MYTHICAL CREATURES WITH THE PALE ROOK AND ELISABETH VIGUIE CULSHAW

Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico

October 11-20, 2024

Mexican Folk Art is a tapestry of symbolism and meaning, reflecting the country’s rich history, diverse culture, and profound spirituality. Join The Pale Rook and Elisabeth Culshaw in Oaxaca to explore the symbols of animals and colors while creating your own mythical creature or doll. This will be the only animal workshop that will be offered by The Pale Rook.

Mexican Folk Art uses colors, symbols, and animals to weave a story of love, pain, birth and death in ancient Aztec and Mayan mythology. Colors are more than just pigments; they convey profound meaning for emotions, nature and spirituality. Red is passion, love and sacrifice. Blue represents spirituality and tranquility, while yellow is a symbol of positivity and joy. Green is nature and growth symbolizing the harmony and balance found in our relationship with the natural world. Purple symbolizes royalty and spirituality and orange, creativity and energy.

Johanna has developed the methods we'll be working with over the last seven years in her own practice and they've been honed especially for this workshop. You can adapted them to make whatever creature, combination of creatures, or mix of human and animal that you want to make. 

The dolls/creatures can also use a collaged combination of fabrics, layered with symbolic embroidery, using as many or as few of the participants' collection of dyed fabrics and yarns as they wish. This means you can have a narrative element to your work, telling stories through symbolic use of color, pattern and form.

Elisabeth is a well known eco printer and natural dye creator and educator in Glasgow, Scotland. She will work together with Roman Gutierrez Ruiz, an artist from the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle, for our dyeing of fabric and paper for our creatures and a book.  

Itinerary

Day 1, Friday October 11

7:00 p.m. Meet and greet in the hotel with some libations and botanas.

Day 2, Saturday, October 12

We will meet in the studio to go over the week’s schedule, then it is off to spend the day in the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle.

Elisabeth will lead you in dyeing cotton, silk and yarn using locally sourced plant dyes.  We will work with traditional dyeing methods that have stood the test of time as part of Mexican textile heritage for centuries and continue to be used by contemporary artists and designers today. Each piece of cloth and skein of yarn will be a unique reminder of your time in Oaxaca. We will work with a variety of natural dye plants, creating a rich palette of colors to work with in our sewing projects. We will also be dyeing papers for a small journal. 

Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Day 3 Sunday October 13
Johanna will guide you in making an original doll inspired by the colors, textures and mythical creatures of Southern Mexico.  You can create a "human" doll, an animal or mythical creature from your collection of naturally dyed fabrics and yarns, embellished with colorful embroidery in a Mexican style.  Every stitch will be created by hand, giving you time to connect with your doll in a mindful and relaxing way, reflecting the experience and emotion of your trip to Oaxaca.  All fabrics and yarns will be provided, and you are also welcome to bring your own collection of fabrics, materials and found objects to incorporate into your doll.

9:30 Have breakfast at the hotel before meeting in the studio. Lunch will be at the hotel and class will be over at 4:30. Free time until we meet at 6:30 for a special dinner with our friend Chef Pilar Cabrera of La Olla.

Day 4 Monday October 14

We will continue working on our creatures/dolls.

Breakfast at hotel

9:30 Meet in the studio break for lunch at 12:30. Class is over at 4:30. Free time until we meet for dinner.

Day 5 Tuesday October 15

Have an early breakfast and then we are off on a travel day stopping in San Bartolo Coyotepec to visit our favorite black pottery artisan family.

Then off to visit Jacobo and Maria Angeles in their San Martin Tilcajete studio/school. When we first met Jacobo and Maria, they had a small studio where they worked on their intricately patterned alebrijes that are in museus and private collections around the world. Today, Jacobo and Maria are also painting, creating pottery, and are supporters of their community, teaching children from the village how to continue the traditions of their village.

Lunch will be at the entrance of the village and dinner is on your own tonight.

Days Six-Eight October 16-18

Breakfast in the hotel and in the studio breaking for lunch before continuing on with our creations. During this time, Elisabeth will show us how to create a small journal using our dyed papers.

Class will be over around 4:30 and then you will have free time before dinner in the evenings.

Day 9 October 19

After breakfast, we will finish up our projects and have our Show “N Tell. After cleaning up, you have the afternoon free to shop and pack. Lunch is on your own today and this evening will be our farewell celebration at Nois Restaurant.

Day 10 October 20

Everyone leaves or stays on to further explore beautiful Oaxaca.

This Art Escape includes:

• 9 nights accommodations (double occupancy)

• Two travel days to three different artisan villages

• Six days of instruction with Johanna Flanagan and Elisabeth Culshaw

• Welcome reception and fiesta

• All meals except for one lunch and one dinner

• Visits to markets

• Cooking Class

• Free time to explore

• Farewell dinner

• Some supplies

• Private Facebook page

• New Art Tribe

The price for this workshop is $3,975 and limited to 12 people. A limited number of single rooms are available for an additional $600.

A $1,000 non refundable deposit is due upon registering. The final payment is due June 11, 2024.

Price does not include:

• airfare to/from Oaxaca

• alcoholic beverages

Travel insurance is highly recommended. See FAQs for recommendations.

Accommodations: Located in a colonial building just two blocks from the zocolo, Hotel Naura has free wifi, a restaurant, a pool, bar and rooftop terrace. It is located across from the Textile Museum. 

Airport: Xoxocotlan International Airport is an international airport located in Oaxaca City, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The Airport has only one terminal that handles domestic and international air traffic. Code: OAX.

Materials provided

• Florist wire

• Wool fleece

• Felting needles

• A selection of sewing threads

• Tailors chalk

• A selection of embroidery threads

• Pattern drafting paper

• Unspun flax

• Pliers

• Wire cutters

• Felting sponge

Materials to bring

• Hand sewing needles ( mixed sizes)

• Fabric scissors

• A small pin cushion

• Pins

• A sketch book

• A pencil

• Coloured pencils ( or any other colour medium you'd like to work with when designing your project)

• A pencil sharpener

• A selection of fabrics and found objects/trimmings from your own collection (optional)

• A range of interesting paper - size A4 or 8 1/2” x 11 “ - art paper or hand-made

• Some trinkets or beads

• Ruler

• Apron

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

We are so thrilled that Johanna Flanagan of the Pale Rook is teaching another Bellissima Art Escape. She is a Scottish textile artist, doll maker and costume designer, trained in fashion, constructed textiles and historical costumes. Doll making was her first love, and she has been making dolls for as long as she can remember. In the last fourteen years, Johanna has taught in art schools, museums and colleges throughout the UK and Europe, as well as writing and tutoring correspondence courses for the last two years.

You can see her work on her Instagram and Facebook feeds.

French artist Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw is a well known eco printer and natural dye creator and educator in Glasgow, Scotland. She started a Natural Dye Garden in the Glasgown Botanic Garden in 2022 and is very active in community art, often traveling to Thailand, Myanmar, and other places known for dyeing when she is not teaching at her Lansdowne House. She is a strong believe in collaborative art and invites students from around the world to her studio and online courses. We were fortunate to meet Betty to share a day of dyeing in her home studio. We are thrilled to share Oaxaca with her.

You can find her classes on her blog and follow her journey on Instagram.

WHEELING AND SITTING CREATURES WITH MORGAN BRIG

September 26-29, 2024

Port Orchard, WA

Back by popular demand is another whimsical workshop with Morgan Brig. We just can’t get enough of her amazing creatures.

