the NIFCA Compitition

I recently took part in the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts - Fine Art and Craft, here in Barbados and I submitted 4 sculptures.  The exhibition yielded some amazing art work by very talented artists and I was blessed to be selected to have my work on display among them.

There were different categories, non professional and profession, and a variety of additional awards in each category.

I submitted my sculptures in the professional category and was blessed to have had 3 awards - 2 bronze and 1 silver award.  It is great to have had this and I was very pleased.  It is a great encouragement, especially to think about from start to finish of the process, getting the form to complete, selecting the work (finishing the work!) - I nearly didn't enter.  Thinking about what I wanted to be included had me changing my minds a few times.  I encourage you if you are thinking to take a step out and share your work that you do so.

Here are the four sculptures that were exhibited

The Gift - Bronze Award

The Gift has been inspired by trying to understand the gifts that lay within each of us.  We all have some treasure locked away, hidden from the world, and we need to locate it, dust it off and let our lights shine. I love working in layers and for the art to express something to different people.

The Gift - Sculpture, Amanda Trought

The Gift - Sculpture, Amanda Trought

Angels walk among us - Silver Award

This sculpture is a reminder that there are angels all around us disguised.  The kindness shown by a stranger, someone going out of their way to accommodate another, to the generosity shown by others when you least expect it.  The blessings don't always come packaged as you would hope.

Angels Walk among us - Sculpture, Amanda Trought

Angel Walks among us - Sculpture, Amanda Trought

The Dancer - Bronze Award

The Dancer was inspired by a sculpture  - The Little Fourteen year old Dancer by Edgar Degas, and I was compelled to create one.  My dancer tells of hardships, over coming and breaking free.  Don't we all have something we are trying to let go of?

The Dancer - Sculpture, Amanda Trought

The Dancer - Sculpture, Amanda Trought

The Stilt Walkers Treasure

Inspired by the Carnival stilt walkers it tells of the unusual situations and circumstances we can find ourselves in and how we need to hold on to what we hold dear.  Others may see us in a different light, but it is not how others see us but the treasures that lay within.  This is one of the biggest sculpture I have done so far and is currently being exhibited at The Crane Gallery, Barbados

The Stilt walkers Treasure

Treasures and gifts seem to come out in my work quite a bit, and I guess essentially what I would hope is that when someone sees my work it creates and emotional response in one form or the other and touches their creative spirits.  All pieces are for sale - looking for a good home, and I will be uploading them to my website.

There are some other exhibitions that I visited  this month that deserve a post all to themselves so keep an eye out this week for the posts.

Stay blessed and be a blessing. 

Click HERE to find out more and register

 If you haven't signed up for the One BADASS course, you will be in for a treat if you use my code.  I am giving away a free guide and class to create a mixed media art canvas.  Check out my post HERE to see what they are.

Everyone's a Winner - One BADASS Art Journal - Giveaway winner announced!

Today is the day that I announce the winner for my giveaway on the BADASS Art Journal Course.  We are really looking forward to teaching on this course and you have a fantastic lineup.  Thank you so much to all those who took the time to leave a comment and enter the giveaway, it was great to connect with you.  

We have a winner for the free place on the course, and it goes to Dash Cam (Carolyn) and the information will be winging its way to you.  Well done!

Everyone indeed is a winner, as we still have a great early bird registration (URBADASS) code, which gives you 15% discount off the cost of the course and on top of that I am giving away a couple of bonuses .

When you sign up HERE you will get the following bonuses, for you to keep and work through forever!

Bonus 1

25 Ways to fit Art and Creativity into your Life

Hints and tips to get more creative time into your day

Bonus 2

Art Workshop Canvas Tutorial

Filled with mixed media, layers, embellishments and more - over two hours of instruction!

This is a really great way to start 2017 on the right foot, you will be stretched, blessed, inspired, taken out of your comfort zone, motivated and supported, having fun in the process!

I do hope you can join us

Playing Card Art - Spending Time in the Garden, & Giveaway Update

I love spending time in my garden, I find it a place that offers a time to relax even when you are weeding or pruning some of the plants.  One of my morning routines is to go out before anyone has stirred on my walk and then walk round the garden to see what changes have taken place

As well as spending time in the garden, I have been finding a lot of my work has that element of nature within it, whether it is a tree, the sea, something that for me I find very nurturing.

Playing Card Art - Amanda Trought

This painting is a mini, done on a playing card measuring about 3.5 x 4 and it came in handy when I didn't have much time but wanted to do something in the studio.  There is always time to do something creative, you just have to think about what you want to get done and break it down into chunks.

I kept it very simple, with a limited pallet, this is also a great way for you to clear your mind of the clutter and the need to use loads of supplies, and what often happens is you spend time looking at the supplies rather than working.

I hope you give it a try, I will be sharing some hints and tips to help you stay creative over the next few weeks, and I also have a few challenges coming up in the new year that I would love you to join me in.

