Co-Creating with a Cup Full of Inspiring Female Artists (Plus Reading List, Watch List, & Playlist!) - This is Part 4 of a 4 Part Blog Series

I love learning about inspiring women that have made their mark in Art History (or Herstory in this case!). I recently participated in a fun online challenge inspired by many interesting female artists. I was familiar with some of them and others were new to me. One aspect of the challenge was to incorporate a cup in some way to represent a cup full of inspiration. While I stretched the way I added cups beyond typical styles, it was nice to feel the collective vibes from participating.

I’ve collected the highlights from the experience, along with a few resources about the artists in this 4 part blog series for you. Each post in this blog series features tributes to 3 women artists. I shared about the first 9 artists and the tributes inspired by them in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the blog series. This could be adapted to make great homeschool art lessons or after school art projects as well. I’ve included recommended resources in the Reading & Watch Lists at the end of each post.

This one turned into a wild tea party picnic! It reminds me of a crazy quilt or story quilt. It is my finale for this challenge. I had to let the prompts slide to the backseat due to other projects and due dates, but I was able to squeeze one last hurrah in. I began with the idea to be looking down on teacups with saucers from above. It ended up looking more like ornaments, but I’m still pretty happy with it. Which cup (or ornament) is your favorite?

I started this one inspired by Yayoi Kusama. It was about 1/3 finished when I set it aside. I missed some days and decided I’d jump back in for the last prompt inspired by Beatriz Milhazes. I saw the one in progress for Yayoi and thought I could probably continue on it blending in Beatriz style. As it progressed, I had the idea to add a quilted tablecloth inspired by the Quilters of Gee’s Bend to get them in the mix, too. It was an interesting process, especially to notice how many similarities there are between all 3.

If you’re familiar with those 3 artists, you might be surprised which designs came from which prompt! Some are obvious, but others that seem obvious are not. I chose not to add any red and white dots to the first version for Yayoi. Then, I saw red circles and polka dots in a Gee’s Bend quilt so they made it in after all. One of the black swirls that is similar to Beatriz work actually came from a Gee’s Bend quilt as well. So, this is a sort of quartet with the 3 prompts and me making a medley remix. You can see some of the creative process for this in the video compilation further below along with more suggested books.

One of the last things my mom and I did together before she died was to make 2 quilts with my twin boys’ baby clothes. Reading about the Quilters of Gee’s Bend brought back fond memories of co-creating with my Mom in that way. She was helping me overcome my fear of sewing machines! It may have also helped take her mind off the pain. I will always cherish the times we had together and all that she taught me. She told me that little goofs in handmade items would actually make the recipients love them that much more because it was a sign of a loving touch. Those wise words continue to guide me in art and life.

It seems that art is a form of intimacy with life, ourselves, and one another. That is a common thread running through my paintings, books, and creative adventures. Do you notice the energy in art and how it makes you feel? Do you explore and find hidden treasures long after the initial interaction?

The process for this one has inspired me to revisit playful patterns from various perspectives. I’ve been recording my explorations for one of my contributions to the next annual Year in Color adventure. It’s a natural progression building on the Beauty of Imperfections and Visual Poetry sessions that I shared for the 2021-2022 Year in Color summit yet totally accessible to everyone of any ability level and with almost any supplies. You can still enjoy the 52 session s from the first year with several different presenters anytime. You can also get the free pdf playbook that I made for participants and email subscribers. The new year of sessions will start in September. I’ll send all the info via email as soon as it is open for registration. I’ll also be adding some new free videos to my youtube channel so you can subscribe there for those.

I always try to remind myself and encourage participants in my courses to play and explore and make a marvelous mess. Say Yes to the whims. That’s often where the magic and discoveries are made! May we remember to focus on the beauty and joy amidst everything else in this crazy thing called life!

I’ve been loving learning about so many inspiring women artists. You can read about the rest of them in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this blog series. It’s also fun to see everyone else’s creations. I’d love to see yours if you choose to make something inspired by this post and any of the women artists mentioned. You can share in the private group for co-creative artists or hit reply to any email to share that way.

Reading and Watch Lists relevant to this post (utilizing affiliate links) shared below. Please refer to the suggested audience ages for each book, movie, or documentary as some of them are intended for mature audiences. I’ve been fortunate to find most of these available through my local library system.

I’ve also made a playlist of short videos from this challenge on my Youtube channel. Please be sure to subscribe for more (hover over my picture in top left corner to subscribe from video below if using a computer). I’m working to grow on that platform and provide more content that way. Thanks! (PS. This is my first foray into Youtube “Shorts” which seem to limit the music duration.)

You can get the free pdf with links to many of my favorite art supplies via email.

Here is a music playlist with the full songs used in the videos (if the song was available this way):

Part 1 of this blog series features: Frida Kahlo, Hilma af Klint, and Gudrun Sjödén

Part 2 of this blog series features: Mary Blair, Emilie Flöge, and Ray Eames

Part 3 of this blog series features: Justina Blakeney, Maud Lewis, and Sister Corita Kent

The challenge prompts that I didn’t squeeze in tributes for (yet!): Jade Purple Brown, Tove Jansson, and Madge Gill. Maybe there will be a spin-off series at a later date!

Who would you add to these lists? Have you read any great books or seen any movies about women artists that you’d recommend? You can see another book list made while celebrating Women from Art History for Women’s History month at ThriveTrue.com/women23. I have some more in mind that I plan to explore further in the future. You can keep in touch via email for updates and sweet specials.

If you’d like to explore the creative process in a more hands-on way with detailed guidance and video tutorials, you can join me for a fun online course. Some of them have multiple price points to make them affordable to anyone and some of them are collaborative courses with many other presenters.

Do you know any artists, teachers, or women who might appreciate this post? Please feel free to use the sharing buttons further below to pass it on. You never know what ripple effects it may have.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning along with me in this way.

Love,
Jules

Jules Ostara is a homeschool mother, painter, poet, and survivalist turned thrivivalist. She greets a blank canvas as both a playground and a temple. Her work inspires people to grow and glow while exploring their own wisdom and wonder through the creative process. Making art helped to mend her heart after her mom died from ovarian cancer. She’s carrying on a legacy of love and zest for life. Jules is the author of “The Girl Who Dances With Delight” and “Born to Bloom Bright.” Jules also created the “Heart of Life” and “Soul Songs” inspiration card decks. She lives on a small homestead in the Blue Ridge mountains with twin boys, a guitar man, a few feisty cats, and many woodland creatures.