Itinerary

Day 1, Thursday, September 26

We will meet in the studio at 9:30 am for introductions and Morgan will provide a class overview with samples. She will also demonstrate foil, masking tape, and Apoxie Sculpt.

We will break for lunch which will be provided around 1:00. Afterward, we will continue working on our sculptures. At the end of the day, Morgan will demonstrate painting and dry brush. Class is over at 4:30. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Day 2 - Friday, September 27

Meet in the studio at 9:30 am when Morgan will demonstrate torching, annealing, and fitting metal pieces to clay bodies, brazing ears, wings, antlers, and cones. Safety will be discussed.

We will break for lunch at 1:00 and then afterward, Morgan will demonstrate how to cut pipe, and make legs/arms. Class is over at 4:30. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Day 3 - Saturday, September 28

We begin at 9:30 am with demos on scraffito, fabric eyes, attaching parts to figures and attaching wheels.

Lunch will be at 1:00 and afterward, Morgan will demonstrate how to make charms, jump rings and wire hangers.

Dinner will be provided this evening.

Day 4 - Sunday September 29

We start at 9:30 am as we continue working and refining our sculptures. Lunch will be at 1:00, then you will make any last minute changes to your pieces. At 3:00, we will clean up and have our Show “N tell. Class is over at 4:00.

This workshop is full. A waitlist has been started.

This Art Escape includes

• Four days instruction from Morgan

• A beautiful studio to create in

• 4 lunches, 1 dinner

• Some supplies

• New art tribe

The cost for this Escape is $950. A $500 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $450 dollars is due May 14, 2024. Once registered, you will be sent information for payment.

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

• elmers glue

• epoxy glue

• nitrile gloves

Student Supply List

• Aves Apoxie Sculpt, white, size 4 lbs.

• Clay tools

• Box or at least 20 Phillips flat head wood screws #4, 1/2”

• Small Phillips screwdriver

• Rag

• Scissors

• Small and medium paint brushes

• Several sheets of copy paper for pattern cutting

• Pencil

• Exacto knife with extra blades

• Blue or black extra fine point Sharpie pen

• Needle nose pliers

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

• Small ruler

• Scotch tape

• Beads, charms, stringing wire or string

Optional

• 4 toy wheels, approximately 2 3/8” diameter

• vintage casters

• plain jute twine

• glass eyes

• round nose pliers

• fur, feathers

• tin snips

• wire cutters

• colorful interesting string - small quantities

• Threaded rod with nuts

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.

Los Cerillos, New Mexico

September 11-14, 2024

Get your best face on with Bill Skrips in his Los Cerillos studio September 11-14, 2024. In this workshop, you will have an opportunity to make masks from different substrates--heavy cardboard, wood and more.

We will use paint, glue, found objects, cutting, bending, and carving, plus your imagination to create some fantastic masks. This is a workshop for self-starters - instructions will be heavy on how-tos, as opposed to “what.” Come with your own great ideas and the instructor will help you facilitate them -engineering, application, and “do-ability” will be stressed.

START collecting images of inspiring masks now not only for inspiration, but also to share with your fellow students (oh yeah…and with Bill, your trusty instructor) .

Look at the mask cultures of Africa, Mexico, Japan, Papua, Europe, Native American, Nepalese, and Esquimaux origins

Patience - Bill hopes to balance drying times with the need for folks to keep working which is not always the easiest thing (Bill’s solution has always been to work on up to 12 projects at once, but you will not have quite that amount of latitude).

Our projects - Some starting concepts. It’s up to you to bring them to life.

Memory (jug) Mask - a memory mask, like the old (large) bottles you might see in an antique store. These have doodads, odd bits, broken pottery, old pins, costume jewelry, etc. that could not/ would not be thrown away by the makers, all pasted or attached in a gumbo of paint and objects

Objects for a memory mask. Images/trinkets/bits and pieces that might help you facilitate the ideas that follow…

The Sin-Eater Mask - a mask to help you expiate (personal) bad stuff or perhaps your close-to-angelic- ness (Bill will leave this up to you and your conscience). He is riffing off their local tradition of Zozbra.

Interpretive Mask - This one would be a portrait of a loved (or hated) one who you know (or think you know) pretty well.

This Escape Includes:

• Four days of instruction with Bill

• Some Materials

• Other materials will be for sale for your use

• Use of tools on site (limited)

• Welcome Dinner

• Four lunches

• Carving Tools

Price: $1,300, limited to 8.

A $600 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration with the final payment due June 1, 2024

Price does not include airfare to/from New Mexico, lodging or alcoholic beverages. There are hotels, VRBOs and B&Bs nearby. Santa Fe is 36 minutes from Los Cerrillos.

Supply List

Please bring tools/materials you are happy to work with. The memory mask and the self portrait mask will reflect YOU...the materials you bring to the class should have meaning to you and yours. Bill has paint, glue and tools for constructing. There are limited materials available to adorn your mask creations.

Kathie’s suggestions -

• scissors

• exacto knife or similar

• small hammer

• needle nose pliers

• sketchbook

• couple of screw drivers

• Small cutting pad

• Bill has paint brushes and some paint. If you have a specific palette in mind, bring paint.

• If you know that you may need epoxy, bring that. I use Devon’s 2-part epoxy

Itinerary

Day 1 September 11. Meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. Bill will go over the workshop schedule. We will work until lunch, then resume creating. We will stop around 4:30 and then go out to dinner.

Day 2&3 September 12-13. Meet in the studio at 9:30, lunch and then end the day around 4:30.

Day 4. September 14. Meet in the studio at 9:30. Stop for lunch. Finish working, then clean up around 3:30, and have our Show ‘N Tell. The workshop will be over at 4:00.

Personality Mask - a type of mirror-that is, a mask to reflect an aspect of yourself, possibly with paint or sort of  a collage with attached paper, cloth or whatever you can think of… (old letters, maps, clothing patterns, tissue paper, bits of fabric, etc.)

Spirit Mask - A Spirit, either a muse or a monster or a favorite animal. Here the “personality” of the being would dictate how the mask “reads.”

Los Cerrillos artist Bill Skrips has always collected things or their constituent parts, treating them as raw material for his sculptural work. Sometimes mysterious in origin or purpose, sometimes more obvious, these bits and pieces tend to spur him on creatively. Added handmade components bring the sculptures to completion—including carved, welded, painted and otherwise constructed bits. In the work, he attempts a union between the humorous and the dark, which represents his outlook on life. Using the influence of Southern folk art as a springboard, his work often approaches the absurd and sometimes the surreal. In incorporating found, “dirty” materials, the grittiness of the work neutralizes its playfulness. His artwork rarely draws conclusions or edifies—he finds posing questions more satisfying.

Join mixed media artist Bridgette Guerzon Mills in a mixed media exploration in allowing nature to be our guide in creating artwork in book form. We will explore our environment for natural materials to act as inspiration and jumping off points for design and concept, as well as elements with the pages of our handbound books and mixed media pieces. We will use art as the bridge to explore reconnecting to the earth as our hands dialogue with nature and create earthy works of art.

Bridgette will lead the class through a variety of mixed media techniques that draw upon elements found in her creative practice: encaustic, fabric, thread, photo transfers, collage and the addition of natural elements. We will use plaster, fabric and found natural materials to create book art pieces.

