Tons and Tons (and Tons) of Techniques!

Our adorable and extremely talented instructor Sandra Duran Wilson has some fantastic classes this year at our 2015 Portland Art & Soul Retreat! She's a master of techniques. She'll show you how to create texture and patterns that accentuate and elevate your collages and paintings. Her love of exploration and experimentation comes from a background in science and experimentation. She grew up in a family of both scientists and artists. As a child she trained with her great aunt Santa Duran, a well known Texas landscape artist, and she spent time looking through her fathers microscope and would then paint what she saw. She holds both Fine Art and Science degrees from the University of NM. Her work is in corporate, private and civic collections, including the Santa Fe Convention Center.

Sandra has created a few sneak peek videos for the classes she'll be offering this March. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, then these videos are worth, like... a million! Take a look-see below for what's in store and click on the titles for information about each class.


How to Master The Mediums...




Instant Gratification Transfers...




All Cracked Up...



I bet your wheels are turning now! I know mine are. All those amazing techniques make me want to explore all three classes! And having Sandra Duran Wilson as your guide is like having your best art friend inviting you over to come play! Her excitement is contagious. In her own words...

“I love to play with paint and collage. I call myself an abstract collage painter. I find inspiration in music, math, sounds, colors and my surroundings. I teach in order to share what I am always pushing myself to learn. Transfers and collage add a new dimension and textural layer to my art. I incorporate printmaking, collage and transfers into as many as 20 layers in a painting. I find it exciting to collaborate and share creativity. The world needs more art and inspiration. If I can help someone along the way to find the joy that I do in the everyday creative process, then my day is complete”.

So come play with Sandra at Portland Art & Soul, March 2-8, 2015. Your art will never be the same again!

New Instructor Added to Portland! Introducing Rebekah Meier...

We are so very excited to announce the addition of one very talented instructor to our Portland Art & Soul roster... Rebekah Meier!

Rebekah is an established author, designer, and teacher in the mixed-media and fabric collage community. Her books, magazine features, and product development exemplify her signature style of combining fabrics and fibers into beautiful collage assemblages. Rebekah is the author of the best selling books, Fabric Art Collage, 40+ Mixed Media Techniques and More Fabric Art Collage. 

Here's what she's offering this Spring at our 2015 Portland event. Check out these lovely layered cloth and paper creations!

Collage Fabric Painting - Friday, March 6th 

Students will learn techniques to create their own custom designed fabric. Layering the applications of color, texture, design will be covered. Instruction will also be given on how to create foam stamps and using found objects for printing. The one of a kind designed fabric will then be used to create a no-sew wallet.

Ripped, Peeled, and Dripped Paper Relic Collage - Saturday, March 7th

Students will create a canvas wall art collage. Techniques will be step by step, allowing students to build up textures and interesting designs. If you like ripping, peeling back layers, and random application of paint, then this class is for you.

Fiber Art Tapestry - Sunday, March 8th

Students will learn a layering technique that incorporates both fabric and paper. Each student will go home with a small sampler incorporating embroidery and lots of texture.

Pretty awesome stuff, huh!

Registration is now open for Portland Art & Soul 2015, as well as all of our 2015 events! For information and registration, visit our website at www.artandsoulretreat.com.

Register Now For Art & Soul Virginia... Don't Miss Out!

Tory Brokenshire's Clay & Wire Raven workshop

Registration for our Virginia Beach Art & Soul Retreat is nearing it's close. Well, it kinda already has closed (our deadline was August 1st)... but we wanted to give you one more opportunity to sign up so that you don't miss out! We know you've been busy with your summertime activities and we decided to extend our registration until August 25th! So, if you were going to sign up for this amazing bayside retreat... now is the time!

Margaret Aden's Fossilized Shell Cuff class

As many of you know, several of our classes are available for registration up to and during the actual event. However, most of our instructors need time to order supplies for class and they'll need to know how many people are attending, so they can gather the right amount of goodies for each workshop attendee. This is why we close registration a couple months before the actual retreat takes place.

Kari McNight's Frumpy to Fantasy workshop

At Art & Soul Virginia, you'll stay on the sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay, enjoying classes all day (and night) as well as a leisurely stroll on the beach in-between. Every room has a view of the water and the serenity combined with the creativity of our event is something you do not want to miss!

The view from the hotel

Art & Soul Virginia 2014

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel

September 29 - October 5

For more information and registration, you can visit our website www.artandsoulretreat.com or if you have any questions, you can contact me directly at glenny@artandsoulretreat.com.

See you there!
Glenny

Woot! Woot! Next Stop... Virginia!

