Student work from Art and Soul in Portland

I wanted to share with you some of the awesome work my students did at Art and Soul in Portland earlier this month.  Next year's Portland event will be in early April; I will be teaching three classes, of which I have not decide the exact topics yet.  Thinking of something with the gelli arts gel plate, something in composition (each two days), and a one-day class on something else.  Requests and suggestions are welcome.

These are from the Dynamic Composition  class and Layering and Excavating:

Out Takes from a Series

My last few posts have been about series I'm working on now:  the black and white pieces, and the neutrals.  For the most part I ALWAYS work in series; I always start with the idea that I will do multiple pieces exploring similar issues, whether it's color, technique, a certain combination of visual elements, or other set of parameters.  It is obvious to me, and perfectly acceptable, that not all the pieces I do come to a satisfactory conclusion.  Here are a few out takes, or I'll call them works in progress, from the neutral pieces I demonstrated in the last  post:

I may need to paint over more of this.  Letting it think a while.

This one is starting to look a little fussy to me.

I like the gestural, raw quality of the paint strokes in this one.

This one might be done, but I'm letting it sit a while before I decide.

Actually, this one is definitely done.  Love the minimal quality.

 Meanwhile, I still have the black and white series going, and started some 20"x20" pieces in addition to the 12"x12"s. 

Table full of Black and White Pieces in progress

Many of you know from my workshops that I emphasize working in series, or working in quantity, or at least working on several pieces at once.  It helps you let go of the preciousness of the individual piece, and explore an idea more deeply.  I am offering a one-day working specifically on Working In Series at Art and Soul in Portland this March.  Check it out here.  In my longer workshops we work on whatever the topic is, but always in multiples. 

Pictures from Virginia Beach

First, though, here is the link to see the 6"x6" pieces displayed by North Country Studio Workshops.  These pieces are available for $66 each, and many are already sold! See my previous post to view the pieces I donated.  They are both sold.  (YES!!!).

OK, I was teaching at Art and Soul in Virginia Beach last week, where I had a great time connecting with lots of enthusiastic artists.  Here are a few pictures:

Getting ready for gel plate printing

A piece in progress from Masks and Stencils

My piece in progress from Masks and Stencils

From "Art Therapy for your Inner Critic", using colors we don't like

Another version of the above

More from the Inner Critic

Some Big Fat Art (18"x24")

The rest of the photos are from Big Fat Art, one of my favorite classes, and practices.

I love all the layering and juxtaposition of contrasting marks that were achieved in Big Fat Art and other classes.  My next Art and Soul adventure is in March in Portland, Oregon.  I will be teaching:

Big Fat Art
Expressive Mark Making
Stencils and Masks
Layers and Textures
Balancing Opposites: The Yin and Yang of Abstract Composition
Working in Series

See all my workshops here.  See all workshops here.

Addressing Your Inner Critic

At Art and Soul this fall in Virginia Beach, most of my workshops are geared towards addressing your Inner Critic - you know, that voice that infuses your art practice with doubt, and saps you of confidence.  There is no question that making art involves a certain amount of angst, effort, resistance, frustration, and other emotions that accompany activities that are ultimately compelling and fulfilling.  For me, the key is to make some kind of peace with these and to align my expectations with What Really Happens In The Studio rather than what I think should happen.  Some of the exercises I do in workshops are particularly suited to this; they seem to get people moving, unstuck, and having fun making art.  This is just one such exercise: Speed Painting. This is an unedited, though short, video of me demonstrating Painting the Paper in Twenty Seconds, then drawing into it and taking prints off of it.

We will be doing this, and other such exercises in Art Therapy for your Inner Critic, Big Fat Art, and a version of it in Drawing Blind. 

On this one I began by making marks with graphite before doing the speed painting and lifting.

This is one of the "prints" pulled from the speed painting.  Ditto the next two.

The process makes a LOT of interesting starting points for further painting and drawing. Stay tuned, and I'll post these again after I've worked on them.

See all my Virginia Beach workshop offerings, October 1 - 3, here.
See all of the Art and Soul Virginia Beach offerings here.

Art and Soul in Portland

Here are some pix from Art and Soul in Portland.  I am so grateful to all those who participated in my classes and made it a really fun experience.  Also to Glenny and Marie who produce this event and make it run smoothly.  They manage to think of lots of little "extras" to make both teachers and attendees feel special and well cared for.

Dayna Collins and Karen

Me trying to be entertaining

I was honored to have Serena Barton in my Balancing Opposites class.

Barbara and Mary in the Transparencies class

Various works in progress from the Transparencies class

Belinda

Dayna's work in Working In Series

Laura's Mermaid in Transparencies

Sue's collage papers

Working in Series, in progress

Sonchen and Anne

For more pictures and information on Art and Soul events, go to their Facebook Page or web site.