Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art is a fascinating art medium using hot wax.  The effects and textures created are random and beautiful in equal measure. Encaustic wax is so versatile one needs no actual art training to use it, just a brave and eexperimental attitude.  Which leads me into a new art retreat I shall be including on my programme this year at Cortijo Las Salinas.  Douglas Mehrens from Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA is an Encaustic Artist and will be here from 24-29 October introducing us to this very ancient technique which is becoming the fastest growing medium used by artists right now.  We will be exploring this wonderful and unpredictable medium on board, canvas, paper and include charcoal, acrylic paint, inks, Crayola crayons mixed with beeswax, imagery and mixed media to produce some beautiful paintings which you will take away with you. Here are some examples which I saw at his museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico last year.

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic Art

Encaustic is a Greek word meaning to “burn in”.  Heat is used to adhere it to a substrate, so that each layer of colour is fused.  It might sound difficult or complicated, but the ease and flow of learning this process is perfect for beginners with no experience in art and Douglas will be here to help us all the way.  As the colours blend through dripping and splashing and worked with any and every tool, you can watch the magic happen. It’s basically just a fun medium which can take you anywhere.

On this art retreat you will enjoy 4 days working with Douglas and during the week Adrienne, Douglas’s wife, will be sharing a day of mask making with us – taken from her experience with the Native America Cherokee tribe.  Each day will begin with either a yoga session, or a morning walk to the river or up to the top of Dos Hermanas Hills.  All materials, food, accommodation, yoga and gong sessions are included and the cost for all this is 950 Euros.  This does not include your flights, transfer or travel insurance.  The spaces are limited so if you want to reserve yourself a spot please email me and I will make sure this happens.  If you make your reservation deposit of 150 Euros before the end of February you will take advantage of the 50 Euros early bird discount.

Douglas and Adrienne Mehrens

So if you have always wondered about this interesting medium or want to explore and expand your existing knowledge, or if you just want to try something a little different, then this could be the retreat for you this year.  More information about Douglas and the Encaustic Art Museum he runs in Santa Fe, New Mexico go to https://www.eainm.com

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‘Let Creativity Nourish Your Soul’ 2018

I was so privileged recently to be able to spend a few days with an amazing group who wanted to embrace their creative side, find their inner child and be free !  Ranging from 19 years old to 73 years old, with a few first time painters joining a few who had painted before, we unleashed our inner artist and immersed ourselves in to 5 days of all things creative.

We painted together, we danced together, we sang together and even cried together as the creative process began to nourish us.  We wrote poetry and Haikus whilst listening to the lovely sound of the gong, we practiced daily yoga and Kundalini yoga, we meditated down by the river, we ate amazing vegetarian food and shared stories by the fire in the evening.

We really did let the creative process nourish our soul.

Here are some photos from the studio and our sketchbook work to get us started

As the process unfolded we learnt to ‘Stay loose’, ‘Watch snails’, ‘Hug Trees’, ‘Make friends with Freedom’, ‘Believe in Magic’ and ‘TO BE FREE !’

We finished the week with an exhibition of our work

Art Group 2018 and their soul paintings

Go to www.painting_in_spain.com for information about the art retreats held at Cortijo Las Salinas, Spain – Come and join us soon !

Acompalia Artistica Art Exhibition at La Azucarera, Motril, Spain

I am very proud to be part of the art exhibition which inaugurates on Saturday 25 November for the benefit of Acompalia.

Opening night is going to be an unforgettable event! We will be accompanied by the most important personalities in Motril as well as our beloved artists from Acompalia Artistica, who have done everything necessary to make this event possible.

Musicians Toni Connolly and Luis Gómez will play acid jazz live, while elegant circus artists will delight us with their movements hanging from the roof.

My work will hang amongst many International and local artists where our paintings and sculptures will sit proudly in the new and very grand exhibition space.   The Sugar Factory has been renovated and restored specially to show works of art and is a wonderful space for this event to be held.

The Entire exhibition has been orchestrated by the leader of Artistic Acompalia, Emma Plunkett Art, with the infinite support of her husband, Jan Honza Pozivil,  and everyone who supports this event is working on a voluntary basis.

Hope you can make it !

La Azucarera Exhibition

‘Let Creativity Nourish Your Soul’

Art is a therapy in itself and the creative process is crucial to our holistic well-being, so my next Art Retreat is going to be held on 12-17 April 2018 in the Art Studio of Cortijo Las Salinas, Andalucia where we will find a variety of wonderful ways to unlock our creativity held within and become immersed and inspired as we take an art journey together like no other.

Areas of the Cortijo

Areas of the Cortijo

Creativity nourishes the soul, so what better way to discover a personal transformation than through the process of expressive, intuitive painting.  Whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist I will help you to develop confidence and a personal direction in your artwork as you paint in the warm sunshine surrounded by spectacular scenery, landscapes and sunsets.

