Art Journaling Workshop.... calling all would be art journalers.

                       











 Create Your Own Book Using 6 different Mixed Media Techniques. 
                   Come and have a play, relax and have fun. You won't regret it and it maychange 
                   your life for the better.
 

Week 1. Create a Positive vision for your future, using collaged words, photos and pictures out of  old books  and magazines, glue, glitter, paint and coloured pencils.

 Week 2.  Relax, close your eyes, listen to music and create an abstract or semi abstract picture from your imagination, write down what you think this picture is telling you.

Week 3. Bring a photograph of yourself along and we will create a quirky self portrait using coloured pencils, felts paints and crayons.

Week 4. Become a child again. Using my vast range of children's books for  inspiration, create a picture that would appeal to a child or your inner child.

Week 5.  Gathering  inspiration from nature. Come for a quick walk into the bush next door to Rotorua Arts Village breathe in the fresh air.  Doodle a picture with black felt about your memory or experience.

Week 6. Create a map or vision for your creative future using mixed media and paint, stickers and any other embellishments you want to include. Decorate three words you can take away with you from your expereince of the course.

Book and pay for your course now at Rotorua Arts Village. Phone 348-9008
Thursdays 6pm to 8pm, 21st February to 28th March
Investment: $140.00 plus around $50.00 for materials.

Materials to buy  A4 Visual Diary  from Warehouse Stationary. 
 From any $2.00 or thrift  shop in town.

Cheap coloured pencils, Felt pens, glitter,  graphite pencils, stickers, pva glue, acrylic paint tubes, brushes, crayons or oil pastels, or other embellishments. 
Bring old magazines and photos you want to use.
You don't have to spend a lot of money  on expensive materials. 
We will be playing and having fun.
 It's not a serious course.
 It's designed to loosen you up and let your creative juices flow.
Well behaved children and young people are welcome, the costs are the same for them.

Phone Janet Keen on 346-3435 if you want to know any more information.
 I am happy to answer your questions. 


NB You will be encouraged  to do some home play.
 You may not finish each task inside the two hours. You will be encouraged to finish off each task at home. 
You will be encouraged to write in your visual diaries at home as well.
You do not need to show others your work if you prefer it to remain private.
I will be positive about your creativity at all times.
There is no right or wrong,  there is just having a go.


 Creative Quote of the Day.
"Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain one once you grow up" Pablo Picasso.

Illustration by Orla Walsh

 

 

 

 

 

Today I received in the mail a lovely letter and this illustration  from Orla Walsh who came with her brother Eamon to my studio last week to help make a Walsh Family mosaic of a seagull in a beach setting.

We had such a lovely time together.

 They are excellent young  people to make art with because they are focused, imaginative and have wonderful manners. 

They were a pleasure to have in my class and I miss their intelligent and sensitive conversation. 

  This illustration I have laminated and put up on my wall of fame in my studio. 

I love it because it has all the elements that speak to me of magic and joy. 

It is full of happy Kings, Queens, Princesses and Princes. 

Mermaids are another personal favourite of mine. 

 

Orla and Eamon with the ungrouted seagull mosaic.

Orla, Janet Keen,  mosaic tutor  and Eamon 

Didn't they do a wonderful job?

Creative quotes of the day 

 ‘If children are to keep alive their  inborn sense of wonder, they  needthe companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with them the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.’— Rachel Carson

 

 ‘To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for recognition.’Albert Einstein 

 

‘Children, like animals, use all their senses to discover the world. Then artists come along and discover it the same way all over again.’

— Eudora Welty

 

Children's  and Young Adults, After School Creativity Classes. 

 I am enrolling students in after school creativity classes at the moment. Numbers are limted to six people per class. 

The charge is $25.00 per child  per session including most materials. 

A starter pack of a visual diary and some basic art supplies will be recommended so that your child can do some creative work at home. 

We may be doing an end of year exhibition in the Rotorua Public Library so you may be required to buy some 10 by 10 stretched canvases that you can obtain from The Warehouse. 

10 by 10 MDf boards are available for sale from my studio for $4.00 each.

Times are Monday, Tuesdays Wednesdays and Fridays after school for one hour.

