Now that your studio party is over and you raised over $600 in support of CEPIA Costa Rica what are you going to do, Marika?

“I’m going to Disneyland!”

Yes, I did.

That photo is kind of how I felt everyday leading up to the party.  And I’ve sadly dated myself by referencing this old advertising campaign. Yes, age has crept up on me.

After the party, life sped up a bit; some residual sales, oncoming thanksgiving holiday, an early celebration, visits from out of town friends and a final three day Disneyland extravaganza with the family.

If I didn’t say it before, thank you. Thank you for your support, messages, sales, wine, chocolate and visits. It meant the world to me and I’m so proud of my first solo effort to raise funds for those in need in Costa Rica. Thank you! To those that made the donation possible to CEPIA Costa Rica thank you double.

There were so many gifts from the night!

A a minimum, I was able to get my working feet under me again. This year has been flooded with so much change and transition that I had created a habit of unfinished work. My studio hid many works about 95% complete, unready to show or sell. They quickly needed to be finished for this studio party and I got a lot of basic painting and administrative work done. I needed this work done to motivate me through the party and beyond.

A step beyond minimum was the chance to host you for some food, wine, art and friend-making. So much awesome fun!

But the party was so much more than the minimum.

For the curious, here are some highlights from the party.

Both workshops were full – thank you. Did I say thank you already? I was inspired by your inspiration and curiosity. As the holidays roll around, it is fun to see people make thoughtful gifts for loved ones in my Watercolor Necklace Workshop.

I had fun experimenting with techniques to access creative wisdom and intuition in my Explore Intuitive Painting with Watercolor workshop. I hope to explore this concept more in future workshops.

See my post: 4 Tips for Finding and Bringing Inspiration .

Personally, as a teacher, I learned a lot from you. Some nuances about teaching through the artistic process clicked and revealed themselves for me. For example,at this workshop one participant said “I’m afraid.” I’m so grateful for the full frontal honesty. Fear is exactly what blocks action and as much as I try to help facilitate a fearless approach, fear is always a solid companion. This insight alone will help guide my teaching materials but also the dialogue of living with fear that I bring to the workshops.

Usually, I don’t condone a fight but….

There was a small skirmish among family members for Shifting Worlds multi-media painting.

A little argument about love ensued when one buyer claimed My Heart is Gonna under the buying nose of another.

A dear friend bought In Need of a Guide a story close to my heart.

 

Life Begins at Sea was bought by another turtle loving, sun worshiping lady. This was a special pairing my daughter designed and named. You can see the story here.

Florgasm Three is on the road to Canada and then Costa Rica. The buyer snapped it up after seeing it online and it was a good thing too – this one attracted a lot of attention at the party.

The goodies table was wonderfully plundered.

• All Community mugs are gone but can be ordered and shipped to you here
• All the small pendant necklaces sold out!
• All but one pair of newly released earrings sold out.
• Half my copies of my new book; The Art Ritual were bought up. You can have a free digital copy of your own here or buy the printed version from my shop.
• I have many cards left for sale and I’ll stock my online store.
• I have one Mantas: A Love Story acrylic block leftover for just $29.99

And I’m re-organizing my online store and will soon have the paintings and pendant that remain from the party easily available for to buy online. Check out some of the new photographs and available paintings. I’ve been having fun playing with my creative soul and seeking out Fall colors.

For those that went out of your way to express your condolences for not being able to attend, there will always be another party.

Happy holidays and new year to come!  Thank you for helping this year end on a high note!