Don't forget the giveaway for a place in the One BADASS Art Journal Course finishes on Tuesday 20th December 12pm (EC) and I will be drawing the winner on Wednesday 21st December.  Check out the Blog Hop post to see what you need to do and fingers crossed, it could be you!

Spending time in the Garden - Mixed Media Art

Stay blessed and be a blessing, sign up for my Mailing list to receive downloadable goodies to help you on your creative adventure!

Today is my Blog Hop Day - BADASS Art Journal 2017

BADASS Art Journal 2017

You made it!, thanks for showing up, and if you tuned in each day I hope that you were blessed by the prompts I shared with you.   If you would like to check them out you can do so HERE

This is my second year as a teacher on the BADASS Art Journal course and I am super excited to be working with this talented group of artists.  Grow with us as you take this course.  I believe that there is always room for growth, and there is never a cut off point, it is a lifelong thing.  As you grow in experience you learn new things, use different techniques and change your perspectives.

I love working with colour and texture, and allowing the stories come out from the page.

Texture allows you to create some interesting effects

In my lesson I will be sharing with you techniques that allow you to play and use surfaces that you wouldn't normally use in your art journal in very different ways!

As you can also see I love creating faces, the characters each telling their own story....

Now that you have seen some of my work I am excited for you to finally see the two goodies I will be giving away when you sign up using my link here on my blog, which include:

25 Ways to fit Art and Creativity into your life.  
A guide, filled to the brim of wonderful ways in which you can get more time out of your day!  It also filled with encouraging and inspiring quotes and images!

Mixed Media Art Class -Tutorial Video .  

Your very own Art Class - Step by step instructions to Make a beautiful embellished canvas, hints and tips on supplies and resources, over 2 hours of instructions and a beautiful PDF instruction booklet for you to download!

If you want to just go ahead and purchase the course  you will get the two goodies above, you can also get an early bird discount by putting in URBADASS at the checkout to receive the 15% discount .

If you sign up for the Mailing list as well you will also be sent extra goodies to help you on your creative journey.

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GIVEAWAY - 1 FREE SPOT AVAILABLE

 I am running a giveaway for one free spot on the course, so follow the instructions below to see how you could be in for a chance to win.  For each action you get a chance to win. 

1. Comment on this post and tell me why you would like to win.
2. Instagram - like my page and comment on the blog hop post
3. Facebook - like my facebook page and comment on the blog hop post
4. Sign up to my Mailing list and get an additional 2 chances to win

As I have been saying over the week, don't worry if you have never taken an online course before, you will get lots of support and encouragement, it isn't about competing with others or being able to draw or paint, it is about sharing.  You will see a great amount of love and encouragement that will be flowing through the community, there really is nothing to worry about but so much to gain.

To purchase the course and get your early bird 15% discount put in URBADASS at the checkout 

Buy Now

Remember to sign up to my Mailing list, you will be getting information about what I am up to in my creative journey, tutorials, Arts and health advice and resources, giveaways and more and also be in with an extra two chances to win a free spot on the course.

Pen and Ink - Amanda Trought

So what you waiting for - lets get busy!  Looking forward to connecting with you!

Ok there are 3 more teachers to go in this Blog Hop. Remember to check out the list of other teachers and join them on their blogs, and have a chance for winning a free spot on the class.

Dec 16 – Keri Sallee – thecreativelifear.blogspot.com
Dec 17 – Robin Mead – www.robinmeaddesigns.com
Dec 18 – Tiare Smith – www.tiaresmith.com

How Long will it Take - Daily Prompts & Blog Hop Countdown BADASS Art Journal 2017

How Long will it take?

How Long will it take... having a plan requires a deadline.  Set a timescale for achieving your goal, be realistic with the time you have and what steps need to be put in place.  Today is the final day of my prompts and encouragements.  I hope that you have found them useful, inspiring and encouraging.

Every day this week I have been giving you encouraging prompts and images that I hope you have been able to utilise for your growth. Today is my blog hop day, come back and join me in my official post, get your chance to win a spot on the course by doing a few simple steps.

I have some cool bonuses for you as part of my sign up.  I have really enjoyed sharing with you and look forward to have you join me in the class.

BADASS Art Journal 2017

Today is my day, I will fill you in with the post coming up later and sharing with you all the goodies I will be giving away when you sign up using my link here on my blog, I will even be doing a giveaway for one free spot on the course, so do come back and see if you could be the lucky one. 

Don't worry if you have never taken an online course before, you will get lots of support and be around other encouraging creatives.  It is always great to see the amount of love and encouragement that flows through the community, you have nothing to worry about and so much to gain.

If you want to just go ahead and purchase the course you can also get an early bird discount by putting in URBADASS at the checkout to receive the 15% discount .

While your at it, sign up to my Mailing list, you will be getting information about what I am up to in my creative journey, tutorials, giveaways and more and also be in with an extra chance to win a free spot on the course (thought I'd give you a heads up!)

Remember to check out the list of other teachers and join them on their blogs, and have a chance for winning a free spot on the class.

Dec 16 - Keri Sallee

Dec 17 - Robin Mead

Dec 18 - Tiare Smith