Yeah, yeah... I know. Most trains go Toot! Toot! But this year at Art & Soul, we're aboard the Orient Express... a clever and creative locomotive, heading right for your favorite mixed media workshops! Our theme for this year, Orient Express is a great analogy for our events... with so many exotic workshops to offer, over a week's worth of time... you'll be on the fast train to uplifting your creative spirit like you took an artistic vacation. Woot! Woot!

And the next stop on this amazing journey is our Virginia Beach Event. Filled with such a variety of classes in all types of categories, you won't want to miss this Art & Soul in October. Here's just a sampling of what we have to offer this year (and a special offer at the end of this article)! Check it out...

Julie Haymaker Thompson's whimsical approach to jewelry makes this Full Metal Jacket workshop fun and easy. Using cold-connection techniques and tons of layering, these beautiful baubles will adorn you by the end of class!

Okay, seriously? This looks like something you can find in a high end interior decorator's store. But Tory Brokenshire can teach you how to Light Up Your Life all on your own, from wire form to finished lamp! How cool is that?

We've altered everything else at Art & Soul, so why not your jeans? Sandy Lupton helps you do the Hippy Hippy Shake as you alter and embellish your favorite comfy blues. The results are pretty adorable.

Do you Zentangle? Well if you have, you know... but if you haven't and you try it, you'll never ever stop! But how could you with such gorgeous results as these. Join Suzanne McNeill as she kicks it up a notch with color, not to mention some style and pizazz!

Are you a queen? Yes you are! So you totally need to make this stunning French Beaded Crown with A Gilded Life's girls Shea Fragoso and Debbie Murray. And you don't even have to bring a thing to their class! Now that's being treated like royalty.

Cathy Taylor takes you where very few have gone before... inside your electronic devices! Why? Well, it's for the purpose of repurposing circuit boards to create whimsical collages. Don't worry, your brain won't Short Circuit in this workshop, as Cathy is the most patient of teachers.

Get whisked away to a magical forest in Judy Porter's Woodland Whimsies workshop, as you learn to sculpt your own fairy, elf or troll in polymer clay. A fun and unique class that will surely appeal to your fantasy fetishes.

And there's really so much more that we have to offer this year. When I was reviewing all our workshops for this post, it was so hard to choose which ones to showcase. We've got amazingly talented instructors, with stunning projects and techniques to teach you.

Virginia Beach Art & Soul

September 29 - October 5, 2014

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel

Virginia Beach, VA

So check out our classes today. And, if you register before May 31st, you'll get 10% off all workshops. Simply use the code SPRING VA for your special discount! For more information on workshops, you can browse our website by workshop instructors, individual classes, or even by project photos. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and have a look around.

Portland Classes Are Online... and Open For Registration!

Oh my gosh — we have the most incredible line-up of classes for next year in Portland!  I am excited and thrilled to be able to offer such a stellar group of instructors to our amazing attendees.
So, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and prepare to be overjoyed as you scroll through the website.

Register NOW and Save $$$
Some of these classes are going to sell out early --just like in the old days. So don't wait too long to make a choice.  And to make things even more appealing, we are offering a 10% discount off of the class fees until June 15.  Yup!  Rolling Back again to give you the best opportunity to lock in your favorite class.  Remember, you do not have to pay in full at this time --- only 1/3 of your total is due at registration.  Our handy dandy payment plan makes selecting your classes a breeze.  Type in the code: PDX15 at check out.

Its All About Fabric, Fibers & Mixed Media
All types of fibers are finding their way into mixed media arts and we are happy to incorporate some new instructors and classes into our mainstream A&S line-up.  We will have one classroom dedicated to sewing and equipped with machines so it will not be necessary for you to worry about traveling with a machine.

Sculpture Too!
We are pleased to announce a new instructor,  Lew Aytes with his class: "From Clay to Sculpture in 2 Days". Lew has received specialized training in mold making, wood and stone sculpture and sculpting the human figure. He is a figurative artist who creates art in bronze and other mediums, and expands installations to include multiple mediums in collaboration with other artists. His pieces are in private and public collections around the world.

Art & Soul Portland will take place March 2-8, 2015 and we will be at The Sheraton Airport Hotel. Our lodging rate is the best EVER at $109 per night.  The rate includes breakfast and evening drink voucher.

So come check out our Portland event at www.ArtAndSoulRetreat.com. You can browse by workshops, instructors, or project photos. Can't wait to see which amazing classes you'll choose!

Mark Your Calendars!

