Art Escape!

What a wonderful month is April!  It equals October for beautiful color in the mountains of West Virginia.  Right now we have blooming dogwood and redbud trees, azaleas and tulips here in the city.  In the countrysides, there are fields of yellow mustard and bright spring green sprouting plants.  It's a great time to escape work and the daily routine.  It's the month of Artiscape - a weekend art retreat in Columbus, Ohio.  This was my third year to attend.  Yet, I can hardly believe that it's only been two years that I have been making art after attending my first art class ever with Amy Flowers (see her web site here)at Artiscape in 2009.  What a journey it has been.

Last weekend was this year's "art escape" that I had been looking forward to through the long and nasty winter we had.  The gorgeous drive to Columbus through farm country got me in the spirit of thinking "color," and a reunion with my mentor was just the ticket to get my creativity flowing.  My first class, "Rocky Road Collage" was with Amy.  We prepared a 12 inch square canvas with tissue paper and cheesecloth to create a textured surface for a collage.  I didn't finish my painting during the class (I love to do layers and more layers), so I did most of the painting part when I got home.  I love the quote that I used from Amy's great collection of rubber stamps - "Everything happens for a reason.. it's just a matter of moving your point of view around until you see it." 

Another class that really inspired me to paint was "Landscape of Dreams" with Serena Barton.  She gave us instruction and examples of painting with a palette knife.  I really love impressionist art, so this technique was quite exciting.  I started a little painting on an 8x10 canvas and, as usual, finished it at home.  This little painting is my attempt to represent West Virginia Spring.  I have much to learn, but that (learning) is the part I love best!

A is for Artiscape

Artiscape, Part II

One thing I learned at Artiscape is that I can't learn everything in a three or four hour class.  Repujado (metal embossing) was lots of fun, but I need lots of practice to make my lines smooth and precise.  Magdalena Muldoon is an expert and excellent teacher, and we were lucky to have the opportunity to take this class from her.

Another class where I learned to work with metals was "Artistic Soldering" taught by Paula Hardesty.  This is a very popular class, but Paula was very well-organized and she took us through all of the steps to make a pendant from microscope slides and collage materials.  I wanted to try everything she showed us, so I added wire and beading on both sides of my piece.  Check out Paula's blog for some better examples.  Practice, practice, practice is my mantra right now!

In "Floral Journals," Barbara Close demonstrated how to paint lovely abstract flowers in a handmade journal that she provided.  Her work is quite lovely.  Mine needs (guess what?) practice.  If I didn't have my fingers in so many other paints right now, I'd sign up for a watercolor class.  I love to look at watercolors, but I have a tendency to glop on the paint.  Acrylics suit heavy-handed people better, I guess.

Barbara is a calligrapher, well-known for her decorative work.  Her web site has a gallery of her work.

Artiscape 2010 (Part I)

Is there such a thing as too much inspiration?  After participating in a four-day art retreat, I am nearly overwhelmed with ideas, new techniques to try, and new materials to use.  What an amazing experience Artiscape is!!  The instructors were fantastic.  In each workshop, we made something and came away with written instructions so that we could replicate the technique at home.  In some, I felt like I really accomplished something; in others, I found out what my shortcomings are and where I can benefit from more study and practice.  The first few days, I took pictures in my classes.  The last few classes, I was beginning to get overwhelmed and totally forgot to take my camera.

This was the second year that I was able to take an acrylic painting/collage class with Jacqueline Sullivan.  This year she taught us techniques for adding texture with foil, cheesecloth, and modeling paste. 

I used the theme of the retreat, "The Enchanted April," as the theme of my collage.

The finished piece!

This is just a taste of Artiscape and one of five classes that I took.  More later when I take photos of the pieces I brought home.  Kudos to Lisa Ohmer and the staff of European Papers and their recruits who sponsored and planned this jam-packed weekend!

Inspiration Coming up!

I'm off to Artiscape in Columbus, Ohio, this weekend and am so excited.  Last year, this art retreat was the beginning of a whole new world for me.  I was introduced to painting with acrylics, making my own rubber stamps, embossing metal, and other mixed media arts.  I can only hope that this year will be just as invigorating and life-changing. I'm looking forward to classes with Jacqueline Sullivan ("Layers Upon Layers" Collage) Barbara Close (Floral Journals), Kimberly Byerly (Botanicals), Magdalena Muldoon (Metal Embossing), and Paula Hardesy (Artistic Soldering) - some new techniques and some advanced techniques of what I learned last ear.  Can't wait!  This year's theme is "The Enchanted April".  I've been working on  a collage/painting that reflects the story line of the book/movie to enter into the silent auction for the benefit of the Susan Komen Foundation. Hope it brings in lots of money!!  :)  Will report on Monday.