Play, Plunder & Pirates In Portland!

Ahoy, Landlubbers! Well what can I say? We just wrapped up an amazing Art & Soul event in Portland!

The energy was at an all-time high and everybody seemed to embrace the spirit of play and adventure even more than usual this year.

There's just something about getting out of the house, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, putting chores on hold for a few days, and dipping your toes (and fingers, of course) in the creative waters here at our mixed media retreats!

And speaking of waters... although it wasn't necessary to make anyone walk the plank, we did have our usual round of suspects!

Who managed to stay out of and get into trouble in ways we never even thought possible! (wink).

Our Treasure Island theme for this year was absolutely infectious! From pirate themed goody bags, filled with lots of plunder and booty...

...to our guest of honor Jack Sparrow, being admired by some lovely lasses during our opening night festivities...

....to the hotel staff and our resident bartender who even joined in on the fun, creating signature drinks for the attendees. Aaarrrrgggh! Avast ye seadogs.... I'll be servin' up the grog and makin' sure no scallywags get three sheets to the wind!

A whole bunch of art was made.

We found our inner spirit.

We embraced our inner weirdness.

And we learned lots of new, interesting stuff, made kindred connections, and some really creative projects that will live on beyond our time here.

So I'd like to give a big giant thanks-so-much to all who attended! With special appreciation to my team... Marie Kennedy, Karen Rosselli, and Phoenix Sagen for helping out in every way possible so I could get some much needed behind-the-scenes stuff taken care of. My gals did a fabulous job. I can't even imagine an event without them!

And a happy welcome to Maria and Collage as our onsite store. She's always there with a smile and a fountain of knowledge about art supplies of all kinds. She had great demos and make-n-takes throughout the retreat and it added a special touch to our event.

Well, I gotta go... Minneapolis starts in a week and boy do I have stuff to get done!

Hope to see you there!
Glenny
xoxo

Springtime is in the... Mail?

Springtime is a great time to learn something new... like Mail Art with Jennie Hinchcliff! We're so happy to welcome her to the Art & Soul family, as she'll be teaching two workshops at our Portland event this year! As a “near-native” of San Francisco, Jennie has been teaching classes in bookbinding and related arts since 2001. Her work often incorporates one-of-a-kind elements such as found typography or handwritten correspondence, harkening back to the spirit of Dada artists and writers.

Jennie's personal work can be seen in several books, and she is a co-author of "Good Mail Day", which explores mail art and correspondence in its' many styles and formats. Her blog "Every Day Should Be A Red Letter Day" promotes the idea that letter writing can be done anytime, anyplace, anywhere by anybody.

So here's Jennie to tell us a little bit about herself, her classes, and get you excited...

someday, I’ll live here…

March: in like a lion, out like a lamb! In my case, it’s actually the other way around, with things busier than ever. My calendar is quickly is filling up with neon pink pen marks and cutie Japanese place markers – sure signs that good things are on the horizon.

well of course — mail art!

I’m already looking forward to April: not only is it my birthday month (Aries people, REPRESENT!) but the weeks will be filled with multiple teaching gigs. Starting the whole thing off, I’ll be in Portland, Oregon for the Art and Soul Retreat. If you’ve ever wondered when I’d be workshopping in the great Pacific Northwest, now’s your chance to come and play!

“the yes men”, made for cascadia art post…

I’ll be teaching on April 12^th (Saturday) and April 13^th  (Sunday); Saturday’s “Hidden Surprises” carousel book class promises to be filled with TONS of creativity, rubber stamping, and book arts brainstorming!




And then on Sunday, I’m at it again, schooling students in the ways of mail art mayhem…

a little bit of outgoing mail…

…which means MAKING and SENDING! Through a series of individual and group projects, students will learn about mail art practices, as well as gain inspiration from others in the class.

there’s that mailman rubber stamp again!

We’ll spend part of the session creating faux postage (a.k.a “artistamps”) using a variety of techniques. Students end the day with sheets of artistamps they have created, ideas for future mail art projects, and the know-how to get involved in “the Eternal Network”.

working small…

After that, I’ll spend a couple days with friends and family in Portland (Powell’s Bookstore: LOOK OUT!) and then it’s back to San Francisco. My travel time to Portland is short, but I’m always on the lookout for fantastic new places to go. What do YOU suggest? SCRAP, Collage PDX, and the IPRC are all longtime faves, but I have a hunch that there are things I have yet to discover in Portland’s neighborhoods – let me know what cannot be missed!

discovered last year, in corvallis…

Also: Red Letter Day readers may notice that I’ve made a small change to the layout of the RLD blog. To the right, I’ve added a column for “Classes & Sightings”, so that RLD readers can see upcoming workshops and Co-op meetings at a glance. If you’re looking for detailed info about any of the posted items, visit the “Classes & Sightings” page of the RLD blog – venues, registration info, and descriptions will be posted for your perusal.

the act of creating — what fun!