Well, folks... we're on the heels of two spectacular Art & Soul events... our Kansas City retreat (in mere days!) and our Portland venue (April 7-14). So what better time to let you know about Art & Soul's 2015 event dates! Mark your calendars and start dreaming up what types of classes you'd like to take!

Here we go!!! Art & Soul dates for 2015...

Portland, OR

Sheraton Airport Hotel

March 2-8, 2015

Kansas City, MO
Elms Resort & Spa
April 27 - May 1, 2015

Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel

October 5-11, 2015

And, if you are an instructor of the mixed-media kind and would like to teach at our retreats, send us your workshop proposals! We welcome classes in all kinds of creative areas such as... collage, assemblage, jewelry, bookmaking, art dolls, fabric creations, painting, sculpting, printmaking... you name it! So send us your ideas. Portland proposals are due by March 31, 2014 and Virginia Beach proposals are due by June 15, 2014.

Can't wait for another exciting year with all of you!

Hugs,
Glenny

Exploring Color, Line & Texture with Alena Hennessy...

Wow! When I first saw the work of Alena Hennessy, it put an immediate smile on my face that could not be wiped away. The visual flood of colors, shapes, texures and composition just draw you right into her creations. And we are so pleased to have her teaching at our Portland Art & Soul Event this year. To inspire you, here's a little bit about Alena's process, in her own words...

Recently, I have been reflecting a bit on my own process of creating, since I spend a considerable amount of time teaching it to students. I have been contemplating why I choose the colors I choose, the textures, or draw lines the way I do.  Because my process is so intuitive, its challenging for me to describe why I paint the way that I paint. I know that I love pink and blue. I also know that I love paintings that are lighter in hue, but I also think contrast is important. Texture and layers turn me on, and lately I am all about layering India ink, then acrylic, then taking watercolor pencil and drawing directly into the acrylic (it leaves an indentation and the pigment gets expressed because the acrylic paint is wet). I then finish off the painting by cutting out organic shapes found in nature from decorative collage papers (I cut the shapes free-handed). I often will go back in and layer the inks, paints, and add any more papers that the painting is ‘calling’ for.

One of my new obsessions is finding delicate and exquisite papers to incorporate into my work. I started buying Origami paper and I love it! So soft and detailed.

The textured lines in this piece were created by dragging a very sharp pencil into acrylic paint. The layer of India ink below then shows through when I scrape that paint away with a sharp point. I like the contrast and texture it creates.

After many layers of ink, acrylic, and paper, this painting now feels complete. I know a painting is finished when it ‘clicks’ for me. Until I feel that inside, I need to keep working, no matter how frustrated I can get or uncertain how to continue. Eventually it will open up for me and the internal ‘click’ or knowing that its done will happen.

So why do we love what we love? For me, its comes down to feeling. I feel colors, lines, movements. I know a beautiful sunset turns me on (which has lots of blue, orange, and pink), but I also know I just love the way bright vibrant colors look on a wood panel. I like them to feel fresh. I also admire how other artist’s create and how different we are all with our aesthetic choices. Its important to experiment and to be true to you, as well as to stay open to what you may be overlooking or resist. 

Creative expression, in its many forms, is a constant evolution or expression of the soul. That’s why I know I will never grow tired of it. I imagine (and hope) that I will be an old woman sitting on a porch, drinking my sweet iced tea and still making time to paint. In fact, I have no doubt about that. What a comforting thought to have such a long relationship with something that is uniquely yours.

Thanks for letting me share, and I hope to see you in Portland.

~Alena

Wow, Alena! So very interesting to 'see' how you 'think' about your work. Something I know is very hard to communicate for artists, but you have explained it so clearly for our readers, and with such gorgeous examples. If you would like to join Alena in one of her outstandingly creative classes, here's what she'll be teaching at our Portland Art & Soul event which takes place April 7-14, 2014.

Alena Hennessy
Portland Art & Soul 2014

Monday, April 7

Nature as Muse

Tuesday, April 8

Remember to Play

Wednesday, April 9

Layer Love: Paper, Paint & Mark Making

For more information on Art & Soul, or to register for classes, visit us at ArtAndSoulRetreat.com

Maintaining Momentum After Your Creative Retreat!

Okay... did that headline grab you or what? If you have ever been to Art & Soul — in the midst of super-creative teachers, students, projects and techniques galore — you know how it is when you get home. You intend to keep the momentum going, but then life gets in the way.

That's why we are absolutely thrilled to have Jill Allison Bryan from Creative Oasis Coaching teaching a workshop on How to Maintain Your Creative Momentum Even After Your Retreat... at our retreat! So here's a little bit about Jill's workshop in her own words... take it away Jill...


