Mighty Girl Art™: August 2016

Day Five : We Were Together

"We were together.
I forget the rest."

- Walt Whtiman

Early this morning, I pulled the wild bronco (our wagon with the wonky wheel) to the meadow for the last time this summer. I sat there for a moment and pondered how quickly our week together has passed.

This morning the girls put their finishing touches on their art journals then we used a writing prompt to do a bit of time traveling of sorts. Parents, I did not photograph their writing, but you may ask your daughter if she wishes to share it.

We then worked on our bookmark / tags for the closing ceremony. The girls explored an ink dye transfer printing method. It's a wonderful technique and the results look quite dreamy.

We then began our tassel necklaces. We used sari ribbon to create the tassels.

The generous peeps at Goody Beads sent us some beautiful end cap beads and looping pliers for this project. Thank you Goody Beads!!! We are grateful for your support.

Parents began to arrive and we all circled together inside the tipi for our closing ceremony. We took a moment to acknowledge those who came before us, and we acknowledged each other for the unique gifts we have. Then we celebrated the end of our journey together with the best pizza in town!

Special thanks to Ledo Pizza for sponsoring our pizza celebration. Mighty Girl Art is so very grateful for delicious support!!!

Dear Families,
Thank you for blessing us with the gift of your amazing daughters. They are precious, creative and soulful beings. It was an honor to assist them on their creative journey. I hope that you will explore some of the techniques with your daughter - let her inspire you - perhaps in a mother & daughter journal.

Dear Mighty Girls,
Your light is bright and it is an honor to bask in your glow. Thank you for blessing me with your presence and for allowing me to witness your creative process and your sense of wonder. Although I will miss you all very much, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for the week we spent together. Also, know that my studio door and my heart will always be open to you. If you find yourself in my neck of the woods, please stop by. You are always welcome. If you need help with any of the techniques that you learned, your mom knows how to reach me and I will be happy to help.

I hope to see you at the Wintry Workshop...dates to be announced soon!

I would also like to thank Chelsea for everything she does to make our camp run smoothly, and to all the Mighty Girls for taking ownership of their camp, for helping to teach, and for the daunting task of clean-up. Thanks also to Diane who joined in to lend an extra hand.

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy

PS - Please support the people who help make Mighty Girl Art so special. It is our joy to introduce you to consciously made products created by real people. Each one of our sponsors is a testament to creativity, artistic vision, beautiful craftsmanship and manifesting a dream. We teach our children that we all have unique gifts to share with the word, that we have a purpose and our own path to follow. We believe that our sponsors are a good example of what is possible when one masters their craft and turns their dream into a reality. We are humbled by and grateful for their generosity!

Day Four : Be Always Coming Home

Please bring strange things.
Please come bringing new things.
Let very old things come into your hands.
Let what you do not know come into your eyes.
Let the arch of your feet be your mountains.
Let the paths of your fingertips be your maps
And the ways you go be the lines on your palms....
May your soul be at home where there are no houses.
Walk carefully, well loved one,
Walk mindfully, well loved one,
Walk fearlessly, well loved one.
Return with us, return to us,
Be always coming home.

- Ursula LeGuin (Initiation Song from the Finders Lodge)

I asked the girl if they would like to begin with a poem or the morning gift and they unanimously chose the poem, an excerpt of which is above.

Today's gift comes from Imagination International, a company committed to putting the best artistic tools into the hands of artists around the globe. Imagination International sent the girls a set of markers and a doodle pad. Thank you, Imagination International! We are grateful for your support!!!

We got right back to work on our art journals. We set up a station for collage and ephemera, a station for print making, and a station for binding and mark making.

The group decided to work straight through, without a break for a nature walk. They also decided to reschedule our secondary project for tomorrow as they felt compelled to work on their art journals all morning. Here are some examples of their work...such a wide variety of self expression....sculptural, and textural, all so evocative and intriguing.

When your daughter shows you her art journal, remember that art is not a thing - it's a way. Ask her to tell you about each page. Ask her about her creative process.

Tomorrow we will do a quick writing prompt and put finishing touches on our journals before creating our secondary project. Families will join us for the closing ceremony and celebration at 11:00. I can't even believe it's our last day. It went by SO fast!

This winged little sprite has been waiting ever so patiently to be old enough for Mighty Girl Art. We can't wait until she flies into our tipi.

Made so & rooted by love,

Wendy

Day Three : Rise Up Rooted

Rise Up Rooted

The trees.
They were my first home.
And flight of freedom.
And keeper of my stories.

- Isabel Abbott ( Rise Up Rooted from Salt + Honey 2016 )

We began the morning with the above poem. "Rise Up Rooted" written by my friend Isabel, from her new book, Salt + Honey. We reflected for a moment on the little beaded tree of life bracelets that I gave the girls yesterday...our family trees, and the way in which we each become the story keepers for new generations.

Today's gift came from the generous, Rachel Budde, of Fat and the Moon. Her company creates handcrafted, herbal body care for those seeking a natural alternative to chemical-filled products. Rachel sent each of the girls a bottle of Dream Weaver Mist, which paired so perfectly with our secondary project (Dream Catchers).

Thank you, Rachel, for the dreamy magic you make!

Now that the background colors of the journal pages were ready, we can begin adding visuals. Today the girls used Gelli Plates to make mono prints in their art journals. Elder Mighty Girls stepped in to teach the technique and share their tips.

The journals were placed in the sun to dry and we took a vote whether to keep working with the creative flow or to take a break and go for a nature walk. It was decided that we would forgo the walk and keep working.