We Believe!

During the holidays, our days seem to be filled with so much more love and gratitude. We focus on family and friends and even those in need. The world seems to be filled with an ever-present feeling that all is good and things can turn out great. It's a time for miracles. A time to believe. And so we just wanted to take a moment to share some of that holiday love with all of you!

• We believe that we are fortunate to live in the most magnificent and miraculous world.

• We believe that the magic and the thrill of the holiday season stretches on beyond December.

• We believe that we are all rich when we count our family and friends as the treasures they are.

• We believe that all of you and those whose lives you touch will be blessed with laughter and love.

• We believe that peace is already present, when we focus on being in the present moment. 

• We believe that home is where the heart is. So from home to home and heart to heart, the warmth and joy of Christmas lives within all of us.

• We believe that all hearts are filled with wonder and curiosity, enough to make the world go 'round.

• We believe the creativity of art fulfills our lives and adds to the richness of our being.

• We believe that art creates new and lasting friendships with our soul's tribe.

• We KNOW, that each of you have brought love, light and joy to Art & Soul and we are thankful for you every single day of the year!

Happy Holidays from the entire Art & Soul Family!

Glenny
xoxo

Virginia Beach... Registration is Now Open!

Make a Soldered Charm Palooza bracelet with Lynne Suprock.

Wow! Our Virginia Beach Art & Soul workshops are finally up and registration for our event is now open... and have we got some amazing things in store for you! We've got talented new instructors, along with our Art & Soul alumni, and even some returning favorites! We have lots of unique new projects, in every mixed media category you can think of...

Roben-Marie Smith and her Snippets Wax Canvas Trio

Drawing, painting, collage, assemblage, jewelry, fabric and fiber, wax, bookmaking, journaling, and so much more! We have an Opening Night Party where you can mix and mingle with fellow attendees and meet your instructors. We've got a pop-up shopping event we like to call our Vendor Extravaganza... where you can buy all kinds of unique mixed media supplies and original art from our instructors. And let's not forget our On-Site Store that's open all week long, with tons of supplies you'll absolutely need to add to your arsenal of goodies! And then there's just the heartfelt camaraderie that comes with creative play at an in-person retreat with your tribe. It's pretty awesome!

Let's Face It! We're so excited to welcome Cat Kerr to our lineup.

Our workshops just went live and we have a very special Pre-Registration Discount for you! If you sign up by February 1st, you'll receive 10% off all of your class fees if they total $250 or more, and are paid in full when you register. Simply enter code VA18 for your Early Bird savings! So be sure and take advantage of this special discount, and get in on your favorite classes before they fill up.

Anni Schwabe's Mindful Offerings workshop.

Virginia Beach Art & Soul

October 1-6, 2018

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel

Visit our website to 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 playcation you deserve, amidst like-minded creative souls. You'll make some amazing art and friendships too.

Colorado Here We Come!

I am tickled pink... and blue... and yellow... and purple... that Art & Soul will be hosting a brand new event in Colorado Springs, beginning next May! We have an amazing lineup of mixed-media workshops in store for you, featuring lots of new talented instructors and unique projects.

Learn all about the Birds & Beeswax with Nicole Austin

Whether you are new to making something creative on your own, or you just want to push the boundaries of your artistic knowledge, we have classes in all your favorite categories! Do you want to try your hand at working with beeswax, fiddle with fabric, apply layers and layers of juicy bits of papers to make a collage? Or maybe you want to work with clay, shrink plastic or enamels to create a one-of-a-kind piece or jewelry? We've got that!

Make Vintage Town & Country Animal Jewelry with Leslie Blackford

How about creating and assembling your own journal, practicing the zen art of zentangle doodling, working with watercolor pencils, or trying your hand at photo transfers? We've got that too!

Lisa Chin's gorgeous Sunless Printing fabric creations

Or maybe you want to sew something, dye fabrics, manipulate metal or try making abstract art for the first time? Well, we've got that too! And all in one place, for a jam-packed week of complete and total creative bliss. So come join us amongst the beautiful red rocks of Colorado, hang out with your art tribe, and replenish your soul with some well-deserved play time!

Art & Soul Colorado

May 29-June 3, 2018

Hotel Elegante
Colorado Springs, CO 

Registration is now open... and we have a special offer for you! Register for classes before December 15th and receive 10% off your total order of $250 or more. Simply enter the code COSPRINGS at checkout to get your early registration discount.

Zentangle with Deb Prewitt

I know fall days and the hustle and bustle of holidays can get pretty busy, so take a little break, grab yourself a warm beverage and browse our website to pick out your favorite Colorado Springs workshops. You can browse our selections by class descriptions, by individual instructors, and even by example project photos. Sign up today to make sure you don't miss out on any of your favorite classes!