Have you ever felt delightfully wrapped up in the creative cocoon of a fabulous retreat or workshop focused fully on the joy of creating and surrounded by oodles of other supportive creative souls also totally engaged in experiencing their creative bliss? Wow! It’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it?

Have you ever found yourself back in the real world just days later feeling that joyful creative energy evaporate as your busy daily schedule, never-ending to-do lists and obligations take over?

You’re not alone! Luckily, using the gentle yet powerful (some would say magical) methods of Kaizen-Muse® Creativity Coaching, we have a wonderful variety of ways to continue to ride our creative waves.

That’s why I’m so happy to be able to share my special workshop, “So In The Flow –Maintaining Your Creative Momentum Even After the Retreat” on the final day of the 2014 Portland, Oregon Art & Soul Retreat, which runs for a whole week — from April 7th through the 13th. (you can find the line-up for seven full days of mixed media art workshops here). 

We’ll spend the day together exploring a potpourri of fun prompts, activities and discussion topics designed to help lucky participants return home from Art & Soul feeling ready to stay in the flow and maintain their creative momentum.

It will be my absolute pleasure to send enthusiastic creativity lovers back into the world with a treasure chest of tools and techniques designed to help them move past procrastination, perfectionism, overwhelm and other creative blocks that may await.

Until we meet in Portland, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. – If you’d like to receive Jill's Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration) as well as her e-booklet, “Permission to Be Creative 101” you can sign up for both right here.

 
Well, Jill... I'm already inspired to be inspired! Or is that re-inspired! So everybody... check out her workshop and stay inspired even after the retreat!

Portland Art & Soul

 Jill Bryan, Creative Oasis Coach

So In The Flow –Maintaining Your Creative Momentum Even After the Retreat

Sunday, April 13, 2014 

9:00am - 4:00pm

A Picture's Worth 1,000 Words... But A Video Is Like 100,000!

So, have you ever checked out a workshop you might like... looked at the project photos... read the description... and were still undecided? Maybe you thought, "the finished project looks so cool, but I'm not sure if I can do that". Perhaps you wondered about the background of the teacher, and their inspiration behind the class. Or maybe you just wanted to see more examples to peak your excitement and make you hit that Register For This Class button!

Well, awhile back we started featuring workshop videos on our website to help you make those class decisions a little bit easier! Made personally, by the instructors themselves, they give you a little bit more insight into what they have to offer. Right now, you can check out some of our Portland workshop videos as well as a few from our Kansas City retreat.


Like this video from Jill Timm who has a 2-day workshop at our Portland venue called The Amazing Dremel. It really gives you a great look at what you'll be doing in class and the techniques she'll be showcasing. HINT! If you're at work, turn your sound down... there's lots of Dremeling going on!


And another, created by Jane Davies, giving you a glimpse into her Kansas City workshop Layering With Transparencies. Warning... you will be amazed at the simplicity of the techniques and the wow-factor of the results!!

So check out our Portland video page and our Kansas City video page and see if we can't "talk" you into something!

Get In Touch With Your 7-year-old Self!

One of Art & Soul's favorite new instructors is Mindy Lacefield. Her whimsical approach to mixed media painting is indeed a draw in itself (pun intended!). But her thoughtful attention to her students and her laid back instructional style are what make her classes so very popular... and FUN!

Mindy will again be teaching at our Portland venue this fall with 3 new classes! Check them out and then sign up! Her former students are still raving about her workshops and how their art has taken a looser, more lighthearted approach because of them!

One With Nature
Thursday, October 3rd • full day workshop
You'll explore nature and it's oneness that empowers you. It becomes a source of creativity and harmony with the spirit. Learn to release your separateness, be truly connected and inspired and make art from this source.

Wonderlove Affirmations
Friday, October 4th • full day workshop
Join Mindy as she leads you through exercises to loosen up and paint from the heart of a child. You'll be gently nudged to embrace your vulnerabilities and welcome happy accidents. Because therein lies the magic. They are first set as an intention and through PLAY they become us, personified.


Mermaid

Sunday, October 6th • full day workshop
Get ready to release your inner Mermaid!! Let the moon over the sea be your muse as you dive deep into oceans of blues and greens. Let loose and allow your inner child to take over while getting messy with paint. Symbolism will play a big part of your background and Mindy will show you how to tap into your own story... building up layers of marks, color, words, and numbers.

Awesome, right? So go ahead and grab your whimsy, a few brushes, some favorite paints and your inner child.... and take one of Mindy's amazingly fun workshops this October at our 2013 Portland Art & Soul event.

