connissione - connections

Title: connissione (connections)

Artist: Sophia Elise

Media: Acrylic on torso - has flat back so can be hung on the wall. Dots are hand painted - dark blue, turquoise and metallic silver.

FOR SALE: $POA contact sophia@sophiaelise.co.nz

PLEASE NOTE: This artwork background is pthalo green and blue which doesn't show true in photos - it actually has more of a green/teal look to it in real life.

 

This is the third in a series that I'm doing for the "Reflections of Italy" Exhibition which opens in Wellington May 16th.

 

This one is all about connections - the connections we make throughout our lives that leave lasting impressions on us - whether they are people, places, emotions, events, countries .... There are many threads that bind us together across oceans, across time and across generations.

 

Every time you make a connection with someone remember this ...

"In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to all you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with" - Brian Tracy

 

"You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime."     Dale Carnegie

 

And lastly remember this ....

"We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something."-Sandra Day O'Connor

Forevermore

Title: Forevermore

Artist: Sophia Elise

Media: Acrylic on Torso - flat back so can be hung on a wall

Dots are all hand painted in black, white and grey

FOR SALE: $POA contact sophia@sophiaelise.co.nz

This torso will be exhibited at "Reflections of Italy" at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington - opening night Monday 16th May 5:30pm.

I'm really looking forward to meeting up with fellow NZ Art Guild members and the friends I made in Italy last year when we all exhibited together at the "Legato" Exhibition.

The title if this artwork actually came to me while I was painting it - although I wasn't convinced that that was the right title for it at the time it is the one that keeps coming back to me again and again.  The theme and emotions are a continuation of the series that I exhibited in Italy. 

This is about eternal love - love lost -  but love that still lives on forever ..... It's a really positive piece - this women has incredible strength - and amazing gratitude for having experienced such a wonderful love in her life despite having it taken from her.  She enjoys the memories that are with her forevermore as her life goes on and she grows ....

Initially the grief is overwhelming .... How does she live without him?  Please take a minute to listen to this song and lyrics  http://www.ladyjayes.com/howdoilive.html

Then the realisation that the love will live on .... please stop for a minute to listen to this song and lyrics  http://www.ladyjayes.com/heartgoon.html

I feel a huge sense of peace with this artwork - It is hanging on my wall giving out such wonderful energy - I hope that you enjoy it too and the story behind it.

Please join me ....

In May 2010, 10 New Zealand artists travelled to Cassino, Italy for the largest exhibition of New Zealand artworks. I was part of this group and it also included several NZ Art Guild members. The "Legato" exhibition was in commemoration of the Battle of Cassino and the focus of the artworks was spreading the message of world peace. We all spent time in the region and then went separate ways to explore Italy - from the far north to the deep south.  We had many different adventures and experiences.

One year on, eight artists from this group have come together again to share with you our experiences and thoughts from Italy. Through photography, painting and sculpture we will take you on a journey that you won't want to miss. 

All of the artists exhibiting will be at the opening night and would love the opportunity to talk to you personally about their artworks and experiences.

Please join us on Monday 16th May, 5:30 - 7:30pm, New Zealand Academy of Arts, 1 Queen's Warf, Wellington.

While we were in Italy at the Legato exhibition we were all interviewed about our artworks and our involvement.  To see a glimpse behind the scenes click on these links

Sophia Elise
Theresa Cashmore
Cath Sheard
Jon Stevenson
Lorraine Beattie
Sharlene Schmidt
Frances Rookes
Margherita Giampietri

Take these thoughts with you ....

On Your Journey To Your Dreams


Always remember that you are unique. Be your best self and not an imitation of someone else.


Find your strength and use them in a positive way. Don't listen to those who ridicule the choices you make.


Travel the road that you have chosen and don't look back with regret. You have to take chances to make your dreams happen.


Remember that there is plenty of time to travel another road - and still another - in your journey through life.


Take the time to find the route that is right for you. You will learn something valuable from every trip you take, so don't be afraid to make mistakes.


Tell yourself that you're okay just the way you are. Make friends who respect your true self.
Take the time to be alone, too, so you can know just how terrific your own company can be.


Remember that being alone doesn't always mean being lonely; it can be a beautiful experience of finding your creativity, your heartfelt feelings, and the calm and quiet peace deep inside you.


Don't ever forget that you are special and you have within you the ability to make your dreams come true.


~ Jacqueline Schiff ~

I Believe ...

