The First Workshops!

As my first workshops attendees arrived, were met at the airport and taken to the Lousada Country Hotel nearby, I realised that this was the first day of the rest of my life. An amazing way to combine my twin passions of art and teaching. A way to make the Pink Buddha Studio come alive with paint, paper and the wonderful pleasure of watching people creating art, forming friendships and building in confidence. As the days passed, and we made our own collage papers, started our Buddhas, and the spirit of mutual support and friendship grew, I knew that this was meant to be - that somehow I had to share this magical space with more people, and to find new ways for people to come.

I loved the way everyone watched my demos, then developed their own paintings, exploring their own style, and creating unique, stunning paintings!

Both weeks were AMAZING - I think pictures speak louder than words, so here are 'the best bits" !!!!

Why Pink Buddha?

The Pink Buddha means so much to me - I started painting Buddhas because they kind of speak to me, so hard to describe. My late Roy always acted rather as the voice of my conscience. Now I feel that the Buddhas do much the same. I both see and hear Roy in them, but also something even deeper, a spirituality, a force which I need to listen to, understand and make sense of, to be kinder and more generous, to be more forgiving - to be wiser and make better decisions. All this and much more that cannot be verbalised. I need to connect to this force to find the energy and work ethic I need for this enterprise - I have to dig deep and overcome the pull of laziness! I'm going to give it all I've got!

I am going to give it all I've got...plus the champagne!

The Pink Buddha is ready.,,,,

Why is it that everything that can go wrong, usually does? The works began to take on strong flavours of the latest Portuguese soap opera - there were nail biting cliffhangers and gut wrenching fear that it would not be ready. My preplanned week of 'rest and relaxation' before the first Pink Buddha restaurant did not happen - we were getting ready until almost the last moment. But as in all these situations, it did all come together after looking at its worst before it looked its best....and the studio lay in wait for its first visitors from the US, Spain and the UK, plus a bit of a do for the first night - the 'Grand Opening"!

People were met at the airport, settled into the lovely Lousada Country Hotel, and the first day of the workshop was spent in lots of great conversation and anticipation of the week ahead. Suddenly the tempo changed - people , including my wonderful friends Jane and Nat who had created The Pink Buddha Art Studios', friends, family and workshop attendees, began to arrive... out came the 'champagne', corks popped! I reverted instantly into my former Headmistress mode and made my speech. The most important part for me, apart from thanking Jane and Nat, and Isabel, for their tireless efforts, was to answer the question...who and what is this studio for I feel very passionately about opening up the studio to all, including the local community, to singles, small groups and independent travellers, to people who have never picked up a paintbrush, to people who don't need me but just want to come and paint for a while and have a comfy bed and meals cooked for them. It's all part of the dream.

Before Pink Buddha

I had a lovely house in the little town of Lousada in the lush green countryside of Northern Portugal. Nice house, small rooms, plenty of space for just me...until I started to paint. Anyone who knows me knows that I very quickly expand (even my waistline obeys this principle) to fit all available space ...so the first danger point was coming back home after my travels round the world. The house which had seemed okay filled up fast. Photos, souvenirs, posters, pictures, dangly things, huge wooden masks. They all came to stay. I started off in 2002 with the objective of a black and white minimalist house. HA!!!!!

Things looked bright and colourful - until my muse arrived. he arrived first in the shape of ever larger journals. Journals which cried out to be written, yes, a pen might suffice...but then they cried out for colour, so watercolours were purchased. I got interested - an influx of many books on the subject. Now I needed acrylic paints. Well, the story went on and my house started filling up with art supplies. Oh no...where can I work? My living room became my studio (no more dinner parties, what a relief!) with easels squeezed in. Did I mention easels? because another shift had begun...I had become a PAINTER. I devoured books, many courses, worked hard, got better, expanded and expanded...the story goes on.

My first journals and paintings appear in the first entries of the blog - best kept there I think!

What? No pictures yet?? No...because we have another player enter the scene. I forgot to say that beneath this cosy, crammed full little house lay a huge space known as the 'garage', 'the basement', 'downstairs` or, more commonly 'the dumping ground'. Whenever anyone cried out 'Where shall I put this - the answer came easily....DOWNSTAIRS. Stuff piled up in every nook and cranny. It was badly lit, few windows, no heating, the cats thought it was their exclusive territory...some piles were of the 'enter ye who dare' variety. But it had one huge advantage - it was VERY BIG INDEED!

Half tidied dumping ground!

