Recipes for Creation: A Collaborative Art Exchange

Above: "Fancy a taste?" Chef Ahnabella caters to every palette.

A sprinkle of chance, a dash of collaboration and a whole lot of play are the main ingredients in "Recipes for Creation," a new collaborative project that fellow artist-friend Joui Turandot and I schemed up over lunch at a kebab restaurant in San Francisco recently.

Above: Chef Turandot dishes up some piquant fare.

Here's what we've got cooking: Every few weeks one of us will devise a list of at least four random ingredients to be used in an art project of our choosing. For example:

• tinsel
• toy soldiers
• something blue
• something dug out from a dumpster
• the first sentence from a cheesy romance novel.

As you can see, the possibilities are limitless. Anything goes! The main rule is to have no rules, although it's probably also helpful to ensure that the suggested materials are available (in this dimension).

Above: "Please sir, can I have some more?"

The person may also choose to include a short set of instructions, containing any particular suggestions for how to go about creating this crazy art concoction. For instance, a suggestion might be to begin the process blindfolded, or warm up with a dance. The instructions can be anything to help shake us out of habituated ways of creating.

Above: Warning - may cause indigestion.

After sending out the recipe, each of us will set to work in our own studios to see what happens! We will, of course, include you in the fun. Images of all the creations we cook up will be posted here for your delectation. We also welcome you to participate by emailing images of your own interpretation of the recipes, or by making a suggestion for a future recipe that we may wish to try.

Check back soon to see what's cooking…

Above: "Hmm... An interesting bouquet. Though perhaps a bit too oleaginous..."

Creative Play in Times of Change

If asked to describe the current cultural milieu in this country, I think I'd say that it feels like America is holding its breath.

Above: Ahna and Amy blow bubbles in the park.

With so much change afoot, it's hard not to feel a bit afraid. Staying open in times of groundlessness is no easy task.

We tend, instead, to become tight, adopting rigid ways of responding to situations in our lives when we don't feel totally secure.

We forget that in times like these we can still access our innate creativity and sense of play, that they can help us to find new ways of responding to difficult situations.

Above: A moment of adversity...Mortimer seizes Ahna's scone.

Play, spontaneity and laughter come from the opposite place of fear. They bring release and freedom, while fear is clenched and holds energy in. When we relax into a playful or creative state, we open the way for new life and fresh insights to move through our systems. Who knows what other shifts this may inspire?

Above: Amy and Ahna bust out some improvisational dance moves.

Given the current state of affairs, there couldn't be a better time to do something that gets us out of stagnant patterns—rollick in the grass, blow bubbles, bake cupcakes, throw a tea party—anything to bring in new energy!

Above: Tea party invitation for Amy.

So this past weekend, in celebration of my friend Amy's birthday, that is exactly what we did. The two of us set off for the park with a cargo of fine china, tea-time morsels and stuffed animals.

Above: Tea party invitees (left to right): Teddy, Rainbow Kitty, Scruffy, Chip and Cotton.

After chowing down on blueberry scones and chocolate cupcakes and dancing on grassy knolls till dusk, we closed the day with a night-time poetry reading by flashlight.

Above: Amy listens to Ahna read.

I hope that these pictures help share the day's magic and perhaps even inspire you toward a playful manifestation of your own. If you'd like to see more tea party photos, the complete album is up on my flickr page.

Above: All the tea party attendees enjoying the day.

Until next time, may you find new ways to play, make art of your life, and remember to write and tell me about it…!

Sketches from Spain

Above: "Female Mask," one of the drawings from my art journal.

Last week's journey through London and the south of Spain was deliciously rich on the art front. I loved meandering through the new Picasso Museum in Malaga and seeing some of the striking street art in Granada. Perhaps the most memorable visit, however, was to the childhood home and birthplace of my poet hero, Federico Garcia Lorca.

Above: The cover of my art journal, collaged with scraps of the Picasso Museum brochure, plane ticket stubs and a photo of Lorca.

By all accounts, Lorca was quite a special soul. Reading his biography one is treated to numerous tales of his silliness, pranks and child-like delight with life.

Above: Lorca in Uruguay, 1934.

One anecdote describes how he and a friend "coated their faces with rice powder, donned bogus nuns' habits and boarded a city tram, where they cast lascivious glances at their neighbors."

When Lorca visited New York (having convinced his parents he would study English), he didn't learn a lick of the language. Instead, he chose to spend his time visiting aquariums, playing with toys in dime stores and wandering the city streets. According to one friend, his favorite English phrase became "I DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING," which he would "shout while standing in the middle of the street, arms flailing, his face red with laughter."

I think Lorca was definitely on to something.

Above: collage from my art journal with photo of baby Lorca taken from Lorca museum brochure.

Aside from this happy pilgrimage to Lorca's home town, our trip provided many lovely moments filled with park picnics, impromptu puppetry, art-making on airplanes and sitting in the plazas watching pigeons, wedding parties, accordionists and other forms of life pass by.

Above: Picnic with family and friends in Regent's Park, London. I finally get to meet Francesca (front right), a fellow artist/writer whom I first connected with right here in the blogosphere!

Above: "Two Feet," pastel and watercolor paintings from my art journal.

Here are a few more images from the art journal I kept during our trip. If you'd like to see more photos from London and Spain, along with the rest of the sketches and paintings from my travel journal, please visit my flickr page.

Above: "Male Mask," pastel, pen and watercolor on paper.

Above: "Winged Creature," acrylic on paper.

Above: "Maskuline and Feminine," pastel and watercolor on paper.

Above: "Toro" collage using corrugated coffee cup holders, London tube tickets, magazine scraps, etc...