THE ENSO CIRCLE: CONTINUING RESIDENTS' EXHIBITION DECEMBER 2022

Copyright © 2022 by Lyn Belisle and Michelle Belto for The Enso Circle. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher and the artists whose works are included except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2022

The Enso Circle

An invitational online Artists’ Residency

Created and led by Michelle Belto and Lyn Belisle theensocircle.com

The Enso circle symbolizes many things: the beauty in imperfection, the art of letting go of expectations, the circle of life, and connection-- the imperfections and contours are exactly what makes the Enso beautiful.

Theme for the Fall Enso Circle: House of Light

We have not created a theme before for any of the previous Enso Circle terms, but somehow it seemed right this time, inspired by Mary Oliver’s award-winning winning book, House of Light.

Residents did not have to directly include any of the poems in any of their work. The poems served as guideposts, mantras, traveling companions, oases, background music – however Residents find them both useful and inspirational as they work through the term.

This collection of poems by Mary Oliver once again invites the reader to step across the threshold of ordinary life into a world of natural and spiritual luminosity. Again the wordpleasures of her work create an illuminated passage toward the difficult subjects which are what poetry is about – love and death, the merciless natural laws of this world, the quest for grace. You will see echoes of her themes in the artword displayed throughout this catalog.

A Note About the Introduction

This term, Michelle and I invited Heather Tinkham, our tech assistant and guru, to write the introduction to the Continuing Residents’ Catalogue. Heather has been with us from the first Enso Circle term. She generously gives her time and talent to providing the structure for the CRs as they schedule virtual studio visits and Zoom meetings. Heather helps manage our Slack space. She works behind the scenes with Michelle and me as a sounding board for ideas. Heather is one of those rare artists whose left and right brains play in concert without a miss.

Her introduction, like Heather herself, is full of wisdom and gentle insights. Thank you, Heather, for all you do for the Continuing Resident of the Enso Circle.

2022

Lyn and Michelle

Introduction

The seed of the Enso Circle softly floated about between Lyn Belisle and Michelle Belto over the years, waiting for the right time and fertile ground. In February 2021 they decided it was time to share this idea, so they sent out a call for those who might be interested, and that seed nestled down to begin its transformation into a community.

There is magic in bearing witness to the birth of a circle of artists from around the world. There is magic in watching it evolve and grow over five terms, sending roots deep and branches wide, watching some leaves float away on their own independent journeys while others unfurl, change color, or begin anew. The first term provided structure, introduced ideas, and set yet more seeds. Some of us asked to continue, knowing that “we weren’t done yet” or simply finding joy in the sharing, and the Continuing Residents (CR) community was born.

The richness of The Enso Circle gives us the chance to explore our art across media, seeing what we have in common and how we vary as we work. There is time, space, and encouragement for reflection, action, and discovery. The Continuing Residents have blossomed in so many ways as we accompany one another in our creative and personal journeys. Each of us has grown our unique voices along with our creative skills, no matter what stage we are at or what our purpose is in our art.

Lyn and Michelle still guide us, offer structure and prods, but another element emerged as we took over the alternating weeks for sessions among the CRs. We started leading each other some in areas where we were comfortable contributing. We range from facilitated critiques to specific methods and processes, and on to deeper spirit or soul driven experiences. We have become both students and mentors to each other; companions on our lone and shared journeys at the same time.

It was an honor and a privilege to be part of the original Enso Circle, and continues to be so for the CR group. My piece for the Beginnings exhibition was about our circle, and I wrote: “When we start, it is dark, uncertain, and there is much to learn. If we dare to open to the circle, to reflect, to be vulnerable, to share the journey, that wee beginning shifts.” This dynamic and courageous group lives this idea over and over. They share their lights with each other and with the world. May this collection of our works from the most recent term carry you alongside our paths for a time, and touch you, if but for a moment, with the magic of life.

“This is a poem about the world that is ours, or could be.”- Mary Oliver

Heather Tinkham

Continuing Residents are those who have chosen to stay within the structure of The Enso Circle’s twelveweek design, but they work with more automony.

They have successfullly complete their initial Residency and understand the value of goal setting as a means of encouragement and inspirations.

They value the community as a major source of support.

