Tag Archives: workshops

Workshop-O-Rama!

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OK, so maybe that’s a little hokey, but I did want to let you know about three cool June workshops before I leave for Boston. Here’s the Amazing, Stupendous lineup:

shellsWednesday, June 12, 6-8 p.m. at the Studio: Shards Pins  – This one happened kind of by request, and there are three spots left, so if you want to make some really pretty wearable art ornaments with earthenware faces, come join us that Wednesday evening – here’s the link to the description (tuition same as usual, $55 and all materials included)  and here’s where to sign up.

trioSaturday, June 15th, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.at the Studio: Shard Faces and Cabochon Beading: Master Class with Eileen Achorn (Beginners Welcome, Too!) This will be a rare and wonderful opportunity to work with Guest Artisan Eileen, whose beadwork is astounding. She’s a wonderful teacher, as well – heck, she’s a prof at UTSA. There are five spaces left at this point. Tuition $65, basic materials such as backings and face shards included (except for beads-BYOBeads :)) Optional: Eileen will be at Ann Pearce’s next door to the Studio to help you select beads with Ann before the class from 10-11 a.m. Here’s a link to the description and to the signup.

ladsmSunday, June 30th, 3-5 p.m. at the Studio: Digital Transfer and Painting Workshop
I’m really excited about this technique and have used it for all of the work I’m taking to the Beacon Hill Art Walk. We’ll use TAP paper to transfer the images, then incorporate them into a mixed-media work with paint and other media. Five spots left for this workshop (which will go fast, so even though it’s over a month away, you might want to sign up now). I will probably repeat this workshop in July, just FYI, if it goes as well as I think it will. Here’s the link to the description and here’s the link to sign up.

That’s all for now from Workshop-O-Rama Central. I’m off to practice my Boston accent so the natives will understand me – lets see . . .“I pahked my cahr in Hahhvad Yaahhrd . . “ OOh, wicked good. 🙂

3-PART ART #1

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So I was thinking about new workshops and such, and I thought it would be fun to share some quick and easy techniques that you can do with just three “ingredients” (there are a bunch of cookbooks like that*). The first of these is a Reanissance-esque little collage on watercolor paper that can you can use as a card or a cover on a box or – whatever you can think of. Here are the three ingredients (yep, they include my favorites):

  • Walnut Ink (made by Tsukineko, available at Michael’s and Jo-Ann’s or online)
  • Fake gold leaf (ditto)
  • A black and white page from an old art catalog or art book from Half-Price Books or wherever you can find pages to recycle

Here are the steps:

Idea – if you have an art “ingredient” that you bought and don’t know what to do with, tell me what it is and I’ll see if I can figure a three-ingredient project to use it with. Hey, and don’t forget about the Sacred Ground show today!

*PS If you want my favorite three-ingredient food-type recipe, click here 🙂

Workshop video – we learned so much

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It’s astonishing how much happened in two short days. Here’s the complete video of our weekend workshop at the Studio. Michelle Belto’s spiritual and physical energy took us on an unforgettable journey of artistic discovery!

 

I need to, I should . .arg!

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It’s one of those “I need to” mornings right before the Hildegard: Art and Soul Workshop which begins at 10:00 this morning at the Studio – incredibly good timing, because it is much needed.  “I need to post a Friday Freebie – oops, too late – I need to fold up the laundry – oops, forgot to put it in the dryer, it’s probably all stinky – oh, no.” Have you ever been swamped by so much stuff that you can’t talk yourself out of panic mode? I’m not quite there yet, but am on the outskirts. However, after visiting with Michelle Belto yesterday about the workshop plans, there’s hope, because she could calm and refocus anybody. Check out her blog post on Viewpoint and Perspective. It makes me wonder why we don’t give our own selves permission to chill out once in a while, like Michelle did at the Spurs game. I’ll report back from the workshop as a new, improved serene ME.

On that very topic, Here’s a link to upcoming Studio events – lots of cool stuff- actually, being frazzled is sometimes productive. I keep telling myself that the best research papers I ever wrote in college were the ones I did the night before they were due. Yeah, sure.

Your Saturday order-of-the-day is to do something relaxing for yourself. Get a pedicure – guys, too! Eat some gelato, that yummy salty caramel kind! In the meantime,convincing myself that things are getting done, I did finish the five Guardian pieces – they will go to the Cathedral House exhibit on the 19th of this month along with some other small paintings. Here’s a phone shot as I was leaving the Studio last night – whew! Happy Saturday 🙂

guardians

 

Gloria Hill: Guest Artist for April

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I’m honored to feature my long-time friend, Gloria Hill, whose expressive abstract paintings have blossomed in 2013. She started working with me at the Studio in February (I hesitate to say “taking lessons” because I learn as much from her as she does from me). Gloria grasps an idea and makes it her own. She is dedicated and amazingly prolific considering that she has a demanding full-time career as North East ISD’s Director of Visual Art where her art teachers and students win state and national awards. Gloria is, thankfully, finding time for her own art, and boy, is she good! Her paintings (below) speak for themselves, but this is what she has to say about her personal creative journey:

“We all have to start somewhere and I feel that I am at the gathering stage in my work.  I am motivated by the strong urge to create.  I hope that through the process of discovering, gathering, creating, experimenting, searching, failing, and learning I will develop the tools, techniques, and processes to better express myself.   I know who I am and am happy with me.  I never want to stop growing and learning and I am finding that my art is taking me down the path I want to travel.  It is giving me joy, inner peace, confidence, and a feeling of personal accomplishment.”