Please phone 346-3435 if you are interested in having your child included.

Mosaic Night Classes Enrolling Now.

Janet Keen Mosaic and Painting School

374 Clayton Road, Rotorua, Phone 346-3435

 

Monday Night Mosaic Classes

Fish, Mirror, Pot Beginners

Dates: 11^th,18^th,25^th, February 4^th March

Mosaic Paver Intermediate Kiwi, Pukeko, Kereru, Ruru,  Fantai  or  Paradise Duck.  

Dates: 11^th,18^th,25^th, March, 1^st April.

Investment $250.00 including materials. 

This is a small class for  up to 8 people to learn how to make an attractive and functional mosaic piece for their  home or garden.

Mosaic making is relaxing and therapeutic and encourages friendships and creativity.

Phone Janet  07 346 3435 now as numbers  are limited.

Blog   http://janetkeen.blogsot.com

www.jkeen.net

What people have said about the course:

 “Janet is an amazing tutor, I thought I didn’t have an artistic bone in my body but with her help and patience I am on my way.” Julie.

“I liked the attractive studio and examples that Janet provided, she made it so easy for me.” Susan

 I love Janet’s work, I have recommend her to lots of people”. Jenny

After you have completed beginners and intermediate workshops you are welcome to approach me to help you tailor make a custome mosaic of your dreams. 

           

Mixed Media acrylic painting Classes by Janet Keen.

It is the end of the year and it's a worthwhile exercise as an art teacher to show case your pupils work . 

 Lyn Benfell did a beginners mosaic class with me about three years ago and has just completed the beginners  6 week Mixed Media  painting course. 

Students do 6 paintings using different materials to produce a group of  works that may or may not relate to one another. 

Lyn's father is a professional portrait painter. 
She is naturally a competent realistic artist.
 It is hard to believe that these are the results of her very first lessons. 

Some people are just born with this talent for being able to render things realistically. 
This is a celebration of her work. 

               Lesson 1. Laying down paint with masking tape to produce an abstract expressionist work.

     Lesson 2.  Laying down a smooth base and using a controlled graphic design technique with the brush to produce strong lines.

       Lesson 3    Mixed media to create texture and a 3 d effect

Lesson 4. Bright Primary colours on tinfoil with black paint in the style of Hundertwasser.

Lesson 5.  Doing a tonal portrait using 7 tones of white to black, using my secret sure fire way to achieve a realistic impression.

Lesson 6. Free forming a portrait using colour to create a rounded form. 

We discovered that Lyn's forte is portraiture so we did an extra portrait  lesson to help develop these skills. 

My classes are individually tailored to a certain extent to the individual to get the best reults. It's not about me,  it's about the pupil. 

Class sizes are small with a maximum of 8 people. 
They are run on Mondays and Tuesdays in my studio /classroom which is set in a rose and perennial filled cottage garden. 

 If you would like to take some lessons call me on 07 3463435.
Out of town customers are welcome. 
I can put a package together for anyone. 
Email me on 346-3435  

Creative Quote of the day 
"One must from time to time attempt things that are beyond one's capacity." Auguste Renoir




PS. I have gift vouchers, so husbands if you want to treat your wife to some creative painting or mosaic lessons, I have them available. 
Family gift vouchers also available and believe it or not I've even had wives buy gift vouchers for their husbands. 

Get cracking and get creative with Janet Keen in 2013
 

Bay Pride Festival Rotorua last weekend.

I decided to go along to this event at All Seasons Holiday Park in Hannahs Bay with my camera.

  it certainly was a fun family day out with heaps of entertainment, fantastic costumes and peaceful vibes.  

It only cost a gold coin donation. 

