A Winner, and a Workshop in Progress

We have a winner for the giveaway in Monday's post:  It is Jo Murray from Australia.  I decided not to limit the giveaway to the US or to North America, so it is going to the other side of the world to Jo Murray.  Congratulations Jo!  E-mail me your mailing address, and I hope it doesn't break me to get this prize package to you.

On another topic, my Collage Journeys in Vermont Workshop is in progress, and so I'm going to share a few pictures of it with you.  This is works in progress:

Eva's Exuberance

Sharon's in progress

Sandy painting over marks with a brayer

Marilyn adding more collage

Nancy's First Layer

Lynn working

Peggy's First Layer of Collage

Stephanie's Teeny Tiny Art Series

Are we having fun yet??? 

Collage Journeys in Vermont, 2013

We had our Collage Journeys in Vermont workshop last week, with twelve creative and enthusiastic participants.  Janet, from Ohio, blogged about it here.  Take a look at her fabulous photos, including a good one of my post-office-with-chickens.

Here is a little video of the workshop, to give you a taste:

I took the opportunity to show off my Nova Scotia roots in the video by featuring James Hill on the ukulele with a very maritime-sounding uke-and-fiddle tune.

And a few pictures:

Big Fat Art on the Floor

More Big Fat Art on the Floor

One of Bette's collages

Marilyn's table

This is a piece I did as a demo.

As you can see, we did both collage and Big Fat Art.  For the collage, we spent the first afternoon painting papers and printing with the gel plate from GelliArts.   Then we did collage-paintings focusing on various compositional parameters. On the third day we started exploring Big Fat Art, which is REALLY fun to do in a group!

Big Fat Art it a state of mind rather than a particular type of art.  It is process-oriented, and part of the process is making a LOT of it.  Then you use your "starts" to explore and play, develop different concepts, go out on a limb, and, most importantly, keep the process going, moving forward.  

Next year's Collage Journeys in Vermont will be posted in the next couple of weeks, and open for registration.  The dates are August 12 - 16.  I will send out an e-mail when it is up on my site, so if you are interested, and not on my mailing list, please join it (in the right margin of this blog "join our mailing list" in a yellow-green box).  

I'm considering adding a Big Fat Art retreat in the spring, here in Vermont.  This may be a five day event or something shorter.  If that interests you, please comment with your ideas and suggestions.

Thanks for visiting!

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.

Cathy Farrell at Open Studios

I was teaching at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, CT last weekend, and had the opportunity to visit City Wide Open Studios in New Haven where my friend and student of several years, Cathy Farrell, was exhibiting her work for the first time in quite a while.  What a pleasure it was to see Cathy's work mounted, framed, given adequate wall space, and being admired by so many visitors. 

Cathy and me at her Open Studios gallery with "Turning In", Cathy's first larger-scale piece

"Turning In" 22"x30"

"Turning In" in progress, at Collage Journeys in Vermont retreat, August 2012

Cathy at Collage Journeys, August 2012, "Mooncircles" in foreground

A group of Cathy's collage compositions at Open Studios

Self Portrait collection at Open Studios

"Mooncircles", 22"x30" at Open Studios

Cathy at Guilford Art Center, 2011

"Day at the Beach" made at Guilford Art Center, 2011

"Gateway to the City", made at Guilford Art Center, 2011

See Cathy's post about the event on her blog, with more photos.  And, see her VIDEO TOUR!!

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you'll all consider attending your local Open Studios events, and participating if you can.  It's a great way to talk with artists about their work in a relaxed environment.  You won't get that at a gallery opening!  And for participants it's a way to get feedback, and engage in conversation about your work.

Collage Journeys in Vermont

OK, here is my real post about the workshop last week.  Collage Journeys in Vermont is a five day workshop I do here in Rupert, Vermont, my home town, in August.  This year's group was awesome, and I think a good time was had by all.  We were very lucky to have Julie Fei-Fan Balzer among the participants.  Not only is she an accomplished artist and teacher herself, but she takes pictures of EVERYTHING, and very good pictures.  So she is responsible for the photos in the previous post.  AND, she did two, yes TWO blog posts about this workshop, so I'll just send you over to her blog.  While you are there, check out her line of stencils.  She brought a load of them to share with the class.

