Stuff... and a Give Away

 REMINDERS,  Donna Watson, acrylic and collage

NOTE:  I will be teaching 2 two day workshops in Portland, Oregon in April.  The first workshop is titled:

Journal to Book:  A Zen approach.  On the first day, artists will explore their interests, passions, heritage, hobbies, or relationships AND create collage papers, either hand painted or found for their journal.  On the second day, artists will take their story or history or interest and use collage papers and/or text to begin their book in a blank journal.  (April 8-9, 2014)

The second workshop is titled:  Boro/Wabi sabi The spirit of collage.   On the first day, artists will hand paint rice papers using paints, stamps, stencils, whatever.  There will be in introduction to Zen tenets, composition, design elements and principles.  On the second day, artists will create their collages using journals, canvas, wood supports.. whatever they want.  (April 10-11, 2014)

For more information on these workshops go to:  www.artandsoulretreat.com   

Zen Nature 2, Donna Watson, collage

NEWS:  My paintings have been included in the book 100 ARTISTS OF THE NORTHWEST.

My painting REMINDERS at the top of this blog is one of the paintings included in the book.

There are 50 artists from Washington and 50 artists from Oregon.  The book is filled with 

contemporary artists of all mediums both 2-D and 3-D, and is available from Amazon.com

There will be a reception and book signing on March 1, at Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park on Camano Island, WA.  I will have 6 painting included in the show and there will  be 25 artists from the book there in the gallery for book signing.  

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!  This is my first ever giveaway after - wow, how many years since I started my blog?  4 or 5 years.   Just leave a comment (make sure I know how to contact you) at this blog post and I will have a drawing and send someone a copy of my own hand created book THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS.  The book is available at Blurb.com  here   but I have one signed copy ready for my first ever give away.

Here are some sample pages from the book.  You can view the whole  

book at the Blurb.com link above.

"Learning to be creative within the confines of our limitations is the best hope we have to transform ourselves..."  Phil Hansen

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

Zen Paths

Zen   collage, 8"x8",  by Donna Watson

Note:  I will be teaching two 2-day workshops in Portland Oregon for Art and Soul.  The first workshop on April 8-9 is Journal to Book:  A Zen Approach.  The second workshop on April 10-11 is

Boro/Wabi Sabi:  The Spirit of Collage.  For more information and to register for one or both go to

the Art and Soul website here.   

"It may be that when we no longer know what to do,

we have come to our real work

and when we no longer know which way to go,

we have begun our real journey."

--- Wendell Berry

Zen Nature 2, 8"x8" collage by Donna Watson

I have been lost for awhile.  I forgot that "art is a journey into the most unknown thing of all -

oneself" (Louis Kahan).  It took me awhile to figure out I was lost.  I thought I had just wandered off of the 'path' and I would easily get back on the right path.  I finally realized that I had fallen so far off of the path that I had to begin a new journey.  I found that reading books on Zen helped me begin to find my way again.

 Zen 4, 8"x8" collage by Donna Watson

As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears. -- Rumi

Zen 3, 8"x8" collage by Donna Watson

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

-- Wendell Berry

Zen 2,  12"x12" collage by Donna Watson

"The path isn't a straight line; it's a spiral.  You continually come back to things you 

thought you understood and see deeper truths."  

---- Unknown

Zen 1, 12"x12" collage by Donna Watson

Your pilgrimage brings you to and from your homes,

here and there, and always inside you ---

will you re-walk that path with the stone lanterns

over and over again in dreams?

and wake to walk

the path you've created in your own temple.

--- Nancy Neva Gagliano

Zen Nature 3,  6"x6" collage by Donna Watson

Note:  Most of these collage are available for purchase at my Etsy account here.