The sun was blazing, there was a crowd of around 600

Below  is the advertisement for the event,

Get it On! is proud to sponsor and take part in Bay Pride Festival 2012, celebrating the diverse community in the Bay of Plenty. This is an opportunity to celebrate families, friends, and those people important to us, as well as ourselves.
Bay Pride Festival 2012 is not only a festival for the gay community, but celebrates the diverse nature of our wider community. Anyone is welcome to attend, so invite your mum, dad, brother, sister, friends… anyone important to you, that you would like to share this day with. Bay Pride Festival 2012 is a family day out with friends.
Don’t be frightened by our Drag Queens, they are all kind hearted. The Queens will be there to host, entertain plus look “fabulous”. Many a costume change throughout the day. We plan to have the day filled with performance on stage, competitions, and activities to keep the young one’s entertained. Face painting, best dressed fairies  princesses and a best dressed pet competition

These are some of the photos I captured

I mostly stayed on the VIP tent out of the sun so that my photos wouldn't be over exposed.

 

Everyone just seemed to come towards me. 

Buffy and Bimbo


And they were so willing to pose.
I loved the colour and the amazing makeup. All of the "girls" looked absolutely fabulous.

Everyone was happy and friendly 

                                 It was a dog friendly event and they were really cute. At one stage there were more small dogs on the VIP tent than people.
The food on the VIP tent was fantastic, 

 

Many people had shoes like sky scrapers. .

 It was a shoe fanciers paradise. 

Look at these lovely dresses, so summery.

The hats and head adornments were sizzling

 False eyelashes and Bling were everywhere.

 I even managed to shoot myself shooting in this pair of mirror glasses.

Love that leather numberand the nmirror glasses

Perfectly captured.

Mesmerising detail, this guy went to a lot of trouble

                  Nice little area to let everything breathe at the front

Lovely bright orange and pink together.

Champers anyone?

                                                                  Rainbow

                                Very sophisticated , she could have been at the races
                                    Cute dog show with lovely organiser , how did  she get a matching parasol?

Family day for all, fun for the kids to see who would win best behaved dog prize.

Paraplegic dog still makes friends

                                Green eyes, I shot this person at the Zombie walk a few weeks ago

Don't they look divine?

                                               Glowing and almost angelic

                  Love the smiles, we really had such a lot of fun in the tent. I sat there listening to their conversation with each other and I was enchanted,  I  am now  thinking about getting some false eyelashes. I love the look of them but I'll not be into any of the sky scraper high heels.

                                         Knock out in black

Stunning ring.

                                          Mother and daughter, all the families were having a cool time.

                                     There's that head dress again

                       Winsome

Hopefully it will happen next year and I can go take some more shots and more people will turn up.
Just remember you don't have to be gay to go, it's open to everyone who wants to have a light -hearted time and be  entertained.
 Everyone will make you feel welcome. 

Creative Quotes of the day
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
Dr. Seuss

“Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?” ~ Ernest Gaines

“I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant.”
― Paul Newman


More information about the event incase you are interested

Bay of Plenty PRIDE Festival 2012

The PRIDE festival is not only a festival for the gay community, but celebrates the diverse nature of our wider community. Anyone is welcome to attend, so invite your mum, dad, brother, sister, friends… anyone important to you, that you would like to share this day with. The PRIDE festival is a family day out with friends.
The PRIDE festival is first and foremost all about having fun, our community being able to laugh at itself, sharing, being more open minded and a wee bit educational in a light hearted way.
Although there is a lot of fun to be had on the day, there is also a serious side to our festival.
As a community we would like to raise awareness of two serious issues facing our community:

• Youth suicide
• Safe sex message

Unfortunately, the Bay of Plenty region features high in the statistics for both issues. As a community, we can work towards reducing this statistics in an effective way.
Don’t be frightened by our Drag Queens, they are all kind hearted. The Queens will be there to host, entertain plus look “fabulous”. Many a costume change throughout the day.
We plan to have the day filled with performance on stage, competitions, and activities to keep the young one’s entertained. Face painting, best dressed fairies / princesses and a best dressed pet competition / fashion show.
The New Zealand AIDS Foundation are supporting the event with their “get it on” campaign promoting safe sex. The PRIDE festival is based loosely on the “Big Gay Out” event held in Auckland each February.
The day festival will end around 6.00pm. However, the celebrations will continue into the early hours of the following morning with a Dance Party in town, DJ and drag show performances. For those “young at heart”, a second venue will provide a quieter space.
The Bay Pride Festival Charitable Trust are organizing the event, and are inviting expressions of interest from stall holders, food stands, entertainers, buskers and other community organisations.

