It's finally beautiful and warm. In the sun. And it's the last day/night of camp. The spiders have gotten bigger, especially the daddy long-legs in the bathrooms.

I have a theory that they are congregating there to plot a take over... They are the most venomous of spiders but feel cheated since they can't actually take down a human. So unfair. There were at least three watching me from the back of the composting toilet.

Late last night, my cabin mate Katie, knocked on my curtain and said, "Sandy? Are you afraid of spiders?"

"Is it bigger than me?" I asked.

It was only about an inch and a half so I flicked it off the cabin door into the woods. This WAS an emergency since she couldn't leave to go to the bathroom. I should have taken a photo of it first though. It was scary looking.

I chose the less private, but less-spidery outdoor showers this morning. I have to admit it was an interesting experience to shower early in the morning, outside, watching the fog rise off the lake and my own breath steaming in the sun. Brrr.

Class this morning was with Mati Rose McDonough adding imagery to our paintings. We worked on the beach and played with transfer paper.

We made sketches that we then transferred with colored Saral paper to our paintings. We got really punchy... Probably sunstroke...

Here's what I came up with...

And some of the others...

In the afternoon we talked about daily practices with Lisa Solomon - who wrote "Knot, Thread, Stitch". She had a lot of great ideas about how to integrate art into our daily lives and the importance of doing projects that are not for "work". And it's ok to make Bad Art. I had some good ideas, but I realize I need to feel accountable to someone to actually DO the work. Although, running away to Art Camp was my way of practicing impractical art. But I definitely need MORE.

And in answer to one commenter's question... I am at ARC, Art Retreat Camp on Mayhew Island on Newfound Lake in NH. It's run by Susan Schwake who runs Artstream Studio in Dover, NH and wrote the Art Lab for Kids books. I'm sorry I can't add the links since I'm blogging from my iPhone.

This is Susan...

We had supper outside tonight. Everyone is getting a little sad to head home to their... normal...  lives.

We took a serious group photo, but this one is much more fun and true to nature.

Now it is time for art share... Show and tell!

The art is amazing! My favorite is this coat by Pamela Boulden from Arkansas...

Doesn't it look fabulous on me!? She's going to make me one in black and purple.  Or maybe a steampunk one!!!!! Ooooo. It's made from reclaimed sweaters. Notice how twirly it is? And how long the pointy hoodie is? The hoodie can wrap around your neck like a scarf. (Pamela has an Etsy shop, but her coats sell as soon as she makes them so they never make it onto the site!)

And there was a performance from the handmade instrument class too. Here is Kerry from Australia and Paul in the back...

And lastly, check out the amazing ceiling of the lodge! The Mayhew Camp is an incredible six year summer program for boys and the ceiling hosts their cabin plaques. We were very fortunate to be able to use the space.

There was a lot of talk about what the Art Retreat Camp might be like next year... More days, more people... I'd like to teach too! It was really cool to be part of the first year and I loved the small size. I got to talk with everyone and made some fantastic new friends. I admit I am reluctant to go home and if I could find Arkansas on a map, I might consider moving there! At the least, we'll stay connected on Facebook. :-)
It will be so hard to say goodbye tomorrow. Although I won't miss the spiders...

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