InMyStudio
Little glimpses into my life, my greatest loves and bits of everything else.
Sharing the behind-the-scenes to my creative process and what goes into each of my unique pieces.
You know I love listening to my literature and I’ve been devouring these awesome works.
I know I’m a bit late to the party but I’m making up for lost time. Some beautiful gems in here. So grateful that my friend Lucy Cooke recommended them to me and I finally took the leap to jump right in. I’m loving them all and I think I’m just going to go back to the beginning when I’m finished.
The clay has been such a safe haven to me from last year and well into this year and it continues to bring me so much tranquility. Whether making these tiny works or painting them - they both are doing something for my heart. I am so grateful to these tiny Souls that continue to touch my life.
They continue to flow out of my hands with new love and new stories and I can’t wait to share them with you.
My FebruaryFacesinClay continue to unfold as the last bit of their stories are found in the paint. Oh my, the personalities that come through are so touching. They move me so deeply. As for my darling pendants, that was an unexpected delight. So grateful for so much this year.
Don’t forget to sign up for class.
She made me dig deep, this little one.
It started out as mixed media play with my beautifully pigmented neocolors and there was much I loved about her. I could tell her face wasn’t fully resolved yet and with me trying to rework an area, I lost my way completely. I found myself scraping back the mess I had made and starting her face from scratch. I was silently freaking out… I’m rusty and problem solving doesn’t often freak me out anymore but last night it felt like a lot. After midnight and working methodically with the tiniest brush I have, I found her new darling little face and I love her even more. I know this familiar ground and I’m no stranger to losing my way and finding it again but I’ve been feeling vulnerable and my eye is a bit out and I know I should always trust the process but maybe last night I needed to a little reminder.
I am so grateful for the new lessons this little SeriousOne taught me and I love her oddness so much.
I am so grateful to my studio and my painting at the moment.
#artheals
Can you tell… I’ve been so deeply moved by these tiny little works of love.
I think they have been just what my soul has needed. They have been small and felt safe and a good place for me to start again and also a good place for me to test new brands of paint and new products. If you have been following my story over the past few years you know my beloved Italian paints were discontinued and although I had lots of stock that has seen me through the past few years, most of that is coming to an end. I’ve been avoiding the inevitable thats having to find a new way forward.
Change is always hard. We tend to stick with what we know and what we are comfortable with. But I’m busy working through my discomfort and finding new products and new ranges. I’ll share more with you as I go.
For now… this is a healing space for me and it’s helping me find my way back home.
I am releasing these tiny works of love on the go. They are affordable and adorable and I hope you will find one that speaks to your heart. Please pop over to my little shop and see if there is anything there that pulls on your heartstrings.
Thanks for the love and support for these tiny loves already.
When I put them all together this week to take a picture…
I was overwhelmed by their togetherness… the beautiful ArtofGathering.
I miss gathering.
In the midst of me putting together and releasing my Clay Tutorials, ComeClayWithMe, our eldest brother passed away.
I wish I could find the words to tell you what we went through as a family but I can’t, it has felt so intensely and excruciatingly private. I am not sure we will ever fully understand the nature of what this was or is. We are in a world of pain at the moment and I am not sure we will ever really be the same as we grapple to make sense of so much.
It was the first time in a very long time that our whole family found ourselves together in the same place at the same time. How sad but COVID has made these moments impossible, never mind the nature of life itself.
The day after he passed, the five of us privately took a day together to hold each other close in our fragility and utter brokenness. We were mostly quiet, nothing really had to be said because what do you say? We found closeness and thats all we could hold on that day.
Today would have been his birthday.
I pushed hard to get my little tutorials out on time. I’m so grateful I did have these little tutorials to hold my focus and keep me accountable to finish strong for the commitment I had made to you, who had signed up. I feel I need to say a deep thank you to all of you who walked along side me the past few weeks and who have supported me and tiny little workshops. You have no idea how that helped me get through April and some of May too. Thank you too, for allowing me some quieter moments since releasing my classes. Once again, I just needed a moment to rest and recover and catch my breath.
Some days the weight of my soul is too heavy for my body to hold and I think there are many of us feeling like this at the moment in general. I know this is true for my family at the moment. I am struggling with that so much. If you are struggling with heaviness and the weight of these unexplainable moments and seasons that life keeps dishing up - I am with you and sending out love to you too.
All I can say for now… is just one day at a time.
I have about a week to go before my little tutorials launch…
is fast approaching and I’ve been working around the clock to get my little tutorial workshops ready for launch day. It’s been a beautiful journey, as it always is. As you know I love putting little classes together as much as I do painting, working with clay or working in my garden. It all feels like it’s own blank canvas and it’s a complete labour of love.
I spend many hours going through each film frame to take out the unnecessary and keep the necessary. Add soothing music in places to help make the over experience, a meditative and beautiful one.
I love every single thing that I do in the overall creative process and sometimes I’m overwhelmed that every single thing that happens #inmystudio comes from my own hands, soul and heart. Every nuance is my own because when you receive it, I want you to know it’s a deeply personal gift from me to YOU.