Title: Wahine Toa (woman of strength)

Artist: Sophia Elise

Media: Acrylic on plastic

SOLD

Many of you will have read these before - but it's nice to read them again ....

I Believe ...
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become
No matter how good a friend is they are going to hurt us every once in a while and we must forgive them for that
Just because someone doesn't love you the way that you want them to love you doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have
You should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you ever see them
That you control your attitude or it controls you
That sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel
It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself

Today I'm grateful for giving

Title: Angela's Story

Artist: Sophia Elise

Medium: Acrylic paint on plastic

SOLD

Today I'm grateful for giving - not only being able to give - but for those who have given to m - because as George Burton Adams so nicely stated

"there is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success"

 The most important things about giving is to give with out remembering and to take without forgetting.


 When you think that you have nothing to give - remember what Barbara Bush said ....

Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life's blood. But everyone has something to give.

For those that are scared to give remember you don't loose anything by giving ....

Live to give instead of to get. As you concentrate on the giving, you discover that just as you cannot receive without giving, so neither can you give without receiving - even the most wonderful things like health and happiness and inner peace. - Peace Pilgrim
 
And the final word about giving goes to Isabel Allende who really sums it up perfectly .....


Give, give, give - what is the point of having experience, knowledge or talent if I don't give it away? Of having stories if I don't tell them to others? Of having wealth if I don't share it? I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world and with the divine.

Today I am grateful for forgiveness

Title: Ripple Effect

Artist: Sophia Elise

Media: Mixed media and acrylic

SOLD

I know many of us talk about forgiveness being a gift we give ourselves.  But sometimes I wonder if we really practice genuine forgiveness.  I know myself how hard it can be - and even sometimes when you really believe that you have let go and forgiven someone you can find those negative emotions creeping back in towards that person or situation.  It usually is at times of stress or emotional upset. None of us are perfect - and I think it's important to our total well being to keep forgiveness at the forefront along with gratitude.

The only true way to free ourselves from a person or situation that has caused us pain and to truly begin to heal is through forgiveness. By carrying a grudge and holding onto the the belief that the person who wronged us doesn't deserve our forgiveness means we are operating from our ego.  To really function from the divine that is within all of us we need to give sincere, heartfelt forgiveness. Remember to err is human - to forgive devine.

I learnt many years ago that forgiveness doesn't mean that you accept or approve of that persons behaviour - it just means that we choose to let go of our stance that prevents us from living at peace with ourselves and others.  Forgiveness isn't about whether that person "deserves" to be forgiven -  it's about you deserving to have freedom and peace that can only come from letting go. It's about releasing the negativity that holds us to our past pain - that's not the same as forgetting.  Resentment is toxic and it causes us to suffer even further.  By genuinely forgiving we learn to detach from the person who caused the pain which then releases us from the prison of emotions that we have created for ourselves.

There doesn't seem to be a magic formula to forgiving and healing the relationships in our lives. However, being truly open to forgiving can do more than just heal a relationship - it can heal our hearts. The other wonderful things about forgiveness is that we can do it on our own.  The person may have died or may simply not be present in our lives - that's ok - forgiveness is still possible. We don't have to have the other persons knowledge, understanding, or cooperation - what we need is the sincere desire to forgive past hurts and to heal our pain.

When something awful happened to me several years ago a friend told me that the only way I could have peace and move forward in my life was to genuinely forgive this person.  At the time I thought that forgiveness meant that you had no hard feeling towards them - and if that was the case then you should still continue to be friends with them -after all if you don't have a grudge then why should you have an issue with them being in your life.  I couldn't understand why this didn't give me any peace until I realised that forgiveness does not mean we have to invite an abusive person back into our lives. Forgiveness means clearing the residual effects of the pain that we still carry buried deeply within us. As said we must forgive others  not because they necessarily deserve to be forgiven but for our own sake - to set ourselves free.

Sometimes the hardest person of all to forgive is ourselves. We can be far harder on ourselves than we are on other people. The feelings of guilt and shame that we can carry with us when we feel that we have disappointed a loved one can be overwhelming.


Hate is a far stronger karmic tie than love and maintaining  hate and lack of forgiveness is the fastest way to ensure that we receive the same pattern of energy over and over again. Even thought the person we hated may have left our lives if we haven't learnt the lessons and the art of forgiveness we will continue to attract the same type of person over and over again. 


There is a lightness of spirit that comes from forgiveness - it is a gift that you give yourself.  As said the other week we always have choices - we have the option and power to forgive  - to release ourselves from a prison of negative emotions - to let go of the anger and resentment - to live in peace - the choice is ours.

“Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don't worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time.” - Sara Paddison

The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world. – Marianne Williamson

Gold Pan Art - celebrating 150 years

It was impossible for me to resist this opportunity when it landed in my inbox several months ago.  Be part of a fabulous exhibition and celebration at the Tuapeka Goldfields Museum in Lawrence, New Zealand.  The reason for celebration - 150 years since the discovery of gold in Gabriel's Gully.  What made it even more special - all artworks had to be created on a gold pan!

A total of 38 artists participated in this wonderful event - you can check out all the amazing gold pans by clicking << here >> and  see the fabulous exhibition  << here >>

There are still some of these gold pans available for purchase - but you better get in quickly as they are selling fast.  They take sales over the Internet and phone so you don't even have to be there in person!

Here is my gold pan that I created

Title: Family Ties

Artist: Sophia Elise

Media: Acrylic on Gold pan

For Sale

Today I am grateful for Choices

Why today in particular am I grateful for this? After re-reading the post below I realised that the essence of what I was saying was that we determine the direction of our lives by the choices we make. 

Having choices available gives us possibilities and with that comes hope.  Sometimes when we make a choice it can be clouded by fear or the desperate need for external approval.  It's really important in life that we learn to make authentic choices which resonate with our core - ones that will move us in the direction of our goals and dreams. We need to love ourselves enough to take the time to examine options, to be still, to be honest with ourselves so that we make the right choices for us.  When we make choices that are in alignment with ourselves we feel a sense of ease and and increased energy.  When we go against our true self it has the opposite affect; it increases our anxiety and drains our energy. The most important thing when making a choice is to be true to yourself. Afterall you have to live with yourself 24/7.

And even in times when we feel that we have no choices available to us - there will always remain our power to choose our actions, attitudes and responses.



As Viktor E Frankl said "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." For those who haven't heard of Viktor  Frankl - he is an inspirational Austrian psychiatrist, neurologist and survivor of the holocaust. 

"If you can't change a situation - change the way you look at it"

"Once, an elderly general practitioner consulted me because of his severe depression. He could not overcome the loss of his wife who had died two years before and whom he had loved above all else. Now how could I help him? What should I tell him? I refrained from telling him anything, but instead confronted him with a question, "What would have happened, Doctor, if you had died first, and your wife would have had to survive you?:" "Oh," he said, "for her this would have been terrible; how she would have suffered!" Whereupon I replied, "You see, Doctor, such a suffering has been spared her, and it is you who have spared her this suffering; but now, you have to pay for it by surviving and mourning her." He said no word but shook my hand and calmly left the office."- Viktor Frankl

Dealing with Knockbacks

Last month I was asked by The Big Idea to answer some questions on how I deal with knockbacks and lack of confidence as a creative entrepreneur. Here's the link to the article on The Big Idea website http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/grow/tips-tools/2011/mar/82949-facing-knockbacks-sophia-elise

Or you can read the interview below - I would love to hear how you have dealt with knockbacks and lack of self confidence :-)

As Managing Director of the NZ Art Guild and a creative business mentor, Sophia Elise is used to supporting others and knows a thing or two about how to stay focused when faced with a knockback.

“A knockback doesn’t have to be a knock out. We choose whether we stand back up and if you don’t get back up you won’t achieve anything.”

Sophia shares her personal experience and advice in this Generator QnA.

Have you ever had knockbacks, lost confidence or started to doubt your talent?
Over the last seven years there have been several times that a knockback has made me question my ability to create a successful business or event. The knockbacks come in various shapes and sizes; they can be internal or external and can be completely out of your control.

What did you do to get back on track?
I believe that the times when you feel your confidence is low and you experience self doubt it’s essential to take time out to reflect on all the things you have achieved. At times I have even written lists of my achievements so that I can get things in perspective. You suddenly realise that you have achieved more than you have given yourself credit for and it puts the one knockback that you have just experienced into perspective. Remember to take time to celebrate your successes.

Another thing I do is talk to my peers and mentors and ask them their thoughts. I believe it’s important to be open to constructive criticism so that you can grow as a person and a business. Most of the time people are more than willing to share insight, advice and information – you just need to ask. The support and encouragement they can offer you can be essential to getting back on track. Surround yourself with good people.

When I’ve had a knockback in regards to a project or event I’ve stepped back and re-clarified my intention. I then looked at alternative ways to move forward with it. How can I get around it? Who else can I talk to? What do I need to change? What do I need to learn? If there is a way to achieve it and the project will deliver what you need and want then persevere by instituting plan B.

