Book Review - Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed Media Artists

Creative Paint Workshop Review

Welcome to Inspirational Shorts Review - Each week I review an art supply, tool or book and today I will be looking at Creative Paint Workshop.  

You can check out the book on Amazon and join me in the video below to see inside the book.

Check out the video below

Stay Blessed and be a blessing!

Join me on Patreon

Inspirational Shorts - Poet - Gwendolyn Brooks, Product Review - Neocolors Pastels

Welcome to the post today.  You are in for a double TREAT!  Inspirational shorts will be changing slightly, I will be sharing on the podcast a poet.  This month the poet I have chosen is Gwendolyn Brooks.  Each and every month I will either feature one poet or more and on the blog give you a bit of information about them.  On the YouTube channel Inspirational Shorts will be a short product/art supply or book review.  I hope that you are staying blessed and inspired.  Let me know who your favorite poet is.

Gwendolyn Brooks

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on May 1, 1950, for Annie Allen, making her the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize. Throughout her prolific writing career, Brooks received many more honors. A lifelong resident of Chicago, she was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968, a position she held until her death 32 years later. She was also named the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress for the 1985–86 term. In 1976, she became the first African-American woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. (Wikapedia page)  More Information HERE

The poem that I will read today is called a Song in the Front Yard and you can find the words HERE while you are there check out the Poetry Foundation, they have information about a wide range of poets.

Inspirational Shorts - Review

Weekly reviews on art supplies, tools and books to inspire and encourage.

Neocolor Water soluble Wax Pastels

In this video I share a review of the water soluble wax pastels known as Neocolor.  They are lovely to use and can work well on a variety of surfaces.

You can check out the variety of sizes that they come in HERE

10 Essential Laws for Living Exhibition - Barbados

I was part of the Exhibition 10 Essential Laws for Living in Barbados recently and did a brief interview with Artist and Curator Margaret Herbert.  Take a look at the video to see some of the work that was on display.  

Art Exhibition in Barbados

Participating artists include: 

Adrian Richards, Amanda Trought, Cy Hutchinson, Doreen Edwards, Juliana Inniss, Lisa Smith Fields, Margaret Herbert, Mark Gajadah, Oneka Small, Roslyn Watson, and Walter Bailey.  You can find most of them on Facebook to see more

of their work.

Come and create with me!

Join me on Patreon

Come and Check it out

Stay Blessed and be a blessing

Arts and Wellness Wednesday - Nurturing

In Today's Arts and Wellness Podcast I talk about the need to nurture and make sure that you prepare yourself for the Christmas Season - for some it can be a lonely time.  Were possible see if you have anyone who may need that extra support, welcome them to your homes and family gatherings and be part of a wider community that cares for the individuals who may have a hard time at this time of the year

We can often forget to take care of ourselves as we are rushing around caring for others, and so it is important to take stock every now and then to make sure your not running on empty.

Remember to check out the Art Journal page creations in Mondays Creating in faith as a way of you taking stock of how far you have come and the direction in which you are heading.  Taking one step and one day at a time you are able to make sure you are always prepared for the events that may crop up and your perspective is one that is coming from abundance rather than lack.

I look forward to the journey with you, do let me know how you are getting on in your pursuits.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Arts and Wellness Wednesday - Episode 166

In today's show I take a look at the work that I have been doing, working with fabrics and stitching, in preparation for an exhibition that will be taking place in a couple of weeks.  Also the idea of planning and how not to be drawn into overwhelm.  The stitching to me is a very therapeutic activity and it is great to be able to pull the work together a combination of stitching, fabric manipulation and embroidery techniques.

Social Media

I have also been considering changing up my approach with social media, and look at the need for us to share our work and be more strategic in the content that we are going to share.  I am in the early stages of my planning but it is coming together  We all have something to share and we just have to get out of our own way and get on with it, we have a mission to get done.

I also wanted to share with you some events that are taking place this week and into the new year in regards to the Arts and Health events, and I have provided links below for you to take a look at:

Photography, Mental Health and Creative Expression, Arts SIG Conference – 11 December 2019
Join artists Daniel Regan and Antonia Attwood to learn about their creative arts practices in mental health and their work in social prescribing, and participate in two workshops on mindful making.