Continuing Residents work within the concept of the Open Circle. These are their principles:

you are embarking on a circular twelve-week quest of creativity and discovery you are starting from home and will return home, never getting lost

you will write your own map as you go, day by day, week by week

you will pay attention the signs of serendipity pointing to the next steps you will record and learn from unexpected lessons on the path you will return home with possibly flawed but authentically soulful work based on your good instinct and intuition

ENSO CIRCLE CONTINUING RESIDENTS

FLORIDE BARTELL - CALIFORNIA

ANNE L BOEDECKER- MASSACHUSETTS ANN BONESTELL - CALIFORNIA

GAIL BYRNES - MASSACHUSETTS

SUE CONNER - CALIFORNIA

About the Artist & the Work

FLO BARTELL

My goal in creating a series of small sculptures, including “Gratitude”, was to experiment in order to find which tools, materials, and techniques work best for me before tackling a new large project. I met failures and challenges as well as some successes, and I am grateful for the lessons of both. As Einstein said, “Failure is success in progress.”

I also hoped that in creating these small pieces I would discover what story I need to tell in this chapter of my life and what purpose I can find in making the journey.

As I finished “Gratitude”, I felt thankful for the resources available to me and the opportunity to explore.

GRATITUDE

About the Artist & the Work

ANNE L BOEDECKER

I have been guided this semester by the depth and wisdom of Mary Oliver’s poems. What I love most about her work is her attunement to the natural world and its inhabitants. The smallest details of an owl’s descent, or a grasshopper eating out of her hand, evoke Aristotle’s phrase that “in all things of nature there is something of the marvelous”. I have explored nature’s marvelous indigenous art through fabric dyeing with naturally-derived plant dyes and botanical printing on fabric and paper.

These four pieces began organically (literally) in my summer garden. Coreopsis and hydrangeas, heuchera and black-eyed susans, give up their color and form when steamed with fabric or paper. Autumn leaves hold their shape when pressed. Lichen and tree bark add textural elements as well as intricate patterns.

(4) 6X6

SOLD AS A SET - $300.

About the Artist & the Work

ANN BONESTELL

Throughout my many years as an artist, I have often struggled to accept what I have come to know as the fallow times. Unlike the farmer who chooses to leave a field to rest between plantings, some unknown farmer always seems to make that decision for me, without considering me or my plans, forcing periods of rest and “not doing” between times of creativity.

Such is the place where I find myself today, seeking to understand and find peace with some unknown illness in our own House of Light. This fallow time, unexpected and (dare I say) unwelcome, is certainly inconvenient. Yet, as I begin to tell its story here, I realize that in my disappointment over the work I was unable to complete, I nearly missed something: this little light-filled offering I share here now, inspired by a class with Lyn Belisle, a simple gift to bring a smile and perhaps a hint of warmth in this cold time of the year when all of nature (in our Northern Hemisphere) is at rest.

About the Artist & the Work

GAIL BYRNES

Grief and loss. These have been themes throughout my life and especially during these past twelve weeks. My creative juices have ebbed and flowed, following the natural flow of creation and destruction, or in other words, life-death-rebirth. However, I find that my art always returns to the creation of Spirit Dolls, which brings me joy and eases my heart.

During this term, I explored making dolls using plaster gauze and cardboard tubes, inspired by a class with Lyn Belisle. These two dolls are nature spirits. Both faces are made from river rocks and clay. “Taking Flight” represents the air element, which is expressed in the heart chakra – the bridge between the world of spirit and the embodied plane. Dragonflies are believed to be connected to the spirit world, the world of angels and fairies. “Hope” represents the energy of trees, which ground us to the earth as their branches reach to the sky above.

Both Spirit Dolls represent the connection between life on this earth and spirit. Mary Oliver is my favorite poet and has inspired me for years. These lines from “White Owl Flies Into and Out of the Field” touched me deeply and inspired the creation of these two Spirit Dolls. “….maybe death isn’t darkness, after all, but so much light wrapping itself around us….”

About the Artist & the Work

SUE CONNER

Last summer was a time for creative inquiry. Eco dying and slow stitching became the catalysts for creating in a very different way. Using nature’s bounty of shapes and textures as the basis for printing on re-purposed fabric merged my love for nature and the eco dying process.

My inspiration began with Mary Oliver’s poetry. Reading “Five A.M. in the Pinewoods”, the last line, “…so this is how we pray” triggered a need, personally, to reflect on the concept of prayer. I came to the unexpected conclusion that my creative process is how I pray – it is how I share a deeper meaning of self, my hopes and wishes, where my art becomes a silent, visual voice to the world.

