Phoenix in August!

c Original artwork - Reva Solomon 2008

And now a shameless plug - self-promotion - but then that's part of what blogs are for, right? Right!

I am beyond thrilled to announce that I have the distinct honor of being the keynote speaker to kick off Art Unlimited 2008 held in Phoenix, Arizona from August 3 - 10 at the Embassy Suites Hotel. I'll be delivering an interactive speech which includes making tag pages for a book to be auctioned off at the silent auction and displayed during AU 2008. Following my speech will be a Meet the Artists reception, where my art work will be displayed along with fabulous instructors who will be teaching at AU! There is no charge to attend if you are registered for classes. Oh! and did I mention that there's a prize worth $400 to be won by a lucky registered participant who attends my speech? Thank you, Linda Young for giving me this opportunity!

As most of you know, I'm celebrating ten years as a Creative Life Coach, working with various creative clients from those in the entertainment industry to visual artists. I have clients all over the country who I help get in touch with their dream, break it down into "baby steps", and make a plan to turn that dream into reality. We look at how all parts of our lives affect our creativity. I work with the extremely successful award winning creative folks to newbies just starting out. I love what I do and I get to see artists move to the next level in their dreams. All of us have doubts about our abilities and our work. We could all use a cheerleader, mentor, confidant at some time. I get to fulfill that role for my clients on a daily basis. My talk - Discover Your Muse: Follow Your Heart and Find Yourself - will combine coaching and art expertise that will help each artist "discover her muse" and have new tools to help spark creativity at home in the studio when creative thoughts are replaced with doubts.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Phoenix - and if you were thinking you might skip the opening, I encourage you change your mind - I'd love to have you there and I can guarantee a fun time!

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions and of course, comments are welcomed - See you in Phoenix!

My Poppy...My Hero

Rather than write it twice, I've posted my tribute to my Poppy on my other blog - Dream Big...A Star is Born - Please click over and enjoy my photos and tribute to Samuel Sidney Solomon - my hero...My Poppy!

Creativity Awakened

This weekend I had the distinct pleasure to take yet one more class from the fabulous Kelly Kilmer at Stampin'from the Heart in Culver City. I know she'll get totally embarrassed when she reads this, but I have to say it. I have taken more than eight or nine classes from Kelly. She is the most generous and giving teacher. She teaches with no judgment and encourages each student in their work in a way that makes you feel like you are taking a private class with her.

In this particular class I had an epiphany about my creativity and my art. As we quickly slapped paint on the pages of the folded book, I realized that I was feeling confident, creative and knowledgeable about what I was doing. I no longer was comparing my work with anyone else in the class. I was focused and enthusiastic about what I was creating. And my work felt perfect, just as it was. I don't mean that in a conceited way, but coming from a place of being "in the zone". I don't know when this shift happened for me, but in that room, surrounded by like minded women and a supportive, encouraging teacher, I felt good about my work and about myself. What a wonderful place to be. So, thank you, Kelly! Without your guidance and friendship I would not have had this chance to discover these things about myself.

Upcoming class with samples

I will be teaching another class on June 7th, Saturday (note it's Saturday NOT Sunday this time) at Many Paths Bookstore in the NoHo Theatre District from 2 - 5 pm. Would appreciate an e-mail letting me know your interest in taking the class. This class - Personal Freedom Banners - will explore the questions: how do we define freedom both personally and globally? How does our definition affect us personally and what do we want to take away from this discussion to incorporate our definition on a more conscious level in our lives? We will then select three to four words that represent that definition and those thoughts to incorparate in our banners - Look forward to seeing you in class -

Thought it might be interesting to dissect the finished art piece - enjoy! Please remember that many hours of work went into the design and creation of this and all my artwork - please look, feel free to use as a template for your own work, but do not copy either photos or the work itself - as artists we must respect each other's work and come from a place of integrity - food for thought! Would love your comments -


PERSONAL FREEDOM BANNERS...







Started with a sketch in my journal for Personal Freedom Triangle banner



Another journal sketch with a variation for Personal Freedom Journal



Selected papers to create the variation banner






Papers unaltered for USA Freedom Banner



Unaltered Personal Freedom Banner




Selected various ephemera to collage the banner panels:






Panel close-up distressed with inks



Panel close-ups distressed with inks and crackle paints










Distressed/altered freedom word tags: