Connecting to my roots, and places where you can join me in needle felting in April

"Rooted Earth Spirit: Buried Winter Roots bring New Growth in Spring." sculptural needle felted spirit doll with book

When I was little my German mother used to make things with me and my two sisters.... We didn't have a lot of money. My dad was studying law and we lived in an apartment in New York's Upper West Side near Columbia University, where my dad was going to school. The neighborhood was nothing like it is now and I used to get very nervous when sent out on shopping errands down Broadway. 
My mother knew how to make do with very little. She made most of our clothes and toys. My sisters and I learned from my mom how to create out of clay, straw and fabric. We made straw Christmas tree ornaments, clay beads for necklaces and small sewing projects. My mother had artist cousins in Germany, who worked in clay and also metal. One of them, Dorle Waschk Balz, made figurative sculptures that were on display on prominent street corners in her native Hamburg Germany. Her mother, my great aunt, made clay sculptures, mostly figurative. 

Now as I look at the faces of my dolls and compare them to those of my relatives, I see a resemblance, one I haven't seen until now. In creating my own art, I am recognizing my artistic roots. It's a comforting feeling. At the same time, I feel connected to my artist roots, but ones with whom I have no familial connection. I've shared some of those before-Barb Kobe, the doll maker. Meinrad Craighead the mystic and artist. And many others. 

Then there are those other roots, my roots in nature, in the world of spirit and of trees, plants and animals. My dolls explore this connection to nature, as in the doll above, called "Rooted Earth Spirit." I don't always know where these images come from but they feel like family. 

I'd love to share some of these connections with you and also for you to have the chance to create your own doll or felted landscape. It's really the most meaningful when you get the chance to create on your own.  Take a look at the offerings below and see if there is one that appeals to you. I have tried to include links for sign up. But if you prefer to have a doll made for you, I've also included some information about my commissioned dolls. Commissions are also a very personal experience and a way to collaborate with me on your vision.
 
Please respond to this e-mail if you have trouble getting through and I will help you. Hope to see you there!!
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I'm accepting commissions for your own healing doll. To find out more, please look at the website commission page. 

Commissioned dolls can serve as guides during difficult times or joyous reminders during times of celebration:
Change is a fact of life,  but there are certain times when you might want to stop and acknowledge a particularly important transition.  A transformative doll can serve to honor this time of your life. The doll can be a permanent reminder, to be placed on an altar at home or on a shelf at work, of what qualities you want to remember when you are going through a difficult time. 
Or if it's a celebration, such as an anniversary, a new baby or a new job, the doll can be a way of celebrating and remembering.

There is a range of prices for the dolls:
small doll (5-8 inches)                       $200-400
medium doll (9-12 inches)                $500-700
large doll (13-16 inches)                      $800-$1000
Prices also depend on the amount of embellishing and detail. But this gives you a general idea
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Image above is "Rooted Earth Spirit: Buried Winter Roots bring New Growth in Spring." It's a prototype for my "Spirit Doll" class that I will be offering at Arlington Parks and Recreation, for four weeks, starting in April. The class is listed as number 340103 "felted spirit doll."Visit Transformative Healing Dolls for more information and to see the dolls. The class will take place on four Thursdays from April 23 to May 14, from 7 to 9 pm. 

Here's the description:
In this basic felting class students will create a needle felted doll as a way to inspire your own creative spirit and connect with nature. Dolls will be embellished with beads, fabric scraps, decorative stitching and found or personal objects. All skill levels welcome.

Cost is $107 if you join Arlington Parks and Recreation and $127 for non-members. 
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I will be offering a workshop called"Mapping Our Internal Landscape" at the Smith Center in the Adams Morgan Neighborhood in DC. It will take place on Saturday, April 25from 10 to 4. 

Here's a description of the workshop:
Meditation, guided visualizations, journaling and hands-on demonstrations will bring you to a place of safety where you can feel comfortable creating visual felted maps of your internal landscape. All that is needed is openness to play and willingness to be guided by your own creative spirit. Materials will be provided, though you may want to bring small items with which you can embellish your landscape.

The Smith Center makes an effort to offer programs free or at low cost. The suggested donation is $35.

Here (below) is my prototype felted landscape for the Smith Center class. She's called "Mother Earth with Spirit House."

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"Mother Earth with Spirit House." needle felted wall hanging with embellishments.

And finally here is the workshop I am offering with art therapist and wet felter, Sarah Pitkin,Sunday, April 12 from8:30 to 4 pm at the 2015 Arts in Healing conference in Arlington, VA. To sign up for the workshop, scroll down under Sunday, April 12. It's called "Reclaiming the Self Through Therapeutic Felting: A Hands on Workshop."

You don't have to be a therapist or art therapist to attend. And you don't have to have any prior experience with felting. The photo above is from when Sarah and I taught a similar workshop in NYC in the Fall.

Cost is $135 for a day ticket with a $20 materials fee. 


Below is an image from when Sarah and I led a similar workshop for the Expressive Therapy conference in NYC last November.

"Therapeutic Uses of Felting" workshop, Expressive Therapies Conference, Nov 2014.