Reflections Art Studio and Community Classroom
7130 Highway 523 T1B 0L3 Cypress County

PD Day is coming up! Do you need a safe and caring, fun and creative place for your child to be? How about an art retreat in the country creating art, playing games, and spending time with animals and nature? To inquire and/or reserve a spot, call or text 403-952-9475, send a message or e-mail Renee Dowling at... [email protected] Limited spots available to allow for physical distancing and safety protocols. Each student will be using their own set of art supplies which are provided with the fee.

Including figures, painting on a large piece of watercolour paper, as well as using a number 35 Gold Sable watercolour brush, and using Winsor & Newton Designer Series gouache, Winsor Newton professional watercolour paint and Derwent Ink together, is all new for me. To make the patterns on the trees, I used my own designed and cut stencils, as well as mesh, the end of a pen, a small plastic lid, a wooden skewer and a store bought stencil.... My goal was to paint intuitively, pay attention to the direction of the light source, have light against darks and darks against lights, not fuss with details, include figures, and use complementary colours. I think an appropriate title is Growing.

Spaces still available. Next week we are working on faces!

Trying new techniques...

Playing with gouache and pen and ink for some chicken fun led me to write some good old fashioned jokes. What I love so much about visual journaling is I can decide what to put in my journal and there are no rules! These chickens are so fun to make... hint: start with the letter that falls between t and v...

New this fall- Teen Visual Journaling Art Classes, Mondays: September 7- November 2, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm. Being a teenager can be a difficult time in ones life. It is full of changes and transitions physically, emotionally, socially, mentally, and in independence. It is important that teenagers have a healthy way to express their thoughts, feelings and stories. Visual journaling is a safe, creative way to express those stories and life transitions through both art and writ...ing. Mondays, from 10:00am -12:00 pm, at Reflections Art Studio, will be dedicated to helping teenagers to learn art techniques to express their life stories and life transitions through visual journaling. It will be also a great time to socialize with other teens who are going through similar experiences and have a similar interest in art. This is suitable for all art abilities. Reflections Art Studio is wheelchair accessible. Teens may attend as many sessions as they wish. Each two hour session will include all supplies, and art instruction. We can also make time to visit the horses and other animals on the acreage. All lessons will be catered to the needs and wants of the teens. We can cover things such as hand lettering, different formats for expressing thoughts, feelings, stories and ideas, drawing people, animals, and nature, or creating in abstract, symbolism and metaphors. We will use a variety of media such as watercolour paint, collage, felt markers, dip pens, pencil crayons, and ink. Teens may want to bring personal ephemera such as photocopies of photos, song lyrics, favourite quotes, travel tickets and brochures, greeting cards and other personal things that reflect their interests. Teens may attend as many sessions as possible for their schedule. Each session will be $50 or attend eight sessions for $280. For more information and/or to confirm attendance, call, text or message me at 403-952-9475 or email [email protected] #reflectionsartstudio #reneedowling #reneelovesart1 #wellness #mentalhealth #artretreat #teens #holsomroad #medicinehat #artclass #cypresscounty #homeschoolersmedicinehat

Visual journaling has so many benefits. It is a very therapeutic way to deal with emotions, loneliness, depression and anxiety. It helps to escape, problem solve and to just plain old have fun exploring, playing and creating! Today I am just playing around in my repurposed hardcover book with my new set of gouache paint from the Winsor-Newton Designers gouache kit. I love the opaqueness and the transparency I can achieve with gouache. I have been adding leftover paint to ...the pages and have been using them to test colour mixes or wipe my brushes or testing out techniques, but have left some of the text to add interest and create a theme for future journaling pages. The people started as carrots or Ms and Ws. It is nothing fancy or deep or profound, but definitely fun and a bit mysterious.

Today in my Life is Good visual journal, I participated in Danny Gregorys live Draw With Me sketching exercise. #SBSDrawWithMe I sketched over top of some stencilling that I did a while ago. I love the stencil because I designed it and cut it using my new Cricuit machine. I love animals! My family loves animals! Whenever we used to take my father-in-law to places he would say, I am sorry, but I just love animals!... Now that he is gone, we say it as a running joke/tribute, I am sorry, but I just love animals! whenever we travel or see animals. What would you put in your Life is Good visual journal today?

Last week I conducted my first weeklong morning visual journaling camp for kids! We did the following things: -mixed primary colours to make secondary colours and neutrals. ... -turned our colour blobs into characters and creating names and personalities for them. -visited the kittens and fed the horses cookies. -explored the acreage finding inspiration for our observational drawings. -tasted spearmint, peppermint, Rosemary and a variety of berries. -used all of our senses to find inspiration. -focused on collage and creating a creative landscape. We all had fun creating art and memories, playing games, using our senses while exploring nature, and had fun visiting the animals. Consider Reflections Art Studio while your child is learning from home this year or for days when your childs school has Professional Development days or holidays. Inquire to set up lessons that meet your schedules demands. Lessons available for all age groups and abilities. Call 403-952-9475, text, message or e-mail me at [email protected] #reflectionsartstudio #visualjournaling #arttetreat #cypresscounty #holsomroad #medicinehat #wibmedicinehat #kidsartcamps

