Our story starts with 3 friends, and a question: “Who wants to travel to extraordinary locations and teach or take amazing art workshops?”
But a moment to digress first.
Dragonflies are powerful travelers. They're the ultimate primordial species, pre-dating even dinosaurs! Appearing in art, legend and myth across countless cultures, dragonflies are ancient symbols of myth, mysticism and spiritual metaphor.
Dragonflies have been used to symbolize transformation, expansion, self-realization, spiritual pursuit, and the convergence of dream with reality.
Aren't these the very qualities we can use to deepen our art practice?
Dragonflies in myth, spirituality and mysticism are a blend of fire and water energy, the balance of female/male energy or yinyang.
You can see the parallels, right?
Gorgeous marvels of engineering, the wings are a complex aerodynamic structure which provides sophisticated flight control.
These highly evolved aeronauts are breathtakingly beautiful, with bodies of brilliant iridescent or translucent color or bold solid colors in stripes or patterns. Their wings may look diaphanous and fragile, but are strongly constructed veins, with iridescent chitin membranes, capable of withstanding enormously strong winds and vibrations.
So all in all, the Golden Dragonfly seems like a powerful and perfect guide for us as travelers, artists, life explorers and art enthusiasts.
Founder and artist Julia O’Reilly is a passionate explorer of new ideas and places. On an impromptu trip with a friend to walk the great sacred labyrinths in the sand in Bandon, Oregon, a conversation took place. Thus the concept for the Golden Dragonfly Academy for Art was born.
“In truth? The name just popped into my head during a deep brainstorming session to name the business. But once there, it felt so right and resonated so deeply that I started reading and learning more about dragonflies, which have always enchanted me. The meanings and significance have mostly come later.”
— Julia
“The big question is whether you are going to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”
— Joseph Campbell
What is the Golden Dragonfly Academy for Art?
The Golden Dragonfly Academy is an academy without walls, where adventure, travel and discovery are infused with art and learning.
The Golden Dragonfly Academy is for life-long learners and explorers. We encourage experimentation, day-dreams and fun.
julia o'reilly