The Gathering of Artisans 2013

The Gathering of Artisans

It's such a cliche' to say "Where do I begin?" but that's exactly how I feel as I start this post. How do I describe the indescribable joy, the joy unspeakable and full of glory experience of The Gathering of Artisans 2013 ?

I  trust that these photos and comments will give you a taste of the beauty we took in. I apologize for the quality of the photos, which were taken  with the camera on my phone. In spite of the imperfections, I feel the Presence of God on the images. I hope you will sense it too.

My sister in the Lord and sister artist, Debra Greeson, and I arrived at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC to be greeted by breathtaking beauty from every direction. Here are a few photos of the grounds.

 A happy little brook flows through the landscape. It spoke to me of the River of Life that flows from the throne of God, and the pure, refreshing, cleansing water of His Word.

 This is the building where I took my prophetic painting, expressive drawing and worship classes. So many amazing and life transforming things took place in this building over the weekend. I was greatly encouraged by not only my own experiences, but the experiences of my fellow artisans as the Holy Spirit moved on each one of us. He revealed, inspired, honed, chiseled, stretched, removed and added. It was extremely edifying to be in such an environment and to watch Him move and see the reactions and results of His wondrous works. 

This is just one of the massive buildings that stand in this historic spot. 

This was our dorm. The columns on the building are huge ! I have never seen such impressive structures as these in such a pastoral setting. 

This was a little place I found to hide away with the Lord to pray and take in the majesty of His creation. There were mountains all around, and the views were mesmerizing. 

This is Gilbert Pride, a precious man we met who taught us so much about worship. As of this writing, he is 70 years old and has unbridled energy and zeal for worship. Meeting Gilbert was truly a highlight of the gathering for me. 

Gilbert worships in dance, wearing special garments and waving flags. He prays and the Holy Spirit gives him instructions on the colors and construction of the flags and garments and what to pray when he wears them or waves them. 

Priestly Garments

This photo speaks to me of Psalm 91:4 

He will cover you with his feathers,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

 The atmosphere was absolutely saturated with the Presence of God ! Sean Feucht and his crew really helped usher us into the place of unspeakable JOY. 

This is Jack, a great artist and a mighty man of valor !

Each artist was attuned to the presence of God and the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit to paint during worship. 

This is Michelle Anderson and other Spirit led artists, painting during worship.

 Pattie Ann Hale really worships as she paints !

The dancers danced with beautiful banners and fabrics. 

The musicians played to the glory of God, and some of the artwork was placed on the altar as an offering. I pray that each piece would speak of His Salvation and Love to every eye that views any piece. 

Tony Mujica played the trumpet to the praise of HIS glory !

There was JOY in the house of God, His people !

Shawna Rash waved her flags to the King of Kings !

The flags appeared to actually burn with the fire of God. 

Every artisan in attendance was asked to contribute one piece of their work to a gallery at the conference. This is me and my bead embroidered piece, entitled "Deep Calls to Deep"

This is Debra with her alabaster sculpture, entitled "Barren No Longer."

Debra waved this flag in intercession for America.

This is a painting I did during the conference in my classes with Pattie Ann Hale and Vivien Hibbert. As I was painting it, Vivien came over and prayed over me and gave me a very powerful and encouraging prophecy that had to deal with restoration. I named the painting RESTORATION. A fellow artist, Jack who is pictured above, also prayed for me during this painting and said he saw The New Jerusalem in my painting. I added to the name of the painting. It is called RESTORATION In The New Jerusalem. 

After such a mountaintop experience and fervent atmosphere of worship and total focus on God it is important to remember that a new spark of life from the Spirit of God has ignited a Holy fire in our souls. As we return to the valleys and foothills of home, our prayer is that we will all remain on "Slow Burn." Lord, kindle this fire by Your grace and power ! May it not only fuel us, but may it burn away all wood hay and stubble, leaving only that which is of eternal value in our lives and work as HIS artisans. May it illuminate our paths, may it animate our bodies as living sacrifices, fully surrendered and empowered to create and do all of the good works that you panned for us before the foundations of the earth. May YOUR KINGDOM COME and YOUR WILL BE DONE through the work of your artisans. It's in the beautiful name of Jesus, I pray, Amen. 

This is Deb and me as we prepared to go down the mountain to the foothills of home. You are looking at two very happy girls, full of hope, inspiration and strength from this life changing gathering. 

This is one last look at part of the gallery. 

This is a beautiful chair that I saw on an excursion into beautiful downtown Black Mountain. 

It pretty much sums up my experience. I will rest in His Beauty, Truth and Love. 

Freeform Peyote Stitch Netting With Sea Glass and Pearls

I love freeform peyote because it is intuitive and there aren't many rules. I love the beach and much of my work is inspire by the coast, as well as the Appalachian Mountains. These pieces demonstrate the versatility of freeform peyote with simple elements, such as sea glass, various beads and chips. I love the way the colors play off one another, gold, blue, green and brown. 

Abstract Embroidered Cuff Bracelet on Sage Green Denim

I love floss embroidery, as well as bead embroidery. I decided to get out my floss, after many months, and play with an abstract design on some sage green denim. This was the result. I backed the bracelet with red leather and added a pretty vintage button. 

3 Drop Peyote and Brick Stitch Bridal Cuff

It's near Valentine's Day and Wedding season, so love is in the air. 

As such, I am working on some pieces that are elegant and romantic. 

This bracelet was created with 3 drop peyote and brick stitch with crystal seed beads and 4 mm bicones. A pretty iridescent button and sed bead loop provide the closure. 

Fabric Flower Power

I love playing with textiles and fiber scraps, so I had fun coming up with these pretty fabric flowers. I turned them into pins that look pretty on a hat, bag, shoulder or wherever ! This is the year that I am trying to be very resourceful and not buy very many craft supplies, unless it is a staple. This is part of my creative challenge for the year "Use what you have!" 

And, so far, so good !

Star Lady Bead Embroidered Brooch

I created this brooch with bead embroidery and a glass cabochon that I made from a bit of paper from an old calendar and a glass "blob" from the craft shop. I imagine the lady to be Mary or Esther, my two favorite female Bible characters. I used matte seed beads, metallic delicas and firepolished beads to frame her. 

Walk Like An Egyptian Earrings

I love these Fun earrings made with charms my Mom brought back for me on one of her trips to Egypt ! They are listed in my Artfire shop!