If I get continual knockbacks for a project, I’ve had to stop and analyse why. I’ve needed to be honest and impartial in my assessment (which is hard when you are passionate about or emotionally involved with the project) It’s important to acknowledge that there are valid reasons for the knockbacks, maybe it’s just timing (eg. trying to get sponsorship for art awards during a recession) and if so you may need to let it go and put your energy into a project that has more potential for success and results.

A project can be parked while you establish more contacts, gain more knowledge, increase finances, wait for external influences to pass and then that project can be picked up again later. It doesn’t mean it’s over forever; it’s just not the right time for that project.

Another way of overcoming the self doubt is to set yourself an achievable goal. If you have had to park a project or let it go, focus your energy and attention into another project or business area. Choose something that comes easily to you, which you know you will succeed with. This can help remind you what your strengths are and boost your confidence again.

It’s important to remember that whenever you make a mistake or have a knockback that affects your confidence that you don’t spend too long looking back at it. No one wins them all. Everyone makes mistakes and experiences set backs – they are just part of our growth. They help us to know our limits. Shake off the self doubt and lack of confidence – don’t quit, because your turn will come.

How do you deal with a 'no' - particularly one that is important to your project?
I think that most people when they get a ‘no’ start to question themselves and the project. That’s not a bad thing, it’s natural and it’s important, as it makes us improve, change direction, innovate, persevere etc.

I like to make sure I understand why they’ve said no. This is so I can work out if it’s something inherent that needs to be changed or maybe it just wasn’t the right door I knocked on. Remember not to take it personally – it’s not you as an individual they are saying no to – but your idea, concept, proposal.

It’s important to try and remain objective so that you don’t get stuck on one way being the right and only way. Sometimes you have to look at alternative ways to address the issue and reassess your expectations and priorities.

It’s important to keep the knockbacks in perspective. For example, when I didn’t win a business award, I looked at the level of competition I was up against and celebrated how far I had come to even be in the same category as them. It’s not that I wasn’t worthy – it was just that someone else was more worthy.

When you are lacking confidence, do you wait till this passes or do you get on with it anyway?
If you have other people relying on you to keep the business ticking over you don’t have the luxury to wait till it passes.

I also believe that if you focus inwardly on the negative it can contribute to a lack of confidence and a downward spiral where if you focus on giving out it can help you stay on track.

Has self doubt and a lack of confidence helped you achieve or bring a project to successful fruition?
I don’t believe that self doubt or a lack of confidence brings a project to successful fruition. What will make it a success is the way you respond to that self doubt.

A knockback doesn’t have to be a knock out. We choose whether we stand back up and if you don’t get back up you won’t achieve anything. We make a decision about whether we persevere or give up – Thomas Edison said when inventing the light bulb “I’ve not failed I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”

It comes down to the way you look at set backs, no’s, mistakes etc. If you treat the obstacles as an opportunity for learning you won’t suffer from the downward spiral of self doubt and lack of confidence.

What’s the best advice you have ever been given about dealing with knockbacks?
I don’t think there is one single piece of advice I have been given – it’s more a combination of advice which include
- If you can’t change the situation change the way you look at it
- Be prepared to listen, analyse and change
- Never ever give up
- And remember that necessity is the mother of all inventions

Sophia Elise Profile
Sophia Elise is the Managing Director of the NZ Art Guild, which provides support, promotion, opportunities and resources to NZ visual artists.

In 2009 she won the David Awards for Most Community Minded Business. In 2010 she was a finalist in the David Awards for Most Inspired Use of Marketing and Most Community Minded Business and was also a finalist in the Her Businesswoman of the Year Awards for Outstanding Business Citizenship.

She was one of 13 Auckland creative entrepreneurs to be awarded a place on the ART Venture Programme 2010. Sophia provides business mentoring for start up businesses under her company Creative Business Consultants. She is also a visual artist who has exhibited extensively throughout NZ and overseas. Sophia is active within the art community as a Member of the Board of Trustees for Mairangi Art Centre and a member of the ART Generator Network.

Fair Go ....

Well I certainly got a Fair Go last night on TVNZ Fair Go Housing special. About three minutes into a clip, which featured fabulous designer Andrew Loader from Monochrome Inc, you got to see my torso art. There it was, a stunning, red, hand painted, torso art hanging on a white wall.