Dementia & Imagination: Art as Inspiration, Artists as Researchers, Derby – 17 December 2019
The University of Derby's Arts-based Research in Dementia cluster invite you to attend a seminar in their series of arts-based and creative approaches to dementia care

Early Stage Dementia Awareness training, Arts4Dementia – 24 January 2020

Training session designed to give arts facilitators greater understanding, increased skills and confidence in communicating and working creatively with people experiencing the early stages of dementia and their carers

The Art of Ageing Artfully, Midlands Art Centre – 5 February 2020

This event, produced by Midlands Arts Centre on behalf of The Baring Foundation and Arts Council England, will explore the role of creativity, arts and cultural change in the experiences of growing older and ask if a medical model of old age can address the creative and cultural realities of our lives

A Culture of Care: Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance national conference, Derby Museum – 19-20 March 2020

The theme of the event will be care: care for one another (participants, practitioners, commissioners); care for the environment; and caring economies

If you have been able to attend any of the events do let me know how you get on.  Stay blessed and be a blessing

Season 2 - Creating in Faith - Happy

Happy

What would you say your general mood is from day to day?  Sometimes there are external things that can allow to have an impact on our overall mood and we then respond to things in a negative way.  Does that mean that we scan not be happy despite what is going on around us?  Can you have an argument about something and still be in a happy frame of mind?  Listen to the Podcast

Going through an electrical and water outage at the same time over a period of 8 hours really helped me put things into perspective.  It isn’t until these things are gone do you really appreciate what you could do when you had them, how much you depend on them and what impact not being able to do the things that you took for granted would have..  All of our appliance ran out of charge and we were then faced with reading, writing and having a conversation rather than all having our heads in a screen of varying size – which despite no lights I appreciated the pause.

I was reminded that I love writing and it is something that I have kept up, but I was also able to get on with some writing that I really needed to focus on but never found the time.  We just had to find a way to make it work for us, without getting annoyed that the lights went off, as that wouldn’t have solved anything and we would still be without light and water.

It brought back memories of being a child and the lights going out and our big sister would make it fun, - back then you did more things together as a family, without the distractions of the computer screen and the tv (which only had 4 channels)!  We were always able to look at things from a different perspective which didn’t have stress attached to it.  We knew the lights would come back eventually so we did something else until it did.

Is happy your constant state of being, happy within yourself, your state of mind, not looking at what you think things should be, knowing who you are and what you stand for.  Things don’t always have to go the way that we expect -and we know that we are the creators of our own reality. Don’t expect others to ‘make’ you happy or feel that it is your duty to ‘make’ someone else ‘Happy’ – it is not your responsibility to make others happy. 

Take a moment and consider how you are feeling at the moment, think about whether you are in a happy state of being, check out the Art Journal page video, and the monthly Journal that you can join me in making and see if you are further inspired in your journey.

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Realityarts Podcast - Creating in Faith - Happy

Creating In Faith Encouraging Recordings are to bless and inspire you to be the best of yourself. It can be really great to pull out your art journal/Journal and express what comes up for you either with images and colour, with words or with both. Check out the weekly and monthly videos to help you spend more time in your art journal.

You can get additional information by showing up on my blog, you can see the show notes HERE

If you would like to see some behind the scenes, images and additional tips HERE

You will find the 2 art journal videos available to consume at your leisure - the Making of the art journal for the month and an art journal page process - Check these out HERE 

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There are so many FREE ways in which you can support the podcast and the work that I do on some of the other channels and it is always a blessing when you connect -

• listening each week and leave a comment
• Subscribe to any or all of my channels, visit the
• YouTube channel (remember to hit the notification bell)
• Let me know how the content impacted you and if you were inspired to make changes/additions to your work or life.

YouTube www.youtube.com/amandatrought

Blog - http://realityarts-creativity.blogspot.com

Patreon Blog - http://www.patreon.com/realityarts

Twitter - www.twitter.com/Realityarts

Instagram www.instagram.com/realityarts/

Facebook www.facebook.com/realityartss/

Check out some encouraging boards on Pinterest

Artwork available from the title image HERE

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I also have an Arts and Health NHS Network for information on activities and organisations working in the field. You are welcome to join, it is a FREE resource and if you have any activities or want to talk about your work you are welcome to send me the information and I will see that it gets uploaded. You can create your own profile on the network and connect with others who are passionate about the arts in health too.

