Portland Art & Soul... On The Red Carpet!

Our first event for the year in Portland was amazing! They're always special, but the air was alive with excitement and energy this year.

With a brand new theme, we started off our event with a glamorous opening night party – On the Red Carpet – which featured a live band and we tripped the light fantastic, as if we were the stars.

We had some exceptional dancers spinning around the floor.

A celebrity selfie station!

Lots of glitz and glam including feather boas, feather eyelashes, and sparkly hair extensions were all part of the fun.

Many of us sported sparkles throughout the week. Attendees even arranged to have our glitz girl Sarah return to add more glam to their locks! It was so much fun. Mine are still in place and I love the comments I get as I venture out into the non-arty world.

And speaking of arty worlds... Wow! We had close to 500 happy, smiling, adventurous attendees at this year's Art & Soul Portland. A big thanks to those who came from NZ, Australia, the Netherlands, England & Canada. What an amazing tribute to A&S!

And as always, the gorgeous mixed-media creations that were made just blew me away. Like these metallic mini journals made by students in Jen Crossley's workshops.

Lots of gorgeous fabric classes with interesting techniques for making one-of-a-kind garments, or...

Something to tell a personal tale with, like these beautiful Storyscapes made in Roxanne Evans Stout's workshop.

How about these gorgeous metal bangles! There are always plenty of jewelry classes at Art & Soul, in all categories of mixed media.

Like these uniquely colorful Alcohol Ink pendants from Jennifer Jackson MacLean's students!

And speaking of colorful, check out these gorgeous papers and journal pages made in Nicole Austin's She Three workshop.

And this mixed-media portrait from Kate Thompson's experimental painting class. There was definitely something for everyone and every level of artist here in Portland. It warmed my heart to watch our tremendously talented teachers guide our students, while gently pushing them outside their comfort zone to create magnificent works of art.

Our vendor night was packed! The most vendors we had in years. Teachers selling their own creations. Antiques and mixed-media objects galore. Fabrics and fibers and found objects and all kinds of stuff to make more stuff with. It was a creative's paradise. Our special thanks to One Love Vineyards for coming with wine tastings and sale of their new products.

And it was so great to see a renewed excitement over trades again! Just like the old days, we've gone back to simple gestures, exercising our individual artistic flair, and appreciation for one another's creativity and kindness. Makes my heart go pitter-pat.

And lets not forget all the other amazing extras at Portland... Massages again were popular! Our necks and backs needed relief from all that intense creative focus. We also cannot say enough about the hotel staff, always rising above and beyond to take care of our special needs and crazy requirements. And if you've ever been to one of our events, you know our requests are pretty crazy! And of course, our on-site store, Collage. Holy cow! A selection to rival any big chain. We're pretty lucky.  Thanks to Maria Raleigh and her great team for an amazing job. And of course my Marie and Karen. So for my outstanding support system and all the wonderful teachers and attendees... this award goes to you! Thanks for making Art & Soul a winner year after year after year!!

Until next time. See you in Colorado!

Glenny
xo

Our First Colorado Retreat!

Wow! Our inaugural event was everything we could have hoped for! The vibe was incredible and everyone attending was as excited to be there as we were to bring our unique mixed media retreat to them. The location was picturesque and calming. Colorado Springs embraced us with amazing weather and beautiful scenery.

The range of workshops we were able to offer at this new location made me so very happy, and the students as well. We are just so lucky to have the caliber of instructors that we do. Professional on every level but at the same time so down-to-earth and nurturing. What a perfect venue for these generous souls.

Students enjoyed the wide variety of workshops and created some stunning works of art. I loved the immediate camaraderie of the attendees and how they recognized they had found their tribe of like-minded art souls.

And while each student had their own personal experience, the chemistry among attendees overall... was palpable. I know Colorado Springs is a magical place, but it was more that that. It was getting to watch these adventurous and creative individuals have a necessary play date with their inner child.

From the wide variety of workshops, all kinds of whimsical creations were made... like these tiny houses from Ruth Greening's Precious Metal Clay workshop.

And this adorable bunny with a little bit of attitude, from Helen Shafer Garcia's Animal Crackers class.  

And these visually poetic, Juicy Affirmation Cards made in Jennifer MacLean's class. But for me... most of all... it's the smiles on the happy faces of our attendees that make my heart sing. I applaud them for taking the time from this hustle-and-bustle world to give back to themselves. They really do deserve it. You all do!

The classes were so enticing, even the instructors took some time from teaching to have fun and learn something new... like Erin Keck did, when she made these gorgeous earrings in Mary Johnson Hettmansperger's class.

And, our instructors, well... they love to have fun! As much fun as their students. It's their ability to laugh and play and be lighthearted in their approach to teaching, that they are hand-picked to be a part of the Art & Soul family. And we hope to include more local artists in next year's lineup (yup, we're definitely coming back). Many of us visited the Cottonwood Center for the Arts as well as the gallery crawl and were blown away by the exhibits. So we'll have lots of talented artists to choose from!

Let's not forget to mention our amazing on-site store and the pop-up, one-night-only Vendor Extravaganza. It's wonderful to have these amazing shopportunities come right to our doorstep to satisfy our needs for those art supplies and one-of-a-kind items we absolutely can't live without!