Last week I conducted my first weeklong morning visual journaling camp for kids! We learned how to mix primary colours to make secondary colours and neutrals. We had a lot of giggles turning our colour blobs into characters and creating names and personalities for them.... Each day we visited the kittens and fed the horses cookies. On the second day, we spent most of the morning outside finding inspiration for our observational drawings. With magnifying glasses and flashlights in hand, we found caterpillars, spiders, a wasp nest and many textures and different types of plants, trees, leaves and seeds. We tasted spearmint, peppermint, Rosemary and a variety of berries. We used all of our senses to find inspiration. We did etchings of leaves, did printmakings and drawings. On the third and fourth day, we focused on collage and creating a creative landscape. We also worked on creating many layers using everyday objects and stencils. We explored different ways on writing our names. On the final day, carrot people were created. We all had fun creating art and memories, playing games, using our senses while exploring the acreage, and visiting the animals. Consider Reflections Art Studio while your child is learning from home this year or for days when your childs school has Professional Development days or holidays. Inquire to set up lessons that meet your schedules demands. Lessons available for all age groups and abilities. Call 403-952-9475, text, message or e-mail me at [email protected] #reflectionsartstudio #reneedowling #reneelovesart1 #visualjournaling #visualjournal #visualjournalling #wellness #mentalhealth #therapeuticart #artjournaling #artjournal #mixedmedia #artistsoninstagram #artist #artistsofinstagram #canadianartist #albertaartist #arttetreat #cypresscounty #holsomroad #medicinehat #wibmedicinehat #medhat #kidsartcamps

Reflections on her Visual Journaling Day Camp in the Country...

Reflections on his Visual Journaling Day Camp in the Country...

Today in my Life is Good visual journaI, I celebrate sunrises on the Alberta prairie, spending time on Messenger with my granddaughter imagining magic powers that conjure clear smoke-free blue skies in California, and being grateful that my granddaughter tested negative for Covid-19. What would you put in your Life is Good visual journal?

Today in my Life is Good visual journal pays tribute to Echo Dale Regional Park, our little oasis in the middle of the prairie! I packed myself a picnic lunch and headed to the park to visual journal for my Artist Date. An artist date is time you make alone for yourself once a week to learn, do or admire art. It is a term coined by Julia Cameron!... It was so enjoyable saying hello to passersby, hearing laughter on the pond and staying cool in the shade as I visual journaled! One boy stopped to see what I was doing. He stayed and talked for about 20 minutes until his dad called to him from the other side of the pond! Sunshine and laughter erase pandemic negativity! -pen and ink, watercolour, Moleskine watercolour journal What are you grateful for today? Put it in your visual journal and share with me! I promise to be supportive!

Urban sketching today in my Life is Good visual journal is about celebrating the beauty of Cambridge Street and the wonderful neighbours. #reflectionsartstudio #reneedowling #reneelovesart1 #visualjournaling #visualjournal #visualjournalling #wellness #mentalhealth #therapeuticart #artjournaling #artjournal #penandink #watercolour #artistsoninstagram #artist #artistsofinstagram #canadianartist #albertaartist #arttetreat #cypresscounty #holsomroad #medicinehat #wibmedicinehat #medhat #tourismmedicinehat #urbansketching #cambridgestreet @ Medicine Hat, Alberta

Todays entry in my Life is Good visual journal is the scene I am privileged to see outside of my west art studio windows. ~Watercolour paint and one grey watercolour pencil to draw with. What are you grateful for today?

My Life is Good visual journal...kittens and their CATTITUDE!

My latest entry in my Life is Good visual journal. A painting of our familys wheat field, the great big Saskatchewan sky and my mom routing around, investigating the field. Mom sure was proud of the crop and grinning from ear to ear in her old stomping grounds! I am keeping it simple and only using limited supplies: watercolour, and a white pen.

Just outside my art studio window... horses, Cottonwood trees, and a new firepit area for clients to enjoy! I wish you were here to enjoy such splendor! If you are from out of town, you could stay overnight at the magnificent Guesthouse71 just down the road and enjoy a day or evening visual journaling art retreat with me!

I finally figured out how to design and make my own stencils with my new Cricut machine.

On August 24-28, from 10:00 am-1:00 pm, provide your 5-10 year old with a unique week long visual journaling art retreat in the country at Reflections Art Studio, just 10 minutes out of Medicine Hat. In visual journals, we will explore art techniques using multi-media. Class size will be limited to four in order to more easily follow physical distancing protocols, and for sanitizing supplies and the studio.... $250 for five mornings, which includes: *all art supplies *a visual journal *visiting the animals (horses and kittens) *cookies for the horses *exploring nature around the acreage *art games *movement breaks *instruction on colour mixing, printmaking, collaging, observational drawing, storytelling through art, creative play and much more, from a teacher with 27 years of teaching experience. Lessons will be based on the needs and wants of the students. Please send a snack, a water bottle, sunscreen, insect repellent, inside shoes or slippers, and appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather. To reserve your childs spot, please message me, phone, text or email me and then e-transfer $250 to [email protected] Renee Dowling Reflections Art Studio and Community Classroom 7130 Highway 523, Cypress County, AB, T1B 0L3 403-952-9475 E-mail [email protected] Website www.reneelovesartreflections.com #reflectionsartstudio #artretreat #holsomroad #cypresscounty #highway523 #dayretreat #visualjournaling #mixedmediajournaling

Todays entry in my Life is Good visual journal is about the magic of light and shadows. What would you celebrate today in your Life is Good journal?