Chalk Paint Blooming

I have this thing about flowers as a metaphor for so many things that necessitate description or definition or simply a place to be.  And is it not true that when we seek to express an idea or a plan, it seems to germinate through the process of words and images?  At least that is true for me because I am always torn between the power of phrases versus the beauty and tactile images of color and art. 

I have been so busy the last few weeks that I have taken refuge in a bouquet of peonies that have been in my living room for many days.  They seem to last forever.  I probably have taken twenty photos in various lights and unfolding, a way to chart a journey of their life, a source of continual engagement and inspiration.  It has given me reason to pause and reflect on the days when I am often at my computer or in my car.  And essentially, it has become a forum for me to reflect on variations of colors and movement and all that this manages to entail.

I will be moving into a retail space soon.  I think it was the bouquet of peonies that helped me arrive at this decision.  It was simply a thought, similar to that peony bud, knowing it would eventually unfold, gradually reveal its reason and strength.  I know I love the idea of story and metaphor, but truly it seemed to be an evolution of like-minded souls, the bloom and the action to decide.

It will be the perfect space.  If you look to the left you will see the industrial garage door.  Don't be fooled.  Behind this door is the most incredible space for workshops, painting furniture, and creating all sorts of amazing things.  The space in front of it, "the storefront" is where I will be wild with display and color and eclectic design, but the back room will be the place where all the magic happens!

Practicality precedes progress as well as dreams.  So this last week I was busy sawing samples for my first workshop.  I had so many to cut, and I nearly purchased an electric saw but when I saw the blade and the way it worked, I quickly moved on to the manual department.  I have this fear that I will cut off my fingers and be unable to create anything for the rest of my life.  That would be catastrophic, no question.

Holding a painting workshop in a dining room tends to be a lot of work.  I moved out the rug, covered the hardwood floors with brown paper, covered my dining table with plastic as well as paper taped all around and then "decorated" the table with notebooks, pens, and samples to paint.

I hand painted the charts and spent some time documenting each process, all six of them, so there would be a format of instruction to follow. 

All the cans were on my kitchen counter waiting to be opened....my favorite thing to do.....take a peek at the beautiful colors!

We started painting fast and furiously, thrilled to be using the Chalk Paint! 

We took a break for lunch.

And lingered there for awhile talking about our favorite project, the magazines we loved, and the plans we were making going forward. 

 We played and we experimented and we explored many possibilities.

 I have to say I was in the company of three amazingly creative and very confident women.

Three women and three amazing and different results from one technique.

When the shadows cast their spell in my garden at the end of the day, I felt that there was truly so much blooming in the world of paint, in me, the students in my workshop, and the idea of a retail shop soon to make its debut.