That’s a lot of exciting info for a Tuesday! If you register for a class at Art and Soul, be sure to post a comment and let me know – it may turn out that there’s a little surprise waiting for you in the classroom!

In all things postal,
 ~Jennie

Portland Excitement! We're Almost There!

Are you ready to get messy... be creative... learn something new... get inspired... and hang out with like-minded souls? Yeah, us too! Portland Art & Soul is literally right around the corner and my heart is skipping beats already. We've got lots of exciting activities planned for you... so here's a sneak peek to get you excited.

Art & Soul Portland

Red Lion on the River

September 30 - October 6th, 2013

The Opening Night Party — sponsored by Spellbinders — will be on Sunday, September 29th from 6:00-9:00pm. Many of our instructors will be available to chat with, autograph books, and even take an up close and personal look at their class samples! Everyone will also receive tickets for a complimentary beverage and scrumptious snacks.

Every day during the event, we'll have Demos and Make-n-Takes in the hotel lobby — you can't miss us! This area will also be available for you to work on your project, visit with friends (and make some new ones!), and enjoy an evening cocktail... or two.

Wednesday evening, October 2nd, Patti Haltom from Stamp-a-dee-do-dah will have a special book Make-n-Take. This session is limited to 20 students so be sure to sign up in the office when you arrive.

Thursday evening, October 3rd, Spellbinders is sponsoring another night of Make-n-Takes and demos from 5:30-8:30pm. Come join the fun!

Friday evening, October 4th, artist and editor extraordinaire Jenny Doh will have a book signing and wine sampling event. Join her from 6:00-6:30pm (right before her Keys to Publishing workshop), for this intimate gathering.

Throughout the event, we'll have lots of giveaways and you'll finally get to see the "special objects" decorated by our wonderfully creative students for this year's On Safari theme! And maybe we'll have a few surprises for you too. You never know what impromptu get-togethers will pop up with this crowd!

And of course, our Vendor Extravaganza — Saturday, October 5th from 6:00-9:00pm — is free to registered attendees and is open to the public for only $5 at the door. We will have dozens of vendors and your favorite workshop instructors offering finished artwork as well as art supplies, vintage findings, fabrics, jewelry, collage items, assemblage — something for everyone! A no-host bar will also be available to enhance your evening. So come shop you little mixed media heart out!

We're looking forward to seeing you at our Portland event!!

Portland 2014 Registration Is Open!

Art & Soul Portland 2014 is now live and ready for registration! We are still waiting for a few instructors to send us some class info and project photos, but we were so excited about next Spring that we just had to let you in on it!

P.S. Remember... Portland will be in APRIL next year and Virginia Beach will be in OCTOBER. We started in Portland in the Spring of 1998 — 15 years ago!— so we're getting a little nostalgic and going back to our roots.

And speaking of going back to our roots — once more we'll be rolling back class pricing!! Yup, we're doing it again.  If you register for our Portland 2014 Art & Soul before November 15, 2013, your classes will be the 2007 price of $135!!  So don't hesitate. Register today to make certain you reserve a spot in all your favorite classes. With our easy payment plan and different payment options, it makes Art & Soul the most affordable retreat for you.

Art & Soul Mixed Media Retreat

Portland 2014

April 7-13, 2014

Check out our website for additional information on our Portland 2014 event! You can browse by workshop instructors, class listings, or by project samples. Either way you look at it... it's going to be tough to decide! Happy browsing!

Fondly,
Glenny and the Crew

Portland-Portland!

No... you're not seeing double! We actually just wanted to bring you a sneak peek of some Portland Art & Soul workshops for 2014... but we realize you're probably shopping for supplies for this year's Portland event as we speak! This little Portland-Portland overlap is going on because we've moved our flagship event back to the beautiful Oregon springtime... when we originally had the mixed media gathering. As I was looking through and choosing classes for next year, I got really excited about what we have coming up... and so I thought I'd share a few of the workshops with you!

Kate Thompson
Fabric Art Book
Kate is a new and exciting artist who combines teaching you how to make a 6" x 8" fabric 4-signature book with a wood based front and back cover. You will be learning a unique coptic loop binding technique which will be used to attach the covers. You'll get to work with gesso and plaster to cover fabric for the pages and discover how to make lace, fabric, and plaster borders to trim your pages. Yum!