Thank you, Glo, for sharing your talent and inspiring work!

Spirit Dolls, Opening Night

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The second big Studio event in two days was just as enjoyable as the poetry reading in a different way – a nice crowd of artisans and friends gathered to see the Spirit Dolls and to ask questions about their construction and uses. There was lots of curiosity and admiration for the work, especially when the guests learned that the dolls had been constructed in just two hours during the workshop. Once again, many of the people who came tonight saw old friends that they hadn’t seen in years or discovered new connections with people they hadn’t met before. I love it when that happens! There’s something about that Studio space that encourages those kinds of connections . . ..  . and here’s a video from this lovely evening:

 

The Solomons: wisdom and art

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Last October I had the good fortune to meet artist/sculptor Pablo Solomon and his designer/creative director wife Beverly at an art opening at Marta Stafford’s gallery in Marble Falls. Pablo’s sculptures were captivating – very organic and fluid in stone and clay. We started talking and decided we needed to stay in touch. And we did! This weekend Beverly and Pablo came to San Antonio and we spent two days with them exploring galleries, talking, eating, laughing and discovering lots in common. They are amazing people who took the leap of faith to leave the city and make their home on 1856 historic ranch for sale in the Texas Hill Country north of Austin. You can read about it in an article about Beverly (and Pablo) here. If you visit their websites, you’ll be as amazed as I was with scope and depth of their talents. And they are both passionate conservationists and ecological crusaders.

I’m especially grateful to both of them for the good advice they gave me about my Studio space. I hope to have them back soon for an evening lecture about some of the things we discussed over the two days of our visit. Here we are at the Botanical Garden‘s Art in the Garden yesterday evening – a perfect venue for a sculptor!

solomonAnd here’s Pablo with Miro (thanks in advance, Beverly, for letting me swipe this great photo from the website) – some of the best stories we heard were about Miro the Amazing Cat with three legs – hooray for Miro, Pablo and Beverly!

 

 

 

Fonts 101

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Ever want to add a new font to use in your designs? It’s really easy – here’s how. These directions are for Windows but I can do a Mac version later if you like.

If I’m looking for a new fort for a particular project (or just for fun) I start at Fontspace. Lots of designers contribute to it and you’ll see fonts from beautiful to weird.

fontspace1I found one I like called Wallflower.

fontspace2I clicked on the Download button (be careful here to click the correct arrow because sometimes ads for software slip their download links in and you end up with something you didn’t want – ads are the way fontspace keeps it free)

fontspace3You font will download as a Zipped file:

fontspace4When you see it in the window, double-click on it.

fontspace5A page will open with every letter and variation of the font – and if you look at the top, there’s an “Install” button.

fontspace6And, voila! The next time you open a word document or a program like Illustrator, it will be available for you to choose from in your font list!

fontspace7Happy Fonting!

 

Sunday Wrap-up

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Today’s Mala and Spirit Flag Workshop felt like playing – wonder if there’s such a thing as a Playshop? It was like summer outside where we splattered our prayer flags with paint. We didn’t get much more done with the flags because sitting around the table stringing mala beads and talking was a lot more relaxing. One of the things we discussed was creating with intention, which seems to elevate and enrich any project.

Congratulations to Barbara Weitbrecht, the winner of the Mala meditation bracelet. Barbara, email me and let me know if there’s a favorite color you’d like me to use for the tassel. I’m still far from perfect at making these little wrist Malas, but it will be made with much love.

Here’s a video from today’s workshop – you can see what the parking lot around the Studio looks like! It was deserted on a Sunday afternoon so no one ran over our prayer flags. Yay!

Studio mascot?

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Today was a workday in the Studio, painting walls and rearranging artwork. I bought a new rug for the front door area that was cheap and colorful – yay. But the most amazing thing was moving those hawks wings (some of you have seen them) to a new wall above the drafting table. After they were mounted, I remembered a lonely deer skull that was high on a wall in the guest room of our house – we brought it to the studio and hung it with the wings – just look! It is a mythical guardian creature! I hope it doesn’t scare me to death when I walk in tomorrow morning – but I think it is more protector than predator. Just keep that in mind if you’re coming to the Mala workshop tomorrow.

Deer skull and hawk's wings

Deer skull and hawk’s wings