A free gift...

The other day when I was prepping for my ComeClaywithMe - tutorial workshops, I stumbled across some old footage that I took last year but never put together, because, you know… life happens.

So I thought I would just share it here as a little gift.

TheTruthTeller

This sweet soul was made and finished last year and she was called the TheTruthTeller.

She was one of my first smaller sized works as I had wanted to work towards playing smaller in general. She was made simply around an old fashioned clothing peg which was my armature and it helped me stay within that scale. I absolutely love her form and shape to bits… so simple, a little quirky and her patterns create enough interest to finish her sweet story.

These sweet little souls have this incredible way of teaching me little lessons and often share little wisdoms with me along the way. As for this little TruthTeller, her message to me… was that sometimes working simply is more than enough.

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I hope you loved this little painting gift. Please feel free to ask me anything and thank you for taking the time to visit here.

Much love, always - Jeanne-Marie

Sharing the love...

My beautiful friend, Natalie Eslick is having her birthday today - Happy Birthday Natalie, from my heart to yours… I miss you.

We have been friends for a long time and I can’t remember when exactly we met online but we met IRL too in 2019 to retreat together with Ivy in Italy. We had an absolute ball together all of us.

Well this is a special shout out to her for her birthday but also because she released some exquisite fine art prints of her incredible work this week and I wanted to share the love.

So excited and so proud of you my friend… keep shining.

Miniature works of love...

I filmed my myself painting some of my little miniature works of love and I thought I would share them just for fun. I thought it would be a fun way to share some of the way I find my little souls in the paint.

I paint wet on wet and I love pushing the paint around until someone finally appears. Sometimes it can take super quick and other times super long, regardless of the size.

Music courtesy of BENSOUND - royalty free music

Inspired...

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.

ComeClaywithMe, still unfolding...

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.

My little serious one...

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

Miniature works of love...

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.

TheArtofGathering....

When I put them all together this week to take a picture…

I was overwhelmed by their togetherness… the beautiful ArtofGathering.

I miss gathering.

We will never fully understand…

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.

#ComeClaywithMe - Tutorial Workshops

I have about a week to go before my little tutorials launch…

1st May…

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.

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thank you

Keep watching this space

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.

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There is still time to sign up…

ComeClayWithMe - Tutorial Workshops

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

Exhale... the wisdom of Riley.

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.

SignUp Friday...

new class announcement

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.

Recharging the ol’ batteries…

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.

TheWaterBearer - I am the vessel

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

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“we do the work whether we feel like it or not, and then, without warning, flow can arise”

— Seth Godin, The Practice

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....

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.

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Time for Tea....

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.

A tiny bit of painting....

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.

Class is in session - PourOutofMe

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.

Hanging Cities...

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.

ComeClaywithMe... coming soon!

new class announcement

I’m so excited to share that I’ll be releasing a brand new clay class.

coming soon

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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