Whoa. It was a crazy week after getting home last Sunday, but the recap from GIRL CRUSH Minneapolis is finally ready!
Oh my word. I loved every second of my weekend in Minnesota, with American painter Jennifer Davis. Amazing conversations, delicious food, and lots of art! {psst… see that little birdie? That’s a Jen Davis original, that she raffled off first thing in the morning… no, I didn’t win. Damn.}
Our workshop/tea party was generously hosted by Soo Visual Arts Center – it’s a beautiful space, and we were lucky enough to be submerged, I mean surrounded, by the work of New York artist Samantha French. Gorgeous! After filling up with coffee and breakfast pastries donated by Common Roots Cafe, we spent the morning getting to know each other, talking insecurities, motivation, and while we were at it, we tried to figure out why blank sketchbooks are so scary {still working on it, but at least now we’ve got a plan!} Oh, and then Jen pulled out a bunch of her original paintings, and passed them around so we could hold them in our hot little hands!
Yes. We got to hold these {and a whole bunch more!}. They are stunning in person. Stunning! {ps. that little black cat is a portrait of Jennifer’s cat, Nudge… I’m not sure who that little dog is though!}
Ok, so after a morning of artist-block bashing exercises, it was time to eat! Again. Lunch was donated by Chow Girls Killer Catering {thank you!!!}. It was oh so delicious, and oh so nutritious… which was good, because then we ate these:
Gah! So good! Honestly, I lost count of how many of these bad boys I ate! {Amy, from Chow Girls, picked these treats up for us from Sweets Bakeshop ~ thanks Amy!}. Now, everyone knows that once you’re full of sugar, you need a latte! So that’s what we did… we walked over to the back room at Common Roots Cafe, grabbed a fancy coffee, and got out the art supplies:
Fun!!! Paint, glue, bits n’ pieces of vintage paper, and of course Plywerk panels. The folks at Plywerk rocked my world when they donated another batch of panels for this workshop! They had just finished sponsoring GIRL CRUSH Portland two weeks earlier, and then they swooped in to help with Minneapolis. Amazing, yes!? Oh, and speaking of amazing, check this out:
1. A vintage image that Jen found in a pile of stuff 2. The sketch she did during the workshop … and then five days later, from that inspiration / sketch, she finished this final painting:
Yep. That’s why I have a girl crush on her! I think it’s also safe to say, that I might just have a girl crush on everyone that attended – here’s a peek at the work that came out of our afternoon:
Fantastic – You all make me jealous! xo
YAY! So, that was the last GIRL CRUSH workshop for the summer… Philly, with Shauna Alterio is sold out, and coming up in October. If you’re in Austin, there are still a few spots for GIRL CRUSH Austin with Alyson Fox in April 2013! It’s going to be amazing… you should come!
{…more thanks… photography: Katie Parr, and Carolyn Payne (exec director at SooVAC!) // gift bags goodies: Vandalia Street Press, Paper Darts, Hang It, The People’s Jewelry, Urbanimal, Walker Shop at Walker Art Center – thank you all so much! xo}
drooling.
thanks for sharing.
thank you for drooling! ; )
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this event on Jennifer’s site. It was the perfect time for me to gather with all of these talented women. Inspiration and honest, open conversations for an entire day left me feeling like I was not alone in my insecurities and challenges in trying to manage life and creativity in a balanced manner. Thanks to Danielle for a wonderful gathering.
that means the world to me… thanks liz xo
Whoa mama does that look like a great day! I so wish I could have come.
I just love the painting she came up with and everyone else’s pieces look so great!
*sigh* Lovely ; )
it was lovely… i thought of you quite a bit actually, especially when we got to pass those originals around (i almost slipped one in my bag for you!) ; )
THANK YOU so much for a wonderful event at our gallery! On behalf of the Board of Directors, please know that you are welcome back any time! We love that you inspire and inspired our artists!
thank YOU! i loved my time in minneapolis… and soovac was such a beautiful space to host an artsy tea party (you better believe i’ll be back!) 😉
It was an amazing time. I learned WAY more than I ever imagined. What an amazing group of women.
This looks so fantastic, Danielle! I seriously would go to every Girl Crush if I could. The art that you guys did is awesome.
wasn’t it fantastic!? i am continually impressed with every single woman that shows up to GIRL CRUSH! {i wish you could come to all of them too!… there’s still a few spots for Austin… hint hint} ; )
GAH! Amazing! I found out about this event after it was sold out, but it looks GREAT! I love the idea of connecting with such inspiring ladies! I want to find all these creative lovelies in Minneapolis and make them be my friend 🙂
it was pretty fantastic… and yes, i’d make all of these ladies your friends as fast as possible – they’re all AMAZING!
When will you come again???? I would LOVE to do this!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a fabulous Idea! I am already inspired 🙂
well, i LOVED minneapolis, so i might just have to come back very soon! ; )
I would live to go to something like this. Any information on upcoming events is greatly appreciated. I live in Minneapolis but wouldn’t mind flying elsewhere if the event is right. Thanks!
has purchased five or six acres of field it is not playback Helpless friends are forever never abandon.
Hello,
I am a traditional artist from the UK. I would really love for you to feature my work. You can see my art here http://bonniemarieleeman.daportfolio.com/
Thankyou,
Bonnie
thanks bonnie – i’ll pop over and take a look 🙂