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

Virginia Teacher Spotlight: Lisa Chin

We're so happy to have Lisa Chin as a member of our Art & Soul Virginia Beach family! Lisa has been an artist and maker — of one kind or another — for her entire life. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Art from the University of Utah and has explored many art forms through both formal training and self-taught opportunities. After being introduced to fabric dyeing in 2005, she quickly became obsessed with surface design and discovered a multitude of fun and interesting ways to accomplish her visions. And at Virginia Beach, she's going to show you how to bump up your game when it comes to custom mark-making on surfaces! Take a look at what she has to offer this October...

Basic Stamp Carving
In this Monday evening workshop, you'll learn the secrets of stamp carving, which will allow you to create one of kind stamps for use in all of your paper and fabric art. Knowing how to carve your own stamps is a skill you'll be able to use forever. There is nothing better than being able to use your own images in your artwork again and again!

Hand Carving Repeat Patterns
Motifs arranged in a regular pattern are often used as a background, filler, or the main focus in our art, collage and other mixed media projects. In this full day class, you'll take your stamp carving to the next level by learning to draw and then carve a repeat pattern stamp to be used on paper, fabric or clay. Lisa will guide you through all the nuances of making your patterns look consistent for absolutely stunning results.

Mixed Media Travel Dumpling
For those who have sewing experience, in this all-day workshop you'll create a mixed media travel dumpling (is that just not the cutest and most appropriate name for this kind of mini travel bag?!). You'll start by collaging your favorite paper ephemera using stamps, stencils, paint and markers to create a lovely piece of "fabric". Then you'll sew your collages to create your very own dumpling. The finished bag will be a one-of-a-kind mixed media masterpiece and it's the perfect size to store your miscellaneous art supplies, or any other small items you need to corral on your travels. So adore-able!

 
SunLess Printing
Creating sun printed fabric is an easy and beautiful surface design technique, but has it’s limits. In this Thursday evening workshop, Lisa will show you an easy way to “sun print” in any type of weather, and at any time of day. The results are just as fabulous, and you'll gain one more rainy day activity!

So, as you can see, Lisa has some great workshops to offer at this year's Virginia Beach event. What I love about the classes she's offering is that for every single one of them, not only can you use what you've made over and over in your artwork, but you can take what you've learned to create an unlimited array of mark-making tools for yourself. The possibilities are endless! And that's what we love about our Art & Soul workshops... they're not just a one time thing. You can take this knowlege home with you and take your art to the next level. So, go ahead and check out Lisa's classes... and for more information about our Virginia Beach retreat, visit our website...

Virginia Beach Art & Soul

October 1-6, 2018

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel  

 
Lisa has been a guest on Quilting Arts TV, taught classes on Craft University, had her art published in several books and written many articles for magazines such as Quilting Arts and Modern Patchwork.