Meanwhile, here are a few more pix taken by other students:

This is Julie staring at The Blank Page.  It did not stay blank for long!

painted papers and a few collage studies

Cathy (with a C)'s gorgeous large piece, 22"x30"

A collage painting by Lu

Mona's piece

One from Elizabeth

Most of us.  Joan is still down at my house drawing my chickens.

Definitely check out Joan's Flickr site.  She's not in the picture above, but see her on Julie's blog. If you want to join us next year for Collage Journeys 2013, make sure to get on my mailing list (above, right), or e-mail me.  I'll be opening registration in the fall.

Upcoming Retreats

fabric-paper in progress

Just a reminder of upcoming workshops this summer:

In July, I will be teaching at CREATE, hosted by Interweave Press, in Somerset, NJ:

• Wednesday, July 18, Fabric-Paper, 9 - 4
• Wednesday, July 18, Fusion Fabric, 6 - 9
• Thursday, July 19, Unbinding the Visual Journal, 9 - 4
• Thursday, July 19, Scribble Paint, 6 - 9

There are just a few spaces left in each of the above.

encaustic with plaster on panel

In August I'm returning to Art Unraveled in Phoenix:

• Sunday, August 5, Fabric-Paper
• Monday, August 6, Plaster and Wax 

Register here.
I'll be returning to Art and Soul in October:

• Monday, October 1, Abstract Landscape
• Monday, October 1, evening, Scribble Paint
• Tuesday, October 2, Plaster and Wax
• Tuesday, October 2, evening, Intro to Encaustics
  

The above daytime classes are almost full.

Collage Journeys in Vermont will take place here in Rupert, August 14 - 18 (Tue. - Sat.). This year's focus is on color and abstract composition.  Some of our activities will include:

• scribble painting
• staining tissue paper
• working with a gel plate
• working large
• collage marathons
• working in series
• keeping a sketchbook of ideas

 I have two spaces left for this workshop.


Later in August I'll be teaching at CREATE in Chicago.  The line-up includes:

visual journal page spread

• Wednesday, August 22, Fabric-Paper
• Thursday, August 23, Unbinding the Visual Journal
• Thursday, August 23, evening, Scribble-Paint

One more thing:  my next online workshop begins July 25, with Keys to Dynamic Composition.

scribble painting

Sketchbook In Progress

Thanks for all your comments on the gel plate work. It is fun fun FUN, and I'll be doing more.  Meanwhile, I am totally blown away by the work that's happening in my Sketchbook Practice class!  Check this out:

This is an exercise in exploring line.

And this is about circles.

Who knew you could get such fabulous variety from fairly simple exercises.  I will be offering this class again in the fall, date to be determined, but will definitely incorporate some of the exercises in my Collage Journeys in Vermont workshop this summer.  Thanks for visiting!

2012 Retreats

If you are considering an art retreat for 2012, or even if you aren't, I'm thrilled to announce that I will be teaching at a few:

In July, I will be teaching at CREATE, hosted by Interweave Press, in Somerset, NJ:

• Wednesday, July 18, Fabric-Paper, 9 - 4
• Wednesday, July 18, Fusion Fabric, 6 - 9
• Thursday, July 19, Unbinding the Visual Journal, 9 - 4
• Thursday, July 19, Scribble Paint, 6 - 9

Registration opens sometime in January.

In August I'm returning to Art Unraveled in Phoenix:

• Sunday, August 5, Fabric-Paper
• Monday, August 6, Plaster and Wax

Registration opens January 15.

I'll be returning to Art and Soul in October:

• Monday, October 1, Abstract Landscape
• Tuesday, October 2, Plaster and Wax

Registration is open NOW!

Collage Journeys in Vermont will take place here in Rupert, August 14 - 18 (Tue. - Sat.). I will have the description and registration sometime in January - don't worry, I will certainly blog about it!