Intro to SoulCollage® Workshop December 7 & 8! with Linda Dalal Sawaya

Intro to SoulCollage® Workshop

An Intuitive Collage Process

taught by artist Linda Dalal Sawaya

December 7 and 8 in her outer NW Portland art studio

SoulCollage® is a simple but deep process of using collage to tap into your heart and soul. The workshop begins with a Friday night intro from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, followed by all day Saturday from 11 to 4 pm to make cards, read, and write about them. It's a fun and revealing process! 

The card shown here is one of three OPRAH cards made to honor a woman who is a part of my COMMUNITY, someone whom i have learned from and respect. In SoulCollage® there are four suits: Committee, Community, Companion, and Council, which encompass all aspects of our lives.

No experience is necessary for this workshop. Anyone can do it, and it is an insightful and affirming process. Please email Linda with questions or if you'd like to register. Workshop fee is $85, which includes all materials. Treat yourself to a creative gift for yourself this holiday season, and join the workshop! Teens and adults are welcome. Bring a friend, and receive a discount for two!

children's picture book writing challenge—i'm in!

PiBoIdMo, a children's book writer and illustrator response to NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month begins this month, and i've signed up to take the challenge! the acronym stands for Picture Book Idea Month: create 30 new picture book ideas in 30 days. oh boy! let the creative juices flow!

i'm back in the groove on my art and illustration work, and delighted to return to my children's book manuscripts in progress, and new ones about to be created. last month i participated in a 30 day picture book dummy challenge initiated by portland illustrator lee white via Portland Kidlit facebook group, which initiated finding one of my manuscripts written long ago that i intend to illustrate. the dummy is in progress! hooray! i didn't meet the deadline because i had a number of big deadlines and projects in october, but it's on my drawing table and the challenge sure jump-started me.

keep a watch here for updates on my progress.

two well-loved children's books i illustrated are long out of print, so i'm ready to dive in.

the first one i did, How to Get Famous in Brooklyn, is close to my heart with the recent superstorm sandy. i hope my friends and precious places in brooklyn have survived. harold underdown, friend and children's book editor and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books and major contributor to educating on the children's book publishing process, has been posting his news; he and family are hanging in there! not sure that roller coaster at coney island pictured on top left of my cover made it. here's an article with photos talking about the future of coney island.

photograph © Timothy Murray 2012 from Huffington Post article

The Little Ant, the second book i illustrated, a Mexican folk tale, is also close to my heart, and would have sold thousands more copies if it had stayed in print!

acrylic paint and collage workshop participants create cool new work in one day!!

vicki lind, artist and creative marketing coach, attended her fourth workshop in my studio last saturday and created two powerful paintings with collage in her unique style.

christine, a fellow soulcollage® facilitator did this provocative piece with celtic themes and began another which i hope to post here when completed.

unfinished work did't get photographed, but everyone had a positive and rewarding experience.

if you'd like to be contacted for my next workshop, please email me.

Linda Sawaya's Acrylic Paint with Collage workshop Nov. 3!

Give yourself the gift of making art in an Acrylic Painting with Collage Workshop in my studio in outer NW Portland, Saturday, Nov. 3 from 10:30 to 4:30. This one-day workshop is a fun exploration of collage together with acrylic paint. Learn a variety of techniques with acrylic paint, how to integrate collage images with paint, and how to transform images from one idea into another. 

Finish at least one piece by the end of the day! All levels of experience are welcome. Please email me for more information and to reserve your space by October 26, 2012. Workshop fee is $95 plus $10 materials. 

here is a snippet from a woman who took this workshop from me in the past and has been waiting since spring for my workshop!:

Linda: I've been wanting to come back and do another collage and acrylic workshop with you. I made two last time I took it and sold one for $160 and the other is one of my favorite pieces...when i asked vicki for her permission to use this she added "another true twist": and the other one my daughter made me promise to give to her as part of her inheritance when I die.—vicki l., portland

Intro to SoulCollage® workshop in linda sawaya's studio Dec 7 & 8

My Intro to SoulCollage® Workshop scheduled for October 26 and 27 has been rescheduled to December 7 and 8 in my outer NW Portland studio.