The “blessing banner” presented here, is the first piece completed in my series, “This is How I Pray”. The leaves and broken twigs, each lovingly hand stitched together, are reminiscent of my joyous, youthful days where I spent hours playing under the eucalyptus windbreak that protected our house. The message, “Blessed be the language of the eucalyptus leaves”, is hidden within the layers. My interpretation of prayer will remain the focus as this series continues to unfold.

About the Artist & the Work

JOANNE DESMOND

I am fascinated and concerned with the amount of waste we Americans seemingly unconcerned dispose of without a thought of how this waste impacts the environment. What is wrong with people and why do they not see that our planet is suffering under the burden of human hubris? The way many people throw away plastic, paper, and cardboard among many other products with abandon overwhelms my holistic self.

I decided that in my small way in my art practice and making I would try my hardest and best to use up everything I have at my disposal and make my art from materials that I would otherwise send to the landfill. My art is not a manifesto to climate change and unnecessary waste disposal, but a visual statement showing I can use these disposable materials as substrates and media in my art.

Thus, the creation of many pieces I have made while in this session of Enso Circle Continuing Residents. Several of the most significant to come out of this series are presented in our catalog for your purview. It has been an honor and delight to work with everyone in our community!

EVOLUTION: NATURAL SELECTION

PAPER, STRING, INK, HOUSE PAINT, ACRYLIC PAINT, SEWING PATTERNS, MODELING PASTE, GLUE, FINE WIRE GESSO.

48” X 48”

NFS

EMERGENCE

PAPER, HOUSE PAINT, ACRYLIC PAINT, INK, SEWING PATTERNS, SPACKLE, GLUE, CHARCOAL, GESSO.

CAN YOU SEE ME?

CARDBOARD, PAPER, INK, FOLIAGE, HOUSE PAINT, INK, GLUE, CHARCOAL, GESSO, STRING, WIRE.

About the Artist & the Work

WALDINEI (WALLY) LAFAIETE

This residency experience found me intrigued by the process of creating encaustic art - the use of molten beeswax as an art medium. Many of my colleagues in the Enso group have created inspiring encaustic paintings with which led me to explore the process as my own during our 12 weeks together. It was only natural that I begin my encaustic journey with its application to photographs as I have been a professional photographer for many years.

I recalled that I had a solo photography exhibition on Ancient Egypt in 2019. Some of the images I captured then resembled the Egyptian Fayum portraits created with encaustics almost 2000 years ago. I began to combine the very look and effects of those works with the enhancement of the encaustic process to see what might be transformed in my work and in myself through this new learning path. The encaustic medium is a very forgiving one and it is fascinating to see what each layer produces like the subtle textures you can see in these pieces. I feel like the melting layers of beeswax guide me through the process until I reach the point that I consider the artwork complete.

You are viewing the results in four photos that I selected to be my foundational encaustic medium experience. The layering of beeswax did indeed guide me and produced soft imagery with a luminous glow which gives a dreamy look not matched by any other art medium. To see this work in person finds the viewer feeling as if they are experiencing the reflection of a person looking in a mirror. It is a personal and powerful transformation that I have enjoyed embracing in my current work.

About the Artist & the Work

ANN LEACH

I often get direction for my work through inner prompts. The most consistent message is a challenge to work bigger and take up more space. I accepted the challenge as a spirit doll maker and created The Light Bearer, a 24” tall X 8” wide doll made of fabric with gold threads, tulle with gold glitter, felt stars, buttons, and beads.

It’s no coincidence to me that we were offered the poetry of Mary Oliver and more specifically her book, House of Light, as a guiding touchstone this term. I see our physical bodies as the house of our souls and believe we are indeed called to shine our light in contributing to the planet, our communities, our friends and families.

The Light Bearer spirit doll is a visual reminder of the soul body pouring light over its owner and all others it encounters. I then recall the Marianne Williamson quote I paraphrase here that says “It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

I felt those words resonating in my own soul body as I constructed this spirit doll. In her famous poem, The Summer’s Day, Oliver inquires, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I can now respond “to continue to do it bigger and take up more space”.

About the Artist & the Work

VANESSA MARTIN-LANGONE

Working with encaustic mixed-media is my intrinsic passion and during this Residency I set a goal to work bigger. My creativity is inspired by symbolism, poetry, Neuroscience and infinite curiosity to help me process my thoughts and emotions.