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Creative Encourager - If you want to talk about creativity and the direction you are going and need a listening ear, sign up for a FREE 30 minute call http://bit.ly/Encoura

Arts and Wellness Wednesday - Book Review - Creative Awakenings

Welcome to the blog today.  On the podcast I did a review of the book - Creative Awakenings, Envisioning The Life of Your Dreams Through Art and you can listen to the podcast episode below.

You can check out the book below on Amazon, click on the book for further information 

It is written by Sheri Gaynor and it features inspiration from 12 different artists.  It has so many ideas, mixed media techniques and more within the pages of the book I think it is fantastic.  I have been working through the chapters, and will at some point share some more of my take away's from the book, for now check out the Podcast where I go through the book.

I have listed it on my amazon book list and you can see other books in my growing ideas list of Art Books and Supplies.

Angel Walks - Arts and Wellness Episode - 127

Angel Walks - Arts and Wellness Wednesdays

Listen to the podcast

In Episode 127 - Arts and Wellness Wednesday I share information on the sculpture that I created called Angel Walks

Each week I will be sharing a piece of art, it is so important that we share what we do and tell our stories.

The sculpture like some of my other pieces has the apprearence of bronze, but this has a wire and clay armature and is made from fabric.  I really enjoy using these materials and creating a flow, and the way that you can get different effects from the different weights of fabric.  I also use fabrics in wall hangings and other pieces of art.

This sculpture won the NIFCA silver award which I am very proud of

Angel Walks - Amanda Trought

The arts is something that is so important that we all take part in and I hope that my work has an impact on the viewer in what ever way possible, not only being in the physical presence of the work but also viewing it.

Angel Walks - Amanda Trought

Angel walks reminds us that we never know the number of people who come into our lives that are angels in disguise.  We all have the ability to speak love and hope into other peoples lives and be a blessing and you may not realise that just by doing the things that you take for granted can be a real blessing to others and help uplift and change the course of their lives.  Listen to the podcast recording to hear more about the Sculpture.  

Angel Walks - Amanda Trought

Think about your own journey, and the times people impacted you life, those people that blessed you, the things that you did to be a blessing to others.  Think about the things that you now regret saying because it had a negative impact, and whilst your not always able to go back and make things right, think about how you can pay the blessing forward.

Angel Walks - Amanda Trought

Stay blessed and be a blessing, visit my website to see some of the other sculptures available

Creating in Faith - Pots of Clay

Pots made of clay don’t always look that spectacular until they have been through the glazing and firing process.  When they are first molded and shaped they are dull in colour, still quite fragile.  Each pot is made for a different purpose, some that are filled with water, others filled with wine, some go to be filled with compost to hold plants and there are still a variety of other uses, each with its own purpose and plan for its’ existence.

We too are like these pots of clay that God has formed, molded, pressed in at the sides and fashioned to be fit for a particular purpose, having then His love, grace and wisdom poured into us. We are not to be afraid of what God has called us to do as his children because the purpose he has instilled within us is to bring life, be a blessing, minister to others and show others his love and grace through our thoughts, words and actions.

Once the pots have been fired at exceedingly high temperatures and come out of the kiln they are ready to go and do what they have been called to do, and so must we whatever processes, experiences that we are going through it is to equip us, strengthen us, show us our purpose and beauty and, seeing the richness that lay within us all we have to – as the clay is molded let our lives be molded to his will.

What aspects of your life do you take for granted?  How can you shine a spotlight on those areas of your life that have been overlooked, - journal, write, create some art as your response.

Here are some of the links I mentioned.  My Cousins daughter Melissa's company called Grey Remedy check out her link HERE  You can also check her out on her Instagram Page

Part of Melissa's Range of potter

I love the Raku style of pottery and I have put together a Pinterest board for you to check out, there are some beautiful designs for you to appreciate.  I covered a workshop that artist Juliana Inniss did building coil pots below.  

She is part of a collective of Ceramic artists who exhibited together recently at the Form and Function exhibition below at the Argentina Embassy in Barbados, who have also by the way promised to host a monthly exhibition of local artists.