Of course - as Murphy's law would have it - I wasn't home to see it - but luckily lots of friends around NZ alerted me to it via texts, emails and facebook. It really has made my year and I feel so honoured to have one of my artworks used in one of Monochrome Incs designs!

If you want to see the segment follow this link http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/housing-special-4019371/video?vid=4019431 - it's about 3 minutes in on the clip about decorating.

And as my friends at pub quiz last night said - "Sophia Elise - as seen on award winning, prime time, TV show" lol ;-)

Time, time. time ....

Title: Finding Tranquility
Artist: Sophia Elise
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 25cm x 25cm
SOLD

I received this via email - and wuld love you all to take a minute to read through ...

Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest:
Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400.00 in your private account for your use.

However,this prize has rules, just as any game has certain rules.

The first set of rules would be:
Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.
You may not simply transfer money into some other account. You may only spend it.
Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day.

The second set of rules:
The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, Its over,the game is over! It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right? Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?

ACTUALLY This GAME is REALITY!
Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can't seem to see it.

The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!
Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.

What we haven't lived up that day is forever lost. Yesterday is forever gone.

Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time....WITHOUT WARNING.

SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?
Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.

Think about that, and always think of this:
Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.

So take care of yourself, be Happy, Love Deeply and enjoy life! Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day. Start spending.

Inspiration and motivation for sharing ...

I have this wonderful friend that I don't see very often, however she appears in my inbox several times a week with messages of friendship and inspiration. Lesley seems to find the most amazing things and I really wanted to share this one with you - such a beautiful way to start the new year. Take a couple of minutes to listen to the music, watch the pictures and read the words ..... Thanks Lesley! xx

http://www.inspiration365movie.com/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-FR-_-12.31.10-_-INSPMovie

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Looking back ....

Alyson Standfield reminds us artists that we need to take time at the end of the year to reflect back on our achievements. As fellow artist and friend Cath Sheard says "It’s easy for achievements to sort of slide on by barely noticed. Knowing what we have done, and where we’ve been, helps map the road forward"

I know that I am guilty of focusing the majority of time on where I'm going and not taking time to really celebrate where I've been. Where we come from and our past experiences shape who we are today and need to be acknowledged and embraced as an important part of our journey and personal growth.

So today I'm celebrating 2010 - looking back on the highlights - I am truly grateful for so many wonderful experiences that I've had this year - not just the positive ones - but the negative ones too - for in adversity we grow the most. There are just too many wonderful moments that I have shared with my children, partner, family and friends to mention them here. Those are the moments of laughter, tears, happiness, sadness, excitement, anticipation, frustration, love - the whole range of emotions that make up the daily tapestry of our lives.

The focus of these highlights are art related ...

1) January - being selected as one of 7 feature Artists by Bajidoo Bangles - a fabulous American based jewellery company. Having a feature article in the local paper with one of the other artists who were selected - Lauryne Hart. Having hip surgery and employing a contractor to look after the NZ Art Guild so I could recuperate.

2) February - HER Business Magazine writing a Feature Article about me and my art - huge honour.

3) March - Getting engaged to my wonderful man, John Boylan!! Completed my first artwork on a torso incorporating my journey of life series - this has developed into a completely new series which has been really exciting for me. Completed my first book review for an American Publisher - the book was called Alpahtudes and was a life changing book to read.

4) April - My involvement with the Legato exhibition made the news with two articles, a radio interview and a segment on TV3 news. A small group of artists who were involved with the exhibition did a preshowing of artworks at Howick RSA where one of the artists gifted a very personal artwork to Battle of Cassino Vet Watty McEwen. It was a very humbling experience. I also had a feature piece written in Urban Living Magazine by Virin Gomber (an amazing writer) which included one of my artworks. One of my artworks sold to a well known art collector in Auckland.

5) May - Met two wonderful facebook friends (Mike and Andrew) at our exhibition opening - they now own 3 of my artworks which is really humbling given that Mike is an Artist and Andrew and Interior Designer. And then we were off to Italy with a group of amazing NZ Artists to exhibit at the Legato Exhibition. Spending 3 weeks exploring Italy with my wonderful man and friends was definitely a highlight this year. Donated an artwork to a fundraiser for Galmorgan Primary school and Coordinated several other donations. Our wonderful Auctioneer, Tony Loughrin, who does all our charity auctions for us was organising this event for his son and it was great to finally be able to give back to him!

6) June - I was a finalist in the Her Businesswoman of the Year Awards for Outstanding Business Citizenship - Huge honour!