My inner light shines brighter when I slow down, enter the flow state and create. Words and emotions are energetically infused into each piece and I enjoy the intuitive excavation that takes place, leaving me feeling lighter after a painting is complete.

We can’t identify light without the contrast of darkness, we need both to be informed just like the balance between Yin and Yang. Moths are naturally drawn toward the light and like butterflies go through a metamorphosis.

Masks protect, conceal and reveal certain parts of who we are. They are a boundary and if removed, one can be left vulnerable showing their true essence and perhaps some discomfort.

Or maybe, one can feel the opposite and experience liberation and bravely show their authentic selves. Mary Oliver’s House of Light inspires me endlessly. Having experienced the passing of my dear dad, these lines touched me so very deeply: maybe death isn’t darkness, after all, but so much light wrapping itself around us—

IN LUMINE

Mixed media encaustic on Cradled wood panel

11” x 14” x 1.5”

About the Artist & the Work

MARIAN MCKENZIE-CONE

This residency has been filled with the loss of loved ones and a going inwards to reflect on life. Reading 5am in the Pinewoods, Mary Oliver’s poem, I was captured by these lines “Sitting under the blue trees “ I found myself just wanting to represent this line of the poem as a spirit figure and the need for it to be all blue.

I found myself feeling lost as in a forest and at the same time secure as hugging trees makes one feel, but needing to make a connection to these blue trees. Searching further I discovered: “The color blue represents both the sky and the sea and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, and intelligence“

Part of the reason is that there isn’t really a true blue colour or pigment in nature and both plants and animals have to perform tricks of the light to appear blue. For plants, blue is achieved by mixing naturally occurring pigments, very much as an artist would mix colours.

Spirit dolls embody spirits that have gone before. and I discovered for myself the peace and love that has come from working on this doll and the color blue I love it as a trick of light. Negative space is important space and light and dark matter….. it all matters. Nurture nature and nature nurtures you.

THE QUEST FOR GRACE

HAND DYED INDIGO MATERIALS FRAGILE LEAF CLAY AND STICKS 40CM X 70CM NFS

About the Artist & the Work

IRENE PEAKE

This session of the Enso Circle has given me the opportunity to expand the themes I depict in my collages and assemblages. I embarked on a new theme...the reality of aging and how it affects me.

I had the chance to go through my stash of materials and re-discover some fabric treasures that I could use in my artwork. As we read and discussed Mary Oliver’s work, I was reminded of the connection between self and nature.

Seven years ago I retired to northern Arizona from New York City suburbia. Now I live very close to nature in the high desert, in the foothills of our local mountain which borders on national forest land. Every day I can interact with a wide variety of animals—rabbits, deer, hawks, ravens, javelina, tarantulas and coyotes, among others—in a landscape that features evergreens, deciduous trees, and cacti.

I feel very connected to the cycle of life here which lets me think about my place in the world. “Aging Gracefully in Arizona” represents how I try to make the most of retirement as I continue to age. Its southwest colors of turquoise and silver plus the “desert flowers” convey the natural beauty of the local area. The old map represents the timelessness of the land. The vintage bobbins and ruched fabric represent the community of elders in our town, of which I am a part.

To me, “House of Light” also means brightness and warmth, both of which we have here in abundance. That title also speaks to me of the warmth and support I receive from my fellow continuing residents and our leaders in the Enso Circle.

About the Artist & the Work

INGRID TEGNER

“Even before the sun itself hangs, disattached, in the blue air, I am touched everywhere by its ocean of yellow waves.” Mary Oliver, from The Buddha’s Last Instruction, in House of Light, 1990.

Inspired by the poetry of Mary Oliver, I spent more time in nature and on California beaches during this last residency with the Enso Circle. Being present to both the beauty and stillness of my surroundings along with the mounting evidence of global warming with all of its detrimental effects.

There is no denying the interconnectedness of our world.

About the Artist & the Work

KELLY THORSON

My first term as a continuing resident has been about introspection in regards to my artwork, and the direction I see it evolving in the future. Directly following a solo show that involved an extremely hard push creatively, it has been a period of recovery and reevaluation of my goals and direction.

Conversations With Nine is about the spiritual significance of the number nine which encourages us to take on new responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities for development that will help us grow spiritually and advance ourselves along our personal path toward enlightenment and service to others and is associated with new beginnings, self-confidence, and a positive outlook.

