|
A smash book is an energetic Container for our ideas, hopes, dreams Anything we intend for it to Hold, nurture, grow, enliven Contain, bless, flourish. The one pictured below.. for example I have called "Beloveds" ... and my intention for it is to be a portable altar... each time I have a client/workshop booked in.. I can make a page dedicated to our time together. I believe very much in setting intentions.. 'Intentional Creativity' is part of what I have been learning through the Color of Woman course I did this year. Allowing our hearts desires, longings, and questions to come up and then to give them space to be is a powerful tool for real change/growth/enrichment and transformation in our lives. I am grateful to Catt Geller for teaching me how to make and teach 'Cosmic Smash Booking' you can find her blog here : http://streetlightpeopledotorg.wordpress.com I will be introducing some Smash Booking Workshops soon. Join the mailing list if you'd like to hear about when and where workshops are coming up.
If you have a group already who would like me to come and teach a Painting workshop or Smash Booking session, email your information and I'll see if we can make it happen in 2014. love Denise xo .. “Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field. I'll meet you there” Rumi As I embark on the newest little part of my creative ventures... mixed media works on wood and paper ... I hear 'those' voices... "Oh this isn't real art.. you should be painting every bit of it" ... "What... you're using cut out pictures in there" ... "this is crap... this really will not do" .... "grow up" .... Oh the list could go onnnnn and on. But with the strengthening of my Muse voice... or my listening to her... I'm hearing other whispers too... really quickly.... following on from the mean bitch voice... like, "This is a new adventure"... "we're here to have fun"... "if it's bringing you joy... then... hello... do.. it" ... "this little piece of art you're making.. is not going to hurt anyone.. and if you're filling it with such enjoyment then maybe someone else might actually love it too" ... "try it and see" ... "experiment" ... I'm taking a new bunch to the framer this week... and they'll make their debut up at the gorgeous gallery that has my work.. and if anyone has a critical comment to make about them... well... let them say it to my face and hear about the 2 years of being blocked and depressed about it.. hahaha.. that'll learn them! I'll post pics of the new ones once they've been revealed at the gallery. ... I can maybe show some snippets . . . 
I am returning to a place of play as much as I can when making these pieces... and that feels like a really good place to start.
with love, Denise xo ps. They'll be on display at Tiffany Jones Fine Art Gallery later this month. When I set the date for a full day 'Creativitea' I didn't actually realise it was 'Good Friday'.. and therefore a public holiday.. but this allowed for three beautiful lady's to come along who might not have been able to had it been a work day. I am sometimes finding it's not always suitable for people to come on the dates I set, so please be aware, that if you have at least two friends who would like to come to an artclass/tea party hosted by me, then you can always contact me to see if we can make a date that will suit you. I am looking at doing an evening class on Friday night 12th April - 6pm til 9'ish. ... so be quick if you'd love to come along to that one. 
The idea of these current 'Creativitea' classes is really quite free... you're free to play and explore, and I am there to assist you in whatever way I can. It's been described as very relaxing, and many women express the joy of having given themselves time out to do something creative. I will be introducing a more structured workshop/retreat style class in the not too distant future, so keep in touch if you'd like to hear more about that. You can join my mailing list here. 
www.denisedaffara.com.au
I love the diversity of these artworks... all fabulous... and all so very different from eachother. Magic happens!
with love Denise. Dear friends who have bought calenders & prints, and paintings. I am so grateful! I've made a decision to apply for a very special course next year, and each sale of my calendar (about $5) is going into savings... and all the new artwork that I've been doing, a percentage if not all of the proceeds, and print sales will be going back into my learning. I'll share more along the way, once I've been accepted and know it's a sure thing... but for now.. this is a little snap shot of some of my newest paintings, in varying stages of completion.  The little ones above are on small boards, they're a totally new thing for me to try and I am LOVING them... they start off in all kinds of chaos... and I leave them to dry many times, turn them 90 degrees, add some colour or marks... and come back and add some more... and then I look into them like a 'crystal ball' and see what image is beckoning... or hint of a shape is catching my eye... I'm looking into new print options for some of these petite pretties.  This beautiful lady in red tones is on my easel at the moment, not much more will be changed, I love the depth and sensuality she presents with this rich colour. The small one is a soft and gentle piece inspired by the gorgeous Jacaranda trees that are in bloom here in South East Queensland at the moment, they are so very beautiful. I stood beneath a tree in Buderim a few weeks ago and actually asked 'what gift do you bring, blooming with such extraordinary colour and covering the ground with your purple flowers?' Much like the idea of eating the fruit that is in season is most beneficial and healthful for our system... what gifts do the flowers bring. I wondered to myself.
