SHADOWED PLACES - PAST AND PRESENT WITH GILLIAN LEE SMITH

October 1-8, 2023

Northumberland, United Kingdom

Northumberland is home to rolling green fields filled with sheep, cows, horses, castles and places to lose yourself in history and time. It is also where artist Gillian Lee Smith calls home. We visited here years ago and fell in love so we are heading back.

Once again, we will stay in delightful Alnwick at the charming 300-year-old coaching inn, The White Swan, just steps away from the Alnwick Castle and Gardens.

Gillian is over the moon to be sharing her local area of Northumberland for another workshop. This time we dive deep into history and a sense of atmosphere and place – the castles and ruins that dominate this landscape and remind us of times long since passed.

We will be exploring iconic historical landmarks such as the gloriously decadent Alnwick Castle and Gardens – Ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland (and of course made famous by the story of a certain boy wizard, Harry Potter).

Holy Island is a very special place – separated from the mainland by a tidal causeway and the Priory is the scene of the Viking invasion of Britain. The Lindisfarne Castle is an instantly recognizable silhouette on this tiny island.

Warkworth Castle is Gillian’s (and mine) favorite castle in the area and is fascinating in its passageways, darkened, shadowed chambers and archways. Wonderful, mysterious and sure to be an inspiration for our creativity during this workshop.

The workshop

There are so many hidden and treasured locations to explore in Northumberland. It’s a challenge to pick only a few! Layers and layers of history, shape, texture, atmosphere and narrative are abundant, and we will be gathering lots of inspiration in order to create unique interpretations of our own personal response to all that is to be discovered here.

Doorways, arched windows, crumbling walls, ancient textures and text. Silhouettes and shadows. Heraldry and statues. Decadence and decay. The marks left by those long since departed. The colours in the landscape and ancient buildings. We will be gathering personal interpretations of all these things where we will use them to spark even deeper exploration back in the studio.

Gillian will be demonstrating simple ways of gathering inspirations from the fascinating multi-layered forms of castles and the priory. The shapes we find in the ruins will be the spark that will inspire sculptural book forms with mixed media with an additional focus on texture and atmosphere. Shadowy, inky colour washes, flowing, gestural lines and wonderful mark-making and textural details. Layers that fold out to form fascinating interpretations of the wonderful ancient architecture of the area.

These books could then inspire some large mixed media interpretations and compositions that build history and atmosphere, lost and found structures and evocative details layer upon layer.

Itinerary

Day 1. Oct. 1 We will meet at the hotel bar for our first meet and greet.

Day 2. Oct. 2 Breakfast will be served in the beautiful dining room at “our table.”

We will meet in the workshop room at 9:30. Gillian will share her sketchbooks and mixed media works and will talk about her inspiration and development of her work inspired by the local area.

We will then explore various simple book structures and techniques to create “maquettes” to inspire our sketching and book forms later in the week.

We will walk to Barter’s Bookstore for our dinner. The largest used bookstore in the United Kingdom. The best mac and cheese

Day 3. October 3 This morning we will leave promptly at 8:45 a.m. for Holy Island where we will spend the day sketching. The many historical landmarks will be inspiration for our gathering today in particular the ruins of the priory.

Gillian will demonstrate simple sketching techniques to help us gather information from the ancient buildings and ruins, the dramatic landscapes and the marks left by those long since departed. We will depart promptly at 2!

Lunch will be at Barn at Beale just off the island before we head to Baumburgh Castle to sketch or we may go the lime kilns at Beadnell before heading back to Alnwick.

Day 4. October 4 Breakfast at the hotel and then a studio day where we will be creating foundational pages for our book sculptures. Thinking about shape, space and laying down layers to work into later in the week. Lunch at the castle then free afternoon with dinner on your own.

Day 5. October 5 Time for another early breakfast before we leave at 9:00 am for Warkworth. You will love the passageways that will inspire your work this week.

We will have lunch at a nearby tea house, returning back to the castle for further sketching, or we will visit Chillingham Castle. Gillian swears we will love it there. Interesting history and an eclectic mix of items.

This Art Escape is full. A waitlist has started.

This Escape includes

• Seven days of instruction from Gillian

• 8 nights accommodation (based on double occupancy)

• All meals except for one dinner

• Some art supplies

• Opportunity to immerse yourself in history

• Delicious final meal at the beautiful Tree House at Alnwick Castle and Gardens

• Art Tribe

The price for this workshop is $3,700 

A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due at registration. The final deposit is due April 15, 2023.   