This mixed media exploration will act as a bridge to reconnect us to the stories of the earth around us

Itinerary

Day 1, August 8

Class starts at 9:30 Intro to encaustic — painting and mixed media techniques such as transfers, glazing, collage on 5x7 inch panels that will eventually be book covers for an accordion (paper) book

Prepping of plaster for pages—for either a hanging book or to be attached to branches that can be bound together

Selecting and prepping bark pieces to use for book covers

We will break for lunch and class will be over at 4:30

Day 2, August 9 

Class starts at 9:30. Discussion of using natural materials in artwork, create our own small nature art meditations, take natural elements apart and designing with them.

Fabric and wax demo and attaching natural and found materials to it, make pages out of fabric and attaching natural elements to them.

Plaster cloth and wax demos and discussion of binding plaster pages, make a collection of plaster pages with encaustic transfers and collage and natural elements attached to them.

We will break for lunch and class is over at 4:30.

Day 3 August 10

Class starts at 9:30. Bridgette will demo accordion construction with paper for covers made on day 1 (optional to make these covers into a book or leave as paintings)

Demo of using encaustic + paper

Demo of attaching smaller pieces to bound pages

Continue working on binding plaster pages and fabric pages

Lunch and dinner will be provided today.

Day 4 August 11

Class will start at 9:30. We will continue to work and finish up our books.  After lunch we will finish any last minute details, clean up and have our show “n tell. Class will be over at 3:30 p.m.

Only one spot left

This Art Escape includes

• Four days instruction from Bridgette

• A beautiful studio to create in

• 4 lunches, 1 dinner

• some supplies

• new tribe

The cost for this Escape is $900. A $500 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $400 dollars is due May 14, 2024.

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

• Electric palettes for encaustic

• Drills with drill bits

• Wood glue

• Spray bottles

• Bookbinding needles

• Burnishing tool

• Paper towels

• Glue sticks

• Embroidery floss

• Collage materials

• Fabric scraps

• Single edge razor blades

• Bark for covers

• waxed paper
  

Student Supply List

• Awl

• Scissors

• Exacto Knife with extra blades

• 1 roll of plaster cloth 4”x180” (Dick Blick carries its own brand called Blick Plaster Cloth

• 1 yard white cotton muslin

• Favorite oil bar or oil paint for glazing techniques (Bridgette’s favorites for creating earthy glazes are burnt umber, burnt sienna, ochre

• Natural materials such as sticks, leaves, pine cones, seeds, etc. You may also forage in the woods adjacent to the studio

• Images to collage. Can be photographs that are printed on regular paper (non-photographic paper). They can be inkjet or laser prints, black and white photocopies (images should be smaller than 8x8 inches), or they can be drawings on a variety of papers

• Images to transfer: black and white photocopies (images should be smaller than 8x8 inches)

• Apron

• Heat gun - if you have one please bring it.

Bridgette Guerzon Mills is a mixed media artist whose work incorporates a variety of materials including photography, paint, encaustic, as well as fiber, textiles, and other reclaimed materials. Her artwork and journals have been published in magazines and books and her work has been collected in the United States and internationally. She currently resides in Towson, MD with her family.

As a mixed media artist, encaustic is a versatile medium that allows her to create depth in layers and serves as a means for further exploration in both form and meaning. She combines her photography with encaustics to create a bridge between two worlds, the real and the reconstructed. The canvas becomes a multilayered surface that speaks to both the visual and tactile senses.  

Her outdoor installations, often created using foraged or recycled materials, focus on environmental issues and seek to engage and educate the public about these concerns.

Kathie Vezzani, our host, is a mixed media artist who loves anything rusty. She rusts, paints and uses encaustic and cold wax in her practice. She also creates mixed media sculptures. In her spare time, she organizes workshops for other artists. She will be hosting this workshop in her new studio.

TAKE THE ORDINARY AND MAKE IT EXTRAORDINARY WITH LESLIE WEST

July 26-28, 2024

Port Orchard, WA

Artist Leslie West’s last class was such a huge success that we asked her to return, but this time the workshop will be in the Bellissima Art Studio where you will see many of her influences in the design of this beautiful art space. As a former stager, she has an eye for clean, calm designs, and it is reflected in her art.

We were overwhelmed by the number of projects Leslie had ready for us as we waxed, dipped, inscribed and assembled.

In this workshop you will learn how to view ordinary objects and change them into treasures using encaustic, plaster, paper, and assemblages.

ITINERARY

Each day we will meet in the studio at 9:30, break for lunch, then return to the studio and create until 4:30. We will share dinner together Saturday night. On our last day, after lunch we will finish any last minute touches, then clean up and share our work.

Leslie is still cleaning out her studio so I’m sure that we will be benefiting from this purge. So many possibilities!

Shown below are some of the creations made in last year’s class by students.

This workshop is full. Join the waitlist.

This Art Escape includes

• Three days instruction from Leslie

• A beautiful studio to create in

• 3 lunches, 1 dinner

• Some supplies, encaustic wax, brushes, torches

• New tribe

The cost for this Escape is $700. A $400 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $300 dollars is due May 26, 2024.

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.

Student Supply List

• apron

• scissors

• ruler

• small tins like Altoids

• any personal ephemera

Leslie West is a mixed media artist who creates assemblages and paints with both cold wax and encaustic wax. She has exhibited in Seattle and surrounding areas where she also had a successful staging business. She is a world traveler and her adventures have influenced her aesthetics. She lived in Seattle for many years and now lives in Atlanta with her husband.

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.

OUT OF CONTEXT - OBJECTS REDEFINED

Mixed Media Assemblage Relief Wall Sculpture with Gary and MaryAnn Carlson

July 11-14, 2024, Port Orchard, WA

Using found objects, students will learn how to create and construct a non-objective or highly abstracted relief sculpture to hang on the wall in this 4-day workshop in Port Orchard, WA. Join Minnesota artist Gary Carlson for what will be an informative assemblage workshop. He will be assisted by his wife, Mary Ann, a fellow assemblage artist.

You will learn:

• Compositional methods and critique skills to unify your composition

• The appropriate products and methods of attaching a wide variety of materials

• Material techniques using Apoxie Sculpt, Sculpt Noveau Metal Coatings paint and patinas

• Appropriate tools for specific materials, rivets, saw, cutof saws, grinders, etc.

• Appropriate display hardware for asymmetric physical weight balance of artwork

We will meet each day at 9:30 am, stopping for lunch provided by our host, Kathie Vezzani, and ending the day around 4:30 pm. Dinner will be provided one evening.

On the last day, we will work until we break for lunch, then we will finish any last minute details before cleaning up and sharing our work in a Show ‘N tell.

Only one spot open!

This Art Escape includes

• Four days instruction by Gary Carlson

• Four lunches, one dinner

• Lots of materials

The cost of this workshop is $900. A non-refundable $500 deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $400 is due April 11, 2024.

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.

Student Supply List

• Apron

• Pencils, sharpies

• Scissors,

• E-6000 glue,

• JB weld kwik glue

• Bring ideas and found object materials that have similar elements such as color, shape, line for your wall sculpture.

