art journaling workshop

What a wonderful Saturday morning I had!

This past Saturday I ran an art journaling workshop 

at the Bluesfest School of Music and Art (BSOMA).

I went into the morning with such excitement,

which was equalled by they enthusiasm 

of the wonderful people who registered.

We had full registration 

{with some others who also wanted to join in!}

Here's a peak at the morning, tables set up and ready to go:

I created a little packet for each person. With only two hours, I was definitely pressed for time, but I wanted to introduce some colour theory, along with a quick talk about the many different ways to keep an art journal.

I based the class around some of my art journal pages,
 teaching the techniques I used here:

And then the wonderful process of creating began. 

A few of the folks had art journaled before, 

but for most this was the beginning of a beautiful journey for them.

The ladies {and one man} were so open, friendly and engaged. 

They were truly a pleasure to teach.

 I absolutely loved teaching this class and had such wonderful feedback, 
with requests for more, and longer workshops.
{Do you guys know how humbled and excited I am about that??}

I am working with BSOMA to create series of classes, so stay tuned!

Silvia

workshop time

Hey Friends! 

I'm excited and ready for my art journaling workshop tomorrow. 

I heard last week that it is sold out! 

Yes, sold out!! Wow, I'm blown away. 

Thank you to those who love, support and keep believing in me. 

You are a gift in my life. 

Here's a peak at the cute {and info-packed} little packages I'll be giving out. 

I am hoping to bless the sweet folks who have signed up,

and send them home inspired with a new passion,

and some skills to fuel it!

I plan on posting some pictures from it, so stay tuned. 

Silvia

art journaling workshop

I'm seriously excited to announce that in April,

 I will be teaching an art journaling workshop

in partnership with the Bluesfest School of Music & Art!

I'd love to have you join me in this two hour class!

Together we will talk about a whole slew of art journaling techniques,

you'll see examples from my art journals

and we will create some fun pages.

You will leave the class with ideas and resources 

to help you continue to explore, create and discover

in the world of art journaling!

You can register through:

The Westboro Brainery
or
Dovercourt Community Centre

I sincerely hope to see you there!
Silvia

oh let's be adventurers!

Wow, it has been a while since I've blogged!

During the month of October,

my family and I ventured on a trip down 

the west coast of the United States, 

from Seattle, WA to Huntington Beach, CA.

The trip was a healthy mix of vacation, art and ministry.

and we had a really special time together.

If you have seen the Oregon coast, 

the Redwood forests,

or the Big Sur in California,

you will likely agree with me when I say that 
"spectacular" seems to be a weak word to describe those places.
Perhaps, "awe-inspiring, heart-stirring, magnificent and dramatically spectacular"
would better describe the beauty that sits on the west edge of the continent.
Okay, okay ... I'll stop.

In truth, I am always so drawn to the ocean, 

and I miss it when I've been away from it for too long.

The sheer majesty, the relentlessness of it

communicates deeply to my soul.

I saw a t-shirt once that said,

"adventure is a family value".

I think I'd like to get that t-shirt!

Here are a few of my favourite scenes.
May you be inspired.

May your days be filled with joy and inspiration!

Silvia

exciting news!!

Whew! Its been a busy few months, 

but I did it!

In a few days we are heading out on a 4 week ministry trip/vacation.

{I'm very excited!}
And I had set some goals for myself,
somethings I wanted to accomplish before we left...

I wanted:

 • to get 7-9 paintings completed,

• open up shop in a few on-line art stores

{sorry Esty, you didn't make the cut this time}

• and put some effort into having my art displayed locally.

Whoo-hoo!

I'm so excited to announce that 

I did it!!

I will be displaying my art at 

Oh So Good Dessert & Coffee House

{downtown, on York St)

during December and January!

Please stop by to see it

{and get one of their incredible desserts}

And, you can now buy my art on-line at:

Fine Art of America

and

Society6.

{check out the link to Society6 to the right of this text}

I have hashtaged on instagram

#meetinggoalsfeelsgood
It really does feel good!

If you would like to follow me on instagram

{and see lots of pictures of our upcoming adventure!}

I am silviaklassen

Here is a sample of what you will find for sale in my on-line stores.

I will update it regularly.

Thanks for being a part of this exciting journey with me!

Silvia

silent but productive // beautiful time

Hi Friends,

I know I have been fairly quiet on my blog 

these past few months, 

but it's not because I haven't been creating.