Price does not include airfare to/from Alnwick. Price is based on shared accommodations. Limited single rooms are available for an additional price of $400

The White Swan, Alnwick Northumberland

Transportation: You can take the train from London’s Kings Cross to Alnmouth which will take about 4.5 hours. Almouth is 4 miles from Alnwick. There is a bus that leaves every 11 minutes or you can take a taxi.

Airport: Newcastle International Airport is an international airport located on the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne. Address: Woolsington, Newcastle upon Tyne NE13 8BZ, United Kingdom. The flight from Heathrow is about 1 hour and 10 minutes. It is 33.5 miles to Alnwick and you can catch a taxi or uber.

Code: NCL

Supply List

We will provide

• Carbon paper

• Gesso

• Paper (drawing and watercolor)

• Gray card for book covers

• Gel Matte Medium

• Glassine paper

• Wax crayon (for taking rubbings outside)

• Quink Ink

• Book glue

• Water containers for studio setting 

• Nib pens

• Clips for holding sketchbook pages when outside

• Linen thread and needles

• Paint

Student Supply List

• Camera or phone camera

• 3 tubes of watercolor paint - Indigo or paynes gray, sepia, or burnt umber, and yellow ochre or quinacridone gold

• Hardback sketchbook - at least 12 x 8 inches when closed (smooth paper not textured and at least 120 gsm paper weight)

• Embossing tools

• Paint brushes - a couple of watercolor brushes

• stick/pencil eraser

• Art Graf tailors chalk - black (can bring other colors, too)

• A portable mixing palette for watercolors

• 5 to 10 sheets of handmade paper to cover books with (Gillian suggests natural colors such as indigo or sepia or ivory colors

• Bone folder for bookbinding

• A couple of lead pencils such as Blackwing

• A couple of carbon pencils

• Craft knife or exacto knife with extra blades (put in your checked luggage!)

• Metal ruler

• Backpack or bag to carry your sketching supplies in the field

Day 6. October 6 Breakfast at the hotel, then a full day of class with Gillian. Based in the studio we will be continuing to work into our sketchbooks – adding elements and using our memories of place and atmosphere to build up richly detailed and textural pages that will become a treasured collection of imagery based on our own unique experiences. Lunch will be at the hotel and dinner this evening will be at one of the local pubs.

Day 7. October 7 Breakfast at the hotel and our last full day with Gillian. Lunch will be at the hotel. We will finish our books in the afternoon, clean up and share our work from this week. Tonight will be our farewell celebration at the fabulous Castle Treehouse.

Day 8. October 8 This morning you will check out of the hotel and make your way back to Newcastle, or to the train station.

This itinerary may change due to weather, new opportunities of the whim of the group.

COVID REQUIREMENTS

Each participant will need to show proof of vaccination and a rapid test result three days before departure to Northumberland. We will wear masks if warranted by local requirements. There are no exceptions.

This itinerary may change due to weather, new opportunities or the whim of the group.

Gillian Lee Smith is a Scottish artist living in the beautiful, historic North-East coast of England that daily influences her work. As a teacher, Gillian is inspired to bring her love of people and place to each workshop using a wealth of techniques to make new discoveries along with her students. She has several very successful online courses and a mentoring program.

FABRIC AND METAL CREATURES WITH MORGAN BRIG

September 11-14, 2023, Port Orchard, WA

Morgan Brig is back with another magical class combining fabric and copper into unique creatures.

This four day class will include learning how to create the body, braising techniques, and assemblage.

The class will be held in Bellissima’s new art studio in Port Orchard, WA. The studio combined with Builder Bob’s collection of tools will provide you with everything you may need to bring your creature alive.

Itinerary

Day 1, Monday September 11

We will meet in the studio at 9:30 for introductions and Morgan will go over the class schedule with samples. Today’s demo will be sewing and making bodies.

Lunch will be served from 12:30-1:30 and then it’s back in the studio to continue work. Class is over around 4:30-5 with dinner provided this evening.

Day 2 - Tuesday, September 12

Class will start at 9:30. Today’s demos will be torching, safety, annealing, fitting metal pieces to fabric bodies. Brazing ears, antlers, connectors, cones and grinder and drill safety.