Potential grasped

Pink! A light bulb! At some desperate moment, probably knocking an easel over yet again in a cramped space, the idea of a lovely studio entered my head. A place where there was room for everything, where I could do EVERYTHING I wanted - even put in an extra bedroom for when stars seemed too much. ...oooh...The studio could be used for workshops too, or a local gallery or...or....

and so The Pink Buddha Studio, so named in an Internet competition by someone who knows my relationship with the big man, and my current beau, the colour pink, .....and the garage, the local tip, was no more.

Enter Jane and Nat. Hard working friends, visionaries, transformers of dark into light and patient miracle workers...the process begins...

AND THEN THERE WAS PINK >>

Mother and son miracle team, Jane and Nat

Every pink spray can within a radius of 20 km disappeared from the shelves!

Every little touch that could be pink, was sprayed!

Pink Buddha is coming.....,he won't be long. He is emerging upstairs to come and help us all!

On becoming an 'ARTIST'

Painting Buddha will always be my favourite activity - it feeds my soul, and is calming and meditative. I am already doing another!

Something very strange has happened to me in the past few weeks.......it would make an interesting psychological study for the world of art. At what point do people who love to paint, draw and create, at what point do they become an 'ARTIST'?

Painting this last week helped........

'Love of my Life' It has taken five years for me to paint a tribute to my guy who died in 2009. I think I have made a start, and have plans for others, too. I love portraits - I am painting a real person with character, personality and individuality. I try to find a person's uniqueness.....

Is it a self-imposed term that is rooted in the way we perceive ourselves?
Is it to do with our daily routine, output and number of hours at the easel?
Is it measured by the standard and quality of work as we learn and improve? Who exactly is judging this?  We are hardwired to criticise ourselves, the inner gremlins see to that. Our friends are hardwired to be kind and love everything we do.
Is it when we finally gather the courage to show our work online, to cease talking about ourselves in a derogatory way, to actually LIKE some of our work. We join groups, do classes and chat with hundreds of people doing much the same.
Is it the drive to perfectionism that I seem to have been born with? I hate mediocrity, shamefully I have never taken up anything that I knew I couldn't shine at (like sport, for example)?

.......or is it when you are seen as an artist by the public, in your posts and albums, in comments, in follow up communications?

Crazy, fluffed out drama queen of the house - Gracie!

All I know is that, after five years of trying, starting with crude stick figures, I do feel that I can call myself an artist. Good or bad rests only in the eye of the beholder, I realise that it is not for me to judge myself. My mantra is to paint what I love, to paint from my heart, from the inside out, to paint things that move me or have elicited an emotional response. I need to paint with authenticity. That's what makes me happy. The fact that some people like my work is an added bonus, a privilege.

A more expressionist take from a very old but much loved photo from a distance. Roy was leaning against the wall of out 16th century fisherman's cottage by the sea at Minehead Harbour. A fleeting moment from the past.......now in shadow

So my conclusion? It's just a word. I am a lifelong teacher - doesn't mean I am a GOOD teacher 9I think I was!!)...therefore being called an artist is meaningless unless you create for yourself, with truth and daring, when you are driven to it by some inner force which guides you instinctively to that easel every day!

Yes, I want to sell my art on sites such as Fineart and Redbubble. In a gallery. Wow!!!! But one's own satisfaction and happiness in the very act of creation must be at the very heart of it all. Still a WIP!

Arizona Rocks revisited 

Experiencing Monterey - one of my favourite places in the world

Art Workshop Programme

Sometimes, when we have little germs of ideas in our head, they spend some time there - bouncing off each other, feeding, milling about, some not making it, others growing stronger and bigger. Then a bigger idea emerges and these little seedlings all come together. They are ready to emerge into the light of day, for their first airing. Here are those first shoots - my plans for our wonderful workshops!

Welcome to my house and studio

I have decided to publish some of the programme for my art workshops in May and July 2015, so that, if you are trying to make that big decision as to whether to come or not, hopefully this will give you a clearer idea. The course is open to beginners and more advanced artists. My studio is currently being completely redecorated - I will publish photos as soon as possible - but it is huge and will be bright, spacious and colourful. If you are already coming....CAN'T WAIT!!!!

A casa de Linda

The basic objective will be to paint, draw or do whatever your creative force guides you, to learn new ideas and techniques, to gather ideas for enhancing your painting, to gain confidence and to go home feeling that you have not only had a wonderful week in a fascinating country, made new friends, had the support of a loving yet highly motivated group of people and, for me most important of all, that you go home thinking, "I really enjoyed that. I feel so much better about myself as an artist. I love what I have created. I have learnt a lot and I am proud of myself."

