Billings and Telluride’s Ah Haa School offer art immersion in Bali

04 Aug Billings and Telluride’s Ah Haa School offer art immersion in Bali

[click “Play” button to hear Susan X. Billings on Bali trip]

Artist Susan X. Billings of mangoworkshops.com, an umbrella for artful travel, in conjunction with Telluride’s Ah Haa School for the Arts, is offering a Bali Workshop that combines art, yoga, and Indonesian cooking, September 25 – October 2, in a tropical island setting.

Billings is the kind of protean talent who is out there to prove that all of life is art. A glimpse at one of her mixed media images tells the whole story: the work has nothing to do with ‘”isms” du jour or with art historians’ creaky theories. It has everything to do with being an original, with a big soul and a richness of spirit.

Billings is into details from a life spent smelling the roses, and her art, the nexus of those details, reflects that fact – although her collages are not representational. It is the resonance of a thing Billings tries to capture in her work, not the thing itself.

Which brings us to Bali, a place with a resonance Billings loves. The artist and adventure traveler – Billings was once a mountaineering and travel guide – is way into the gentle Hindu/Buddhist island culture that happily weaves art into fabric of its daily life – clothing, flowers, architecture, food presentation –  and demonstrates great respect for beauty in ritual. She describes the upcoming workshop as a “pot pourri” of her favorite Balinese experiences to date: warm coral reef ocean, quiet fishing village, good food, amazing inland rice paddies, textile shops, hibiscus, watermelon and ginger lemonade drinks, daily art, and yoga, taught by daughter Coral Ferguson, a certified instructor. (All levels welcome.)

 Ah Haa is in the epiphany business – the school is dedicated to helping people find their inner artist –  and Billings believes epiphanies are more likely to happen when people leave familiar stomping grounds and routines behind. Mango Workshop is all about traveling to discover yourself and learning to see with a fresh eye, the foundation of all art.

Why Mango Workshops? “Because mangos are so colorful, juicy, tropical and fun,” explained Billings.

Days begin with yoga to unite the body and soul of the artist and include explorations in multi-media collage, which combines watercolor, ink, pastel and stamps.

To learn more, click the “play” button and listen to Billings’ podcast.