Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Virginia Beach... What a View!


Okay... so I don't mean to brag (okay, I really do!), but this is the view from my balcony at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel.... the new venue for Art & Soul Retreat, VA! This morning's breakfast was really good. The classrooms are comfortably roomy and very nice. The weather is supposed to be in the 70s!  And there's lots of shopping within walking distance from the hotel. (Ahhhh... taking a moment to breathe in this delightful sea air). What a fabulous place to call "home" for the next week! Can't wait to see you all!

~Glenny xoxo

Friday, February 24, 2012

Art & Soul Radio... Tune in for Katie Kendrick: Poetic Painter on February 27th

Come along with Leslie Riley as she chats with Katie Kendrick — a talented artist who resides along the banks of the Tahuya  River in western Washington, surrounded by the Tahuya State Forest. The peaceful beauty of the nature that surrounds her is a constant source of inspiration and nourishment for her creative spirit. She finds art making to be one of the most powerful ways to connect with her innermost essence while at the same time discovering her authentic voice. She enjoys the experimental and intuitive layers of creating, where she can explore inner and outer worlds simultaneously. She has a passion for sharing her love of creating with others, and teaches mixed media workshops across the U.S. While her work has been featured in many books and magazines we can now finally get our hands on Katie’s first book, Layered Impressions: A Poetic Approach to Mixed Media Painting.

Leslie will be talking with Katie about this and so much more. Please join us for an inspirational interview...

Art & Soul Radio featuring Katie Kendrick
with Lesley Riley
Monday, February 27th
7:00pm EST
blogtalkradio.com/art-and-soul-radio




And don't forget, Art & Soul Radio's interviews are also available on demand, to listen to at your leisure. Check out what other mixed-media artists are doing and how they're living their lives with passion any time!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Are You Ready for a Playcation!


If you've ever been to Virginia, driven through, or seen their tourism commercials on TV, you know that Virginia is for Lovers® is their slogan. Well, we've made a few adjustments and we're gonna start our own campaign because when it comes to Mixed Media... Virginia Art & Soul is the place to be. And when you think about it, coming to our retreat is kind of like being on vacation, but you can leave your troubles, your husbands (or wives), the kids, the dirty dishes and laundry at home... and PLAY! So we're going to call it a "Playcation". And taking into consideration that we have a new location in Virginia Beach, well... could you really ask for anything more?

And can you believe how fast Virginia Art & Soul is sneaking up on us? I mean... it's a little over a week away! ONE WEEK! Have you packed yet? Picked up or ordered all your supplies? Are you just going to wing it? Are you bringing trades? Your favorite apron? Your lucky travel shirt? So much to plan, but in such an exciting way. Who doesn't love to get into the details when you know you're going to have a great time.... rain or shine! Playcation here we come!

So to wrap it all up... we're excited that Virginia Art & Soul is right around the corner. We're excited that you're coming. We're excited that you're excited. And we hope you're counting down the days too! Woohoo!

If you haven't yet signed up for Art & Soul Virginia, March 1-6. There's a fantastic array of classes that still have room, and you can take as many or as few as you like! And let's not forget about Las Vegas Art & Soul! Right around the corner too, taking place June 14-18, 2012. And I'm telling you, this year has some of the most incredible teachers and workshops we've had to offer yet. It's really very exciting! For more information or to register for any of our retreats, visit us at www.artandsoulretreat.com today.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

We're Giving Away a FujiFilm Camera!


Okay, so first our generous instructors donated their own spectacular pieces of art as giveaways for the Virginia Art & Soul, and now... FujiFilm has donated a FinePix T200 camera as part of our workshop giveaways!! Wow!

So how can you get in on this exciting opportunity? For each class you take, you'll receive a raffle ticket. The more classes you take — the more chances you have to win. Extra tickets will be available for purchase too, and multiple giveaways will happen every day! There are plenty of chances to win.

Here's the colossal list of features on this fun and functional digital camera...

This 14 Megapixel camera presents the ideal solution for those who want to keep things simple when it comes to taking pictures. It's an easy-to-use, super thin compact that will store in the corner of a travel bag or a jacket pocket. With the gigantic 10X wide-angle 28mm to the 280mm telephoto Optical Zoom lens, you can take stunning close-ups of your artwork and family to landscapes on your travels. The FinePix T200 has a few technological tricks up its sleeve like SR Auto Mode which automatically detects 6 different types of scenes - Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Backlit Portrait, Night, and Night Portrait, Photobook Assist, which allows the user to mark the pictures to go in a photobook, Motion Panorama for stunning, sweeping panoramic shots, Face Detection and Recognition for the perfect blur-free portraits and HD Video to name a few. Let the T200 ‘do all the hard work’ leaving you free to concentrate on getting the best shots possible. Camera includes lithium battery, charger and a 4GB memory card!

Features:
• 14M Resolution
• FUJINON 10X Wide Angle Optical Zoom Lens
• 28mm-280mm equivalent
• 2.7” High Resolution 230k pixel LCD
• HD Movie 720p w/ Sound
• High sensitivity ISO3200
• Contrast Speed Auto-Focus
• Enhanced Dual Image Stabilization
• Face Detection / Face Recognition
• Tracking Auto Focus
• i-Flash Intelligent Flash
• SR AUTO Automatic Scene Recognition
• Panorama shooting mode
• Smile/Blink Detection modes
• Metal Chassis – 18.5mm Thickness
• Available in Gunmetal
• Includes Lithium Battery, Battery charger, USB cable, etc
• Includes: 4GB Memory Card

If you haven't already, now's your chance to sign up for Art & Soul Virginia. There are still plenty of amazing classes available at this art reatreat... the experience of a lifetime! 