SoulCollage® is a simple but deep process of using collage to tap into your heart and soul. The workshop begins with a Friday night intro from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, followed by all day Saturday from 11 to 4 pm to make cards, read, and write about them. It's a fun and revealing process! My SoulCollage® card, the Clutterer, was made recently as I rejoice in having cleared and cleaned my studio this summer, making it ready to teach classes and workshops again, after a few years of taking time for myself and loved ones. I celebrate this clarity of space and beauty that surrounds me!

The Clutterer is my tribute to my love of things and acknowledges the dark side of having too much stuff! No experience is necessary for this workshop. Anyone can do it, and it is an insightful and affirming process. Please email me with questions or if you'd like to register. There is space for 6 in my beautiful studio. Workshop fee is $85, which includes all materials. I hope you can join me!

Linda Sawaya at WORDSTOCK book festival this weekend!

If you're in portland, oregon this weekend, please come by the convention center for a great book festival, wordstock, and visit me at booth #815. i will be there signing copies of alice's kitchen: traditional lebanese cooking and The Sweets of Araby, a book for which i illustrated and designed the cover, as well as doing interior illustrations, published last year by Countryman Press, and named a NY Times Notable book for 2011. it is a delightful book with recipes and stories based on the tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights.

i will have matted art prints for sale as well as some framed International Madonna prints.

my beloved mother, alice, joined me at Wordstock in 2005, when they had a cooking stage and the revised and expanded edition of AK had just been published. it was such a joy to share the stage with mama; the audience loved her, and she was honored by the line of people waiting for us to sign their books.

this weekend i'll be selling the books and art prints at a special price, and will be sharing some of my summer dried figs...so do stop by! mama will be with us in spirit! reminding us: Dear, if you make it with love, it will be delicious!

and if you are too far away, you can order copies through my website or amazon, or please email me for more info. happy cooking!

ART CLASSES & WORKSHOPS COMING UP in my studio!

INTRO TO SOULCOLLAGE® WORKSHOP
October 26 & 27

SoulCollage® is a simple but deep process of using collage to tap into your heart and soul. The workshop October 26 & 27 begins with a Friday night intro from 6:30 to 9:30 pm followed by Saturday from 11 to 4 pm to make cards, read, and write about them. It's a fun and revealing process!

My SoulCollage® card shown here was made recently as I rejoice in having cleared and cleaned my studio this summer! The Clutterer is my tribute to my love of things and the dark side of having too much stuff!

Email me for more information or to register by October 15. Space in my beautiful studio has room for 6. Workshop fee is $85.

FALL ART NEWS for linda dalal sawaya: exhibitions, wordstock, classes!

there's been a lot going on since my last blog post, and i must confess, since i got my iphone in march, i've been doing lots of instagram photos and posting on TWITTER (lindasawayaART) and FB...so if you'd like to keep up with me that way, you'd be welcome to join me!

EXHIBITION THIS WEEKEND: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR GOD
i will be displaying my original icons and accepting commissions for them, as well as selling Alice's Kitchen cookbooks, and some art prints. please join me there!

WE SPEAK mural presentation Wednesday, April 18 in VOICES LESS HEARD at Columbia Center for the Arts Hood River

WE SPEAK MURAL celebrates its 20th anniversary with first exhibition this year in the Columbia River Gorge at the SPRING HUMANITIES SERIES: VOICES LESS HEARD sponsored by Columbia Gorge Community College. my arab american panel reflects on the 500 years (1492—1992) of Columbus in the Americas as it relates to being an arab american. thirteen other panels of the WE SPEAK done by asian american, african american, latinos, and native americans are on display this month in Hood River, White Salmon, and The Dalles.

on wednesday, April 18, i will be presenting with Seidel Standingelk, and one of the ALANA mural organizers, Elizabeth Perry, at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River.

