Better Late Than Never, Part 1

Or so I've been told. It's been nearly two months since my return from the annual Keys4Art retreat where I meet up with my art pals from around the country to hang out, share projects, and relax and have fun. Every day since then, I've resolved to update this poor neglected blog, and every day I've failed to do so. Today is gray and chilly and potentially rainy, so I am staying in and am determined!

We rented the same house as last year, which is awesome; huge and on the water. With a view of the ocean and glorious sunrises. Which, I believe I was the only one to ever witness. One of the perks of being an early riser.

As usual, we arrived to a house already prepped for art; floors and rented tables covered with paper, and a big pile of gifts at each seat. Thank you Elena and Jacquie for your hard work, cherished friendship, and never ending generosity.

And I know there was more. Pens, brushes, glue, and lots of other small items that I probably started using and put away before I could take a picture.

And yes, you saw correctly. Elena got each of us a Canon Selfy (portable printer). It works on wifi, so no computer is necessary, and we were able to print out pictures to immediately include in our journals. How cool is that!

It has also been our tradition to bring gifts for everyone. Although we never discussed it, back in 2010, our first retreat, when we really didn't know one another, everyone brought something for everyone else. Art minds think alike, I guess. Anyway, we have always done the same. It could be something handmade, something purchased, something simple or something elaborate. We all have different circumstances and no one is expected to do anything in particular. We all do what we can with what we have, and it's always good.

From Daisy:

Art Mix and What's Your Name Mix from Jen:

Great tags from Sue and Maritere:

Polymer clay heart (thanks to Laurie Mika for the inspiration!) from me:

Other gifts came in the way of very generous amounts of supplies for the classes some of us taught. More on that later.

One way that this year's retreat was very different is that we decided we needed more time to do things other than art. After all, it is March in southern Florida. Why stay indoors all the time? We did a fabulous eco boat tour of the Everglades. There are enough of us that we needed two boats.

That's enough for today. More, much more to come. Another excursion, lots of silliness (in other words, karaoke and photobooth madness), good food, and plenty of art. 

F