New Beginnings represents the birth of a new day and opportunities to start anew. It is a reminder that at any time we have the right and ability to change paths and follow our creative heart.

About the Artist & the Work

HEATHER TINKHAM

I am fascinated by the relationships between things, and the line between illusions and essences. I often ask myself whether my belief about what I observe around me is true or a product of my desires; what else might make sense if I let go of my biases and assumptions about the world?

There was a call for submissions about Climate Change this term from some of our cadre. I used this opportunity to consider an element that I have always loved: water. I tend to consider it less than my more favored earth and fire, despite my sense of peace when I am around oceans and lakes. Doing this piece gave me the chance to explore why I do that, and to see what I could gain with a new perspective.

“Giselle, Water Dancer, loved the cool rush of the eddies of the waves murmuring their way back and forth in the inlet. The bounty of life that thrived in and by the water filled her with awe when she slowed down enough to witness it. The world seems to rush and hurry, seeing less and less of the richness laid out before us. Immersing herself slowly, she was filled with the heady tingles of reuniting with the forces of life. She breathed deeply, filling her lungs and head with the peace and vitality that is so abundant in nature. Just for now, and for a few moments more, she could feel the buzzing hum of life flood her being.”

About the Artist & the Work

MICHELLE TRACHTMAN

This semester was a period of growth for me. Although I only completed one piece of work, it made me look deeper into the kind of work I’ve been doing. Slow stitching has always been meditative work, but not always with any deeper meaning behind it.

This semester I have come to realize that having deeper meaning in my work is very important to me and to the viewers of my work. I want to take my work to another level and become a contemporary embroidery artist. Using layers and layers of stitch and many new and different fibers will lead to a new kind of exploration.

“La Chouette“ is a piece that was inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem “White Owl Flies INto and Out of the Field“, from her book House of Light.

The piece was made by sewing together many small pieces of white-on-white fabrics. Then cutting them up and re-sewing them to make the foundation piece for the embroidery. Working in all white was a new and interesting challenge. A layer of stitch came next. The next fabric layers are white cheesecloth with some of the words (printed on fabric) from the poem embedded into it. Then there are several more layers of stitching. The owl (la chouette) was then stitched on another piece of fabric and appliqued to the base. The last layer is iridescent tulle randomly placed and some more stitching to give the illusion of snow. Lastly I stitched a sleeve on the back to put the twig through it, and attached a decorative ribbon to hang it from.

About the Artist & the Work

SARAH TREANOR

My brother died unexpectedly over the summer at the age of 52. It felt like a crumbling of my foundation. Although we had a beautiful celebration of life for him, I still found myself yearning for a ceremony that honored the sadness I felt. In the months after,

I found myself instinctively creating altars in my studio. I filled old wooden crates with sentimental or symbolic objects… arranging them with care and reverence. Initially, I was just following my intuition, but I quickly realized it was helping me heal. I began imagining what it would be like if healing boxes existed. Vessels we could put parts of ourselves into that needed mending… the pains, fears, angers and rejections of life… we would gently close it all up in the box and leave it for a time. When we’d return and open the box, those wounded parts of ourselves would be returned back to us, healed. Just imagine!

Over the fall, I spent beautiful hours arranging items delicately into boxes - honoring my brother and my own sadness. This particular box venerates my brother’s spirit; a scientist, a teacher, and a curious soul… he was always dreaming, questioning, and encouraging others to do the same.

About the Artist & the Work

STAN UNSER

This semester challenged me because I don’t read poetry although I easily related to an owl and snow having grown up in Minnesota.

My inspiration came from an image that Lyn developed in Photoshop using superimposed people with adjusted colors which I imagined using on a 2x3 foot canvas I had. Trying the same thing myself, however, I ended up with “Umbrella Man”.

A work from last semester based on a grandson’s drawings recently sold, so I was motivated to continue using that concept with “Pirate Ted” for my mixed media piece.

Process:

“Umbrella Man” Reversed and overlaying photographs of people with umbrellas. This was combined with a Library of Congress plate of walking baboons.

“Pirate Ted” Composite of a grandson’s drawing of the teddy bear with a background of sticks on a wall photographed at the “Doseum” in San Antonio.