please see the new WE SPEAK blog with more information and views of all the murals with a map of locations to download if you're able to visit the beautiful Columbia River gorge and visit the murals in person.

here's the text from my artist's statement above adapted from the 4 pages in the original 1992 brochure:

Artist’s Statement (1992)

“Salaam (Peace)—An Arab American Voice”. The Columbus legacy began by brutally denying the integrity of the indigenous people on this continent. Racism and lack of respect for diversity has continued through the course of North American history. If a people were not of the ruling class and color, they were typically exploited, stereotyped, abused, scapegoated, and oppressed. Beginning with indigenous peoples, the pattern continued through each successive wave of immigrants subsequently arriving. Most recently targeted are Arabs and Muslims.

A montage of images in a geometric design depicts the Arab experience in America: from the first wave of Arab immigrants in the late 1800s through the present resistance by ADC (American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee) and peace demonstrators, and including Detroit auto workers, Yemini farm workers, political activists Alex Odeh and the LA 8—politi-cal prisioners used as a test case to round up Arab Americans similar to the Japanese Americans internment camps in 1942. Together with oppression/resistance are images of strength and inspiration—the flowering of our culture within the constraints of racism. The border includes portraits of Arab Americans, who have contributed to the country: Khalil Gibran, Ralph Nader, Christa McAuliffe, Naomi Shihab Nye, Helen Thomas, Casey Kasem, Alixa Naff, Danny Thomas, Mary Rose Oakar, Candy Lightner, James Abourizk, Fadwa El Guindi, Salma Jayyusi, Edward Said, and Rosalind Ellis. Interspersed are culturally significant icons; along the bottom are Arabic contributions to civilization with the Arabic word for peace, SALAAM, in the center. The central figures in the Arabic arch represent 3 generations: the heavenly wisdom of the ancestors—the grandmother (Sitto) holding the olive branch for peace, the Mother/present generation, also grounded on the earth, carrying a child—the hope for the future, for peace, a healthy planet, and affirming the importance of family in Arab culture.

WE SPEAK mural project and my Arab-American panel celebrate 20th anniversary this year!

in 1991 the first Gulf War instigated the creation of an organization in portland, oregon called ALANA: Asians, Latinos, Native Americans and African Americans for Peace and Justice. in 1992 ALANA organized a mural project called WE SPEAK presenting a minority view of the Columbus Quincentenary being celebrated that year across the nation.

i was a participant and painted one of the thirteen 5'5" x 5'5" panels on racism and an alternative view to the Columbus Discovered America theme. my panel naturally centered on my being an Arab-American and the issues i was aware of from my experience and perspective as an active member of the ADC (Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee) portland chapter. this was 9 years before 9/11 and the second Gulf war.

since January 2012 my panel has been on exhibition in LA at AFSC's gallery in the art district of downtown LA. it is a part of their show free your mind, awaken your spirit, and will be on display through the end of March, when it's returning to join the other panels to be exhibited in the Columbia River gorge. more about that when i have more details. 

being in the presence of the WE SPEAK murals last june for the first time in almost twenty years gave me the goosebumps. the issues presented by the many artists representing various cultures are still relevant today. WE SPEAK is still speaking truth to power.

art news and holiday greetings from linda dalal sawaya

i'm delighted to have sent my freshly designed art news email yesterday with colorfully good information  including my teaching art classes starting in january after a two year sabbatical! instead of in my studio, they will be taught at Village Gallery of Arts in the cedar mill area of portland.