Clarissa Callesen
Gut Instincts
Okay — I know it sounds gross — but, oh my gosh what you will do in this 2-day class is fabulous. You'll learn to create strong translucent panels filled with inclusions of found objects, transparencies, string, wire, and fabric. The first day you will be working with sausage casings in their wet state (hence, the gut part!). The next day you will be embellishing the dried gut with writing, paint, stamps, and sewing. The panel pieces will be formed into a wall or window hanging and accompanied by a talisman string of small objects.  I mean, come on — how cool is this????

Suzanne McNeill
Treasures Unearthed
When Suzanne taught this class in VA we were flabbergasted!!  The finished items looked exactly like relics from the past.  Do not miss this opportunity to create these 'unearthed relics' from reactive brass, copper, bronze and iron materials, adding patina treatments to produce amazing colors. Learn to patina metals that 'bloom' overnight into rich colors... iron to rusty orange, brass, bronze, and copper to verdigris.

Jen Crossley
Looking Glass Book
Many of you have taken classes from our fabulous gal from Down Under.  This one is very unique. You will  learn how to make a glass and metal book...  you will discover a metal binding technique... metal etching and glass effects. Learn how to drill a hole into glass safely. You'll discover patinas, paint and a distinctive yet simple binding technique.

Susan Bezek
Santos Crown
Who doesn't love or deserve a crown??  These beautiful art crowns were inspired by Susan's love of anything Santos! The crowns can be made in any size by enlarging or reducing the pattern. Embellishing is the key here — and the fun part. The more the better!

Ruth Greening
Copper & PMC Hinged Pendant
A great combination of copper sheet and PMC embellishments, assembled with cold connections and wire! Use those silver 'orphans' that have been on your work bench or create something especially for your creation. It will be a unique piece! You'll learn to cut, texture and form the copper, work with PMC, ball wire and make cold connections! Add patina to copper and silver, wow what a full day of fun and a beautiful pendant!

So I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of our 2014 Portland Art & Soul retreat — which will be taking place April 7-13, 2014. We'll keep you updated on all the important event dates, like when classes are up on our website and when registration begins. Enjoy the rest of the summer and we'll see you very soon for our 2013 Portland Art & Soul retreat, September 30th - October 6th (P.S. it's not too late to sign up)!

Portlanders... Special Evening Class by Jenny Doh!

Just in case you live under a rock — I'm sure it's made of paper maché, and painted with glitter and such — you've probably heard of, seen, or read a book published by the incredibly creative Jenny Doh.

For 6 years she held the title of Editor-in-Chief and Director of Publishing for magazines like Somerset Studio, Belle Armoire, Altered Couture, Haute Handbags, Somerset Life, Apronology, and their many sister publications... producing artful crafting how-to magazines that we all cherish in our collections.

Most recently, Jenny founded crescendoh.com — an online site featuring creative content from artists and crafters, coupled with their stories that highlight the power of art. If you've ever heard of the Art Saves movement... well, that's Jenny Doh!

In addition, Jenny has written or co-authored at least 14 creative books in the past 3 years alone!

• Stitch Studio (Coming in 2014)
• Serge It!* (Coming in 2014)
• Washi Wonderful (Coming in 2014)
• Stylish Weddings (Coming in 2014)
• Crochet Love (2013)
• Print Collective (2013)
• Craft-a-Doodle (2013)
• Stamp It! (2013)
• Creative Lettering (2013)
• Journal It! (2012)
• We Make Dolls (2012)
• Hand in Hand (2012)
• Signature Styles (2011)
• Where Women Create: Book of Inspiration* (2010)

*Co-author

So it goes without saying — although we're going to say it anyway — how excited we are to have Jenny as a guest teacher at our Portland 2013 event! She'll be teaching a class called The Keys to Publishing, where you'll get to learn the nuts and bolts of publishing, as well as exploring your concepts, intent and proposals... directly from an inside source! If you've ever thought of publishing an art or craft book, this is the class for you.

The Keys to Publishing

Jenny Doh

Friday, October 4, 2013

6:30pm - 9:30pm

Art & Soul Portland

Red Lion on the River

Sign up today and start your foray into publishing with the most talented editor in crafting! And whether or not you're taking her workshop, join Jenny Doh before class — from 6:00 to 6:30 — for a wine sampling and book signing event! 