You have taken time to support and love what I do and why I do it and I want to give you nothing less back. So to all of you who have signed up for these little instalments - from my heart to yours, Thank YOU.
I have a little gift lesson for all my #ComeClaywithMe signups.
a painting tutorial of my little vanGoghWingedFriend
This will be an ongoing gift for anyone signing up at any time.
There is still time to sign up…
I know I have been working a little differently the last while in providing smaller tutorials as it’s been easier on my body because of the long hours of sitting editing. It is allowing me the space to have breaks in between and offer more often and more doable size lessons for you as well as for me. It also allows you to pick and chose what you are drawn to in a way that is affordable and manageable especially during these times. The tutorials will be available anytime.
Please keep watching my workshop page as I will be continuing to add tutorials this way over the next few weeks.
With so much Love, Jeanne-Marie
The weeks continue to be challenging and I am trying to find was to exhale -
…long, slow and intentionally.
I’ve been finding a new yoga routine that feels more like home to me as I’ve struggled to get back into a good rhythm after being sick in December and I finally feel like I am finding a new pace.
Now as we move into the cooler months, the mild days are so utterly beautiful and windless and it’s allowing me moments of beautiful quiet in my sanctuary. Every morning Riley goes out and does a little walkabout patrol around the garden, everyday the same and some mornings we watch him… it never changes and in some places he has made a footpath. A tiny Riley one.
Sometimes I do the same walkabout and I find it so soothing for my soul. I can see why he loves it so much. Some days I find him sitting on the stoep listening to the birds, the gentle breeze blowing his fluffy ears and the sun on his face and I can see how much he loves it… sometimes I walk past and say “I love it too boy”.
I think he’s onto something and it feels kind and I’m taking the time to do what he does.
I’m so grateful for this space and that I have a place to exhale.
I have FIVE new tutorials that will be going live on the 1st May 2021.
These bite-size instalments collectively make up a full class together with some bonus material in some of the tutorials. I love working this way and I hope you will enjoy it too. Thank you for allowing me to explore this way of sharing - it has been gentler on my body and soul. It also allows you to pick and chose what you are drawn to in a way that is affordable and manageable especially during these times. Each tutorial will be priced mostly the same and I have also created a bundle package that is largely discounted if you are keen to signup for all of the bite-size lessons.
Please keep watching this space as I will continue to add new Tutorials on the go…
I still have a good few in the works.
We had a rough end to 2020 and a tough start to 2021 and we have reached the end of March rather exhausted and still a little on the back foot of life. We found ourselves saying for most of 2020… “ah but you know, it’s 2020.” We just kept rolling with all 2020 was throwing at us and maybe naively hoped that would miraculously change when the year changed… but we are still rolling. How about you?
Quite frankly, we needed a moment….
So we stole that moment away at our beach, devoid of crowds and noise. Big vast open spaces and the sound of the waves constantly moving. We had hoped we could get there sooner but 2021 wasn’t having any of it. But Easter couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you Easter, you have felt like a little gift to us.
We are finally starting to feel some of the relief of the past 6 months and thankfully feels like we might be starting to turn a corner. Even if mentally we are just telling ourselves that. For now we lean into that feeling and embrace all that comes with it. Even in the small joys of seeing Riley so happy on the beach and finding so many LoveRocks on the sand and walking in the beautiful water up to my knees and walking and walking on the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.
I am so grateful Easter.
She is the bearer of life, love and wisdom. Water is life and her role in this world is one of offering.
I love how she came about and I so loved sharing her story with Studioworks Academy on Ivy Newports platform. It was a journey of love for both of us and I love these pieces that seem to effortlessly fall out of my hands and into this world. When that happens there is this beautiful moment of flow and I cherish these studio days so much.
She came at the end of a month long journey of working with Clay everyday for #FebruaryFacesinClay and I always find magic happens after repetitive play and repetitive days showing up. It’s one of the reasons why I love daily projects so much. This is always a beautiful reminder that hard work has delightful benefits.
Thank you Ivy for inviting me to share in your April edition, it was a gift to your audience and a gift to me too. I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as I did.
Sending much love, Jeanne-Marie
“we do the work whether we feel like it or not, and then, without warning, flow can arise”
Thanks Seth for these beautiful reminders from your brilliant book The Practice - I’ve devoured it this month and I’m on round two for another listen.
What Lies Beneath - the hidden labyrinths of our soul…
Inspired by my visits to my beloved Orvieto, Italy. Which is known for its hidden and secret labyrinth of caves and tunnels that lie beneath the surface. So many meanings and thoughts behind that for me.
I love how weighted my clay pieces feel in my hands. They are kind of grounding. It keeps me making more because of how sacred they feel in my hands. I am still loving my driftwood and paperclay play so much and how beautifully organic they look and feel.
Just a little reminder that there is still time to join my little vanGogh teapot making tutorial. It’s a sweet offering of love and I hope you will still join in with this small group of tea loving folk.
There is always a little time for tea.
I have so loved working with Driftwood and PaperClay and what a beautiful combination. It feels like a match made in heaven and I’m so grateful I found a way to combine these two gorgeous elements.