These are just ideas. You do not need to collect all of this:

• vintage wood typesetter’s letters or typewriter keys or metal letter stencils

• wood blocks, letters

• vintage clock insides, watch parts

• various sized wood balls, pool balls, beads, ¼”- 1½”

• croquet balls, mallets or sticks

• small decorative brass horns

• vintage embroidery hoops or circles, old tin lids

• vintage wood hangers or any wood or metal arc

• interesting sticks or wood shapes - objects

• small hollow, plastic bird forms

• small rusted metal sheet material that has some color left,

• small metal lamp parts, metal leaves, brass or chrome metal bits

• old rulers, wood metal or cloth

• old paintbrushes,

• small vintage tools

• small antlers or horns

• copper or aluminum tape

We Will Provide

• 12” edge glued wood round

• 16”x 16” x 1/4” plywood

• Primer paint, water-based

• Metal Coatings brass and iron paint

• Metal coatings patinas, tiffany green and tan

• Clear acrylic Matt spray

• Jig saw (metal and wood blades), small pull saw, coping saw

• Drill and bits

• Hammers

• Safety goggles

• Metal shears

• Metal files

• Wood rasps

• Brad nailer

• Escutcheon pins

• Nail set

• Center punch

• Wood scraps

• Wire and wire cutters

• Dremel and metal cut off discs

• Metal cutoff saw

• Clamps

• Nails and screws

• Bits of wood and tin that you may want to use

• Acrylic paint

• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

• Sponge brushes

• Paint brushes

• Wood glue

• Plastic gloves

• Sandpaper, emery paper, steel wool various textures

• Rivet gun and aluminum rivets

Minnesota artist Gary Carlson is a sculptor and retired art teacher. He has worked as an art educator, a graphic artist, a portrait photographer, and painter. Since retiring from teaching, his worked has been primarily creating found object assemblage sculptures.

Throughout his career, he has exhibited in galleries, art centers, art competitions and art fairs in and around the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, as well as the Midwest. Gary’s work is in the collection of the East Central Regional Arts Council and he has received numerous awards.

MaryAnn Carlson also is a former art educator. She has worked as a jeweler, a picture framer, a gallery director, an art administrator, a small business owner, a graphic artist, a digital photo editor, a painter and a sculptor. She has exhibited in galleries, art centers, art competitions in and around the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. Her work is in the collection of The East Central Regional Arts Council and she has received numerous awards for her unique sculptures.

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.

DYEING TO RUST WITH PAM NICHOLS

June 28-30, 2024

Port Orchard, WA

Pam Nichols is returning stateside and will teach a Dyeing to Rust class with Kathie Vezzani. The two are rust queens that love to share their rust collections and knowledge to create beautiful papers and fabrics for your artistic creations. Encaustic painting will be the focus of this workshop.

Itinerary

Day One: Friday, June 28

9:00 We will meet for introductions and we will go through the schedule. Pam will give a demonstration on how to create a “lasagna” of rusty gold. Then you will be set free to start making your rusty papers.

We will stop for lunch around 12:30, then return to prep boards and more demonstrations.

The day will end around 4:00

Day Two: Saturday, June 29

9:00 We will start with what is our favorite part of the workshop - the unveiling. Here’s where you get to see what you created. While your papers are drying, you have time to set up another round of rusting. Once dry, you can begin to use your papers in your encaustic paintings.

We will stop for lunch, then continue creating until 4:30 when we will break for appetizers and dinner.

Day Three: Sunday, June 30

9:00 We will finish rusting papers and your paintings, adding rusty bits if you so desire.

We will break for lunch around noon, then back in the workshop to finish up. Around 3:00, we will start cleaning up and then we will share our work.

THIS ESCAPE INCLUDES

• Three days of instruction by Pam Nichols and Kathie Vezzani

• Use of metal collection

• One 12” x 12” cradled board

• Hot plates

• Butane gas for torches

• Nitrile Gloves

• Chip brushes

• Encaustic medium and some encaustic paint

• One dinner, three lunches

• Facebook Private Page

• New Art Tribe

The price for this workshop is $700 and does not include lodging or transportation. A $500 non-refundable fee is due upon registration. The remaining $200 is due April 15, 2024.

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.

STUDENT SUPPLY LIST

• Bring encaustic paint - 3 or 4 of your favorite colors in tins with brushes,
  1 or 2 Hake 1.5" or 2" brushes

• Your favorite tools

• Apron

• Rusty Items (if you desire) to use for rusting or assemblage - I have a lot

• Natural papers such as silk tissue paper, mulberry paper, rice papers or cotton papers. Thinner paper works best in incorporating into the encaustic paint.

• Butane torch head such as Iwatani (we have some to share)

• Two 10 x 10 gessoed panels 1 1/2 deep or encaustic boards

• One 12 x 12 gessoed panels 1 1/2 deep or encaustic boards

• Any other materials you like to work with for mark making, etc.

• Box of waxed paper

Pam Nichols is an artist now living in Perth, Australia. While living in Portland, OR, she was a gallery artist with a thriving practice. Now, she is forever searching for rusty fodder in Australia since she was unable to take it with her. Kathie was the lucky recipient of a lot of her rust and blames Pam for her rust fetish. Picking rust at Swift & McCormick is their favorite activity to do together when they are not golfing.

Kathie Vezzani is a mixed media artist who loves anything rusty. She rusts, paints and uses encaustic and cold wax in her practice. She also creates mixed media sculptures. She creates workshops for other artists in her spare time.

ABSTRACTION BY DESIGN WITH MICHAEL SHEMCHUK

June 14-16, 2024 Port Orchard, WA

Join Michael Shemchuk, or Shem in this 3-day abstract painting AbD workshop in Port Orchard, WA.

The Abstract by Design method is the process of exploring collage and painting technologies by multi layering the mediums of paper and paint on panels. The layering of paper and paint enables you to sand, scrape, wet, peel, paint, collage and repeat to create controlled and incidental textured surfaces. We use acrylic polyurethane as a glue to attach papers, as a resist coat, and as a top coat as well.

Collaging involves color selection, paper choices, placement, gluing, mark making, composition and surface extraction. Painting involves panel prep, trowel application, brushing, sanding, surface manipulations, paint mixing and texturing.

The goal is to create individual panels that stand on their own and, work in concert as well. This parameter allows you to focus on your design and composition skills, while creating a visual dialog between your panels.

You decide in class the series format you want to work in with your 12 panels: Linear (6 over 6), Stacked (3 over 4), Diptych’s or Triptychs.

The principals Action, Reaction, Repeat (A.R.R.) begins by processing with an action by applying paint or collage to your panels. Pause, and review the action, then repeat another action. This requires taking time to observe your work, measure your response to both the controlled (deliberate) and spontaneous (happy accidents!). We will follow these A.R.R. principles as we create your work.

This workshop is full. A waitlist has started.

This Art Escape includes

• Three days instruction from Shem

• beautiful studio to create in

• 3 lunches, 1 dinner

• some supplies

• new tribe

The cost for this Escape is $800. A $500 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $300 dollars is due April 14, 2024.

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

• scrubber sponge

• 80 grit sandpaper and sanding block

• chip brushes

• gallon buckets

• paint rags/stir sticks

Student Supply List*

• 12- 12”x12” x 7/8” cradled panels. (See Blick item 07044-1212)

• 1-qt white latex house paint. (Flat or satin sheen)

• 1-qt black latex house paint. (Flat or satin sheen)

• 2-qts. Acrylic urethane/varnish clear medium.(gloss or semigloss)

• 18+ sheets black tissue. Resource: https://www.papermart.com

• 12+ sheets 18”x22” newsprint.

• Variety of personal collage papers and color tissue (color, pattern, graphics, craft paper and re-purposed).

• Color paint. 3-6 colors of latex house or acrylic artist paints or liquid pigments

• One 6”wide flexible broad knife and

• One 1” putty knife.