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.

Remembering Mom - a Tender Tribute from Cindy Kovack

Our very own instructor, Cindy Kovack was recently published in the April 2013 issue of Somerset Memories Magazine! A heartfelt tribute to her mother is the foundation of this lovely project and the basis for one of Cindy's Portland Art & Soul workshops. Here is a little bit of the published article, sharing the inspiration behind her creation...

This piece was created to honor my mother, Frances, shortly after her death. I come from a large family of 8, and 7 of us are girls. I was the only artist in the family.  My parents marveled at my artwork, wondered out loud where I had ever acquired the talent.

My mother did not see me as I watched her hands tear apart dresses and creatively spin a design from the fabric. So meticulous, so well made. I was always pleased with the results — as were my sisters — and we often had people marvel at her craftsmanship. Without realizing it, she had directed me onto my creative path in life.

I remember all those cold winter months in Ohio, when my sisters and I were bored to tears, with nothing to do. She’d prod us to embroider, crochet, sew... anything creative. Who remembers Pot Holder Kits, Paint-by-Number and mastering French Knots?

In her late 70’s she visited me one day while I was creating in my home. She told me she had been envious of my art ability, and what I had accomplished in my life. She admired my spirit, creative nature and independence, and said I had lived a life she wanted for her own. Admitting this fact helped us both have a much closer relationship, until her death at age 84.

She wanted that creative life for herself, but a woman from the 40’s and 50’s, having 8 children, and little education, could only have dreamed of a life as I have today. She never complimented me openly on my art, though she loved receiving gifts that were my original work, knowing I created each piece lovingly, especially for her. 

Many years later, relatives and friends told me she bragged often about my creative ventures and art ability. This was very heartwarming to hear and I appreciated hearing this from them. Creating this piece helped me to grieve her loss, using my art as a form of therapy to get through this difficult time.  I used a photograph of me as a child, holding my first dog, Buttons. I’ve incorporated several mementos from my childhood, all of them with special meaning to me. All of these pieces tie my work together for a very heartwarming memory of her. She has been missed, but is still an inspiration to me today.

Cindy Kovack will be teaching several workshops this October at Art & Soul in Portland Oregon, including Tenderly where you'll learn how to create these elaborate found object necklaces, Whimsical Flight making a painted, embellished bird, and Poker Face where you will make a unique playing card assemblages.

© 2013 article reprinted with permission of the author, Cindy Kovack and the publisher, Stampington & Company

Being All Over the Place Can Be Good!

Today's guest post is by our lovely Monster Maker — Catherine Zacchino, a.k.a. Junker Jane. She shares a little about what is "expected" of artists to get done, and then a lot about what "really" happens in the art room. So... take it away Cat...

Did you ever try to just do one thing, creatively? I hear from so many people that you should work on one thing at a time. But as an artist and maker of things, I'm here to tell you that... being all over the place can be good! 

Usually it's a good thing to start what you finish. It's discipline. Right?

But when it comes to creating I find that if I start out with a rigid end-result mindset I might worry too much or never even get started! But creating is the one place I can be all over the place and it's a good thing!

I just follow my intuition or the creative urge now, even if that means I start painting squares in different colors on a piece of junk wood. I have several painted wood plaques around my room and one day I had the urge to nail a red children's wooden block to it, so I did.

Then I found wooden craft game pieces and loved how they looked next to the wooden block. This was a month ago and it's not finished because I didn't know where to take it next.

But that's okay, I set it aside and started decorating  a left over scrap canvas with craft pom poms, a marker cap, just goofy things! I didn't finish it because I don't where it's going yet. I'm waiting for the idea to come. It will come, but on its own time. I have learned not to force something, but just to trust. It's this trusting that allows me to get new ideas and grow because the pressure to finish a piece from start to finish is gone. The answer always comes, I just need to wait and be open to it.

I used to feel that I was wasting so much time starting a doll, pillow, or painting and not finishing them.

Or spending the entire afternoon setting up displays in my room.

I felt like I kept making failures, even though I was very inspired while doing the half part that came to me to create. I am realizing these are necessary steps though, in my creative journey and it's not a waste of time, that this is the way my inner artist grows.

I might not understand why, but this is how it is. I just need to trust my intuition and let the ideas out. Without knowing what it will end up being.  JUST LET THEM OUT.

By allowing myself to create this way, I continue to grow and this is what it is all about!

What is your process of creating? Feel free to share your ways. And come take a class with me in Portland, OR this October at Art & Soul Retreats! I'll be teaching a Monster Mashup doll making class. We'll have a magical time.

~ Junker Jane