In support of teaching classes that could be viewed as Art Therapy.

At the moment I am teaching a group of nine clients from the Te Aratu Trust and their delightful and artistically talented tutor, Lorraine Willoughby.

This is the second you I have taken the group for lessons and the payment for the lessons has been helped by grants  from the Civic  Arts Trust.
The Civic Arts Trust has been very supportive towards my mosaic and painting projects over the years.

They have provided money for  Mosaic Projects for the ADHD Society, Stroke Survivors Arts Group, Seventh Day Adventist School, St Michael's School, John Paul College, St Mary's School, Kaitoa Intermediate, Fibromaylgia Group and others.

  I am really interested in doing  more community mosaic and painting projects  in 2013 and I am looking for collaborations with community groups. 

I am preparing my 2013  year in advance now in between trips to China and Italy so if  anyone reading this is interested, call me for a Civic Arts Trust form and we can see whether we can work something out. 

Phone 07 3463435
email jkeen@clear.net.nz 

Attraction of the wonderful things I want in life, spiritually, physically. mentally and emotionally. .

  I have been listening to a tape on manifestation. 
Here are some of the important things the person has said. 


If you could do a single most immediate thing to increase your abundance it would be to change the words you use on a habitual basis. 

Words are your open sesame
Change the words you speak to reflect abundance, happiness power and fortune.
Don't talk of lack.

Words have tremendous power, believe in the power of your words. 

How many times today have you said or thought I can't afford? 
If you say you have no clients and that times are hard your reality will reflect this. 
You will have your self- fulfilled prophecies. 

Watch your casual conversations. 

Change your reality. 
Don't focus on what you haven't got.
If you don't want something, don't talk about it.


In order to make changes, we must overcome negative thought patterns from the past.
We need to give our subconscious a new dominant thought.

 Till the soil of the subconscious so it can receive the seeds that you sow.

My new dominant thoughts are  that I am abundant and I am grateful for what I have and I  am lucky.
I am full of wonderful things.
Everything is good, everything is excellent  now and I have  everything I need right now.


  I  believe in a new reality and am acting as if I am in it now.
 I am acting as if it's already happened so that it creates a compulsion.


So if I want to be a good photographer and award winner I believe I am one in the now. 
 I am not trying to be a good photographer. 
  I already am one. 
I am an award winning, well paid photographer. 


In reality  I already have the 24 to 105 lens that I  want and I have the money for it now.  
I  am buying it within this week.

  In reality I  am going to Italy and I am going to research the way to go.
 I am there in 2013. 
I've made the poster. 
 I'm viewing it daily and I'm pulling in the prosperity to pay for it.
It  is here already and the universe is reflecting this.

 I refuse to focus on lack.
 Forget about the future think about the now
 Thinking of present prosperity.

Look and act prosperous.
Sometimes you need to jump off a cliff and go grow your wings on the way down.

 I like this saying..I am going to illustrate it with a bird and an angel.


The subconscious mind doesn't like change, it will form resistance. Just keep on going.
We need to lull the subconscious into submission by changing our dominant thought.
When we do this we open our pipeline to the influence of the creative power of the universe.
 Nurture the soil with good seeds and fertile thoughts and you will grow wonderful flowers of joy.


Align ourselves correctly and we won't have mishaps.
It will all be effortless. 
Connect with the creative power of the subconscious mind through our thoughts and feelings.
The subconscious is really powerful.
We are seeing that what we want will manifest in two weeks.

 It is like putting the universe on  speed dial.


My husband has just come back from overseas.
He has given me a 10 out of 10.
He loves the garden. 
He  thinks New Zealand and I are both beautiful.  
This gives me the motivation to be more beautiful inside and out, He said the me he thought I was a lovely person. it's pretty cool that he is still saying this after thirteen years of marriage. 
I feel blessed.  
 I love it when people use the word beautiful around me.
It fills me with light and love. 
 You could almost say the key to my heart is talking  to me about beauty. 
If you say that something I have made is beautiful, it is like I am in heaven.


 I have suggested a new campaign  to my husband who is willing to be a part of it. 
The campaign is called How can we lift our game? 