THE ENSO CIRCLE CONTINUING RESIDENTS

FLO BARTELL

When I make art, I excavate stories, scars, and symbols and give them form with encaustic and mixed media. I work with encaustic because the smooth, glossy surface, the pleasant aroma, the soothing rhythm of my torch, the unpredictable and preservative nature of the medium, and the intense color and movement possible with hot wax and pigment are seductive and satisfying. I sculpt and paint with determination, passion, and with a spirit of exploration that I hope the viewer can feel in my art.

ANNE BOEDECKER

I have been on a journey towards the full expression of my authentic self through art for the past 20 years. I have explored collage, altered books, art journaling, watercolor, fabric art, assemblage and ink on yupo paper. I founded Art Heals the Soul in 2006 to share the power of art with others.

I retired from my psychotherapy practice in 2018 to devote more time to Art Heals the Soul and my own art and spiritual practice. The pandemic has limited what I can offer others, but given me the opportunity to focus on my own growth as an artist. I am currently working on a series of mixed media pieces to accompany poems about grief I’ve written over the past 20 years.

ANN BONESTELL

While art and creativity were largely absent during my earlier years, by 1979 I had met an artist who introduced me to her world and thus began my own creative journey. Over the next 30-plus years, I explored a variety of art forms and today am comfortable working in any of them. Following a three year hiatus for health reasons, I recently returned to art making with renewed purpose and a new way of working. Having learned to “listen more deeply” I now enjoy a dialog with the work and have come to love the process even more than the outcome.

GAIL BYRNES

I inherited an old treadle sewing machine when I was 16, which began my passion for creating. I was an avid sewer for many years, and eventually did fiber arts, including weaving. I worked with clay for several years, and photography for a decade, having several solo shows. My work was largely about reflections and the macro world. More recently I have begun working with collage, and mixed media, and love combining different modalities. I have been an acupuncturist and shamanic practitioner for many years and enjoy experimenting with light, energy, and flow in my art and my work.

SUE CONNER

The encaustic medium’s rich colors and sculptural qualities, for me, are intriguing and exciting. I find satisfaction when I let the spontaneous nature of the wax guide me as I explore ways to create textures, embed found objects, incorporate images, and integrate paper where the wax is the unifying factor. I have learned that life is essentially about the journey, what we encounter as we move forward, and how we choose to react. This is how I approach the creative process — I embrace my failed attempts and think more purposely about the process, deriving more value from the lessons learned than in the final product itself.

JOANNE DESMOND

The notion of hiding, covering-up, obscuring the truth – the reality of who we really are at any given moment in time – has always intrigued me. Discovering what lies beneath the surface of someone or something is what I pursue. My current work straddles the thresholds of identity, experience, and memory as they connect to ancestry, relationships, and the fear of loss of connection. It is an exploration of the relationship between the visible and invisible, the gaze, the subject, and the other

WALDINEI (WALLY) LAFAIETE

Waldinei Lafaiete, aka Wally, has been working with Marketing and Communications for over 20 years. Wally moved to California from São Paulo, Brazil in the late 90’s and decided to follow his creative drive by enrolling in Graphic Design classes. This exposure to New Media Art gave him the initial inspiration to learn more about Photography. He left his corporate job to join the editorial board of the publication and simultaneously created Lafaiete Creative Productions, a small marketing company that has been creating successful advertising campaigns for businesses in San Antonio. He is fascinated by making art that suggests subtle relationships and themes from objects not normally seen together.

ANN LEACH

I am a life coach/therapist and always use creativity as a vehicle for expression as either a graphic recorder or doodler, creating visual maps of next steps for my clients. I have supported local artists for years as a volunteer locally but just began exploring my own creativity in 2011 after losing everything to the EF 5 tornado that hit my town. I was board president of the local arts center at the time and saw firsthand the power of the arts to heal. I have been hooked on art journaling, collage, and spirit dolls as my mediums for personal healing ever since.

VANESSA MARTIN-LANGONE

An early memory from growing up in Ireland is being a little girl, painting at my grandmother’s table and feeling as happy as can be. Art and the act of creating continues to sustain me through these liminal times and I am so very grateful for it. The Enso Circle community is my North Star and I am so thankful to all of you for your guidance, support and encouragement.

“Be of good courage all is before you, and time passed in the difficult is never lost...What is required of us is that we live the difficult and learn to deal with it. In the difficult are the friendly forces, the hands that work on us”.