On retreat for 5 days, together we will start the day with some yoga with Chloe of My Happy Body before breakfast to get the body moving and the creative energies flowing, then we shall begin the workshop in the Art Studio with creative exercises to build confidence, particularly if you have not painted before.
After lunch there is time to siesta before meeting again for some more creative immersion, which will include some creative writing and we will begin a canvas which will develop as your story unfolds over the next few days.

Singing bowls and gongs

Early morning yoga

Early morning yoga

Gongs by the pool

Partner yoga

Svasana and gong bath meditation

Also included will be gong bath meditations, moon light chanting and fire pit gatherings, amazing and delicious vegetarian meals, a warm twilight jacuzzi, a walk to the river and a trip out to discover the local wild orchids that are in flower at this time of year with many other surprises along the way.

Fire pit gatherings

Glorious sunset

Landscape of Las Salinas

Rio San Juan waterfall

My painting holidays are designed for everyone and non painting partners are also welcome where they can sit by the pool or go for a swim, take a walk or just relax with a book.
You will be amazed to see what you can paint and how you heal when you drop expectations and allow the creative process to unfold. Deep down we are all artists who have whatever it takes to express our inner world through art, the only thing holding us back is the limitations we place upon ourselves.

Individually hand painted notebooks

Getting creative in the art studio

Bundles of inspiration with the ‘Inspiration Bundles’

Places are limited so book today, your investment is £695 per person for shared accommodation or £750 for your own private suite which includes all materials, 3 delicious vegetarian meals per day, complementary teas and coffee, yoga and art tuition.
email steffi@steffisartwork.com
http://www.steffisartwork.com

Art and the Poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca

Federico Garcia Lorca is one of Spain’s best known poets and now a popular icon.  Born in 1898, he lived the first ten years of his life in Fuente Vaqueros, which is close to Granada in Southern Spain.  He moved to Madrid when he was in his early twenties and  joined a group of avant-garde artists that included Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel.  The group, collectively known as the “Generation of  1927,” introduced Lorca to Surrealism, a movement that would greatly influence his writing and poetry.

Lorca was an active socialist and his controversial political views as well as his generally bohemian attitudes would ultimately cost him his life and during the Spanish Civil War,  Lorca was captured by Franco’s Nationalist Army and executed.   His works, and even his existence, remained a taboo subject in Spain for nearly four decades after his death. However as a result, Lorca has become not only famous for his exemplary poetry, but for his martyrdom at the hands of a fascist dictatorship. His works were suppressed in Spain for many years but have had a monumental influence on the poets and authors of Latin America and the world over and he is often credited with being the first author to introduce Surrealism into literature. His work has a lasting impact on Spanish poetry and Lorca has influenced many of my abstract paintings with his interesting use of words, often written in a surrealist or abstract voice.  Here are two of my abstract paintings complete with Lorca’s words.

Echo

The flower of dawn has already opened

(Do you recall the depths of evening?)

The spikenard moon pours down its cold scent.

(Do you remember the gaze of August?)

 

The Cheating Mirror

Green branch barren of rhythm and bird.

Echo of a sob with no pain or lips.

Man and Woods.

I shed tears beside the salt sea.

In my pupils are two seas singing.

 

My Abstract Painting Meets ILU Fitwear Equals Amazing Yoga Clothing Range !

 

I am so proud to have the above painting used for the design on a yoga and fitness clothing range.  The painting was from an abstract collection of work called ‘Spiritual Exploration’ and was originally painted in watercolour on paper.  I had no idea how this would work on a clothing range, but now the range is complete and I am thrilled with the way it looks on this collection.

The collaboration between myself and ILU Fitwear has been an exciting journey to see how artwork can be used in this way and because of the nature of the printing process, each item is different and unique.  It’s like wearing an original piece of art as no two pieces are the same.

Here are some lovely photos of the range, modelled by my daughter Chloe of My Happy Body and photographed by Emma Jacobs Photography. The range can be purchased from either myself directly from Cortijo Las Salinas but if you can’t make it to the cortijo this year then Chloe has some in stock or you can go direct to the ILU Fitwear website.

Intuitive Art 5 day painting in 5 minutes !

I love to paint the land and the sea, especially if I can be outside in the elements and with nature.  However there is another side to my creative work which gives me freedom to just apply paint, texture and colour without any thought for the outcome or with any ego attached to the potential saleability of my work.  This 5 minute film shows the development of a large piece created over 5 days.  It took many changes along the way and the finished piece hangs in the yoga shala at Cortijo Las Salinas.  Hope you enjoy the film and, as always, love to hear your feedback.

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