• 8+ pint/quart plastic mixing containers w/lids

• Scissors

• Utility knife

• Spray bottle (atomizer)

• wiping rags

• artist brushes

• hair dryer or heat gun

  Pre-class assignment:

  Cradle prep

  Apply 2 coats acrylic clear urethane (gloss or semi gloss) to all cradle sides and let dry between coats. Tape all cradle (sides) with low stick (blue) tape

*There is a Lowes 4.5 miles from the studio where you can purchase paint.

Michael Shemchuk is an abstract artist living and working in Northern California. Largely self-taught, Shem did not emerge on the art scene in a conventional fashion.

Shem’s work has evolved over the last two decades, shaped directly by a close engagement with material and process. From the onset, Shem’s focus has been on abstraction and design. Influenced by his earlier faux finish work, Shem’s Meridian series, begun in the late nineties, used paint and plaster as primary media. In 2014, Shem became interested in the changes in art-making stemming from shifts in technology. His response was to re-evaluate traditional materials such as paper and paint, thus simplifying his approach to abstraction with the Tags series. In 2017, Shem was inspired to further his pursuit of abstraction and design by streamlining his materials and employing process as integral to his work. The result is his Surface Tension series, which is based on an organic process involving water, paper, pressure, friction, and time. In addition to his art-making, Shem teaches the principles of Abstraction by Design (AbD) to students and fellow artists via workshops and private mentoring.

Kathie Vezzani is a mixed media artist who loves anything rusty. She rusts, paints and uses encaustic and cold wax in her practice. She also creates mixed media sculptures. In her spare time, she organizes workshops for other artists. She will be hosting this workshop in her new studio.

THE SPIRIT OF UNSTRUCTURED PLAY + EXPERIMENTATION WITH JULIE HAMILTON

June 8-10, 2024

Port Orchard, WA

Join Canadian Artist Julie Hamilton for a 3-day intensive workshop exploring creative applications of mixed media.

Together we will be creating large works on paper: exploring marks, layers and textures. Slowly we will distill these down to colors, images and patterns that inspire and excite us. Smaller studies that define your visual vocabulary and the process of finding your creative self.

Our end goal is to shift our creative lens away from what we habitually create and dive a little deeper into what we love, learning to trust our intuition in a fun and carefree way along the way. Throughout the process we will discuss colour mixing and palettes, design and composition.

For our final project we will gather together our smaller studies, learn the art of collage and bind it all together in our very own handmade creative journal. A gathering place to record all that inspires us and visually tells our story. I like to think of it as a wish list for your creative path.

This class is for new artists and intermediates alike who are looking to push their creativity and skills. 

Basic knowledge of acrylic paint is required.

In this class we will cover:

• Finding inspiration and learning how to document it.

• Different paint applications

• Layers and glazes

• Creative mark making tools and how to expand upon them

• Making your own collage papers and the art of piecing them together

• Bookbinding techniques

• The tools of a Daily Art practice

A PDF will be supplied for all techniques used in class.

BONUS: A mini course inviting you to gather your inspiration and learn the art of developing a mood board.

Itinerary

Each day we will meet in the studio at 9:30, break for lunch and then class will be over at 4:30. One exception is dinner on the 9th will be provided.

This Art Escape includes

• Three days instruction from Julie

• A beautiful studio to create in

• 3 lunches, 1 dinner

• Some supplies

• New tribe

The cost for this Escape is $800.

A $500 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $300 dollars is due April 8, 2024.

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.

We all love art supplies, but Julie’s wish is for you to get creative and use what you have on hand.

We will provide:

• Matt Medium

• Gesso

• Studio Rags

• Water containers

• Oil Pastels

• Foam brushes

• Julie will provide sketchbook paper and book binding supplies for the final project. All of your beautiful art will be used to fill it up!

BASIC SUPPLY LIST

• Mixed Media Paper - heavy weight paper 90lb 9x12 or larger

• Scissors - small size Honey Bee or Fiskars

• Exacto Knife

• Cutting mat

• Ruler

• Water Spray bottle

• Paint Palette - or 2 Trays +  Parchment paper

• Brushes -  A variety of different sizes and different shapes. Old brushes work well here too

• Catalyst Wedge

• Palette knives in different sizes. Old credit cards work well too.

• Acrylic Paint - Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, White. Student grade is fine, but please no craft paint.

  Fluid paint works best, but if you have heavy body paint then also feel free to use. We will learn how to extend paint with medium.

• Acrylic Ink - Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, White

• Pens and Markers

• Pencils/ Crayons

COLLAGE PAPERS

Ideas include:

• Tissue paper in white plus a few other colors if you have

• Scrapbook paper. Old envelopes, maps or stationery. Ledger or graph paper.

• Envelopes,sewing patterns, music sheets, wallpaper samples

MARK MAKING TOOLS

• Look around your house! Think...Old toothbrush and makeup brushes.

• Corks. Elastic bands. Ear swabs. Bamboo skewers, Twine, Old sticks

OPTIONAL

Please feel free to bring any other favorite materials and mediums! It's all about mixed media .

Julie is a mixed media artist who practices creative play and possibility. She likes to describe her creative process as being in a wonderful state of creative chaos due to an overactive imagination that is always questioning…What If?​She loves the endless possibility that creating art provides. There are so many mediums to explore and so much to learn. She is happiest with a paintbrush in one hand, scissors in the other.

Her art career has led her down many different paths from painter to surface pattern designer, illustrator of children's books and now teaching. It has been a wonderful journey that has connected her with so many other like minded creatives.

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.

BIRDS, BEES AND BUTTERFLIES WITH GEOFFREY GORMAN

June 3-5, 2024 - Port Orchard, WA

Take flight while learning how to build a variety of curious winged creatures with Geoffrey Gorman

During this workshop with Geoffrey, be prepared to let go of conventional building techniques and traditional methods of designing while learning how to build a flying creature.

Using a wide variety of cast off materials and unorthodox construction, we will design, assemble and bring to life a curious menagerie. We will learn how to make bodies, legs and wings from an assortment of materials including wood, wire, bike tires and odds and ends.

Each participant will be given a wooden bird form to create their first creature. For the rest of the workshop anything goes, let your imagination go wild!

TECHNIQUES

• Hand tool use

• Basic woodworking

• Unusual construction techniques

• Carving wood

MATERIALS

• Wood

• Lost and found stuff

• ephemera

OUTCOMES

• A new approach to the creative practice

• Working intuitively with mixed media

• Expanding visual vocabulary

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

This three-day workshop encourages students to experiment with innovative and intuitive ways of creating a variety of flying creatures using wood and found and recycled materials. Students are invited to think about subjects, shapes and forms that hold particular interest and bring these ideas to the workshop for realization.

Using unusual techniques developed by Geoffrey to overcome construction challenges, each student will complete a variety of creatures, something they want to create. This class is perfect for beginners seeking an introduction to creating curious objects as well as intermediate and advanced students wishing to reach the next level and break out of their comfort zone. 

This Escapes Includes

• Three days of lessons from Geoffrey

• Three lunches and one dinner

• Carved bird

• Some supplies

The cost of this workshop is $800. A non-refundable $500 deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $300 is due February 3, 2024.

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

Daily Schedule

Monday, June 3. Meet in the studio at 9:30 for introductions and Geoffrey will go over the workshop schedule. Stop for lunch, then continue working until 4:30-5.