We have finished the garden, which is such an abundant source of income, and joy in the now.
 The phone rings hot with garden clubs wanting to make paying visits and to see the mosaic demonstrations.
It is now time to renovate the house. 
I am going through it systematically to upgrade every area so that I  can have it featured in a Home and Garden magazine. 
And win a prize from Resene.

This is exciting. 
I can already feel my energy and vitality lifting. 

 I am making a list of all that needs to be done.
 There is a lot but we will be achieving it all step by step. 
  
Next year is a year of travel and adventure for me. 
My husband  is being sent to China on a business trip for his company early next year. 
Based in Shanghai.
He has asked me if I  want to go and am going because the buildings in Shanghai are great to photograph and apparently there is a lot of good art and parks over there.
I love Chinese food so that will beamazing 
I look forward to eating a banquet.
The only thing that puts me off is the long plane flight but I  have decided that I  will take my i-pad and write travelling articles that will be published.

Don't use the word trying.  
Using the word trying will things  take longer to manifest.  
Everything is manifested in the now moment.

Anyway these are the dominant thoughts. It's all at my fingertips.
 I  just have to press the right buttons.

I have taken a raffle ticket outside my supermarket from a Rotary Club and I am winning the trailer and food plus a barbeque.
I  will be giving the barbeque away and some of the food to the Church  if they want it for the poor as I  won't be able to eat it all and it is nice to give to others less fortunate during Christmas.
I will keep the trailer and give it to my husband for Christmas.
Perhaps the church would like the barbeque to raise funds or maybe to have church barbeques. 
 Let's see what happens in the future. 

Life is good. 
I am waiting with quiet expectation for the winning of the raffle ticket. 

Creative Quote of the day
The spirit or life spark which animates this manifestation could be called God.
Arthur Young

 

Fantastic graphic Look at this. So empowering.

via.

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."

~ George Bernard Shaw

National Novel Writing Month November.

I'm only four days behind on this because I have been otherwise engaged. 

My husband, Graham, went away on a business trip for Hayes International to Brisbane,  Australia for three days. 
I couldn't go as I was teaching art classes from my home studio. 

I am hardly ever without him. 
We are almost joined at the hip. 
I was dreading it because I thought I would be lonely and wouldn't be able to sleep. 

On the first day I sat at my desk in the studio after tidying it, waiting for my clients to arrive, who were paying for a large mosaic cross. 
I felt weird and disorientated.
 It was like looking onto the future of being husbandless and it wasn't a  nice feeling. 

 I had the urge to fill the space with people and I started thumbing through my phone book working out who I could phone to spend some time with. 
But then I stopped myself and thought;  no just remain centred and have some time by yourself.
Be strong you don't need other people.
 It will be character building and make you a braver  person.



I made some muffins for my clients they weren't that successful but the blueberries in them were fine. 
It was great to be with them, they are lovely spiritual women. 
I  really value their friendship and the way they view the world. 
They are so genuinely giving and also just totally saturated  with faith. 
 I think I'll invite them around for another morning tea, sometime in the future and try to make the muffins better.
 
 After they left I did some writing and planning. 
Instead of working flat out, I did two guided meditations and read part of a book on developing a positive mental attitude. 

Because Graham works so diligently I always like to make sure I cook creative meals for him every night from different countries so that he has something to look forward to.
They are usually healthy and adventurous. We usually go for a walk around the block into this special council walkway beside a stream that hardly anyone knows about.
 
At the moment I'm having a bit of an obsession with lamb and beef salads. 
He cooks all the meals on the weekends. 

I thought well, I can just go down to the Indian Star and buy some take aways and that can last me two nights and I can  relax  and write and draw. 

As soon as I walked into the Indian Star, the owner said,
 "Janet I have missed you for so long;  you never come in anymore. It is always Graham that turns up for the takeaways". (He knew my order off by heart). 
 I  am so happy to see you, have a wine on the house. 
I said  thanks so much, but  I don't drink alcohol.
 He said, have a soft drink then, I said  I don't drink anthing with added sugar, how about a free water?
 He laughed and shook his head, not believing that I wouldn't have a glass of wine. 