Rainer Maria Rilke

MARIAN MCKENZIE-CONE

I am a qualified pre-school and primary teacher who currently resides in Timaru, NZ. I believe that art is the freedom to explore ourselves and teach us who we want to become through trial and perseverance in the application of medium and never giving up when we think the world is against us. For me it is about colour and imagination, feeling the color in ourselves and the world around us. I combine these two aspects and leave the viewer to decide what they see in the work.

IRENE PEAKE

I like to find beauty and meaning in everyday objects. I’m the person who goes to the beach and comes back with a pocketful of shells, or who visits the woods and comes back with a handful of sticks and stones. Each item in my stash is special to me, whether made by nature or, like a piece of fine, old lace, made by hand. When I work with these items, magic happens. A story emerges in the form of a collage or assemblage.

INGRID TEGNER

When I was seven years old, I realized that I wanted to work with the soul but didn’t understand what that meant. As a child, I learned how to knit and embroider. Although a career in the arts was actively discouraged, I continued to develop skills in ceramics and printmaking. I left social work years ago and completed my BFA in 2019. Making art is another aspect of soul expression and spiritual development. The process gives me space for quiet meditation and reflection. I am deeply grateful to the Enso Circle for providing a supportive community of kindred creators.

KELLY THORSON

Kelly Thorson is a painter from Penzance, Saskatchewan. She has been a practicing artist for over 30 years and had her first solo showing in 1992. Kelly is excited to explore different mediums and techniques and enjoys the chemistry of making her own paints and substrates from raw materials and repurposing leftovers and previously used items. The past few years she has been focused mainly on painting with beeswax, resin and pigments. The history of encaustic as one of the oldest existing forms of art is in keeping with her passion for ancient art forms and she finds the tactile, luminous and spontaneous unpredictability of the fluid wax when fused with a torch challenging and intriguing.

HEATHER TINKHAM

I create fiber based mixed media art to express aspects of our deeply human experiences in their conflicting yet intimately integrated ways. These unique pieces are designed to intrigue and capture your imagination. My art challenges the labels we rely on so heavily, focusing on core essences and relationships, bringing more authenticity into our chaotic world. Ideally, my pieces end up like drops of water at the intersections of a grand spider web, magnifying the heart of the matter and focusing our attention on questions that are not easily answered while drawing us close with their haunting familiarity.

MICHELLE TRACHTMAN

As a child I loved to sit and color and play with paper dolls! Eventually I craved doing something more creative. I fell in love with working with fiber and stitch. I learned to needlepoint, to make traditional hooked rugs, fabric collage/art quilts and art dolls.More recently I’ve wanted to connect more with Spirit through my artwork and started making spirit dolls. This series theme changed many times and ended up being about aging. Creating this way is freeing and has added to my desire to work with natural elements, mixed media, and sculptural creations.

SARAH TREANOR

Ten years ago, when I lost my fiance in an accident, I made a promise to myself to leave my corporate life behind and make art. I’ve kept that promise. I create in a variety of mediums like photography, encaustic, ceramics and writing every day. Making things has helped me to build meaning and purpose into my life, especially in times of grief or transition. I continue to explore my own personal journey in my artmaking process, while sharing the things I learn that help me along the way. My hope is that I can help others see their own creativity as a tool for healing and transformation.

STAN UNSER

I’ve been making artwork since my retirement in 2015 and am influenced by multiple class instructors including Michelle and Lyn at the Enso Circle. One class taught me to photo transfer using dissolving paper. After learning oil painting, I started using that to finish over the photo transfers. Now I use Photoshop, a larger printer, and various mixed media processes including encaustic which I learned from Michelle.

ENSO CIRCLE FOUNDERS

My best work has always had components of image, story and dance. Without the immediacy of live performance, I’ve had to wrestle with the limits of the visual form. How was I to merge narrative in my work or give a sense of movement in what is basically a two-dimensional static image? My questions and my ensuing study led me to paper and wax as mediums of choice. Paper, as an organic material, is useble only after it is transformed from grass into pulp which becomes canvas. Wax, in its molten state, incorporates movement as an essential quality in both application and process.

Human faces, ancient or contemporary, fascinate me as summaries of life stories in the moment. Clay, paper, beeswax, and fiber are my instinctive, beloved media but mark-making through abstract painting challenges me to develop my own language of expression and translation.The more aware I am of the little day-to-day things that capture my attention by calling to me in a mysterious way, and the more I take note of them, the more understanding I gain about the purpose of my art as basic human communication, both to myself and to the viewer.