I've created some goals for myself 

that I am working towards,

and while I love to share what I've been doing,

blogging does take a good time commitment.

So, with the full life I have

{we all have full lives, don't we}

I have allotted that time to other things.

{I have been reading a great book

by Harold Eberle in which he describes 

time

in the most beautiful, 

meditative  manner.

I can't do it justice here,

but it is shifting my whole viewpoint.

I will say that I am learning

that I am not in a race against time;

  it is a gift from a loving God

that is partnering with me

to accomplish my dreams and destiny.}

Here is a sample 

of what I've been creating lately.

I may still add a bit of text

beside her, about her.

{**I plan to show more,

and make some announcements

in the near future!!**}

Thanks for reading, and for your support.

Silvia

inspired by passion

Hi Friends,

I'll start with the aside...

I'm working on a new look for my blog, 
but it is still in process, 
so stay tuned for {hopefully} a few more changes!
After a year of blogging
{my 1 year anniversary  is Jan 21st}
I am still very much a learner
in the blogging world!

Onto the good stuff now ...

Lately I have been doing a lot of my reading 
from a new translation of the Bible called, 
"The Passion Translation".  
The whole translation isn't complete yet; 
it is a work in progress. 
I have "The Psalms: Poetry on Fire" 
and nearly everytime I read it, 

I am undone.

The "Passion Translation" is 
a very good title for it.

I thought I'd share with you 
a few pages out of my sketch book, 

inspired by Poetry on Fire:

 

What is inspiring you these days? I'd love to hear!

Silvia

unleash your expectations (with video this time)

Excitement is in the air, 

expectation is high,

hope springs eternal,

a new year is here!

Twenty13 is history and Twenty14 has arrived.

Unleash your expectations,

imagine,

play,

experiment

hope all over again.

In reality, every day is a new beginning, 

but the onset of a new year impacts us more intensely doesn't it?

Some make resolutions, but we don't.

We welcome the new year as a family by listening -  

 listening to the whispers of heaven.  

This morning we did just that.

 We now have a large paper posted in our kitchen 

full of all the delicious things God said and showed 

to our family.

And we ended up dancing ~ enjoying the glow of heaven on us,

 delighted by the sweet words He spoke to us.

{Its going to be a good year!}

I believe that this new year is a year of wonder, adventure and joy.

Unleash your expectations and dream!

Dreaming ... another other thing we do together.

I am taking some time today to respond to a prophetic word I heard in December ... I am going to dream with God about my future today and pour out the desires of my heart for this upcoming year ... 

a kind of co-creating with God.  

He loves to hear your heart's desires...

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Ps 37:4)

It begins with being rapturously caught up in joy with Him.

I saw want to share this video with you today as you enter your new year.

May you find yourself dancing on God's dance floor every day of twenty14.

Happy, happy 2014!

Silvia

November Around Here

I can hardly believe it has been a month since I last posted! 

November was a very full month for us ... 

we went to a conference in California, 

ran a conference here at home 

{both were absolutely fabulous!} 

and celebrated my second daughter's 13th birthday ... 

twice!

 Around here we make thirteen a big deal and work hard to bless our kiddos as they transition into their teenage years. 

One of the ways we do that is through a party with some of our adult friends who speak into our new teenager's life, 

calling out the gold they see in her 

{and him one day},

and praying a blessing over our precious child. 

It has become a cherished birthday event!!

Although very busy, I haven't been inactive art-wise this month. 

One way I keep creative in busy conference season is 

during the conference ... 

yup, I draw, doodle & art journal my way through the sessions, 

taking notes around my colorful pages. 

Sometimes I prepared a few pages ahead of time 

with some acrylic paint slapped on, 

and lots of times I added colour on the spot. 

Water colour crayons & washi tape were my go-to supplies this time 

as they were easy to use on-the-spot. 

My kids were at the whole conference we hosted 

{and, by the way, they LOVED it too} 

and they doodled and drew throughout it as well, 

all the while gaining life tools, 

tools that will empower and help them all their lives!

The conference we hosted was called "Dreaming with the King".

I couldn't recommend the speakers more!  

Steve & Wendy Backlund {ignitinghope.com}

& Janine Mason {idreamculture.com} 

were life-changing!!

Check out their websites, 

invite them to speak, 

follow them on facebook...

 do something to connect with these people!  

They are pure gold!

So now, here are some of my conference journaling pages and doodles...   {I apologize for the quality - I was trying to post from my phone app)

            

                        

              

              
              
              

Silvia