Introducing... Our 2018 Theme & Logo!

We are so excited to announce our Art & Soul theme and logo for 2018...

Highland Fling

Yup... you guessed it! We are total Outlander fanatics. My trusty sidekick Marie and I are addicted to the show. The struggles and triumphs of the era. The beautiful costumes. The lush settings. The romance and adventure. I have a friend from Edinburgh and love her stories of the country, and have always wanted to visit the area. So, while I wait for the chance to go, I thought we could bring the Highlands to Art & Soul!

Leslie's Robots

The intricate Highland Fling crest-style logo was created by the talented Leslie Brier. She is a mixed media artist and graphic designer with a degree in fine arts, who has taught for Art & Soul in the past. She's always coming up with something unique and her execution is meticulous and thoughtful. So we thought she'd be the perfect one to design our Highland Fling logo for the 2018 season.

So put on your thinking caps my little mixed-media marvels! I can't wait to see what imaginative ideas you come up with for trades, swaps, themed clothing and oodles of ephemera to bring along to our Art & Soul Retreats next year.

And in case you hadn't heard yet, we have a new location for Art & Soul in 2018... Colorado Springs, CO! Going to Colorado has been a longtime dream for me and this is thrilling. We're in the process of working on classes for 2018, so we'll keep you updated and let you know when they're up on the website. Until then.... let your Highland flags fly and start those creative wheels turning!

Virginia Beach... Faces, Flowers, Fire, Fingers, Friendships & So Much More!

Let's face it... the Virginia Beach Art & Soul event is always an amazing time in a breathtaking location with lots of happy, adventurous, artistic souls!

This retreat is flowered with all different kinds of folk, of all ages, from all walks of life, who love taking time out of their busy lives to treat themselves to some well-deserved play time.

I mean, really... our attendees are full of fire! It takes a certain type of soul to know how important it is to keep learning and growing by adding new, creative experiences to their lives. Okay, I'm getting choked up now...

Because to get to be the purveyor of such things makes me feel all warm and gooey inside. Like this lovely enamel pendant must've felt as it was being forged in Jean Van Brederode's workshop. But seriously, in this day and age, to be able to bring people together in common interest and that interest is treating themselves to a good time... well, I'm so very lucky. It touches me to my very core.

Like Neil Diamond sings... Hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you! That describes what we do here at Art & Soul. Many hands together make up what we do, from our staff, the planning of it all, the execution, the hotel personnel, the students, the teachers... everybody! We all have a hand in creating this marvelous event, where we use our hands to make things... even rings to put on our fingers.

And the friendships forged at our events, well I can't even begin to tell you how many have been started at this very location. Because when you gather these kind of artistic souls together, it just can't be helped. And these friendships last a lifetime.

So whether you like to get your hands dirty, or keep them clean... we had workshops for that. Fun with fabric, playing with clay, drawing from scratch, molding, folding, sewing, gluing... so much for your hands to do!

There aren't too many in-person retreats left that allow you to show up with real live teachers, in real live classrooms (with lots of plastic covering the floors, LOL), inside a gorgeous hotel, with a view of the beach, and I'm just so ecstatic that Art & Soul is still a part of that movement. Maybe we can move more people out from behind their computers and get back into the real world, huh?

At Virginia Beach, there's always magic that happens. It's in the air! Maybe it's the salt air, which gently blows through the sliding glass doors of our oceanfront rooms? But in addition to our own event, this time we were witness to all kinds of enchantment...

Like the beach wedding that took place right outside our hotel on the sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay!

Or the multitudes of frolicking dolphins we encountered swimming our way!

And although sometimes the ones we leave at home may get a little mopey... while we get to play and have fun... it's all worth the time we invest in ourselves. Don't you agree?!

So from the bottom of my heArt, thank you all for such a wonderful retreat! I look forward to seeing you next year!

Hugs,
Glenny
xoxo

Last Call for Virginia Art & Soul!

Make rusty patterns on fabric and stitch designs with Liz Kettle

OhMyGosh! Can you believe that Virginia Beach Art & Soul is a little more than 3 weeks away? Where did the summer go? I hope you had a blast with friends and family, barbeques and bike rides, swimming and sunning. And maybe you even snuck in a bit of creativity when you had the time.

Which brings me to why I'm here... I just wanted to remind you that our Virginia Beach event is right around the corner, and this will be your last chance to get some of your favorite classes before registration closes. There's still lots of amazing workshops to choose from, in all your favorite mixed media categories, including... collage, assemblage, drawing, painting, journaling, book making, jewelry, fabric & fiber arts, dolls, and sooooo much more! Here's just a sampling of what's still available...