Tuesday, June 4. Meet in the studio at 9:30, break for lunch, continue working, then we will stop for appetizers and dinner.

Wednesday, June 5. Meet in the studio at 9:30, finish up projects stopping for lunch. Finish up any last minute additions to your bird(s), then we will clean up and have a Show ‘N Tell. The workshop is over at 4:30

We will Provide

• Power drills

• wood blocks

• Drill bits

• Hammers

• Screwdrivers

• Bicycle tires and inner tubes

• Gel medium

• Krylon Clear spray

Artists Supply List

• 7” coping saw

• Fiskars

• Two 5” threaded rods with nuts and washers

• Old tin cans

• Set of carving tools

• Utility knife

  
  

Kathie Vezzani is a mixed media artist who loves anything rusty. She rusts, paints and uses encaustic and cold wax in her practice. She also creates mixed media sculptures. In her spare time, she organizes workshops for other artists. She will be hosting this workshop in her new studio.

CURIOUS COLLECTIONS HAND-PRINTED BOOKS WITH GILLIAN LEE SMITH

May 18-21, 2024 Port Orchard, WA

So excited to share that Gillian Lee Smith will be hopping the pond to join us for two workshops.

Paper lithography or ‘gum arabic’ printing is an accessible but effective printmaking process without needing a printing press or harsh chemicals.

Put paper lithography and the book form together, and we can create pages of beautifully unique and layered imagery using printed drawings and photographs, amongst other mixed media.

Starting with found and gathered items from nature and other imagery, we will be using the method of paper lithography and oil-based inks to create layered prints of our own drawings and photographs, text and patterns.

Using repetition, layers, shifts in scale, and finely drawn imagery, we will create pages akin to natural specimen books of Victorian times. This will be the foundation of our book pages which will then be added to and built up with mixed media.

Folding our pages into a couple of variations of book form and adding book covers and fastenings will finish our projects.

ITINERARY

Day One, May 18 — Class will start at 9:30 a.m. We will break for lunch around 12:30 and class will be over at 4:30 p.m.

Gillian will share her printed books and her inspiration. We will spend a little time gathering from nature. Gillian will then show how we can create detailed drawings that will then be photocopied and used for the printmaking process.

Day Two, May 19 — Class starts at 9:30 a.m., with a break for lunch and class over at 4:30 p.m.

Gillian will demonstrate the paper lithography process before we spend the rest of the day printing onto our paper sheets, which will become our book projects. You will use photocopies of your drawings to create the book pages, but we will also have other photocopies to incorporate into our work to create richly layered imagery.

Day Three, May 20 - Class starts at 9:30 with more printmaking!

Gillian will also demonstrate ways to work into your pages with mixed media to build up textures and layers. We will continue working on our pages, and make our book covers. Lunch and dinner will be provided today.

Day Four, May 21 — fastenings and any other details to complete our books.

This Art Escape includes

• Four days instruction from Gillian

• A beautiful studio to create in

• 4 lunches, 1 dinner

• Some supplies

• New tribe

The cost for this Escape is $1100. A $600 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $500 dollars is due Feb. 17, 2024.

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

• Spray bottles

• Oil-based ink

• Gum arabic

• Linseed oil

• Deli paper

• Paper

• Book Board

• Cutting mats and rulers

• Glue

• Glossy magazines (if any student has a couple they can bring please do as we will need a pile of them)

• Copy paper

• Chip brushes for glue

• Cloth rags

Student Supply List

• Camera or phone camera

• Micron pens in black

• A sheet of blotting paper - at least 12 inches

• A printing roller - 4 inches wide or so

• A palette knife and/or plastic card

• A wooden spoon or barren

• Letter-sized plastic sheet or file

• Knife (like an Exacto or Stanley knife)

• A couple of paint brushes - Gillian’s suggestion is a 1-inch brush and a couple of others in various sizes

• White or buff titanium acrylic paint

• Acrylic ink for glazing - e.g. burnt umber - Gillian likes Liquitex transparent inks

• Handmade paper to cover your book covers with

• Some ribbon to go with your handmade paper and a few buttons

• Sewing needle and some waxed thread

• Dip pen

• Pencil

• Embossing tool

  Optional extras

• A couple of pieces of lace - preferably one with a defined pattern

• Letter or number stamps or stencils

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.

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.

WOODLAND WANDERINGS WITH GILLIAN LEE SMITH

May 11-15, 2024 Port Orchard

So excited to share that Gillian Lee Smith will be hopping the pond to join us for two workshops.

Whether wandering in a small woodland or a vast forest, there is something about trees, the air and the softness of the ground that changes how we breathe, move and feel. We can reflect the beautiful, earthy, mysterious atmosphere of the woodland and undergrowth. We are invited to feel as rooted and grounded as the trees are. It is a chance to pause, observe, and connect with nature and ourselves and perhaps even folklore or those who have gone before us. 

Between 2020 and 2023, Gillian created a body of work called Beneath Shadowed Woods, and it all began with walks and pencil sketches in local woodland during lockdown, then hours of painting into accordion sketchbooks at her dining table with mixed media. With relatively simple materials, pages and pages of layered and evocative imagery unfolded, all inspired by those woodland walks. Gillian would love to share this process with you in this workshop, showing her techniques for building up expressive, layered and textured pages full of atmosphere and the magical feeling of a forest. 

We will visit a local forest to walk, draw and photograph before spending three days in the studio immersed in painting. We will work in accordion sketchbooks, creating beautiful imagery on each page. The book's magic is that it also allows for an expanded, continuous image that can be folded out to reflect our wandering walks through the forest. 

Itinerary

Day One - May 11. We will meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. Gillian will go over the schedule for our workshop. Then off we go to visit a local forest to walk and sketch. Breathing in the atmosphere of the forest, grounding ourselves in nature and gathering visual imagery in the form of pencil drawings and photos to inspire or workshop days. Gillian will demonstrate how she draws from nature with a simple pencil and sketchbook. Lunch will be provided. Class will be over at 4:30 p.m.

Day Two - May 12. Class starts at 9:30, breaking for lunch (provided) and concluding at 4:30 p.m.

Gillian will share her accordion sketchbooks and other inspirations, as well as photos from her local woodland. We will begin laying the foundations of our book pages, building up textures and gestures to give the feeling of the shapes and visual movement of the forest. 

Day Three - May 13.Class starts at 9:30, breaking for lunch (provided) and concluding at 4:30 p.m.

Gillian will share her method of building layers, mark-making, opacity, transparency, visual texture and movement with a rich but limited color palette to capture the feeling of the forest. 

Day Four - May 14. Class starts at 9:30 a.m. We will continue adding layers to our pages. Lunch and Dinner will be provided.

Day Five - May 15. We will meet at 9:30 a.m. in the studio for our last day together. We will add final details and touches that will finish our pages off beautifully. After lunch, we will finish any last minute details before cleaning up and sharing our work in a Show ‘N Tell. Class will be over at 4:30 p.m.

This Art Escape includes

• Five days instruction from Gillian

• A beautiful studio to create in

• 5 lunches, 1 dinner

• Some supplies

• New tribe

The cost for this Escape is $1300. A $700 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $600 dollars is due Feb. 17, 2024.

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.