We will break for lunch and then continue working until 4:30. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Day 3 - Wednesday, September 13

Class starts at 9:30, breaking for lunch and then stopping around 4:30. The demos today will be painting bodies, making and attaching charms. Dinner will be provided this evening.

Day 4 - Thursday, September 14

Class continues to work at 9:30, stopping for lunch and then at 3:00 we will clean up and have our Show ‘N Tell.

This Art Escape Includes:

• Four days instruction from Morgan Brig

• Some supplies

• Four Lunches and Two Dinners

The price for this workshop is $950 and does not include lodging or transportation. 

A $500 non refundable deposit is due at registration with the remaining $450 due Aug 10.

The workshop is limited to 12 

Port Orchard is the site for the workshop. The location is 9 miles north of Gig Harbor, WA which is listed as one of the most desirable cities in the US to visit (or live). It is located south of Seattle, across the Narrows Bridge on Hwy 16.

The Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter stops in Gig Harbor and in Port Orchard.

There are many Arbnbs and B&Bs in the area. A list of accommodations will be provided if requested.

We will provide

• copper kit

• torches

• firing stations

• brazing rod

• acrylic paint

• drills, drill bits

• grinder

• tin snips

• metal and wood forming blocks

• forming hammers

• sewing machines

• elmers glue

Student Supply List

• 3/4 yard medium weight fabric - white cotton is great or printed. Optional is silk or interesting vintage fabrics

• 8-12 oz bag of polyester stuffing

• sewing needle and thread

• scissors

• small and medium paint brushes

• several sheets of paper for pattern cutting

• pencil

• exacto knife with extra blades

• Blue or Black extra fine Sharpie pen

• needle nose pliers

• found objects: anything you love to be used as a body part or decoration. Morgan likes wood forms (old wood net floats), large fishing flashers, dice

• small ruler

• scotch tape

• beads, charms, stringing wire or string

Optional

• matte medium

• round nose pliers

• fur, feathers

• tin snips

• wire cutters

• 3/4” or larger wood base at least 1/2” thick

• colorful interesting string in small quantities

Morgan Brig is a mixed media artist from Vashon Island, WA. She loves to capture emotion in her sculptures using multiple layers of media that bring the subtlety of expression to each character. Her layers include etched metal detail, enamel patinas and found objects that suggest the old and familiar, but ask to be viewed in a new light. She often uses language and occult symbols in her designs to support her belief that there is always guidance to be found from external and internal sources as we go through life. There also is playfulness in her design inspired by her love of old metal and tin toys and her desire to lay humor next to truth or fear in her work.

Kathie Vezzani, who is hosting the workshop, also is an artist who paints, rusts and waxes. She organizes trips for other artists and in a former life was a caterer. She has over three decades of experience organizing trips for foodies and artists.

METAL QUILTS - AMISH MODERN WITH ARUNAS OSLAPAS

July 21-23, Port Orchard, WA

To all our fellow metal lovers, this workshop is for you! Join Bellingham artist Arunas Oslapas of Red Rivet Studios for a weekend of creating metal quilts.

When not schlepping his artwork around the country at various art festivals, Arunas is a Professor of Industrial Design at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.

We are big fans of his work and have been waiting for the opportunity to have him teach a Bellissima Art Escape.

In this workshop you will learn how to cut, paint, distress, and rivet metal to a cradled board. The pieced metal panels can be embellished with found objects, ephemera, and transferred images or text onto metal.

Itinerary

Day One, Friday July 21. We will meet in the studio at 9:30 for introductions and to go over the workshop schedule. Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Day Two, Saturday July 22, It’s a whole day in the studio working on cutting and assembling our metal strips. Arunas will also address how to patina our metal strips. Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Day Three, Sunday July 23, We will meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. to finish up our pieces. We will stop for lunch, then finish any last minutes details before we clean up and have our Show ‘N Tell. Class will be over at 3:30 p.m.

COVID

You must be vaccinated in order to attend this workshop and you will need to take a rapid test at least two days prior to the workshop. Your card and negative test will need to be shown to Bellissima Art Escapes in order to join the workshop. Thank you for your cooperation and for considering your fellow artists.

This Escape Includes

• three days instruction

• assorted metal scrap pieces

• banding

• spray paints

• paint pens

• rivets

• three lunches, two dinners

• new art tribe

This workshop will be held at Bellissima Art Escapes studio in Port Orchard, WA.