For more information on our Portland Art & Soul mixed media retreat, visit our website artandsoulretreat.com

Last Chance for Portland Special Pricing!

Portland Art & Soul
September 30th-October 6th, 2013

Just a friendly reminder that this is your last chance to get our rollback pricing for this year's Portland Art & Soul! This offer is only available through July first. After that, you can still register for classes, but the new pricing will be in effect. In case you forgot the details, check out the info from our announcement post below...
 

Special Pricing for Portland 2013!

We are going to ROLL BACK class pricing to 2004 listings!!  That's right -- all day classes will only be $135!  These special prices will only be available until July 1, 2013. So do not hesitate.  Sign up NOW to make certain you reserve your spot in your favorite classes.  With our payment plan and different payment options, it makes Art & Soul the most affordable retreat for you.

Many of you know that Art & Soul was "born" in Portland and I'm excited to announce that this will be our 12th year.  Can you believe it?  The years have passed in a blink of an eye. This particular event is like my first born child, and I am blessed to have incredible instructors, volunteers and attendees who have offered countless hours of support, innovation and research to make the event the most outstanding art retreat in the country.  The friendships that have been made will last a lifetime and it warms my heart to see the reunions each year.  If you have never attended — join us and connect with like-minded souls! And if you are returning — we cannot wait to see you!

Find out more about this year's workshops, instructors and lodging at... www.artandsoulretreat.com
 

One more special! There is a one-time registration fee per person, per event of $40.  This $10 savings is only available until July 1, 2013.  After that date, it will be $50.

Portland Registration Now Open!

Portland Art & Soul
September 30th-October 6th, 2013

We are very excited to bring you this new line-up of classes and fabulous instructors to our Portland, Oregon event! And to add even more excitement...
 

We have a special announcement!

 

We are going to ROLL BACK class pricing to 2004 listings!!  That's right -- all day classes will only be $135!  These special prices will only be available until July 1, 2013. So do not hesitate.  Sign up NOW to make certain you reserve your spot in your favorite classes.  With our payment plan and different payment options, it makes Art & Soul the most affordable retreat for you.

Many of you know that Art & Soul was "born" in Portland and I'm excited to announce that this will be our 12th year.  Can you believe it?  The years have passed in a blink of an eye. This particular event is like my first born child, and I am blessed to have incredible instructors, volunteers and attendees who have offered countless hours of support, innovation and research to make the event the most outstanding art retreat in the country.  The friendships that have been made will last a lifetime and it warms my heart to see the reunions each year.  If you have never attended — join us and connect with like-minded souls! And if you are returning — we cannot wait to see you!

Find out more about this year's workshops, instructors and lodging at... www.artandsoulretreat.com
 

One more special! There is a one-time registration fee per person, per event of $40.  This $10 savings is only available until July 1, 2013.  After that date, it will be $50.

Portland Classes Are Almost Up!

We're working on putting up the workshops for Portland 2012 Art & Soul and thought you would like a sneak peek at what we have so far! And boy, let me tell you how difficult it was to choose from the amazing offerings of these extremely talented instructors. Mixed-media art is at an all time high and creative juices are overflowing!

So grab a snack and a drink and get yourself in front of the computer to browse around what we've got so far and see what catches your fancy. I guarantee you it'll be hard to narrow down your choices!

Art & Soul... Over a Decade!

Did you know that Art & Soul has been around since 1999? Beginning as smaller, more intimate weekend events on the Oregon coast, Art & Soul has grown into annual events in multiple locations throughout the United States. Our now week-long retreats have been going strong year-after-year, with many people attending all the events around the country!

The mastermind behind Art & Soul’s dynamic retreats, Glenny Densem-Moir is no stranger to event planning. More than 20 years of weddings, anniversaries, bar and bat mitzvah’s, themed parties and festivals kept her busy, busy, busy. During that time, Glenny sought an outlet for her artistic endeavors and discovered a few small venues for creative learning. When she realized that she could take her passion for creativity and education, and create a large-scale venue for mixed media… Art & Soul Retreats was born!

Glenny has a knack for selecting the most popular instructors as well as discovering up-and-coming artists and art trends that attendees find interesting. In fact, many of the top mixed media artists of today got their start with Art & Soul Retreats. Besides the delight in running such an event, Glenny loves to watch the attendees push beyond their comfort zone and create something magnificent. The smiles on their faces as they walk from their workshops — projects held high — is all Glenny needs to reassure her that she’s on the right path. Her commitment to excellence has made Art & Soul the premier mixed media retreat in the country.

So when did you first attend Art & Soul? We'd love to hear your stories!