7) July - The 5th NZ Art Guild Collaborative Artwork was unveiled!! I was awarded a place on the ART Venture Programme. An intensive year long accelerator programme for Auckland Creative Entrepreneurs. Only 13 people were selected from an application pool of 55. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and is very exciting! Visited The Learning Connection and NZ Academy of Fine Arts both of which are in Wellington. Was fantastic to meet with the staff and see around both facilities. I also met up with my cousin, Shirley, who I have only seen once in 30 years. She is such an inspiring person and I can't wait to see her again!

8) August - I created a new website so that I could sell prints and greeting cards of my artworks - www.sophia-elise.artistwebsites.com Having fun with the kids and my man - dying everyones hair in a way that expressed their creativity - my son had blond highlights, my man ended up with an assortment of colours including ginger, my daughter had pink, purple and blue hair!

9) September - I donated another artwork for The Women's Art Exhibition and Charity Auction to raise funds for the North Shore Women's Centre. This was one of my event highlights this year. The North Shore Women's Centre have the most amazing staff and provide much needed quality, low cost services to women in the community. It really was my privilege to work with them and two of the team I have kept in regular contact with. I helped out at my daughters school art day and it gave me a renewed appreciation of teachers!

10) October - One of my artworks was in the House and Garden Magazine as part of a feature story about my favourite Interior designer - Monochrome Inc. The NZ Art Guild was a finalist in two categories for The David Awards for Small Businesses - Most Community Minded Business and Most Inspired Use of Marketing! yay! And a business I've been mentoring this year - Home Brew West which is owned by an incredible young man, Allister Van Mil was a finalist in Outstanding Lifestyle Business!!

11) November - I was invited to have a two week art residency in India in February which unfortunately coincided with my sisters wedding so I turned it down - however it was a huge honour to be asked! Applied to do my post graduate diploma in Counselling and made the short list straight away. Yay! Restructured the NZ Art Guild and have a permanent part time contractor, Tanya Dann, who is amazing! Kumeu Art in the Garden saw a 50% increase in art sales this year which was brilliant!

12) December - Got funding through the ART Venture Programme to create the NZ Art Guild into a Charitable Trust which will enable us to become a sustainable organisation. Finalised the 2011 exhibition calender for the NZ Art Guild which includes exhibitions at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts!


This year I personally exhibited in 16 exhibitions - which was fantastic - I sold artworks in many of these events and in fact had my best sales year in the last few years. I donated several artworks to a variety of charity fundraisers including - school, churches, sporting teams, national charities, local charities etc - I swapped artworks with fabulous artists, gifted artworks to others, received gifts of art myself.

Through my work with the NZ Art Guild we helped raise over $20,000 for charities this year. My wonderful supporters in the NZ Art Guild - the members - my friends - and the volunteers - Rachael Inch, Sharlene Schmidt, Christine Dempster and Tanya Dann - have made it possible and have enabled us to reach out and help so many people in a variety of ways. I'm very lucky that the management team are also my nearest and dearest friends despite living in different cities and islands even.

I owe are huge dept of gratitude to The ART Venture programme with the most incredible participants, facilitators and advisers who have given me such knowledge, insight, skills and been huge supporters of the work I do. I am so privileged to be in this programme.

The wonderful mentors I have met along the way who have helped me in many ways - but esp to Pam Martin who is such an inspiration!!

And a huge thank you has to go to my long suffering man - who is always at my side for every event - helping with hanging, take down, opening nights, co-ordinating events, packing artworks, buying supplies - surprising me by tidying my office and doing the filing when it has got completely away on me - being on call 24/7 for babysitting duty, picking up the slack with household chores and always always supporting me unconditionally in whatever I do.

And my Children who are so incredibly wonderful in every way. They teach me so much - I admire them hugely - they have such incredible qualities that some adults don't even have yet - they pitch in and help if they know something needs doing - are always so supportive of my own art (always nice to have fans even of the ones you want to throw in the bin!! lol)

This year has been incredible in so many ways - and I want to thank everyone who has been involved in making it fantastic! Whether it was through text, email, phone, facebook, in person - you are all amazing!! Thank you!!

An absolute must for everyone .....

It's something that seems so simple - some people take them for granted - others long for them - others never make time to have them - what are they? Holidays!!

Now I'm not talking about the type of holidays which involve masses of running around, sightseeing, rushing from place to place - I'm talking about the chill out at home - away from work - doing the things that you love in a relaxed way.

