Class with Kelly Kilmer Part One - Visual Poetry

Recent visitors to RMBM know that I have been enjoying exploring art journaling. Friends have heard ad nauseam about how excited I was to take my first ever class with Kelly Kilmer at Kept Creations in Whitman, Massachusetts. Well, lovelies, I was not disappointed. It was a wonderful day of creating, learning, laughing and stretching my limits. 

The first class was Visual Poetry and boy was it eye opening! Kelly's work is very striking, powerful and empowering. I did not imagine that I would create the pages I did. I love them! Looking at them it is hard to imagine that they were created by me. I tend to sit and giggle when I look at them. It's simply delightful. 

We collaged, painted, ripped our paper into pages, bound them and then started the actual collage and journalling process. Each layer added depth and strength. 

I finished the cover and the second page in. One page needs some finishing touches and the rest….well they are like an empty playground. They are ready for all kinds of things to happen. Open to possibility. They are conduits of bridging the gap between taking the class and regular life. Looking at them inspiration lurks enticing me to explore. Kelly, you are genius!

Taking a class like this, in person, stretches you. Looking at art journaling videos at home I learn so many things. I am grateful to live now, when so much inspiration is easily available. Still, there is nothing like a real time, human based class. One in which our hesitation is noted, our fears are confronted and our tendencies are checked. More than once Kelly challenged me. She challenged us all to reach out of our color comfort zone. 

Guess which colors I gravitate to….did you even have to think about it? 

Kelly challenged me to add a dark color…maybe black. It was surprising and invigorating. I even liked it… a little. The woman who sat next to me, whose name I remember but will not divulge, used black with abandon. Her pages dripped black, oozed black and boy were they powerful. I started wondering if I didn't want to use black too. I settled for adding a bit here and there and remaining true to my current vision. 

There are so many pages to explore new things. To try new layouts, new tools, and new prompts. 

Each will stretch me. 

Each will teach me something new.

Near the end of workshop number one, Kelly casually posed the idea that one way to approach a design is to challenge yourself to use up the color on the pallet. I looked down at the pallet in front of me and saw a lump of untouched red. It was a big lump. At first I said "no way" but later repented and started swinging the red paint around with abandon. 

I found there is more in me than meets the eye. 

The back cover is testament to the fact that pink and red can coexist quite nicely. 

Enough for one post. I will save class two for another post. Thank you, Kelly, for a wonderful class! Kept Creations, you will be seeing me again.