He certainly knows how to make  regulars who come to his restaurant  feel special.
He has his workers all beautifully decked out in blue shirts and black jackets and bow ties.
The new wall paper he has put in is fab, burgundy and gold.
The place was buzzing.

I recommend anyone who likes Indian to go there.
It's really well made and reasonably priced.
Perfect for families
He gets a triple A for customer service and the food is divine. 

We usually have the Lamb Saghost and aloo gobi, mild.
I haven't had an alcoholic drop for around fourteen years because I find  it makes my stomach ache, my skin itchy and I feel fuzzy in the head.

 Peoplesometimes question me as to why I  don't drink alcohol, the answer is I  really don't like it, I don't like the feeling of hangovers and it's full of sugar. 

But I don't have anything against other people drinking as long as they don't drink to excess and become obnoxious in my company.

When Graham came back he was so pleased to see me.
He said he missed me.

We often play a game called, how high am I rating today? Actually it's my game, he just goes along with it. 
 I usually give him a nine and a half or 10 out of 10. 
 The cat is included and he always gets a ten from both of us.

Graham usually gives me a 9, but this time he gave me a9 and a half to ten.

This leads me to believe in the adage, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
 

Creative quote of the month

Solitude is essentially the discovery and acceptance of our uniqueness.

Lawrence Freeman 

 

 

What have I been up to creatively and otherwise over the past couple of days?

Everyday seems bursting with things to do.
The sun is out, yay and so are my roses.
I need to tidy my studio as tomorrow I'm having a couple of clients in for morning tea.

  I had a busy day yesterday teaching and I have a big mess from all the collage.
I have such lovely, incredibly gifted and special  pupils, it makes everything so rewarding.
I am loving seeing how they are developing.

One of my clients said to me, your garden is really big and there are so many flowers in it.
Do you do all that yourself?
I said no I have someone who comes in for a couple of hours once a week during the peak weed growing season, but even so I do spend quite a number of hours in it.
At the moment it's time for me to take some cuttings of daisies I want to propagate. I am envisaging a sea of white everywhere.


I will be planting a lot of perennials this weekend and doing a spring/summer clean of my studio.
The whole place needs the windows cleaned and I will  to take some junk to the dump.
 We will finish off the Japanese garden by putting down weedmat and topsoil and planting some grass seed.

There are a couple of areas in the garden that  will receive more compost, planting and barking.
I am barking every garden to cut down on all the weeding.
 I will be able  to design and commission a new wheel cover  for my car and put it through the car wash.
 I will  clean it out.

I will get rid of some junk in my office, clean the fridge, the kitchen cupboards and so it goes on. There is a ton of work to do around here and that doesn't even include all the artwork, marketing, walking, meditiating, going on adventures, catching up with friends, reading,  writing and illustrating that will be occuring.
 Keeping away from overwelm is a good idea.


De-cluttering
I went through my wardrobe and threw out two rubbish bags full of clothes that will be used as rags  and over shirts.

 I went for a walk to Hamarana Springs today with my artist friend April.
We have an artist walk once a week on a Wednesday.
 I took a lot of shots of the wildlife and the beautiful clear water along with weed and sand formations.
The Redwoods out there are magestic.
It's all a little overgown and sort of relaxed.
 I loved being out there because of the peace.
I wish I could have gotten closer to the  ducks as there were a number of them with ducklings.But to do so would have meant i would have fallen in.
 I wouldn't have minded that much because it was hot. hot, hot.


I went to camera club fun night after cooking my husband a lamb salad.
We went on a treasure hunt where we took our cameras outside with  a buddy and had a list of things we had to take.
I helped a new member to work her camera. She is from China. I'm pretty sure we are going to be friends. I like people from Asican countries. they have a perspective on life that is different and refreshing to me.

It was fun  time and I took some interesting shots that I will post up here at a later date.

So things have been pretty full on for the past three days.
 I am looking forward to a break maybe in the afternoon  tomorrow.
 I might sneak off to the movies if I get time, but if it's another beautiful day maybe I would be best to stay home and do some painting and gardening.
 Thursday is supposed to be my day off but at the moment I am reducing it to half a day off.



 Creative Quote of the day

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time”

John Lubbock quotes