This year is the first time, in several years, that I have had a "real" holiday. I am self employed - which anyone who is self employed will be able to identify with - taking a holiday is often logistically impossible (who will take over), it can be financially difficult (not bringing in any income) and for me personally - I feel guilt ridden.

What?? you may ask - why would you feel guilty? I have this problem. I constantly think about work 24/7 - I wake up thinking about work, I go to bed thinking about work, I dream about work - I strategise, plan, write, organise all the time. I feel that if I'm not working then I'm letting people down in some way ..... But in actual fact by living like this I am letting myself down.

The NZ Art Guild has only ever closed over the Christmas/New Year period for the statutory holidays. This year we (my good friend and colleague Tanya Dann) made the decision to close. As two workaholics, we actually agreed that the world would not stop spinning if we both had a true break from work for 11 days!! And wow!! Guess what - the world kept on spinning - nothing drastic happened and I feel great!!!

It's been really hard to ignore the guilt, to ignore the work emails, ignore the work thoughts and consciously push them aside every time they creep in. But it has been soooooo worth it. I've taken time to sit and chat with friends and family, to have a drink on the deck with my man, enjoy the holidays with my kids, go to bed early, sleep in (have 10 hours of sleep a night rather than 6!) watch dvd's, read and write my first blog post for 3 months!! Sheer bliss!!

For the first time in several months I feel the creative spark coming back into my life - I have cooked gourmet food, spent 3 days gardening (after 4 years of none at all!) and have started 3 artworks - with so many wonderful ideas flooding in. I have missed this wonderful feeling - it almost feels like a lifetime ago that I felt this good - and now I'm wondering why on earth I never allowed myself this time in order to receive this gift of feeling this wonderful.

In fact I'm enjoying my break so much that I have extended it for another week - and I will not feel guilty! I will enjoy it, embrace it and know that I will be able to give so much more when I do go back to work.

Now I need to make sure that I actually allow myself down time through out the year so that I can keep that creative spark alive - give myself time to write, paint, cook, garden - share my time with family and friends and actually have a more balanced life! ...... oh and catch up on my blog posts!! ;-)

Monochrome Inc in NZ House and Garden

My favourite interior designer (and lovely friend) Andrew Loader has been featured in this months NZ House and Garden. Monochrome Inc is a fabulous interior design business based in Auckland.

I was lucky enough to have one of my artworks in the photos (above - caption reads - Called Wahine Toa, this red torso by artist Sophia Elise features a Maori koru pattern rendered in dots). Andrew and Mike bought my torso as a feature artwork for their bedroom a few months ago and I was stoked that it was photgraphed and included inthis feature - what a huge honour!

The rest of the beautiful artwork you see in this article is done by Mike Galvin (another wonderful friend!)

To read the full article go and grab a copy today! :-)

School Art Day

A few weeks ago my daughter (year 4) asked me if I could come to school and teach art for the day. Apparently she had told her class I'm a "famous" artist because I'm on google - and of course I run this "huge" art organisation across NZ. Wow - after that kind of lead up how could I say no. lol


I have to say the thought of teaching groups of children art for a whole day terrified me - trying to think of an activity they could complete in an hour - and of course having never taught children art in my life! arghhh! What was I going to do - aside form freak out and have anxiety attacks?


Anyway - once the panic subsided I thought about the things my kids liked doing - and one was when we did a mini collaborative project artwork like the NZ Art Guild does each year. Perfect - that's what I was going to do. Only thing was I didn't want to use paints (my medium) because of the mess and time constraints. So I decided a dry medium would be better.

I nearly died when they sent home the form telling the kids I was teaching drawing skills - what the ...? Anyone who know me and my art knows that I do abstract - drawing is well and truly out of my sphere of things I do. And as my kids put it - "mum does abstract cos she can't draw real stuff" Thanks guys! lol




The day was a great success - the kids were an absolute delight - and I have a renewed admiration for teachers - man what an exhausting day - I really don't know how they do it - thank you to all the wonderful teachers out there!!







All the children had the same image and colours to work with and were given the same set of instruction s and theme to create to. I really wanted to see how they all interpreted it and I wasn't disappointed with the results - they let their creativity and imaginations go.







Many of you have asked what the finished artworks were like so I have added them here. The best thing about it was hearing them go "wow, awesome, amazing etc" once they saw it all put together. They really were gobsmacked at what they had all managed to achieve together.