We Will Provide

• A4 Accordion sketchbook 

• Gesso

• Water containers

• Paper towels

• India Ink

• Some inks

• Paint rags

Student Supply List

• Cameral or phone camera

• Sketchbook - Gillian likes Moleskine 5.8 x 5.5 inches

• A couple of pencils - Gillian likes Blackwing 

• Acrylic ink in burnt umber and any other colours you like - Gillian likes Liquitex transparent inks (Prussian blue, transparent red oxide)

• Acrylic paint - White, yellow, blue, and red in acrylic paint. Recommendations - buff titanium or titanium white, quinacridone nickel azo gold or nickel azo yellow, cerulean blue or phthalo blue, red oxide or burnt sienna.

• Liquitex gloss medium

• A range of paint brushes - a 1-inch brush, a few sized 4 to 8, a rigger (very fine long) brush, one other small fine brush such as a size 0 or 1

• A couple of palette knives and an old credit-type card

• A dip pen

• A small spray bottle

Optional extras 

• Some metallic ink or acrylic paint - Gillian likes bronze

• A dagger brush (with a diagonal edge)

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.

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.

Tiffany Ownbey of Rutherfordton, NC is a mixed media artist whose work plays on the combination of the past and the present, nature and consumerism, and reuse and beauty. 

From an early age, Ownbey adopted her parents’ appreciation for flea markets and antique stores, transforming the magical quality and history of vintage objects and materials into new stories. Her work focuses on the experience of familiarity for the viewer, each reused element an opportunity for discovery and igniting memory. 

Ownbey studied art at Savannah College of Art and Design, Penland School of Crafts, and Western Carolina University. She has exhibited throughout the United States and in Japan and is currently living in a 100 year-old family-built log cabin surrounded by her sweet furry creatures, both domestic and unexpected.

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.

SIZZLING PAPER ART ESCAPE WITH JUDY WISE

April 25-28, 2024

Port Orchard, WA

Immerse yourself in color in this 4-day process class with Judy Wise as we experiment with watercolor and dyes, hot metal, and rusty bits from Kathie’s metal stash.

This class will be fast moving and full of surprises. The papers created will get your ideas flowing for projects ranging from book and paper arts, to finished paintings. Brings lots of papers; you will want to make a lot.

You will have the option of covering a book or journal that you bring, making a coptic stitched or long stitch sample book, or making a painting on one of Builder Bob’s wooden panels.

As a final optional project, we can sew a dyed portfolio to hold our papers. So many possibilities!

This Art Escape includes

• Four days instruction from Judy

• beautiful studio to create in

• 4 lunches, 1 dinner

• some supplies

• one 12”x12” cradled board

• new tribe

The cost for this Escape is $800. A $500 nonrefundable deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $300 dollars is due January 14, 2024.

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

• Dye colors

• Some griddles and irons

• Rulers

• Metal

• Some paper

• Linen thread and needles

• Written instructions for books

• Glue (Mod Podge)

• Gesso

• Mixing tray

Student Supply List

• Watercolors in tubes; yellow, red (Quinacradone or Magenta), Ultramarine or Phthalo Blue, Virdian, Raw or Burnt Sienna

• 4 inch brush and smaller brush - chip brushes okay

• Paper to dye: try everything from inkjet to 140 lb. watercolor paper and bring a lot

• Fat glue stick

• 1 sheet of 140 lb water color paper if you want to make a portfolio (it will be folded in half in case you need to fit it in your suitcase)

• Pliers that can lift pieces of hot metal; medium sized needle nose and larger

• 2 old bath towels

• Optional: fabric - muslin, canvas, etc.

• Optional: bring a book or journal to cover

Judy Wise is an Oregon artist who has worked as a printmaker, painter, writer and teacher for more than four decades and has kept daily journals of her writing and art since childhood. She still delights in learning new methods and loves to share with other artists.

Kathie Vezzani, our host, is a mixed media artist who loves anything rusty. She rusts, paints and uses encaustic and cold wax in her practice. She also creates mixed media sculptures. In her spare time, she organizes workshops for other artists. She will be hosting this workshop in her new studio.

ASSEMBLAGE ART WITH DIANNE HOFFMAN

San Francisco assemblage artist Dianne Hoffman will share the secrets of her successful professional practice in a 3-day workshop March 15-17, 2024 in Port Orchard, WA.

Dianne’s assemblages primarily use repurposed found objects and recycled materials. Her sought after assemblage works are most commonly staged within signature vignette-style boxes that provide a visual context for playful metaphors, song lyrics, segmented phrases or personal sentiments.

For this three day class Dianne will share methods and techniques to conceptualize allegorical stories, design and develop wall mounted housing structures for them to be told from, and create the found-object characters to “take the stage.”

This workshop is open to all levels of experience and artistic backgrounds. Dianne will guide your creative process and teach you useful techniques using re-purposed, found objects.

Dianne will share

• how to scavenge, pick and store your stash

• necessary tools, glues, adhesives and altering activators

• how to let your objects tell their stories

• how to use balance, composition and presentation in your art

ITINERARY

Day 1, Friday, March 15

9:30 We will gather in the studio and Dianne will go over the schedule.

Everyone will unload their stash of materials and brainstorm what he or she would like to assemble. Dianne will offer suggestions and help when needed.

We will break for lunch and then return to the studio to create for the rest of the afternoon. Class will be over at 4:30-5:00. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Day 2, Saturday, March 16

9:30 Let the creativity flow as we continue working on our projects. You will probably be working on two simultaneously to allow for drying time.

Lunch at 12:30 then return to the studio to keep creating until we stop around 4:30-5:00. An early dinner will be served this evening as we discuss our challenges and successes!

Day 3, Sunday, March 17

9:30 Time to bring it all together in our final push to finish our projects. We will stop for lunch and then finish up.

3:00 Time to clean up and then share our projects in a Show “n Tell.

This Art Escape includes

• Three days instruction by Dianne Hoffman

• Three lunches, one dinner

• Lots of materials

The cost of this workshop is $800. A $500 deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $300 is due November 15, 2023.

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

• wood scraps

• paper scraps (maps, books, sheet music, cards, old photos)

• Screws of various sizes

• Nails of various sizes

• Acrylic paint of various colors

• Gel Matte Medium

• Small to medium size picture hanging “D-rings”

• Hanging wire

• Saw tooth hangers (for small pieces)

• Heat source (heat guns)

• Paint brushes (for both paint and glue)

• Sand paper

• Water cups (for storing/cleaning brushes in between use and to thin paint as needed)

• Hand wipes

• Q-tips

• Tooth picks

• Wax paper 

• All tools in Builder Bob’s workshop including hammers, drills, drill bits, clamps, hand saws, electric sander, screw drivers, snips, drill press, clamps

• Wood glue

  
  

Artist Supply List

• scissors

• small notebook/pen

• Two Party Epoxy (Gorilla)

• E6000

• White Glue: Dianne’s favorite non-toxic strong hold is PC Products PC-Universal Glue, High Performance Adhesive

• Old rusty bits

• Broken toys

• Decorative home flourishes

• Broken jewelry bits

• Clock/watch parts

• Doll parts

• Game pieces

• Measuring sticks

• Furniture parts/hardware

• Organic bits (rocks, shells, next, comb, twigs, etc.)