You might remember that I had a beautiful reference image of Kitty during lockdown and I drew her up in graphite and then again on this very textured handmade canvas with stabilo. As most of work, she has been waiting patiently for me to start working on her. I’ve been missing painting and painting big so much.
She has been quietly calling me from the corner of my studio where she was up for me to look at.
So I’ve finally started and I filmed the start of this activation of my inky stabilo. I love starting my paintings this way with an under painting of one of my stabilo drawings and a bit of my gorgeous green neocolor crayon.
I think I will continue to share my process through this piece, just for fun!
Music: BENSOUND - royalty free music
If you can’t view this video it in the newsletter, please feel free to pop on over to my website to view it there.
I’m so thrilled to share that my little teapot tutorial workshop is ready and is fully available today. Together we will be making one of my Van Gogh inspired teapots, with an additional bonus lesson.
There is something so nurturing and soothing about clayplay and oddly familiar. I honestly think it is deeply rooted in our childhoods. Even though we are naively making coil teapots and vessels together, there is a kind of emotional depth to them too and I’m not exactly sure why, but they feel so special to me.
Thank you for the love and continued support with these mini lessons, I have loved sharing this way with you.
I hope you will join me in this extra addition to my little series of tutorials.
I loved finishing this piece.
As you know this concept of home is always on my mind, always close to my heart and always something I’m deep thinking about. I know I am often playing with this theme in my sculptures and last year I created some clay hanging building earrings and it felt right to include them in this painting too. This concept of home and buildings is also always a little wrapped up with Italy for me and my buildings upon buildings play.
I might have to linger here a little longer.
These two precious souls are available in my little shop, the tab is in the menu but I have also had them professionally scanned so I will have a limited edition print available too.
I’m so excited to share that I’ll be releasing a brand new clay class.
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I have taught in a good few classes online and in person, for a good number of years now and I have loved every one of them. However, I would have to say my very first clay class, The Soul Bearers was perhaps one of those defining moment for me with my art. I think I have had a few of those. It is with a very full heart of gratitude and with a bit of a heavy heart, that I’ve decided to close out my SoulBearers class.
It’s a new season and it’s time to keep moving forward.
I started teaching online in 2016, making that class 5 years old now and it has continued to be a class that kept on giving to me in so many wonderful ways. I am so grateful for so many aspects of it but especially to everyone who took the time to fall in love with that beautiful white substance called PaperClay. You found what I found and got excited the way I did and that was hugely special to me. It was also one of my earlier classes so my lighting and equipment wasn’t the best and now over time, the material perhaps a little outdated but mainly because my style has changed so much and it’s time for something new… yes!!!
The beings I make will always be precious Souls to me and that will never change but I am looking so forward to sharing another season of clay with you, with new love and new stories. I am busy working on my Sales Page as we speak and I hope you will join me for this round too. I’ve been trying to work out a special way that I can share with you in a way that works well with me too.
Thank you so much my precious SoulBearers and thank YOU, for the love around my clay.
With much love and appreciation, always Jeanne-Marie
It’s a new day - SOLD
I came across one of my old journals from around 5 years ago, with one of my old style mixed media piece on the cover and I decided to breathe new life into it. I started this year more from a place of creative play and I find this is usually a good place for me to start off any year. This was particularly good for my heart because I got to finish this piece with my beautifully pigmented neocolor crayons. There is something about being able to color with crayons that is creative play at it’s finest. It might have something to do with childlike play. She evolved a few times and I loved the playfulness around finding her story.
I am loving my green again and my light kings blue too. It feels like medicine for my soul once again.
I love wrapping up projects and I have loved this one immensely. Working daily has so many brilliant benefits and one of the best was working in community. Thank you Kj Allison for running and hosting this project.
I mostly worked with clay and only 3 had added elements. I played with the concept of big noses, beaks and masks. Some flat faces, to more 3D faces to tiny busts.
Above all else the creative play was awesome!!!!! Thanks to all who journeyed with and followed along!!!!
Now starts the next leg and big job of painting. I am going to work slowly through the next step. I’m looking forward to finishing their stories.
Thank you for the love, support and interest through the last 29 Days.
Appreciate you! ❤️
SOLD - My Daughter, a Friend
This was one of those pieces I started last year and that I got to work on and finish this year. I still have a good few to get through. I loved painting these two. I’ve been so busy playing with clay that I’ve been missing my canvases, but last week I scheduled 2-3 fixed painting days and I’ve decided to do the same going forward. They are full painting days and they are no longer negotiable and I’m kind of loving that. I get everything done by a certain time and then I’m at my easel. I know I have to be this structured to help me finish pieces especially when I have piles of unfinished pieces waiting for me.
The unfinished works can overwhelm me and I know this isn’t the first time I’ve been in this place. I love rotating work and at the end of last year I did a whole bunch of draw ups and then got distracted with clay. I am looking forward to completing these works. I’ll keep you posted.
I am a Portugal-based artist, creating soulful, nature-inspired portraiture that evokes a deep contemplation and a quiet solitude that can be found in all of us.
