Rachel Jones and Art

 I began another little series that explores our connection to nature. Below are two pieces. There is nothing I can compare to that feeling of walking barefoot in luscious grass or lying on your back staring at the clouds as the hum of earth and buzz of creatures become that moment’s soundtrack.  One of favorite poets wrote: Delighting in surface change, the glitter of light on waves And I roam elsewhere, my body thinking, Turning toward the other side of light In a tower of wind, a tree idling in air,  Beyond my own echo… - from Journey To The Interior by Theodore Roethke How true that a journey out of doors can take us on an inward journey. Take a moment to unplug.  And I roam elsewhere, my body thinking Part 1 Oil on Linen 22” X 30” By Rachel Jones  And I roam elsewhere, my body thinking   Part 2 Oil on Linen 22” X 30” By Rachel Jones 

 Workshop I’m a real believer that anyone can paint. Even those who say they can’t draw a stick figure. As kids we scribbled with broken  crayons creating worlds from our imaginations without inhibitions. At some point we decided (or someone informed us)  we didn’t know what we were doing… and we put our instruments down.  Once, I taught an ‘After Hours’ class (years before the Paint and Sips) where a person with a high stress white collar job came and left with a piece of work he created and was proud of after saying, ‘I can’t paint”.  Often changing our ideas of what a “successful” painting is or isn’t is the key. When I was asked by Myrtle Beach Art Museum to participate in the traveling Frida Kahlo exhibit by teaching a portrait workshop, how could I say No. She was  a queen of self-portraiture. Many have expressed in various ways that Frida may not have been  ‘the best painter, but was a great storyteller.’ My goal was to have each person well armed with a tool to be able to accu