Pink and Blue hair

no ... not me before you all panic. Several weeks ago my daughter asked if we could dye her hair - she really wanted to have blue and pink streaks in it. I agreed that we could - but suggested that we only dye the bottom few inches just in case she hated it - that way we could easily cut it off and it would be back to normal.

I asked my friend Helen how she had done her daughters hair (which looked AMAZING! Totally rainbow colours - very funky!) And bought some dye from her.

So off we set on this adventure - my very scared as I'm no hairdresser. Anyway - we had to bleach it to start with- and while the bleach was out my son and fiance both decided that they wanted to join in with the hair dying - so they had blond streaks through the top of their hair.

Hey - who am I to judge - I've been dying my hair since I was 16! And after all - it's only hair - and it's their hair - their choice - it will grow back - and I really think we have more important things to worry about with our kids like, drugs, teen pregnancy, suicide, binge drinking etc than what colour our children want their hair. Anyway - I'm sure most of us would have loved to have had pink and blue hair when we were 9 too - after all by the time we were old enough to do that it wasn't the done thing.

So we finished the dying and the next day my daughter decided she wanted more done - yes she loved it that much. So out with the hair dye again (no bleach this time) and we dyed it again - she didn't want to go all the way to the roots - so we had about 6 inches of natural hair and 10 inches of multicolour streaks.

It's been amazing how positive everyone has been about it - including the school Principal who loved it - in fact we have only heard of three people who haven't liked it - and hey that's their choice to make. So for all the people that asked for photos - I have the stage one's here. Unfortunately I didn't take any of stage two dye and as we didn't bleach it first it has washed out really quickly (mainly because her fathers girlfriend, unfortunately, really hates it and has made her wash her hair heaps when she is with them in order to get the dye out as quickly as possible) Never mind we still have heaps of dye left to do it again and I will be sure to take photos after :-)

I think the best thing about this was seeing how happy my kids were - my son saying he felt and looked like a rock star - my daughter feeling so beautiful and being able to express her creative side through her hair - and seeing the increased confidence in them both. Amazing how a simple thing like allowing them the freedom to decide what they do with their hair can have such a positive impact on their self esteem.

RAK Day! ( Random Act of Kindness )

Today is officially RAK ( Random Act of Kindness Day ) - So I would love to hear all your stories about the RAK that you receive and that you give. Of course RAK don't have to be limited to today - they can be any day of the year - and every day if you feel like it. They don't have to be big - they can be as simple as giving someone a hug who needs it ....

Today 15 artists are doing a RAK - they have donated artworks to be auctioned to raise funds for the North Shore Women's Centre. (See event details below for "Inner Strength" What a perfect day to have this event too! And of course as with many events it's reliant on volunteers so they are all performing RAK's today too ...

Already heard one lovely story today from a friend who's 11 year old did an RAK for her ... yay!!!

To read more about RAK day - www.rak.co.nz

Your invitation to Inner Strength - Charity Art Auction and Exhibition

The NZ Art Guild and North Shore Womens Centre (NSWC) are proud to join together to raise funds and awareness for the NSWC with the Inner Strength Charity Art Auction and Exhibition.

The NSWC are the only holistic service for women, by women on the North Shore. The funds raised from the charity auction will assist in the administration of their core services: low-cost counseling, family support service, free legal clinic, clothing exchange, low-cost courses and support groups and the Go Girl Youth programme. Donations enable NSWC to continue to offer their services at little or no cost to women.

Please join us on September 2nd 6:30pm at the Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna Auckland where the month long exhibition "Inner Strength" will open with a fantastic charity art auction. Our guest speaker is Catherine Livingstone who has inspired many women over the years and was recently the last woman standing in the NZ Apprentice

Top NZ artists - Jess Foote, Lisz Bodsworth, Angela Laby, Sophia Elise, Rachel Olsen, Sharlene Scmidt, Nancy Frazer, Michele Courage, Merle Bishop, Lorraine Beattie, Liz de King, Lauryne Hart, Jane Santos, Beate Minderjahn, and Amy Walker have also generously donated artworks to be auctioned on the night. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to NSWC.

The theme of this exhibition is "Celebrating and Strengthening Women" and it brings together 33 very, talented NZ female artists from around NZ.

We would like to thank the following sponsors:
Tony Laugharn - Barfoot and Thompson
Tineswari Maruthamuthu - Graphic Designer
Kip Brook - Word of Mouth Media

For more information about the NSWC of NZ go to www.nswomenscentre.co.nz

To view the Online Auction Catalogue -
http://nzartguild.blogspot.com/2010/07/auction-catalogue-inner-strength.html