Want to make your mixed media dreams come true? How about a book that doesn't require any sewing? Well, you heard it here first folks! That's right, Janice Richie is hosting a Red Rosin No-Sew Binding Book workshop. Working with red rosin paper (that construction peeps put on the floor when they paint your house), you'll splash, paint, stamp, stencil, mark, and doodle your way to create the cover and pages of your own personal book.

Journal Fodder Junkies of the World, Unite! Nope, that's not just a rah-rah for Eric Scott's creative visual journaling class, it's actually the title. In this workshop, he'll focus on engaging the blank page, using writing and text, layering materials and concepts, and incorporating personal imagery. Learn how to embrace this tool for self-exploration and reflection and turn your journals in to an art form for expression!

Many Art & Soul'ers are Over The Moon when they come to one of our retreats... and you can be too when you take Jean Van Brederode's class of the same name! From scratch you'll create a geode-like moonscape enameled pendant necklace that's out of this world! Each student will learn basic torch enameling, metal-working skills, cold-connecting and soldering techniques. No previous enameling experience is necessary!

A stitch in time may save nine, but you'll have plenty of both as you spend two relaxing evenings learning Modern Hand Stitching with Ruth Chandler! Leave the stress and rules and perfection at home and work on a fabric stitch book that you will want to add to as you discover new fibers and threads. And everything you need is included in your kit when you arrive to class. What could be more fun than just coming in, sitting down and stitching with other artists without having to gather all the supplies and prepare anything?

Feel like a mixed media wild child? Then Kate Thompson's class, Children of the Wild is for you! Working with vintage children's photos you will learn all kinds of unique techniques using watercolors, gesso, linseed oil and oil bars on watercolor paper and vintage ledger paper. You'll get to create a painting and a story to go along with it, in this heartfelt workshop.

Are you a fan of witches, ghosts, zombies, Frankenstein and anything Tim Burton? Then join Mindy Lacefield for her favorite holiday and make Halloween Ornaments to share with family and friends (just kidding, we know you'll want to keep them for yourself!). She'll teach you how to create creepy cute characters from scratch and guide you through the process with an air of fun and whimsy.

Virginia Beach Art & Soul

October 2-8, 2017

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel

As you can see, it's shaping up to be an amazing event! So don't delay, register today! Time is running out and you definitely won't want to miss spending early October on the sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay. So visit our website for more information on 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!

Brazing Bold... With Susan Lenart Kazmer

Well, if it weren't hard enough to choose which Susan Lenart Kazmer workshop to take at our Portland 2018 Art & Soul event, we've gone and added another amazing class to our roster... Brazing Bold - Resin & Silver Talismans Jewelry.

In this afternoon workshop, you'll get to hand-forge a silver bezel, learning practical metalworking skills in brazing, filing, sanding and finishing. Then, you'll get to build up multiple layers of resin, using interesting techniques and applications for scratching, crackling, engraving, transferring of imagery, mark-making and surface coloring. And even in that abridged description, we're literally not even scratching the surface!

Whether you are new to jewelry-making, or it's already part of your creative world, you won't even need to bring or invest in too many supplies because Susan will graciously be supplying bricks to braze on, torches, extra butane, soldering material, a flexible shaft, drill bits, sandpaper, and she'll even have extra tools in the classroom. Susan is all about helping you learn in the easiest and most fun way possible!

Portland 2018 Art & Soul

Brazing Bold - Resin & Silver Talismans Jewelry

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

1:30pm - 4:30pm

So go ahead and check out this latest addition to Susan's classes. And if you haven't taken a look at all our offerings for Portland Art & Soul, you can see them all out on our website.

Last Chance for Portland Early Bird Pricing!

We know the one about how the early bird catches the worm... but how about the one where the early bird catches the best Art & Soul classes, taught by their favorite instructors, and at a special discount, but only available through this Friday, June 30th?!

Well, we just wanted to give a little reminder about how you can save $15-$20 on all full-day classes and $10 off your registration fee! That's just $135-$140 for daytime workshops and $40 to register. When June ends class prices will be at their regular price of $150-$160 and registration will be $50. We love to encourage you to make your selections early as classes fill up quickly, but hey... we'd love for you to save a little dough so you can buy more supplies too!

