Portland Rocked!

Oh my gosh — what a fabulous Art & Soul this year at the Red Lion on the River in Portland! This venue is just so inspirational in itself. Imagine waking up to this in the morning.

Or this! Every day was a unique painting on a brand new canvas, thanks to Mother Nature.

And I'm sure you all know by now — that seeing what everybody gets to create at Art & Soul is my favorite part of this whole retreat. From gorgeous fabric collages...

...to dainty dolls, upcycled from vintage tins, porcelain beauties, jewelry bits and baubles.

From gorgeous Gelli Plate madness with tons of juicy layers and vibrant colors...

...to clever collages made with ephemera, magazine pages and such.

Or this unique handcrafted kelp basket...

...and all of our excited students who stopped by for Show & Tell in the office. You all rocked it out this year!

Our meeting space in the lobby was PERFECT for introductions, playing and whatever! We certainly made a wonderful mess.

Vendor night was fun and frenzied as usual, with mixed media supplies galore and finished goods by our favorite instructors as well. It's fun to see everyone when they don't have their faces buried in a project. 

Many thanks to everyone who made the event a success. Our dedicated staff and tireless helpers. All of our amazing instructors. Judy and the staff in the store for bringing tons more stuff than we needed. And our dear Energizer Bunny, Marie. Without whom the event would collapse.

And all of you who attended this year... including a most hearty welcome to all the newbies who attended. By all appearances, you were having a ball. Our A&S family rocks!


I can't begin to thank all of you for your enthusiasm, generosity, and kindness. I came away from the retreat so very energized and totally excited about next year.

Our year "On Safari" was truly an adventure... not only in pushing the creative boundaries, but also in digging deeper into the depths of our souls.

Hugs to everyone,
Glenny

You're All A Bunch Of Animals!

Creative animals, that is! Because this year's theme is On Safari. And we know how you love making trades and creating event-themed art and accessories with our new 2013 motif. I know you'll come up with some fabulous items to show and share this year and I just cannot wait to see all of them.

As Marie and I prepare all the exciting elements that go into the Kansas City event, I can't help but feel the palpable excitement of a new retreat! Now that we're on the heels of Kansas City Art & Soul... what better time to give you some animals to play with!

So here's some wildlife for you to use in your Art & Soul trades, swaps, ATCs, journals, collages, notebook covers and anything else you can dream up! Right click on the images to download or simply drag them to your desktop... and then go On Safari!

Okay... it's definitely time to start monkeying around with this primate made of burlap!

A polkadotted, pointy-horned beast? Rhinot!

They say elephants never forget. This one's made from a dictionary page, just in case!

Giraffe's never get lost. Well, okay... maybe they do, but this map-tacular one never will!

Take a rest under this musical Acacia Tree... and feel the rhythm of the jungle!

So there you go... you creative animals! Play and paste and alter until your heart's content. And then stop by the registration desk and show me what you've made at our next event. I love to see my Art & Soul family's creations!

See you soon!
Glenny
Raawwrrr! (I mean xoxo)

Got Safari Tickets? It's a Mixed Media Jungle Out There!

Hello Creativity Adventurers! Have you signed up for our Kansas City, MO Art & Soul event yet? I just wanted to pop in and make sure you got your virtual "tickets" for this retreat as registration is nearing its close and we don’t want you to miss out on this artistic adventure. And although we do things a little bit different here at Art & Soul — meaning that we actually keep some spaces available until the actual day of the class — we do have an internal deadline we honor with each of our instructors. This  ensures that they are able to plan for and order supplies, get a reasonable airfare, and prepare their exciting curriculum for all you creative souls who are coming.

So if you’ve considered attending at our Kansas City, MO Art & Soul Retreat, you have until February 20th to pick out the workshops you’d like to take — after that, classes may be limited. So treat yourself to a respite of creativity where you’ll connect with like-minded individuals and explore new possibilities in art. Come and join us for a mixed media adventure!

And don’t forget, we offer Art & Soul gift certificates in any denomination! So tell your sweetheart you want the gift of creativity this Valentine’s Day!

Introducing Our 2013 Theme...

You better believe it's a mixed-media jungle out there... and this coming year will be no exception! So I'd like to introduce our theme for Art & Soul 2013 —Art & Soul On Safari — and this adorably whimsical logo that was designed by mixed-media artist and long-time A&S attendee Michelle Bernard. I just love how she used different types of papers and fabrics for the animals and the tree. And the giraffe munching on the "&" is just too cute.

So put on your thinking caps (or your safari hats) and let's get wild! I know you'll all come up with some amazing ideas for trades, book swaps, decorating your thingamajigs, patterned clothing to adorn yourselves with and more. We'll have some fun, themed events at our retreats next year and look forward to seeing where you take this On Safari theme!

Michelle also made it just a little easier for you to have fun with her logo design, by creating a clip art sheet of all the components that went into the logo (and a couple bonus sayings). You can download both the logo and the clip art images by right-clicking on the photos (or control-click for macintosh users) and then Save As to your computer. Or, you can grab them off our Yahoo Group in the photos section... an Album Titled... Art & Soul On Safari 2013. So have fun and get your Safari On!