• Keys + locks

• Animal bones/antlers

• Deconstructed instruments

OR…any little thing that ignites a creative impulse)

Sturdy small to medium sized recycled WOOD boxes (examples below). Dianne recommends each person have 3-4 of various sizes (small-medium) on hand. Note that doors/lids/fronts can be removed to create an open faced “stage” like structure to hang from the wall.  Box depth ideally will range from 3-8 inches (give or take)

• Wine/food creates

• Cabinet/dresser drawers

• Jewelry boxes

• Clock cases

• Cigar boxes

• Barn boxes

Dianne Hoffman is a self-taught mixed media artist with a primary focus in found objects and recycled materials mingled with collage, paint and clay. Her work conveys nostalgic stories with impactful sentiment.  She was born and raised in the suburbs of Southern California and moved North to become a resident of San Francisco in 1988. The City by the Bay, with its loving embrace of everything extraordinary and endless resource of possibilities, came to cultivate and nurture her creative impulses. She has been a full time artist of salvaged and repurposed components since 2010 with work found in collections worldwide including Hong Kong, Australia, Africa, Europe and throughout the continental U.S. Dianne maintains an abundant workspace at Arc Studios and Gallery in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco.

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.

RAW, RUSTY JOURNALS WITH ALEX CASTRO FERREIRA

Oaxaca City, Oaxaca Mexico - February 9-17 2024

Portugal mixed media Artist Alex Castro Ferreira loves to create worn, raw, rusty journals that you can write, paint, doodle, stitch, and play with. What inspires us about her work is the use of rust, resin and metal. We are thrilled that she will be joining us in Oaxaca next year.

This journey with Alex in Oaxaca will make us smile, laugh and feel grateful for all the blessings in our lives. We will gather photos and memorabilia, wire, rust, paper, fabric and whatever else appeals to us as we create our raw, rusting journals.

If you have seen Alex’s journals on Facebook or Instagram, you already know how yummy her books are. Filled with memories but also with strips of collage that she creates, rusty papers, wire, a spoon, a book spine, and gorgeous resin papers.

We love her use of metal throughout her journals and the covers?! Little pieces of art in themselves.

Itinerary

Day 1, Friday Feb. 9

7:00 We will meet, imbibe in a drink and some botanas before settling in for the night.

Day 2, Saturday Feb. 10

Breakfast at the hotel and then we will gather in the studio to begin our lesson with Alex. She will share our schedule for the week. Today we will rust watercolor papers and fabrics, and create resin papers. Lunch will be from 1-2, then it’s off for a quick walking tour of the city to give you glimpses of places you will want to return to further explore.

We will continue working this afternoon until around 5:00. This evening will be at La Olla, with our friend Chef Pilar Cabrera.

Day 3, Sunday Feb. 11

Breakfast at the hotel, and at 9:30, create all day with Alex stopping for lunch at 1, then stopping around 4:30. We will use black beans to dye papers and fabric. Then we will begin assembling pages using some of the organic materials. You will have free time before we meet this evening for dinner.

Day 4, Monday Feb. 12

Travel Day

Breakfast at the hotel, then class at 9:30. We will begin creating a patchwork with photos and reveal our black tea dyed papers.

We will leave for the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle for a special cooking class with our amiga, Reina Mendoza.

Dinner will be on your own tonight.

Day 5, Tuesday Feb. 13

Breakfast at the hotel, then class begins at 9:30. Today we will work on our book covers, write a love letter and start assembling our journals. We will stop for lunch and you will have some free time after class before we meet for dinner.

Day 6, Wednesday February 14

Happy Valentine’s Day! Travel Day

Breakfast in the hotel, then we are off to the pottery village of Santa Maria Atzompa where we will visit Ana Maria Alarzon’s taller de escultura y ceramica. We saw Ana’s face pots in a local restaurant and tracked her down. Her son’s studio is nearby with many more modern interpretations.

You will have some time to explore this village and lunch will be on your own. Free time after you return to the hotel to work on your journal or walk around the city until this evening’s cooking class with Chef Ana Elena. Of course, there will be chocolate!

Day 7, Thursday February 15

Breakfast and then a full day in the studio, assembling and binding our journals. We will provide lunch and dinner.

Day 8, Friday February 16

Have breakfast and then at 9:00 head to the studio where we will finish stitching, stapling, and binding our journals. Alex will share how to create a wrapping for our journals.

We will have lunch in the market and then you will have all afternoon to finish shopping or visiting the many museums. This evening we will have our farewell dinner at Nois.

Day 9, Saturday February 17

The trip is over and you may leave anytime this morning.

This Escape Includes

• 8 nights accommodation at Hostal de La Noria, double occupancy

• Lessons with Alex

• Welcome reception and fiesta

• All meals except for one lunch and one dinner

• Visits to markets

• Two cooking classes

• Free time to explore

• Visits to local artisans

• Farewell dinner

• Some supplies

• Private Facebook page

• New art tribe

The price for this workshop is $3,800 and limited to 12 people. A limited number of single rooms are available for an additional $600.

A $1,000 non refundable deposit is due upon registering. The final payment is due September 10, 2023.

Price does not include airfare to/from Oaxaca.

Accommodations: Located in a colonial building just two blocks from the zocolo, Hostal de La Noria has free wifi, a restaurant, a pool, bar and rooftop terrace. It is located across from the Textile Museum. 

La Noria

Airport: Xoxocotlan International Airport is an international airport located in Oaxaca City, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The Airport has only one terminal that handles domestic and international air traffic. Code: OAX.

WE WILL PROVIDE

• some paint

• black ink

• some metal for rusting

• coffee, salt for rusting

• some papers

• spray bottles/vinegar

• envelopes

• lighter

• black beans

• adhesive spray

• baby wipes

• sponges

• masking tape

• gloves

STUDENT SUPPLY LIST

• Original photos from beloved ones that you will print in black and white laser /reverse on plain paper

• Gather precious items again from beloved ones like drawings, old recipes, handwriting letters, passports, identity cards, a watch, an earring, a ring, bits of hair, a tooth endless list

• Organic elements like a small branch of wood, coconut leaves, eucalyptus leaves, dried flowers…

• Two vintage hard book covers - 7” x 5”

• Small tintypes (Alex buys hers online either on Ebay or Etsy shop) or small black and white original photos

• 1 matchbox (2 x 1.20 inches)

• Small brush

• Small bottle of matte gel medium (Alex uses liquitex)

• Paper scissors

• An awl and a hammer

• Strong glue - Alex uses loctite

• Double sided tape

• A stapler with extra staples

• A minidater (optional)

• Vintage dictionary pages or old pages

• Feathers

• Fasteners

• Small objects found in flea markets like old brushes, rulers, nails ….

• Tim Holtz remnant rub specimen (optional)

• Rusty wire (Alex has several gauges and buys them online)

• Yellow/white tape

• Exacto knife with extra blades

• Watercolor paper

• Plain paper

• A stamp with lettering (optional - Alex uses it a lot)

• Rusty flat objects found in flea markets to rust our papers and fabrics

• Kitchen thread

• White fabric like linen, cotton, silk, organza (think old T-shirts, skirts that you don’t use anymore will be perfect)

• Negative photos

• Slides

• Spines from old books

• Vintage paper

• DMC thread/sewing machine thread

• A needle/thread

• A rag

• A bone folder

• Wax thread

• Glue stick

• Alcohol inks - Alex uses Dijon and Cranberry by Tim Holtz

• small cutting mat

• pen, ruler, and a compass

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

Portugal mixed media artist Alex Castro Ferreira embraces her French and Portuguese cultures in her altered books and journals. She uses rust, resin, recycled objects and talisman jewelry to tell her story, where she is from, and where she is going. A world traveler, Alex collects ephemera everywhere she goes. She lives with her beloved husband, Luis in Portugal. This is Alex’s first Bellissima Art Escape.