Print Gallery
Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation.
- Unknown
Meet Janet Tam London
I was trained as a counselor, receiving my Master's Degree from Antioch University in 1974. For twenty five years I worked in community colleges, teaching psychology and personal growth classes and counseling. At age 50, I enrolled in an Artist's Way
class, and two things happened: I began creating art using pressed flowers and leaves and later began offering Artist's Way
classes myself because it helped so much to develop my own creativity. Kindness and compassion are very important components of my teaching, and watching women move from darkness into the light as their creative skills blossom is deeply rewarding. For the past ten years I have been selling pressed flower art pictures, prints, cards and home decor items and teaching a variety of creativity classes. I enjoy gardening, NIA dancing, meditation, traveling and spending time with my family and friends.
"As a seasoned workshop facilitator and teacher of almost 30 years I was deeply moved by Janet’s skill as a leader of our Artist’s Way group. Her ability to combine compassionate listening, reflective witnessing of individual’s experiences, and wise sharing of her personal journey with humor, ritual, and enthusiasm for the creative unfolding of our work together gifted me a deep transformative experience of connection with my Artist Within. I highly recommend her!" –Louise M. Pare, Ph.D.
About My Work
When I began my journey into this art form, I was experiencing a mid-life crisis that manifested in depression. As I started gathering and pressing flowers, leaves, even weeds from woods, roadsides, wild and manicured gardens, the life-affirming qualities of nature began to transform the depression into joy and happiness. Through my art I want to share the miraculous beauty of nature and its ability to heal and connect us with a sense of hope and optimism.
I thank God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and for the blue sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is Yes.
-e.e. cummings
About Flower Pressing
Pressing flowers is an art in itself. I use the Microfleur press for most of my pressing. The flowers are laid in the press and heated in a microwave oven for brief spurts. The resulting color is more vibrant than when a traditional flower press is used. Occasionally I use traditional wood presses for delicate flowers and for the greens. The placement of the flower is important as often I want the vibrant centers to show. I paint the greens to keep them from fading.
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
-Buddha
Art Shows and Events
8/5/2009: I will be participating in a fine art show "The Gifts of the Dark Night" at the Talent Art Gallery at 108 S. Market St., Talent, Oregon, October 1 through October 31, 2009. Please join me for the opening reception of this show on October 3 from 5:50 - 8:30 pm! At 6:30 there will be a presentation by Marla Estes, MA Transpersonal Studies, entitled "Embracing the Dark Night of the Soul."
Using art, writing and supportive sharing to explore and heal, I will team up with Betsy Lewis to present a day-long workshop entitled: "Healing in a Starry Starry Night," Saturday, November 7, 2009, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Center, 87 4th St., Ashland Oregon. The registration fee will be 75.00. More information will come out on my blog, so to register and confirm the latest details, please check in at my Mandala Classes page (which contains a mirror of my blog) or go straight to the blog here: Hummingbird Arts Class Schedules
3/7/2009: The Rogue Gallery & Art Center has invited me to be one of only 10 artists to participate in an invitation-only art exhibit, the Art In Bloom Invitational Exhibit, which will show May 2 through May 23, 2009 at the Rogue Gallery & Art Center during the ninth annual Art in Bloom Festival (May 9 and 10, 2009) in Medford, Oregon. The opening reception is scheduled for Friday, May 8th, from 5:30pm to 8pm.
3/6/2009: I've just posted my Spring 2009 schedule. There's a workshop coming up later in March, a free workshop in April and a 3-day workshop in May- check out my Classes page for details! The March workshop registration is already full, but if you're interested in another one, please let me know...
2/6/2009: Three of my prints will be in a gallery show sponsored by the Ashland Artisan's Gallery. They will be hung February 11 though April 30 at Royce Real Estate at 145 E. Main Street in Ashland. Prints are great for collectors of Pressed Flower and Nature Art as the beautiful color of the flowers are retained and the fresh look is captured. Their calming influence can also be a real benefit to patrons of holistic professionals, as well as a beautiful addition to their decor.
2/5/2009: I just received a letter from the Visual AIDS Board of Directors telling me that my submission to the 11th annual Postcards From The Edge benefit for Visual AIDS, held at Metro Pictures in New York, NY, was purchased! The artwork they invited artists to donate was in the size and form of a postcard, which they sold at the event for 75.00. My piece was called Courage (pictured at right)
, and is now in the possession of a collector in New York. I'm so pleased to have been able to contribute to this worthy cause, and grateful that this collector valued my work, as well as the cause, so highly.
The benefit did very well overall. Within 48 hours, this year's event raised an extraordinary $75,000 with the exhibition of 1,656 works and the attendance of thousands of guests. My congratulations to Visual AIDS for their brilliant idea and its success in raising funds for their efforts.