Art Is You Art Retreats!!

Hello lovelies....just wanted to share this beautiful interview with Rice, Sallianne and Ellen! It gave me chills and made me teary at the same time.....



It still doesn't feel quite real that in 6 months time I'll be teaching at my first BIG retreat and judging from this heartful podcast and from the interaction already happening at the Art Is You Yahoo group I've chosen the right one for my initiation.

I will be teaching three workshops at both retreats, Petaluma, California and Stamford, Connecticut. Sacred Marks will be a two day intensive where I will encourage students to dig deep into their own wellspring of creativity to find the contemplative space to create personal symbols and their own unique narrative.

Students will explore a multitude of abstract techniques using paint, ink, oil pastel and collage. Text and imagery will be woven together to create a unique, personal art language.

On Friday we will throw our preconceived notions to the winds and spend the day exploring playful, expressive, intuitive painting and learning new ways to tap into our creative flow with my Feel Good Friday Workshop.

Or you can join me for a “muy fantastico” one day workshop "Viva Mexico Monoprints!" where we will take a creative journey into the enchanting and whimsical world of Mexican art exploring the vibrancy and quirkiness of some of Mexico’s leading artists and finding inspiration to create our own playful and vivid artworks!

There is so much on offer at Art Is You...I have one non teaching day and I am in a quandary trying to decide which amazing teacher to spend it with!

Find out all the juicy details here

Its been a hugely exciting week for me with REGISTRATION now being opened for my Paint Mojo workshops in Texas and California. Both workshops are filling quickly so please have a peek at my workshop page for information on both of these. Now off to the studio to prepare for the very first Paint Mojo workshop here in Australia!!! Woohoo!!

Have a lovely week everyone!
hugs Tracy xo

U.S.A here I come!!

Hi lovely friends..just dropping in quickly to let you know how over the moon excited I am to announce that the registration for my Paint Mojo Retreat in Texas is now open and filling very quickly.

A humungous thank you goes out to the gorgeous Selah Gay who has put together a package that sounds divine!!

Selah you are a superstar and I cant wait to give you a big ol' hug when I get to Texas!

If you fancy splashing some paint around with me, interspersed with sharing vino in the hot tub with a bunch of like minded creative women under the starry skies and enjoying home style meals at the Lotus Ranch then just click right here and let Selah know you'd like to be a part of the fun!

Registration is also opened for the fab Art Is You Retreats in California and Connecticut and I will be teaching four days at each along with a whole line up of amazing artists.....take a peek at the line up here.

Sacred Marks~ two day workshop by Tracy Verdugo at Art Is You Benicia and Stamford


Stay tuned for more info on my Paint Mojo workshops in California, Georgia and Florida and dont forget to send me your email if you'd like to be on the "keep me in the loop" mailing list ♥

Until next time..much love
Tracy xx

ps I promise I'll be blogging about our Thailand trip soon..it just takes this girl a littlw while to process big happenings sometimes!

"Angels" Workshop giveaway!!

CLICK HERE to register and pay in full - a one time investment of $111
~~~~~

Hi lovely creative friends....just wanted to let you know about a project I'm very excited to be a part of.
My friend Sheri Ponzi who will be joining me later in the year for our Womens Retreat in Puerto Vallarta, has put together an awesome line up of teachers including Anna Schüler, Chris Zydel, Claudia Olivos, KaePea, Kylie Fowler, Lori Franklin, Susan Risse, Whitney Ferre and yours truly, to present a 5 month online course "Angels in My Studio" exploring the connection between our art and the spiritual world.
Whilst most of the teachers will be focusing on the angelic realms I will be sharing with you my experiences with the Virgen de Gaudalupe and the Virgen de Juquila in Mexico and how the divine feminine has influenced my work. Together we will work on images inspired by the Virgen..its going to be an amazing journey!

I'm also super excited to announce that I have TWO spots to giveaway on the course so please help me promote this fab workshop and let me know you did by leaving a comment here on my blog. Good luck everyone!!
hugs Tracy xo

ps If you'd like to workshop with me in person registration for the fabulous Art Is You Retreats in Petaluma, California and Stamford, Connecticut is now open.....click here to check out all of the fun!


Angels In My Studio
Are you an artist or creative person?
Do you love angels?
Would you love to connect more deeply with your angels and guides in your everyday life as well as in your creative practice?
Are you interested in learning techniques to incorporate the energies and forms of angels and spirits into your artwork?
If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions you are in the right place. Please consider joining us for Angels In My Studio -- a 5-month long online course dedicated to both mixed-media art and angelic connections.

Angels In My Studio begins on May 1st 2012. This course is designed to allow beginner and seasoned artists alike to connect more deeply with the angelic realm through their creative practice.

Congratulations to lucky winners Bev and Kim!!! See you in the classroom xo

CLICK HERE to register and pay in full - a one time investment of $111
~~~~~

