Intuitive Painting at Omega

There are a few spots available in my Intro to Intuitive Painting at the Omega Institute the weekend of September 14 - 16. If you've never painted before, or want to refresh your practice, this workshop will get you into your materials and process without the pressure of making "good art". We will draw with a pipe cleaner, color with crayons, paint with our hands, collage with pretty papers, create patterns, make monoprints, and generally PLAY with the art materials in a safe and supportive environment.  Sign up here.

Back from OMega

Well now I'm totally blissed out, having spent five days at The Omega Institute in the Hudson Valley, where I was teaching "Expressive Collage and Painting".  What a fabulous group of women (yes, they were all women) I had in my class!!  The environment of Omega is so totally in line with what I teach in my art workshops, and the staff and faculty support were so accommodating, that it was indeed an honor and a pleasure to teach there.  Omega offers a wide variety of workshops to nurture your soul, or you can just go there for a little getaway or personal retreat with R & R.

Here is a bit of totally unedited video of the workshop.  Out of respect for the participants, I included only myself on the hoola-hoop (those of you who were in the workshop will get the full version).

And here are a few photos, taken by my fabulous assistant, Lu:

Anne, who is a workshop facilitator herself in "process art", with me pestering her

Genny

Genny again, with her gorgeous work

Me with the group

Sandy working

And here are a few photos from Omega's web site:

Relaxing under a tree

Reading in the library

Dining on the porch

Tai Chi by the lake

Expressive Collage and Painting at Omega

As you may know, I am teaching at the Omega Institute this fall, September 22 - 27.  The workshop is called Expressive Collage, and you can find the description here.  This will be like an extended version of Scribble Collage, the topic of my DVD:  we'll start by creating our own collage papers, then use those to make compositions in collage and paint.  I emphasize focusing on process, and working in series, as well as developing personal approaches to art making.

This is my first attempt at a video with voice-over (rather than talking as I shoot, as I do in my demo videos), but I hope it gets the point across.

Omega is in the Hudson Valley, in Upstate New York, and has a beautiful campus, with a lake and hiking trails. There are yoga classes open to all, and serene places to meditate or have some quiet time.  This will be a true retreat!

Progress on my Shape Pieces

I just took down my show "Pattern and Process', but you can still see the show here on my website.  I removed the pieces that sold, so what you see is available for purchase.

Meanwhile, I am preparing for a group show called "Journey Into Process" at Vermont Institute of Contemporary Art, which opens in July.  I will show some of the pieces in Pattern and Process, as well as some new work.  June will be a very busy month in the studio!

Here is a bit of the progress on the Shape Pieces I posted last week:

Shape #25

Shape 20 - I think this one's done.

Shape #21

Shape #22

Shape #23

Shape #24

Shape #26 - This might be done.

Shape #27 - definitely still in progress.

One of many vertical stacks I'm working on.  More on those later.

Another of the verticals, just a beginning

Except for where noted in the caption, I don't yet know which ones I will work on more, and which I will leave as is.  I'm starting to combine the print process (demonstrated in the video last week) with collage, so I'm also using the gel plate to make collage papers.


This technique of working with masks and stencils as well as collage, drawing, and painting, all in the same piece, is making my idea-generation very fluid.  These are pretty quick and easy to start, though the development of painting, line, and collage are much slower.  I am definitely planning on demonstrating and engaging students with this approach in my Collage Journeys workshop this summer, as well as my Expressive Collage And Painting workshop at the Omega Institute in the Hudson valley in September.  It is particularly conducive to mindfulness, staying present with the process, and letting go of your Inner Critic.

Teaching at OMEGA

I just got a gig teaching a FIVE-DAY workshop at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, in the Hudson Valley.  YAY!  It is September 22 - 27, 2013, THIS YEAR, and I am absolutely psyched!  Omega is a retreat center that nurtures the mind-body-spirit while offering many kinds of workshops, from yoga and meditation to relationships and creative expression (that'd be me).  I am offering Expressive Collage, which will be in their upcoming catalog.  So, while I'm teaching, I can take yoga and meditation classes in the morning and evening, enjoy their hiking trails, go to presentations in the evenings, and generally have a good, relaxing time.  I hope you'll consider joining me for this workshop!  I will post reminders with more details as we get closer to the date.

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