Creative Arts, Crystal Lake, IL
A lovely little cottage for teaching art!
When I’m not in my studio – I’m at Creative Arts in Crystal Lake teaching drawing, colored pencil and marker techniques among other things.
Student work:
teaching
Janet Balboa (#janetbalboa) is an artist, writer and teacher living in the Chicago suburbs. Read more
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NOTES FROM THE PARKING LOT *UPDATE*
so here's a glimpse of what goes on in my head, and why I've been told by my friend JenZen never to play around in there alone...😛
This is either a picture or a blog entry in the making. This is the very beginning, for me, of the muse starting to tug on my sleeve. Captured here between you and me for a moment-
I think this is why I work with symbols and mythological themes; it's kind of a short hand of pre-made meaning. An archetype. So the meaning is there, disguised to consciousness, but so goddam nourishing to Soul. It's message unfolds beyond space and time, across centuries, genders, races and minds. (Anyway, I use a lot of embeded stories.)
More of myth? Check out Joseph Campbell.
And....class starts in 10 min. Ciao♥️
Happy Thursday!
Did I tell you I love love love being (an artist)?
Coming into my stride at 55, never envisioning the path my life would take or the adventure it has become.
Grateful for all my teachers disguised as students, friends, family, situations, events...
Be expectant, open, to what calls you and what moves you. External goals are never as fulfilling as internal questions, some of which may never be answered. And that's ok. Living with mystery is living.
Take the risk. Take the path less traveled. Discover what makes your heart sing. You, face to face with the incredible variety and richness that is YOU. And me. The world. This incredible, relentless, perennial beauty that is always just around the corner, just out of sight...just under the surface, waiting to be seen valued and witnessed. It's shy, hesitant.
Cultivating a relationship with yourself takes care and attention. There will never be, has never been, another you. Everyone you meet, everyone, is a one in 7.7 billion... What if you are exactly who you are supposed to be? What if you were deliciously content? What if 7.7 billion of us were content in who we are? Heaven on Earth?
Black Bear Montana!🐻 Breaking down my process:
Pencil outlines, markers for base, colored pencil for final details. Postcard size, for a corner of the 'Ousel Falls' waterfall picture.
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#montanalife #ouselfallsart
#ouselfallstrail #bigskymontana
#bigskyartists
Sophia.
Starting with my sketch, adding pencil and markers...and here she is. Card 1 in my Ho'oponopono Intuition Deck.
Black Bear. .
Prismacolor markers and pencil: 4 x 6.
Corner piece for the drawing of Ousel Falls I'm working on. To see more of my work, the links in my bio❤️ .
#ouselfalls #ouselfallsbigsky #ouselfallsmontana #wip #prismacolor markers #prismacolorpencils #ouselfallsartwork #ouselfallsart #janetbalboa #montanaart #waterfallart #bigskymontana #montana #blackbear #blackbearart #illinoisartist
Black Bear in progress!
Second corner in Ousel Falls drawing.
Prismacolor markers and pencils. Marker paper. 3" x 4". Don't feed the bears... .
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The red fox, for one corner of Ousel Falls border. A fox, a moose, a bear...and something else. Not sure yet. Eagle probably. This one for Jeanne❤️ .
#ouselfalls #ouselfallsbigsky #ouselfallsmontana #wip #prismacolor markers #prismacolorpencils #ouselfallsartwork #ouselfallsart #janetbalboa #montanaart #waterfallart #bigskymontana #montana #redfox #redfoxart
The wee beginnings of Ousel Falls in Big Sky Montana. The actual photo is on the right, my drawing on the left. My process in-between 😝 .
This is a little different for me, well, a lot different. I usually draw people and very up close rocks and all sorts of symbols, so an entire landscape is a very different experience for me. Different in my head than a portrait - relating to the forest, not just the trees. A wider view. A bigger perspective. One that will, eventually, contain a waterfall🐟🦐🦋🕷️ .
I love the way markers and pencils blend into an almost paint-like surface. I'm obsessed with this technique.😎 Bright colors. I have absolutely no idea as to how I'm going to re create the water, which is why I haven't touched it yet. Tomorrow perhaps. Kinda scary. .
#ouselfalls #ouselfallsbigsky #ouselfallsmontana #wip #prismacolormarkers #prismacolorpencils #ouselfallsartwork #ouselfallsart #janetbalboa #montanaart #waterfallart #bigskymontana