Monday Night Collage class returns! this popular class i've taught over the years culminating a few years ago in a student exhibition at Washington State University, Vancouver campus, is great fun and starts up again in mid-January. sign up through their website; no experience necessary, and all materials provided.

this collage is by a wonderful artist nicknamed Kosmic Karen—her first collage of many exquisite ones done in my classes.

two workshops: collage and acrylic paint, and soulcollage® coming up in the new year in the same location have me very excited to get back to teaching as they are both great fun!  

my Tree of Life painting was mailed in poster size to a few thousand people by Friends of Sabeel North America for their Christmas fundraising appeal with a letter from Archbishop Desmond Tutu—an honor and a blessing to be sure! FOSNA does significant work working for peace in Palestine and Israel, which i support wholeheartedly, and encourage you to support as well.

one last item included is a special holiday offer for copies of my book, alice's kitchen: traditional lebanese cooking! email me to get your gift copies now!

wishing you all many blessings, happy holidays, and peace to all!

The Sweets of Araby illustrated by Linda Sawaya among NY Times Notable Books of 2011!

i was totally delighted this week to receive news from Countryman Press editor Kermit Hummel that The Sweets of Araby, which i had the pleasure of illustrating and designing the cover for, was selected as one of 18 NY Times Notable Cookbooks of 2011!!

the team at Countryman and the Salloum sisters (authors) were great to work with on this colorful and enchanting book of recipes based on the Tales from the 1001 Arabian Nights, providing me with excellent material for illustrating the 25 stories in the book. a unique holiday gift to yourself or your loved ones!

Sawaya painting in BEYOND BORDERS Arab American Art Exhibition in Long Beach, California

another beautiful invitation for this year's 2011 BEYOND BORDERS art exhibition in long beach, california at 2nd city council gallery, this weekend, october 22 and 23 sponsored by the House of Lebanon Artists' Group in Los Angeles. the show is up from noon to 5 p.m. on saturday, with a reception from 5 to 9 p.m.

sunday it is open from noon to 5 p.m. with a children's ceramic workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. i will be helping reem hammad out with the workshop, and this will be great fun!

the address is 435 alamitos avenue, long beach, california 90802. this year i will be there and hope to see you there if you're nearby!

it will be a great show featuring the work of 28 artists—lebanese-american, middle eastern, and american!

i will be signing copies of my cookbook, alice's kitchen: traditional lebanese cooking  and the sweets of araby, which i illustrated and was published in june!

the exhibition is sponsored by the Lebanese American Foundation House of Lebanon and the House of Lebanon Artists' Group.

a food photograph to post on my art blog or on my lebanese cookbook blog?

if you look at the sidebar on the right, you'll notice that i have two blogs, my alice's kitchen: traditional lebanese cooking blog, and this art blog. i have just added both blogs to "networked blogs", so i invite you to join and follow on that as well. interestingly, i have twice as many followers on my cookbook blog. conclusion: more people love to eat lebanese food than to look at art! 

recently i made a salad from my garden for a potluck, and it was so beautiful, but since it's not lebanese, i've decided to post it here on my art blog.

food is art. and photography was one of my first art forms. that's why i love having the alice's kitchen cookbook blog: it combines my love of photography with my love of food and cooking. and my mother, alice, was a great teacher of artful presentation of food and beyond. 

in case you're wondering, the white and red flowers are scarlet runner bean blossoms, which i just tasted for the first time—and you guessed it, they taste yummy...just like beans! the periwinkle blue star-shaped blossoms are borage flowers, tasting slightly like cucumber and adding beautiful color; and the orange petals are from calendulas blooming wildly all over the garden, another edible flower! the purple snippets are purple bush beans right from the garden. everything but the gorgonzola cheese. the cool thing about portland's cool summer, is the salad greens just keep coming!

i'm praying for some heat so the figs finally ripen...they're a month late! you can see a beautiful platter of a bumper crop of figs from my garden on the cookbook blog. 

enjoy and happy summer!

wall street journal review praises the illustrations in the sweets of araby

although the reviewer doesn't mention my name in the wall street journal online, mr. bakshian describes the sweets of araby, my latest book illustration project, as a "beautifully illustrated book". here's a link to the article which appeared july 2, 2011.


and this is good.


another painting from the sweets of araby for your pleasure is playful and of course colorful. illustrated by yours truly, linda dalal sawaya.