MICHELLE BELTO

LYN BELISLE

Michelle Belto is a multi-faceted artist and teacher, whose work as an artist, educator and author spans more than forty years, three continents and multiple publications. She holds degrees and certifications in Fine Art, Theater and Expressive Arts. Michelle’s teaching schedule includes instruction in her signature work with paper and wax (Wax and Paper Workshop, Northlight Press 2012) and her life’s work developing an insightful process for deciphering meaning and purpose from the art we create. Her work is in private, corporate and museum collections. Michelle is a R&F Teir Instructor for R&F Paints and an adjunct faculty at Southwest School of Art where she teaches a variety of encaustic painting courses.

Lyn Belisle is an award-winning teacher, artist, designer, and writer, who has taught a range of fine arts, humanities, English, and graphic design throughout her career. Lyn teaches mixed-media workshops at Lyn Belisle Studio in San Antonio. She also teaches nationally, recently in Taos, Santa Fe, Provincetown, and Washington State. Her signature media are earthenware, paper, encaustic, and fiber. She has had six one-person gallery exhibits since 2011, and recently retired from the faculty at the Computer Science Department at Trinity University. Lyn is an active member of the San Antonio Art League, the Fiber Artists of San Antonio, the San Antonio Potters’ Guild, the Encaustic Art institute, the International Encaustic Artists, and The American Craft Council.

“Knowing the teacher and knowing I needed to reach out to a like minded group of people to keep me focused on producing more art and this seemed like a dream place at the right time. (It was)!

It became a place of refuge for me I just couldn’t wait for the next ping on my Slack site, the community built from this residency is more than I could have ever thought possible, the organization behind the scenes has been enormous I know, but such a smooth outcome and beautiful group of ‘found’ friends.”

Marian McKenzie-Cone, Three-term Continuing Resident

When I first read about The Enso Circle, I was so excited. An opportunity to work with Lyn and Michelle – I couldn’t apply fast enough! Little did I know that I would be joined by a group of wonderful women, sisters in spirit. All these artists are talented and blessed with generous hearts and a giving spirit.

The residency has brought focus and a purpose into my art practice and dear friends into my life. I’m already planning for the next three months in the Circle as a continuing resident. Oh, and did I mention how much fun it is!

Holly Osborn, Four-term Continuing Resident

The entire experience of the ENSO Circle has been so good for me on so many levels. It has pushed me to try new things and experiment with some kinds of making that I’ve wanted to do for years. It has encouraged me to let go of expectations and experiment more openly.

Through the residency, I’ve been able to take the time and space to concentrate on some deeply personal work that has allowed me to work through some emotions in a very cathartic way. It has helped me to feel more supported and like I have a “crew” I can talk to about art things who “get it”.

And lastly, it also helped me embrace parts of my process I have struggled with for years by giving me new perspectives.

Sarah Treanor, Three-term Continuing Resident

Enso Circle Continuing Residents: Contact Information

Floride Bartell

Flo.bartell@gmail.com www.flobartell.com

Heather Tinkham heather@tiglioarts.com tiglioarts.com

Joanne F Desmond redhorsestudio33@gmail.com www.joannefdesmond.com

Gail Byrnes gailbyrnes@gmail.com harmoniahealingarts.com

Marian Cone marian@planetnz.com

Irene Peake irene.peake2@gmail.com

Vanessa Martin-Langone www.vanessamartinlangone.com

Anne Boedecker annelboedecker@yahoo.com www.arthealsthesoul.com

Wally (Waldinei) Lafaiete waldinei@hotmail.com www.instagram.com/throughwallylens/

Ann Leach ann@annleach.com www.AnnLeach.com Ann Bonestell abonestell@gmail.com BonestellStudios.com Stan Unser stanunser@aol.com stanunser.com

Sarah Treanor streanor.com sarah@streanor.com

Ingrid Tegner ingridtegner@gmail.com www.ingridtegner.com

Michelle Trachtman michelle.trachtman@gmail.com

Kelly Thorson ktg@sasktel.net

Sue Conner runbalance@gmail.com www.sueconnerartist.com

Visual Exercises in response to poems

by

Mary Oliver

Lafaiete

Sarah Treanor

Ann Leach

Irene Peake

Sue Conner

Wally

“I believe art is utterly important. It is one of the things that could save us.”

Mary Oliver