Workshops

2020

 

 

July

 

July 24-26 - Ephemera Paducah - Paducah, KY

--Studio Sessions - Cancelled

 

July 31 - Art Unraveled - Phoenix, AZ

--50 Ways to Leave Your Layer - Cancelled

 

August

 

August 2 - Art Unraveled - Phoenix, AZ

--Too Cool for Spool - Cancelled

 

August 3-4 - Art Unraveled - Phoenix, AZ

--Bento Box - Cancelled

 

August 16-22 - Hudson River Valley Art Workshops - Greenville, NY

--Bento Box - 5-day retreat with day student option

--Retreat Full - waitlist only 

 

September

 

September 15-19 - Hutt Art Centre - Wellington, New Zealand --cancelled

 

September 22-28 - Fibre Arts Australia - Ballarat, Victoria Australia --cancelled

 

September 29-October 5 - Fibre Arts Australia - Toowoomba, Queensland Australia --cancelled

 

October

 

--to be determined

 

November

 

November 13-15 - The Studio of Annie Hooten - Albuquerque, NM

--At the Improv: a 3-day collaborative workshop with Mary Beth Shaw - Cancelled

 

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WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

 

Mixed Media Magic  - three-hour or one-day workshop

Want to take your mixed media skills to the next level? Then this workshop is perfect for you. Layer by layer, I will guide you through the process of creating dynamic art with depth, dimension and detail. Using gesso, acrylic paint and mediums, ink, collage, stamps and stencils, we will be building up a surface with techniques that create both actual and visual texture. Both traditional and alternate ways to use these materials will be discussed. This class is designed to help you learn to embrace an approach to creativity that is all about freedom, embracing "mistakes" and working without a plan. We will discuss strategies to help you start a piece, make choices along the way, and know when you are done. In the end, you will leave with a finished artwork and a variety of technqiues that you can use in all facets of your art practice.

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Encaustic Effect Embossing - three-hour workshop

Traditional encaustic painting, using pigments mixed with melted beewax and resin, leads to a magical look. But the process can be time consuming, challenging to learn, and expensive. In this workshop, you will learn a quick and easy process to achieve a similar effect by usimng my Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture embossing powder from Emerald Creek. The specific properties of this EP lend themselves to creating "waxy" translucent and tinted layers, perfect for mixed media. We start by creating collage-based artwork asnd subsequently slather them in layers of Vintage Beeswax. Deep embossing, drizzling, and object embedding will also be reviewed.

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Joker's Wild  - one-day workshop

Join me for a day filled with creative adventure and abandon. This one-day workshop is the sequel to 52 Card Pickup - only bigger, better and badder. We will be using flash cards to create a large art deck and a pocket case for storage. The focus of this class is to create without thinking and to learn to let go. All the approaches in this technique-heavy workshop will help free you from artistic constraints and can be easily applied to your own personal work in your studio. Working in layers, we will be developing dynamic surfaces that call out to be seen and touched. Raise your art-game ante and join me for this fast-paced and fun class.

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Too Cool for Spool - one-day workshop

Using wooden, sewing spools as a base, you will paint, ink, stamp, mark make, stitch and ultimately wind your way to mixed media mayhem! This workshop will focus on surface design, with an emphasis on creating loosely and without overthinking. Class begins by hand-stitching together your choice of paper and fabric to create long strands to work over. Following this, learn mixed media technqiues as you create and apply a unique design, filled edge-to-edge and end-to-end with your favorite colors, personal symbols, and both hand-drawn and stamped marks. Students will each complete muiltple spools, allowing for many different display options - both free-standing and hung. Spools will be provided but you are asked to bring your own paper, fabric and thread to further personalize your creation.

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50 Ways to Leave Your Layer - one-day workshop

Okay. Maybe not 50. But a lot. In this workshop, you will be putting your paint playlist on repeat as we go through a series of paint layerinmg techniques that you can apply to all your creative projects. Everybody will be provided with a journal to work in that we will fill up, page by page, with layered backgrounds. Additive and subtractive paint techniques, properties of acrylic paint, mark making, application strategies, and much more will be included. In the end, you will leave with a new journal that you can keep as a technique reference manual or continue to work in to complete your journal pages in your own personal style.

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52 Card Pickup – one-day workshop

A deck...52 cards. A year…52 weeks. Make the most of this synchronicity by creating a one-of-a-kind, mixed media journal that you can use to document a year in your life, week by week. In this workshop we will start by taking an ordinary deck of playing cards and, by using paint and paper, end up with a unique and personal journal small in size but large in impact. Press play when you enter the room because the techniques in this workshop are all about letting go, creating without thinking, and allowing your inner-artist to emerge. Along the way you will learn the secrets of layered backgrounds, the basics of collage composition, and tricks of the trade to literally tie it all together. In this class, you will always be dealt a winning hand.

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Bento Box - two, three, four or five-day workshop

Hungry for creativity? Build your own Bento Box filled with art in this technique-heavy workshop. We will be making a series of small-sized projects, each of which will nest inside its own container - for example, tins, boxes, bags, etc. Each of these will in turn be placed and housed inside one larger box, creating a very special treasure chest. Techniques will include acrylic painting, collaging, book binding, hand stitching, mark making, heat embossing, mixed media layering, stamping, assemblage, and more. Your unique art pieces will include some combination of handmade books, paintings, collages, assemblages, scrolls, wraps, shrines, spools, and more. We will also focus on surface altering techniques for your containers. Part of each day will revolve around focused and detailed demonstrations and instructions. Other periods will allow you to get into the zone without interruption. A significant amount of one-to-one creative mentoring will also be included during which time feedback will be provided. At workshop's end, we will take the time for a show-and-tell so you can see the work of your fellow attendees. 

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Studio Sessions - three, four or five-day workshop

A different type of workshop experience. For the artist who...wants something different than the traditional follow-the-leader, step-by-step instruction; is looking to shake up their creative practice and find a new direction; wants to be pushed in a safe and supportive environment; thrives when working alongside other creative individuals; and wants to further develop their creative talent, artistic voice, and art practice.

I will be your guide, offering ongoing demonstrations using the materials (paint, ink, texture mediums, paper, fabric, etc.) and processes (surface design, layering, texturizing, mark making, etc.) that together form the basis of mixed media art. Time will be set aside for discussions about both process (loosening up, getting started, making commercial products your own, etc.) and practice (getting serious, finding your artistic voice, studio habits, etc.) - as ell as open Q&A to discuss the creative issues that are most important to you. One-on-one direction, feedback, and support will be offered throughout the workshop. The artwork to be created and the supply list for this workshop are as non-traditional as the workshop itself. See details on the sites of the venues hosting.

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