And the Scholarships go to….

You would think that I was going to say how difficult this was. Deciding amongst over 200 stories of brilliantly shining dreams?  But it has been a joy. A wild delight to read each and every response to my question. Eloquent. Heartfelt. Emotional, dream sharing.

I want to acknowledge and thank each and every person that responded. All of these Artists wrote with passion and the calling for their work to be shared with a greater audience.

I also want to thank all that have read through the responses.

I know that there were many of you who don’t feel quite ready to make ‘the leap’, or for who this is not a wish for yourself, but you are ready to support those that are. So much so they made private contributions to support another Scholarship. Bravo to your generosity and spirit.

I have been filming the class over the last week, and filming will continue for several more weeks. I have a lot of information to share. After reading through the responses I am feeling crazily inspired and determined to deliver as much of that info as I can to help get these dreams airborne.

It is so exciting!

……………

So with no further ado, these are The Scholarship winners and their responses:

Giusi Branca

“Sometimes finding yourself is a journey of pain and of discovery. I have never really thought of myself as an artist until recently when all of a sudden i took a step back and realized that what i was producing was inspiring other people to take a journey into themselves and find something deep and real. For so many years i have sat in my little studio dedicating more and more time to placing collage on pages and trying to give birth to the thoughts that somehow were nestled in my mind, never really understanding what exactly i was doing.

It never dawned on me that creating art was a doorway to touching my very soul and the flow of color that inhabited my mind, an extension of who i was and not who i was trying to be. While life can take you to so many different places, the creation of a piece of work which inspires others to simply feel free and happy always keeps me centered in that one place, in that one thought…..the one that reminds me continuously that the universe is connected by one stream of consciousness and that some images can nurture a love and peace which only nature in its purest form can reproduce. When you create a piece of work which touches the inner joy of another soul, something fantastic happens……you know that no barriers of any kind exist, and that pure, innocent joy unleashes an inner strength which empowers us more than anything on this earth. True confidence and determination come from within, and it is when i create now that i remember with every collage or picture i produce, how the tiniest image can create the strongest reaction in someone who perhaps  stands back and smiles or listens to that inner voice; maybe that someone is looking at my work not only with their eyes but also with their souls. Reaching out to the world this way is all i have to give back.

There is nothing more and there is nothing more precious to me.   So while i began this journey for myself, it has taken me full circle to understanding something way bigger than i could ever be……that what we are experiencing when we look at a beautiful work is not only the joy of the artist who created it, but that connection to one stream of consciousness and love that reminds us all how much energy we share.

To touch others and bring a genuine smile to their faces through my journey is the ultimate reward to what started as nothing more than my soul finding a way through the chaos that has been my life.

Above all, thank you Jane. You are a very special person……a light that beams forth and into other people igniting something dormant in all those who do your courses. Through your wonderful workshops i have finally been able to understand a lot about my self and my art; i do now finally consider myself an artist thanks to you and i simply want to share whatever i have with the world in any way i can. It is giving back what i feel i have been given and what i have finally accepted as being the biggest and most important part of me.”

Giusi Branca from Mermaid Circus

Courtney Brook

“Oh my, the dreams are bigger than I am tall! I want to be able to be a present mum…and be an artist. Be at home contributing to our family and our home, whilst still being able to be waiting for my teacup humas at school…never making them need to be put into care, babysat, or goddess forbid walk home alone.

I have dreams to turn my quirky little creatures into a fabric line, to have left of center sewers to take my fabric and turn it into skirts and dresses, totes and curtains! I want my art to be WORN! not just living on a wall..but walking through the world flashing in Paris and Prague, Melbourne and New York.

I want to turn my art into stationery, to re ignite the art of letter writing, to have wild and wonderful envelopes jump into peoples hands while it wings its way across the pond! To give the handlers a smile when they see a not so boring envelope. To give penpal writers who  aren’t creative a way to express themselves.

I want to make badges! another affordable way for people all over the world to wear some of my art! attached to backpacks and cardigans! a nook dweller peeking out of a pocket, or on a fabric book cover.

Prints! oh so many prints….this is the one step I am so close to and yet so far…always worried that my quality wont be enough, that I wont get the ‘right’ kind of paper, cardstock any of it! that my print wont last the distance of time! Prints have become a HUGE industry, for  people to decorate their houses with art and life…I want my art to grace the walls of studios, and nooks, kitchens and kids rooms…and I want them to last for generations.

I want to be able to be an artist…a childhood dream I’ve had since I was able to get into my mums craft supplies, her ‘useful’ box. I want to answer in a proud voice when asked…by a family full of engineers and degree owners, and what do you do…I want to look them in the eye and say I am an artist, and a damn good one at that.
I want to build an art empire…and still be home for afternoon tea when my teacup humans are finished school…and not worry about the bills so much.

thankyou for the opportunity just to get my dreams down somewhere….it was emotional to get out.”

Artwork form Courtney Brook ravenscauldron.blogspot.com.au

I hope you join me in congratulating them and wishing them the best of themselves.

If you would like to join us as we approach the runway, getting ready for takeoff on November 4th, click here: https://janedavenport.com/workshops/print-and-scan/

Thank you for being part of my life.

xoxox

Jane