© photo courtesy of FujiFilm

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Instructor Spotlight: Cathy Taylor - Don't be a Doctor, be an Artist!

Welcome to your final stop on our Art & Soul, Virginia Beach retreat instructor blog hop (boy that's a mouthful!). But I hope you enjoyed reading about just a few of our extremely talented teachers and the creative inspirations behind their art. Don't forget to comment on the blog for your chance to win some mixed media goodies furnished by our lovely on-site store Artistic Artifacts!! I'll draw a winner for this post on February 10th.

Today's Instructor Spotlight is about the very vivacious, very talented Cathy Taylor. She's been teaching at Art & Soul for 4 years now — and WOW!-ing students here since the very beginning. An instructor with a big heart and a passionate soul, she'll make you feel so comfortable that you'll want to come back for more. So here's a little more about Cathy...


What started your art career?  

STRESSSSSSSS

I was working 24/7 in a job that I did not enjoy.  I had no time for me, let alone time to be creative. We've all been there at one time or another.  I decided that I needed to do something to give myself a break or go bonkers.

“SOLITUDE, SAYS THE MOONSHELL. EVERY PERSON, ESPECIALLY EVERY WOMAN SHOULD BE ALONE SOMETIME DURING THE YEAR, SOME PART OF EACH WEEK, AND EACH DAY.”
~ANNE MORROW LINDBERG

So I enrolled in a local watercolor class and the rest is history.  I started painting in 1990 and found my life's passion.  I had always loved art but found myself going for the brainiac studies with the aim of being a doctor.  Art was supposed to be a hobby, not a REAL job.  I began teaching in 1995 at a local art league.  My weekly class was experimental watermedia, but the director thought that sounded too technical.  So I came up with "No Mistakes Watermedia"  and I set a record with 20 students for a brand new teacher.

“CREATIVITY IS ALLOWING YOURSELF TO MAKE MISTAKES,      
ART IS KNOWING WHICH ONES TO KEEP.” 
~SCOTT ADAMS
 
I also managed to crack up the staff and students with titles for each weeks' class such as The Fear for White Paper, Risk a Glorious Failure, Now That You Have a Glorious Failure, and Imagination Constipation.

I had found my life's work.  I LOVED TEACHING!



What do you love about being a working artist?

I love the way that is has changed the way I look at things and life itself.

It's a busy, cluttered, hectic world and it's easy to look at something and not really see it.  Seeing something requires specific attention, an appreciation. It's important to make time to appreciate, to discover the magnificent colors and textures and patterns and shapes around you.

We record our feelings and our observations through our eyes; our own interpretations.  As a workshop instructor I am often asked " aren't you afraid people will copy you?"  Of course not!  I am sharing techniques, ideas, and encouragement.  I am not trying to produce "Taylorite" artist clones.  I couldn't if I wanted to.  Everyone has their own voice drawn from very personal experiences and memories in their lives. 

"In a large measure, becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself which makes your work personal and in following your own voice, makes your work distinctive." 
~Art and Fear by Bayles and Orland



What is your favorite media?

The one I am currently working on!

As a mixed media artist and workshop instructor, my favorite question is “what if?”  Now that I think of it, perhaps that has always been my favorite question, accounting for the prairie dog rescue fiasco (they bite!), the laundry room chemical mixing mishap, the incident involving dam flood gates and my short swim, and other creative adventures from which my Mom is probably still recovering.

My artistic experiments are not as harrowing, but they are every bit as compelling and exciting.  I am less and less attached to the product, and more and more interested in the process.  When I allow my mind to open up to possibilities, to the creative energy in the universe, my results are far more satisfying than when I try to “make” something happen.

I love to explore artistic techniques by taking them one step further, pushing the limit.   Most recently, I have done collages using old circuit boards.  One of them was juried into the National Collage Society Show last fall and earned me my signature membership!!!  Yipeeeee

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk"  

~Thomas Edison.


I notice you like quotes. What is your favorite?

Yup, Love other people's thoughts!

Probably one of my favorites is Picasso's...

"Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up"

Another favorite...

"When my daughter was about 7 years old she asked me one day what I did at work.  I told her I worked at the college; that my job was to teach people how to draw.  She stared back at me, incredulous and said, 'you mean they forget?'"  
~Howard Ikemoto

 
Cathy will be teaching 2 classes at Art & Soul, so check them out and then sign up... her enthusiasm is infectious!

Paint, Paste, Play - a 2-day class where you'll get to just play and make magic happen! Don't know how to paint? Super! Don't know all those fancy "art school" techniques? Perfect. Cathy will teach you so many ways to create "real art"... that you'll just have to see for yourself!

Finding Your Creative Spirits - in this workshop, you'll enjoy a magical experience, starting with a playful “what if” morning and ending with gorgeous, fantastic creations! You'll create “Happy Accidents” using an old National Geographic magazine pages and a household cleaning product! I've seen the results of this class and you won't believe your eyes.
   

For more information about the art of the very talented Cathy Taylor, you can visit her website at ctaylorart.com


UPDATE, FEBRUARY 11:
And the Winner of the Cathy Taylor blog hop post is..... Creative Soul Juice! Yayy! Make sure and e-mail us (at the link in our profile) and send us your information and address so we can get your prize to you.