 

Art & Soul Portland 2018

February 11-18, 2018

Portland Airport Sheridan Hotel

Did you know that Art & Soul is the longest running mixed media art retreat in the United States, and we're still going strong for a reason. There's nothing like being amongst like-minded souls, learning new techniques, creating amazing things, and making memories that last a lifetime. So, check out our Portand offerings, register today, and save yourself a bit of hard-earned cash! You can look through our workshops in 3 ways... by workshop dates, your favorite instructors, and by photos of all our example projects. Once you register, don't forget to make your hotel reservations too. The Sheraton has given us an unbeatable rate that includes lots of extras. Can't wait to see which classes you pick!

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.

Portland Registration is Open!

Fabric Angel Book with Kate Thompson

We have lots of exciting classes for Art & Soul Portland 2018 and registration is now open! We're thrilled to offer such a unique selection of workshops for our attendees. No matter what type of mixed media art you enjoy making, or would like to learn how to make... there is something for everyone in Portland.

Make polymer clay Bird Peeps with Lisa Rinner

Want to try your hand at felting, sewing a garment, dyeing fabric, painting in watercolors, acrylics or pencils? We've got that! Interested in making books and journals out of fabric or paper, 3-dimensional assemblage, and fabulous jewelry techniques in enamel, clay, metal or resin? We have those too! How about sculpting with clay, collaging with magazine pages, or literally trying your hand at drawing, doodling, or lettering the alphabet? Well, we have workshops in all of that and so much more!

Susan Lenart Kazmer's Talisman Jewelry

Did you know that 2018 will be our 15th year in Portland! I actually started producing weekend art events in 1998, Art & Soul Retreats became a phenomenon all its own in February 2003. I hope you can join us to celebrate this milestone.

Felt the Perfect Handbag in LeBrie Rich's workshop

Registration will open May 26, 2017. We are once again offering special discounts for early registration. Classes will be $135 for one month only, until June 30, 2017. At that time, they will raise to $150. Make your selections EARLY as many classes will fill rapidly.

Discover Gel Transfers with Heather Kindt

Art & Soul Portland 2018

February 11-18, 2018

Portland Airport Sheridan Hotel

This was just a little taste of what we have in store, so go ahead and grab a beverage and a snack check out our Portand offerings! You can peruse them on our website in 3 ways... by workshop dates, your favorite instructors, and by photos of all our example projects. Once you register, don't forget to make your hotel reservations too. The Sheraton has given us an unbeatable rate that includes lots of extras. Happy browsing!

Lights, Camera, Action!

I was so excited recently, when we were approached about doing some advertising online. Now, of course we do e-mail newsletters to our mailing list, we promote Art & Soul through some of our partner magazine's websites, and our wonderful and talented workshop instructors — who are all artists and online themselves — do a bang-up job at promoting our events on their personal websites year round!

But this new opportunity was for a video advertisement in the form of a short commercial. This new partner of ours offered to take some of our favorite images from retreats past and pair it with a voice over, describing the Art & Soul events. They're going to display our commercial in various locations on the web and even track how well it's doing. So maybe we'll do more advertising like this in the future and you might even be a part of it! Let us know if you see it in your corner of the internet...

Aye Aye! Minneapolis... A Real Treasure!

Well Mateys... we have another fine voyage into the realms of art and creativity under our pirate belts, Yo Ho! Our Minneapolis Art & Soul Retreat was a real blast. Our attendees were in all their glory as they ventured into new realms of artistic discovery and buried treasures...

...and made lots of fantastic projects like these amazing copper etched journals, each of them unique to the individual who created them. Wonder if I could hornswaggle one of these fine tomes away from these lovely lasses. Avast ye... Methinks probably not.

How about these adorable steampunk hooters! So many uses for all our found objects and treasures we've collected over the years. A pirate's booty worth it's weight in gold... Blimey!

What's all the scuttlebut going on in our sewing rooms? Well, there be some journals made of woven cloths. As bright and colorful and imaginative as our students!

And happy students they were! With spacious classrooms and individual attention from our talented and nurturing instructors, it was unanimous that they want us to come back again and again. So, Minneapolis, you better batten down the hatches in twenty eighteen... cuz we'll be seein' ya again!

Our on-site store was miles and aisles of goodies for the fetching! Look at all these amazing treasures. And speaking of treasures, a hearty pirate hats-off to my Blue Twig Studio and Deb Prewitt for an amazing selection of pirate booty and of course, to my Second Mates, Marie and Phoenix... these ladies kept a tight ship and made this captain one happy lass.

And now it's time to set course for Virginia Beach, Mateys! It's a yonder way off, but it'll be here before this old salt can raise the flag and swab the deck. Hope to see you on board!

Until we landlubbers meet again...

Glenny
xoxo