The price for this workshop is $800

A $400 non refundable deposit is due at registration with the remaining $400 due May 21.

The workshop is limited to 12

STUDENT SUPPLY LIST

• Two 12’x12” x 1-5/8” cradled birch panels

• organic vapor respirator

• safety glasses

• gloves (knit garden gloves with vinyl coated palms

Below are some of the beautiful baskets that Arunas creates.

Arunas has taught Industrial Design at Western Washington University since 1991 torturing his loyal students with solving the world’s problems. In order to maintain his academic sanity he weaves metal baskets and metal quilts and schleps his art to festivals throughout the west. When things get too rainy they pack up the family and head south of the border to dry out. Educationally, he got a few degrees from Montana State University and the University of Illinois. Prior to teaching, Arunas worked for Haworth designing office furniture, a Chicago architectural firm, and has consulted on many products from carbon fiber snowshoes to hog feeders.

Kathie Vezzani, who is hosting the workshop, also is an artist who paints, rusts and waxes. She organizes trips for other artists and in a former life was a caterer. She has 30 years of experience organizing trips for foodies and artists.

FELTED BIRDS WITH TORY BROKENSHIRE

April 15-16, 2023

Wacky Nut Farm

Tory Brokenshire is a mixed media artist who lives along the shore in Lincoln City, OR. She previously taught a Santos assemblage Art Escape, and now she brings her widely talented skills for a felting class.

In this workshop you will learn simple needle felting and found object embellishments.

While needle felting is a fairly simple procedure, we will learn to take a bundle of wool roving and turn it into a free-standing sculpture. In this case, it will be a bird as real or imaginative as you want to make it.

Tory will share with you some of the long and rich history of felting along with basic needle felting techniques.

This two-day class is designed to use your artist sensibilities to observe nature, find shapes and objects that will be used in a new and unique way.

Tory’s goal in teaching is to create not only a technique you can use in the future but a relaxing and fun learning experience.

COVID

You must be vaccinated in order to attend this workshop and you will need to take a rapid test at least two days prior to the workshop. Your card and negative test will need to be shown to Bellissima Art Escapes in order to join the workshop. Thank you for your cooperation and for considering your fellow artists.

THIS ESCAPE INCLUDES

• Two days of instruction by Tory

• Felting Supplies

• Two lunches, one dinner

• Facebook Private Page

• New Art Tribe

The price for this workshop is $500 and does not include lodging or transportation. Your payment is due upon registration. This class will be limited to 12 students.

Venue

The Wacky Nut Farm studio is the venue for this workshop. Located on Bainbridge Island, it is a 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle. Alternatively, you can drive up the peninsula. Situated on 20 acres, it is a beautiful horse farm.

ACCOMMODATIONS: There are limited spaces available in the guest house. There are two queen size rooms with on-suite bathrooms, and bunk beds that can be shared by two friends who share a separate bathroom. The cost of the luxurious bunk beds is $50/night/person. The queen beds, $100/night/person. These will be allotted on a first come basis and will be in addition to the workshop fee. (The two queen beds are booked)

Other options are VRBO. There are several on the Island.

Student Supply List

Tory will be providing the tools for class which will also include wool, eyes, feet and beaks. She encourages you, however, to scavenge for unique body parts (See pics). Below is a list of tools we will use if you wish to purchase your own.

• Clover 507079 Pen Style Needle Felting Tool

• Needle Felting Pad

• 100% Wool - you can see color selections - UnDyed Dark Chocolate, 8 oz Corriedale made in South Amercia, Best Core Wool for Needle Felting, Wet Felting, Spinning, Dryer Balls, Big Yarn Roving, 28.5 Micron

• Z-Color 60 pieces 79mm, 86mm, 91mm Felting Needles DIY wool Pin Felting Tools Kits Medium

• Safety Eyes - Tory uses the 6 mm for the birds.

Tory Brokenshire is an Oregon artist with many years of mixed media experience. She is semi-retired and we are thrilled that she will be joining us for another Art Escape.

Kathie Vezzani, who is hosting the workshop, also is an artist who paints, rusts and waxes. She organizes trips for other artists and in a former life was a caterer. She has over two decades of experience organizing trips for foodies and artists.