You can check out some of the sculptures I create HERE, I would love to see how I could incorporate the Raku effect, so a lot of experimenting is needed as my pieces are not fired in a kiln.  

Island Keeper - Mixed Media Art Sculpture, Manifesto Exhibition at Parliament

Disconnect - Mixed Media Art Sculpture, Manifesto Exhibition at Parliament

Amazon have a selection of books on Raku if you are interested in trying yourself  I have compiled list on my Amazon Storefront and check out some of the other books and resources available

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Podcast Show - Episode 87 - Meet Artist Khuumba Ama

Welcome to Arts and Wellness Wednesdays, where I speak with artist Khuumba Ama at the Caribbean Fine Art Fair.  Khuumba 

Born in Savannah, Georgia and later moved to Harlem USA, is a full-time Multi-media artist of original and one-of-a-kind creations. She is a teaching artist and mentor to assist children in self-esteem workshops and designed a creative program to help seniors living with dementia.

Check out what she had to say about the work that she does and the inspiration behind her art.

100 Day Project - 100 Pastel Sketches 33 - 40

Here are the images 33 - 40 of the 100 Pastel Drawings that I have been doing on the #100dayproject2019

I had a couple of days where I didn't feel like creating which is weird, but kept going, you have to, and reminded myself that I am showing up for me.  The project isn't about anyone else, but wanting to go on a journey with the pastels and use the supplies that I have.

If you would like to see the daily images you can come visit me on Instagram.  Next week I will begin sharing some of the videos that I will be creating weekly for some of the images, it is always great to see how artist approach their work, and I hope that you find some inspiration while watchin.

You will be able to see the first of the weekly videos here when I share videos 41 - 48 or join me on YouTube, I am hoping that they will inspire you to get out your supplies and create.  I will be sharing the full video on my Patreon Site, which you are welcome to join.

To see a selection of pastels and accessories on Amazon click HERE

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Art and Wellness - Lisa Mona - Podcast Episode 81

Welcome to the Episode 81 of the Podcast and the Arts and Wellness, where the focus is on the Arts and how it can impact our health and well-being. I will be talking with artists, looking at activities that you can do to be more creative across the board and for those who are carers tips and strategies that you can use. I will also be sharing reviews, resources and other insights. I will be looking at the nuggets that the artists share and see how we can apply it in some way to our own lives, what ever your interests.

Lisa Mona - Artist

In this Episode I spoke to artist Lisa Mona who was exhibiting at the Caribbean Fine Art Fair. Lisa Mona was born in Barbados with a diverse cultural background which has fashioned her artwork in an eclectic way. Her body of work is influenced by the beauty of simplicity itself, natures's colors and its organic shapes. She expresses herself through photography, jewelry, design and abstract paintings.

Listen to her interview below:

Watch the Video on YouTube

So some of the takeaways from Lisa was the connection with nature and looking at the fine detail when she is putting her work together.

When we think about arts and health some of the ways in which we can incorporate some of the things Lisa does in her work is to take time out to notice things in nature.  Step outside, open your windows and get some fresh air, listen to the sounds that you can hear around you, the colours and the shapes, what do they remind you of?

If you are a carer you can think about reminiscence and looking at old photos and getting your loved one to talk about the people and actions in the pictures.  If you don't have access to photos you can get together a selection of well known celebrities that they would recognize and have a conversation about them.

Take some photographs yourself, go for a walk and see what things you can photograph, especially within their local area that they could talk about or could be a starting point to a conversation.

The appeal of nature

Being out in the sunshine, feeling the breeze on your skin is important for us all to experience and with the majority of us being Vitamin D deficient it is important to spend time daily where possible outdoors.  

I hope that this has been useful.  Sign up for my mailing list and YouTube channel for more ideas on being creative.

You an connect with Lisa Mona on: - Facebook - Lisa Mona Art, YouTube, Instagram

If you would like to know more about photo montage, check out a couple of titles from Amazon HERE

For information on arts events in Barbados check out the Barbados Visual Arts event online Magazine Published by Corrie Scott.

The Mixed Media Play Date is in full swing, You can sign up for the course HERE or click on this link - http://bit.ly/MMPAT19 to get the bonuses (email me once you have booked)

You can also find me in other places on social media:

YouTube   Instagram   Pinterest   Website

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