I wanted to list all the classes that I’m scheduled to teach in 2009, FYI and for a one-stop-shop kind of resource! I will be teaching seven different workshops at five venues!
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2009 Venues
Carol Parks’ Studio (March, Southern CA) 3 days
Artfest (April, Port Townsend, WA) 2 days
Art & Soul (May, Hampton, VA) 2 days
Art Unraveled (August, Phoenix, AZ) 1 day + 2 evening classes
Art & Soul (October, Portland, OR) 2 days + 1 evening class
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IMAGINARY CREATURES
MARCH: Carol Parks’ Studio (Southern CA, a 3-day expanded version)
APRIL: Artfest (Port Townsend, WA)
OCT: Art & Soul (Portland, OR)
This class is a mixed-media-junkie-animal-lover’s dream! Most art making involves a “no thinking/no judgment” portion and a “reign it in/give it some thought” portion. These paintings are no different, and I will guide you through both of these stages, introducing a few unexpected mixed media technigues on the way. You will be surprised that many of your abstract starts will already suggest the animal it is going to be… you simply need to finish what’s already “there”. Other paintings will require more concentrated effort, and we will use both 2D and 3D references get you started in those cases. Students work on six to ten small paintings simultaneously, as layers of watercolor and gesso need to dry before subsequent layers are added. (Working this way has the double benefit of giving you time “away” from each painting so that you see the pieces with fresh eyes when you come back to them). As your facilitator I will spend a lot of time “working the room”, helping each of you make decisions to create the best paintings possible. I will give needed encouragement, suggestions and tips on how to fix mistakes (there is almost no mistake that cannot be worked with). We always end the day with a mini art show — a perfect chance to learn from each other and delight in the day’s creations.
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JUNK MAIL ARTISTS’ BOOK
APRIL: Artfest (Port Townsend, WA)
MAY: Art & Soul (Hampton, VA)
OCT: Art & Soul (Portland, OR)
With a handful of junk mail, some gesso and watercolors, you”ll spend the morning creating the soft, beautiful colors and textures you see here. You will go through a “no thinking, no decisions” stage and then a “thinking” stage, adding or subtracting pigment as needed until you are satisfied with each “page”. You will be encouraged to listen to that inner voice that will always tell you when to stop, when to keep going, and when to give up. After we bind our pages into an irregular-shaped book, we”ll do some loosening up exercises to segway into the drawing and painting portion. (Can”t draw? We”ll fix that.) Using photo references and your imaginations, you will begin a painting on one spread, with the goal of having each spread connect to and work with the images from other spreads. (In other words, the book pages will be bound irregularly so that drawings from one spread will show up when you turn the page, and you will then create an image based on what is already “started.”) Just as each individual is different, so will be the process of each painting. Some images will come easily, and some will give you more difficulty. I will spend a lot of time with each of you, offering suggestions, encouragement and ways to “fix” perceived mistakes. At the end of class most of you will have a beautiful, mixed media artist book ready for your coffee table at home.
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PRACTICING WHIMSY
MAY: Art & Soul (Hampton, VA)
Odd. Silly. Fanciful. Fun! If you would like to develop these characteristics in your work, here’s your chance to learn to “let go” and develop your more whimsical side. We’ll spend the morning completing dozens of drawings using a variety of media including pencil, charcoal, ink, and more. In the afternoon we’ll add watercolor, design and composition tips to the mix. We’ll create from life, from photographs and from our imaginations. The drawings and paintings you create today can be framed, pasted in journals, reworked later, turned into books, or “recycled” (or, most likely, all of the above). BUT, the best thing you’ll bring home is a renewed, childlike confidence with pencil and paper.
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WATERCOLOR TRANSFER PAINTINGS
AUGUST: Art Unraveled (Phoenix, AZ)
In this class we’ll experiment with this easy and quick technique that creates some of the lovliest watercolor textures I’ve seen… if you love the intricate patterns found in a single rock, for example, you will love this class. Using only t-shirt transfer paper and watercolors, we’ll spend a relaxed evening playing with brush techniques, working in layers and even creating some cut paper collage paintings (think Eric Carle) on paper and fabric. (Watercolor on fabric? Yes!!) You can even incorporate this technique into your journal pages.
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PERSONAL ICON PAINTINGS
AUGUST: Art Unraveled (Phoenix, AZ)
This painting class draws inspiration from traditional icon painting where frontal figures, flat perspectives and non-realism are hallmark. We will also endeavor to maintain those characteristics that embody icon painting: simplicity, restraint, grace, balance and appropriateness. But that’s where the traditional approach ends: we will paint our icons using a mixed-media method that includes gesso, watercolor, charcoal, pencil, even collage — a process that will bring exciting texture and depth to this very personal work. Each student should go home with at least one finished piece.
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DRAWING BLAST (in Technicolor)
AUGUST: Art Unraveled (Phoenix, AZ)
Can’t draw a straight line? Neither can your teacher! Tonight you will complete a series of guided exercises and “assignments” using a variety of media including pencil, ink, ballpoint pen, Sharpie, watersoluable crayon, and pastel but with a twist — no black allowed! From whimsical to serious, we will draw from life, from photographs and from our imaginations.
Join us! Even if you haven’t drawn since third grade, you’ll walk out of this class saying, “Drawing is a blast!”
NOTE: For those of you who have already taken Drawing Blast, you will enjoy the additional challenge of working with color… plus, there will be all new exercises and assignments! “Drawing Blast in Technicolor” is designed for both returning students as well as those new to drawing.
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JUST YOU AND THE PAINT
OCT: Art & Soul (Portland, OR)
Here are the rules:
1. Acrylics on wood.
2. Five minutes tops for each piece.
During the first half of class we are trying to loosen up, work quickly without judgments, and create a large pile of paintings in a short period of time. You will paint from verbal prompts that I provide as well as from your instinct and imagination.
After the break we’ll pick several paintings to develop further at a slower pace. We’ll talk color, composition, and what other characteristics make a successful painting. I will provide almost everything, so just bring yourself and be ready to work. This class is for those of you who want to explore what happens when it’s just you and the paint.
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