I must say that it was a genuine pleasure to have our event at the Hotel Eleganté. The staff went above and beyond to take care of us. Classrooms were cozy and had great lighting. The food was excellent. And ummmm... how many of us hit the Sweet Shop for ice cream? I won't tell how many times if you don't. I loved that the Hotel is surrounded with greenspace, especially the tranquil pond — complete with mama and baby ducklings. There were lots of places to sketch or just relax, and many attendees took side trips to see Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and hiking! I'm anxious to return and spend more time in the area. 

At the Colorado event, there was inspiration everywhere, in everything. That's how Art & Soul retreats are. It's where we honor the creative life we want to live full time. It's where we get little glimpses of how to do that, so we can bring it home with us and start the process of filling up our souls.

And yes! We will be returning to Colorado Springs next year, so... mark your calendars. You'll definitely want to be a part of this relaxing, inspirational, creative retreat next year. We hope to have classes available on our website by the middle of July. Watch for a newsletter announcement coming to your inbox soon!

Art & Soul Colorado Springs, CO

May 29 - June 2, 2019 at the Hotel Eleganté

Thanks again to all of you who attended and everyone who made this first Colorado event such a great success! See you soon...

Glenny
xo

Portland 2019 Registration Now Open!

A Colorful Palate with Jacqueline Newbold

Oh boy do we have some colorful classes for Art & Soul Portland 2019! We're thrilled to be able to offer you 155 mixed-media workshops, taught by 49 individually talented artists, over 8 days of complete and total creative bliss!!

Ruth Chandler's workshop Artiste Tool Bag & Tole

No matter what type of mixed media art you enjoy making, or what level you're at, we have something for everyone in Portland. Choose from workshops in collage, asssemblage, painting, doodling, drawing, journaling, bookmaking, sewing, fabric and fiber arts, jewelry making, metal working, sculpting, dollmaking and techniques so new that we don't even have names for them yet.... We've got all of it!

Nicole Austin's "She Three" Collage Portraits

And of course with all our events we have so much more than classes at all of our events including a fabulous Opening Night Party, an amazing on-site store, our pop-up Vendor Night shopping event, DIY play areas, and impromptu gatherings with your Art & Soul'mates! There's certainly nothing like some creative playtime with your tribe.

Portland Art & Soul

March 10-17, 2019

Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel

Portland, Oregon

 

Make felted birds & nests with LeBrie Rich in Welcome Spring!

 

So that's just a little taste of what we have in store, so go ahead and grab a beverage and a snack check out our Portland offerings! You can peruse them on our website in 3 ways... by workshops and their dates, your favorite instructors, and by photos of all our example projects. Once you register, don't forget to make your hotel reservations too. Happy browsing!

Get Out From Behind Your Computer & Come Make Art With Us in Virginia Beach!

In this modern day and age of the interwebs, it's easy to take advantage of the creative offerings available that allow you to participate in the convenience of your own home. But there's nothing like being amongst your tribe of like-minded souls, having a teacher right in front of you to answer questions as they arise, walking around a classroom to see what others are doing, rummaging through mixed media treasures with your hands, and actually LOL'ing because you're having so much fun, feeling light and playful since all the distractions of home have fallen away.

THIS is what Art & Soul is for!

And so we thought we'd share a bit more of the unique offerings we have for our Virginia Beach Retreat, to entice you into joining us in-person!

The title of this workshop with Debbie Rijns says it all. It's called Awwww Sweet, and it gives you the chance to create a silver pendant from a child's drawing. Now, really.... how sweet is that?!

Got quilt skills? Well, after this amazing class with Judy Gula, you'll have a plethora of knowledge on how to make your very own special Batik Panel Art Quilt. Overcome your quilting fears and join Judy for this informative class. And if you're traveling by air, no worries... Bernina has graciously furnished us with extra sewing machines for you to use. How cool is that?!

Mama always said if you keep making that face it's going to stay that way! Well, not in this Luscious Layered Portraits workshop with Nicole Austin. You'll create juicy layers upon layers in your art journals that form the basis of these intriguing one-of-a-kind faces. No two will be alike!

Want to light up your life... or maybe your child's bedroom? Let Leslie Blackford be your guide as you make a night light using transparent polymer clay creations. Then learn to sculpt simple animals that adorn these Creative Character Lamps. What a bright idea!

And how about trying your hand at these adorable Felted Flower Rings you can make in this evening class taught by Susan Rossiter? Now that summer is here and all the flowers are blooming, it really makes sense to create a colorful adornment that lets you enjoy them all year long

So, as you can see, we've got lots to offer in Virginia Beach, and this isn't even scratching the surface! We have an amazing group of instructors who are all artists themselves, many of them published in the pages of your favorite mixed media magazines and authors of their own how-to books. We kick off the week with an opening night party and have lots of fun events, contests and gatherings throughout the week. We've got an on-site store that'll knock your socks off, and a Vendor Extravaganza featuring peddlers with hard to find goodies from ephemera to assemblage components and amazing original art by your very own instructors! We have pop-up parties, show-and-tell, make-and-takes, a designated play area, an amazing staff, all taking place at a hotel on the beach... and there's just so much more to experience in person!

Virginia Beach Art & Soul

October 2-8, 2017

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel

So visit our website and get more information about our Virginia Beach Event... our relaxing beachfront Hotel... the creative Workshops we have to offer... and our fabulous Instructors! Sign up today and give yourself the playtime you deserve, amidst like-minded souls... you'll make some amazing art and lasting friendships too.