Home Sweet Home

Hello my sweet friends...well after almost a month away we are finally home..it will take me a while to digest all of my experiences in beautiful Koh Samui but here are some visual impressions of our time while I get my head together to write more....I've missed you all...will write again very soon!
Tracy ♥♥♥

ps isn't your own bed just the best! :)

beauty that replenished my soul.......

people that warmed my heart.....

experiences that rocked my world...

and things that just blew my mind!

butterflies in my tummy....OR...breathing through the overwhelm!

Hi all...its been a little bit quiet from my side hasn't it?
Lots happening and continuing to happen in this girls life...
a very strange start to the year and not as anticipated
with me being laid out on my back for three days over New years
with horrible lower back spasms...
just started getting that under control with a few visits to my lovely physio when WHAMMO!!!
an attack of yucky IBS right in the middle of a long anticipated visit
from the gorgeous Louise Gale!!
we managed to have a lovely time anyways even though I probably shouldn't have been eating that raspberry chocolate chip muffin under the circumstances!

In the midst of all this painting, painting, painting ...finally finished two commissions that my poor friend Angela had been waiting for for 6 months...this one is her on her new vespa! She really is the cutest!

Also been painting for two exhibitions, one which opened last weekend and has been very successful with 5 paintings sold so far and great responses!

AND my first international exhibition in Thailand next week!!
EEEEEKKKK!!! I'm not ready!!

I've been feeling quite uneasy (obviously my body is responding to this!)
as we still haven't received our itinerary (no flight numbers nada)
and we leave on Tuesday..yep thats one week away!
( the whole family is being sponsored for flights and accommodation)...

a part of me was thinking, oh well maybe its not going to happen,
maybe its too good to be true and because of this
I've been cruising a little bit,
thinking more about my local exhibition than this BIG one.

Then this morning I receive a press release in my inbox from the Koh Samui Gazette
an article about MY UPCOMING EXHIBITION at the NAMCHA TEAHOUSE!!!
and all of a sudden.... CRAP!!

Its real!!!

I better get moving....soooo...
i think this may be the last post you see from me until I get to Koh Samui...
feeling kind of discombobulated (gotta love that word)
and trying to stay centred, off the alcohol,
eating good foods, stretching and meditating for the next week,
just so I dont fall apart before we go!!
6 paintings to go, then I have to figure out how I'm going to pack them

...ok...bye for now..love you all!!!

Will leave you with a little glimpse into last weekends exhibition,
made by our good friend and drummer Syd Green and
featuring one of our new soon to be released songs "Umbrella"



have a great week!
Lots of love Tracy ♥ xoxox

ps sometimes I wish I was a cat....Bodhi snuggled up in my fabric pile...a part of me wants to climb right in there and hide for a while....

pps forgot to say that tonight I'm doing a SKYPE interview with the amazing Tamara Laporte for LifeBook!!! Click here to view more details


AND today I'm starting BUSINESS SOUL SESSIONS with Kelly Rae Roberts and Beth Nicholls!!!

Here's hoping this little butterfly can handle all of the excitement...somebody may need to send me some VALIUM...oh um I mean Valerian!! You know TEA! LOL ♥

Countdown to a brand new year!

Big message from the Universe to me at the end of this amazing year....

SLOW DOWN!!!!

Have been flat out on my back or on my side dealing with lower back spasms which my chiro says are a result of a twisted sacrum...

ok, ok I get the hint...so I've been a little bit (understatement!) in overdrive, so I've been playing the role of Superwoman all year,
trying to be the best mum, wife, artist, teacher I can be,
studying full time and setting a standard of Distinction or High Distinction for my results,
setting the wheels in motion for an EXTRAORDINARY 2012!!

So for now I'm getting the message, chilling out,
actually watched a whole movie in bed today and
bawled my eyes out for the whole second half..
if you havent seen The Notebook you should so watch it...
absolutely beautiful and just the right thing for me to see today and to contemplate the biggest most real,truly important thing in life...LOVE ♥♥♥


I'm also counting down the last 20 hours till the incredible LifeBook course starts...how fun that I get to not only participate but teach in such an awesome course...you still have time to join in the fun if you've been sitting on the sidelines!
Come on! You know you want to :)




my wishes for you in 2012

may you shine your brightest light and inspire everyone around you!

may you bloom your most beautiful blooms but also honour your spiky, prickly bits...we all have them :)

may you learn to see the perfection in everything

and may you take the time for self care, make like Gingy the cat and chill out regularly!