2013 Calendar with 12 little prints of my artwork inside My three arrived today Denise...they're beautiful. I ordered mine on the 21st Nov. and they arrived from the US today!I (26th November) only paid $9.99 for postage!! Fantastic xx RJ - Melbourne That's about it for now love Denise xo I had a beautiful group of women come for Creativitea time on Friday, and the stencils from Artistcellar were a HIT!!! The favourite of the day turned out to me the water & coral series... I'll make another little post showing all four sets... and some spray experimenting I did with the 'Cathedral Series' *high pitched soprano voice* You can visit the online store & see the stencils here. Creativitea is a very playful, free time, anything goes, the idea is to have as much fun as possible while experimenting and trying new things, mixed media makes this very doable. I love it when I hear back from people they haven't had that much fun in a long time... or they have found their inner artist again... or for the first time!!
 water and coral stencils... looking wonderful here! I am so thrilled with the stencils I received from Artistcellar... lovely Lisa, owner of Artistcellar sent me them as a gift to share at my workshops! How wonderful was that, I am happy tell you about her online art supply store, a friend and I made an online order a short while ago and the 'stash' arrived in a really short time, under 10 days from the USA is fabulous!!  bye for now,
love Denise x I've just received this beautiful review.  Monet for a Moment. – October 2012 Mary V T. Christchurch, New Zealand. When did you last paint for fun? I'm not talking about your feature wall of the nineties or your neighbour's fence at the last working bee, but creating a picture on canvas reflecting your inner 'Angelo'. Denise Daffara, a gifted and talented local artist, guided me on a journey back to a time when life was less complicated. Expressing yourself artistically is like looking in a mirror and transferring that into tangibility. Sounds easy... it isn't. Denise gently prompts with props, coupled with soothing tones designed to assuage your rising panic. The 'unlocking' process begins and ideas start to beat their way through like hopeful sperm to the ova. Colour palettes selected, a theme chosen from inspirational art books, and we are now ready to commence. The 'Aladdin's Cave'/studio Denise operates is where 'Virgo meets Vesuvius'. Attempted order reigns amongst the plethora of products at hand. The magpie's nest brims with a miscellany of material easily alongside the iconic branded furniture and technology. The music playlist, personalised tea set and homemade cake assist in the aligning of planets required for creative awakening. Denise is committed to your success. A generous quality from a stereotypically concentric role. She flutters about the room between students, finding audible delight in things she rediscovers from her IKEA drawers gathered long ago, to assist in your creation. The process boggles. Basic steps are discussed and then innovation takes over. Like a wedding cake, layers are good. A barren multicoloured canvas steadily morphs into the buzz from within your brain. Rapid drying tools assist in layering. Anything goes, at your pace (within the 3 hour timeframe). Denise sets her alarm, lest we forget to eat and drink, so frenetic is the action. Our inner 'Muse' battles with our 'Critic' and reluctantly concedes. Pleasantly surprised at our prowess, we depart with our masterpieces. We have grown today, but we feel lighter.  just a little help with the edging . . . Mary & Denise. Denise Daffara is an expatriate New Zealander residing in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast who paints full time. Her works are for sale at the Tiffany Jones Fine Art Galley, 138 Burnett Street, Buderim, Queensland. Customised art classes cater for up to four participants. She can be contacted for bookings at www.denisedaffara.com.au   light filled studio. Thank you so much Mary, it was my absolute pleasure to see the beautiful artwork you created.
love Denise. note : although Mary is my cousin.. I would mention she is also a Virgo (like me) so her attention to detail and easy honesty allows me to take this as a genuine and huge heart felt compliment. I've been learning some wonderful art journaling lessons from Effy Wild, in fact... I've been meaning to share with you all the A M A Z I N G news of a GIVEAWAY prize package we all have the chance to enter. O M G I have never been so excited about an online prize pack such as this before. Click the link below to find out all about it. GIVEAWAY FROM WILD SOUL ARTS! FREE SEAT IN LIFE BOOK 2013 and FIVE OTHER PRIZE PACKAGES! http://effywild.com/2012/10/03/huge-mahoosive-giveaway/ I thought I'd share a few fun pics I've been taking of my art journal pages whilst in process/progress . . . a recent page was quite heart wrenching for me, but with some patience, self kindness and understanding friends... I got through the anguish and created a page I feel really proud of.  It's deeply personal, but not a new story . . . and the words I've used jumped out from some random pages I took from two different old books... I was in a vulnerable place ... and just had to trust that process, that if I stayed with my feelings I would come through the other side. It was such a gift to allow myself this time, and the peace came eventually too.  Having trouble uploading two more pics... :0( dammmmmitttt
I might just share them on my fb page... and see if weebly will let me add them another time. I'm toooo tired for this... I spent 4 hours learning about Golden paints for my second time (there is so much to learn, and so much is new to me, and I'm so freakin excited about them I chose to go to another demo by the amazing art educator Nancy) night night, lovelies Denise xo |
CURRENT MOON 
moo cards = cutest little business cards ever!
A Sip of my Tea - My other blog.
 
a sip of my tea
Creativitea Art Classes
click.. and go join the mailing list
  
Archives
January 2016
Categories
All
Books I Love“There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.”
|
RSS Feed