Please note:  The May workshop is almost full.

A misty morning from my bedroom

Learning will be, I hope, a delightful mixture of teacher-led activities (which will always be optional so you don't feel either intimidated or, the opposite, that you have done it before), collaborative learning (I am certain you will learn far more from each other than I could ever achieve) and, maybe most significant, what you have learnt about yourself - what motivates you, what makes you afraid, making decisions about the kind of drawing or painting you really want to do, not what books suggest. I want to create a lovely atmosphere, provide lots of different materials, ideas, a gorgeous studio space, a huge art-based library, access to a computer, printer and Wifi, a garden and pool and shady nooks for chilling out (you can all day if you prefer!!), coffee and tea on tap, a refreshing home-made lunch and a spirit of friendship, trust and lots and lots of fun and laughter.

A Romanesque Bridge

Days will always be flexible, but on most days we will meet up in the studio around 9.30 am, chat about the day ahead, allowing people to make their choices. Then, entirely optional as ever, I would like to have about half an hour a day of a type of 'group chat'. I'd like to have a chance to talk about issues that, I am sure, worry us all - topics like fear, our inner critic, procrastination, posting, publicising, how to give and receive critique. I want to tread into those dangerous waters beyond saying "That's lovely" to every picture that is posted in any group online, even more so to each other. We are all learning, from beginners through to advanced, trained students. But the only way to really learn is to happily receive advice and comment. I include myself in the group of 'I know I should welcome critique but I prefer it when people say everything I do is wonderful' group!!!! 

After this, there will be a demonstration of a particular concept or technique - such as the concepts of music and poetry in art, notan and value, collage (my methods of making papers and doing my "secret' collages with a demonstration), ways to gather new ideas, symbol and pattern, colour mapping and time to practise this. This (and the following activities) will all be linked together by a common thread - the aim of attempting to depict and describe your impressions of Portugal - whether it be the people, landscapes, colours, culture, music and dance and so on - in any way, realistic or abstract. You choose. You may prefer to do one large painting, or a series of smaller ones, produce a journal, this will be your choice. My idea is to give MEANING and PURPOSE to all that we are learning but in our highly individualistic way! There may also be guest teachers who will demonstrate their own techniques.

Local church Sao Vicente

Then, still before lunch, over coffee, we will discuss some of the main ideas for the rest of the day - you may chose to do something new, to work upon the Porto theme, go to the local cafe to sketch people, or just to go outside and paint plein air- I want to provide an interesting and stimulating framework for you to make your own decisions. We will wrap up and clean up between 5pm and 6pm. However, I am happy to let anyone who would like to work in the studio either early in the morning, or in the evening, as long as they are happy to organise transport at a late or early hour! 

The Douro valley

This will be assisted by an optional day trip to the wonderful city of Porto, with opportunities to sightsee, shop, tour, and sketch or paint as you wish. You might decide to spend an hour in a cafe sketching the very distinct faces of the people from this area. You might be moved by the evidence of history, particularly the port wine trade. If you opt to visit a wine lodge, I wouldn't bank on too much intense work afterwards, after the free samples of port, that is! There will be other opportunities - an evening visit to our local 'romanesque route', visiting some beautiful old churches, towers and bridges. 

Some of the many links to Porto here:

http://www.gooporto.com\

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto

Link to the "Romanesque Way" in the Lousada area and valley of the River Sousa. We are only an hour's drive from the incredible Douro Valley, a World Heritage site, where vine terraces cover the steep valley walls, and where there is a unique topography and climate.

http://www.rotadoromanico.com

http://www.rotadoromanico.com/vEN/Paginas/Homepage.aspx

The Belem Tower

A huge museum is being built in Lousada - but I am not yet sure of the opening date. We can arrange other trips, too, but I am aware that most people will want to spend as much time as possible in the studio.

I hope, too, that people attending will contribute much in the way of ideas and suggestions - and may even like to give a demonstration of their own speciality. I am a very open person, and I am not, I hope, at all defensive, so please, please feel free to say anything - either before, during or after the workshop. I just want it to be the best workshop EVER !!!

If you would like to come, or would like more information, please read the preceding post on this blog, which gives details of cost, accommodation, flights etc, and email me at ....................................linda.janet.chaves@gmail.com