Last weekend (well it was when I started writing this!) I was lucky enough to attend the 'Call of the Wild Soul' art retreat in Oxford led by Wild Souls, Erin Faith Allen, Tamara Laporte (AKA Willowing), and Claire Russell. The retreat took place in the beautiful Magdalen College which is one of the most beautiful places on earth to spent a weekend.

The college is unique in that it has its own deer park, home to Red & Roe Deer, a tower where the chapel choir sings at 6am on May Morning to welcome in the spring and a most spectacular set of cloisters which seem to be the heart of the college and my favourite place there.

I thought the planting of green Hydrangeas interspersed with what I think was a dark Berberis was inspired, and I don't think I have ever seen quite so many gargoyles and statues in one place!

A particular treat was to hear members of the Genesis Sixteen practising for evensong in the chapel . The acoustics must be truly wonderful as from outside of the chapel the sound seemed as if it came from the choir of 100, on investigating however, I found there were only 5 people responsible for making this glorious noise!

The Sixteen's conductor Harry Christophers and singer and practical scholar Sally Dunkley introduce this year's Choral Pilgrimage tour.

Everywhere you looked there were ancient artefacts and items of everyday use that had been crafted with love and care

Then there were the gardens - an oasis of calm and colour especially the stunning herbaceous borders - always a favourite with me,

enjoyed by college members and visitors alike

Even with a fair sprinkling of tourists around the sense of calm and peace prevailed, and this, together with the hours dedicated to making art and connecting with kindred spirits, made for a very special weekend

“Outside the open window
The morning air is all awash with
angels.”

— Richard Wilbur

A couple of weeks ago I went to a Call of the Wild Soul two day Workshop in London with a focus on Soul Portraits. I had a great time. First of all it was good to meet up with some of the people from the retreat in September as well as getting to know some new faces.

Erin who was leading the workshop started off by giving us a guided meditation and from there we dived soul first into our art. Amongst the selected material it was suggested we bring was a number of self-portraits. Fortunately I had some of these to hand as I am doing the Now You 52 Course which involves taking lots of selfies.

I made 3 picture of the two days. The first one comprised photographs juxtaposed on a background. I loved the idea of altering the pictures with gesso or sandpaper, both were new techniques for me.

My second picture is my favourite, I used a combination of drawing, photo and collage paper - when I look at it I feel calm and rested.

Finally my third picture had a seaside theme. I was brought up on the coast and have a great affinity with the sea, it always seems like home. The theme of this picture was the connection of the soul with the body and with the universe in a way that lights up or lives. Again I used altered photographs and if you look closely at the lighthouse you will notice that it is a row of beach huts turned on its side. I also drew the figure by only looking at the model not the paper - turned out better than I expected!

City of Dreaming Spires

Wild Soul Workshop