Happy New Year...and BIG LOVE to you all!!!
Tracy((((♥)))))

out with the old in with the new ♥

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
~Lao Tzu~

Hello beautiful friends...i hope you've all had the loveliest time over the past week of holiday festivities..I've been busy, busy, busy painting happily away, indulging in delish food and yummy wine, hanging out with Marco and the girls and getting in a little beach time.

today I felt moved to share a process with you which is especially relevant at this time of the year....

in honour of letting go of those things which no longer speak to us
or even about us and allowing ourselves
to move forward into our most amazing
ever blossoming newest and shiniest selves..

this painting is the last large one left of a series I painted in 2008 inspired by our family's 7 month creative sabbatical which took us from Australia to the U.S , Canada and Mexico...(you can read more about our adventures here)

all of the rest have found their new homes and gone to live with lovely new families....but this one has been sitting lonely on my sunroom wall, beckoning me to notice it and show it some love....
and so I did :)

this past year my work has become more fluid,
less defined and structured
more intuitive and filled
with layers and meaning
which sometimes I need to take a while to find

I feel like I'm doing less painting and more allowing
less deliberating and more surrendering
and I ♥ this feeling

This work no longer spoke to me in the way it once did and so I changed it
simple as that
new beginnings
new marks
over old
honouring the journey
but allowing
something fresh
to be born
maybe now its ready to find its place in the world ♥

"i walk in dreams through this wide world" Tracy Verdugo.2011. acrylic, ink and pencil on canvas. 76 x76cm. SOLD

ps if you haven't seen this amazing talk on creativity by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert it is well worth watching :)



"To change skins, evolve into new cycles, I feel one has to learn to discard. If one changes internally, one should not continue to live with the same objects. They reflect one's mind and the psyche of yesterday. I throw away what has no dynamic, living use."
~Anaïs Nin~

everything changes...

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven~ Ecclesiastes 3

another Christmas come and gone.......
we celebrated on Christmas Eve with family and friends,
a long, languorous meal that stretched over 7 hours
as the hot afternoon sun gave way to a balmy evening breeze,
we feasted on turkey and sweet potatoes,
strawberries marinated in balsamic,
creamy potato bake ( always the favourite of the girls),
honeyed carrots, salads and home made cherry pie,
drank lots of wine
and indulged my dads passion
for making sweet banana cocktails
by drinking a bottle of the stuff between two...
my sweet friend Elhi and I drank the lot
while others politely declined!

As the afternoon light changed our two beautiful girls, no longer children but on the cusp of womanhood, chilled out together on the trampoline, giggling and sharing...oh how I LOVE to see them growing up and valuing and loving each other

In the morning light
Christmas day
they opened their presents
most of them they knew
and had selected online
things I knew they really wanted
it felt a little subdued
and i could feel the passing of time
and the loss of sweet childhood excitement
we even forgot to put the cookies and milk out
for Santa..that made me a little sad...

but this is not a sad post
just a recounting
of a small bittersweet moment
on a mostly happy day

later we played and swam and giggled
and ran along the beach trying to hold onto
a giant yellow, polkadot
inflatable dinosaur
all of us were children then ♥

later on Christmas Day
while Marco rode the waves and the wind
and the girls watched Harry Potter for the millionth time
I escaped to my studio
thinking about change
some small abstracts
had been sitting on the counter
for months...
an exercise for my studies
waiting for inspiration
then it came...
thought you might like to see
what turned into what

change can be a very good thing♥

from this

to this "a lttle birdy told me" Tracy Verdugo. acrylic and mixed media on plywood. 30x30cm.

from this

to this "wish". Tracy Verdugo. acrylic and mixed media on plywood. 30x30cm.

for some reason I cant find a pic of the before for this one but its beginnings were similar to the others....it defines my desire to say a HUGE YES to all of the wonderfulness the Universe offers in 2012!

"The answer is yes". Tracy Verdugo. acrylic and mixed media on plywood. 30x30cm.


sometimes you just have to roll with the changes
wishing you all many beautiful, meaningful transformations in 2012
i am grateful for each and every one of you
and words cannot describe the joy I feel
in having found my tribe here ♥
love Tracy