Toto... I Don't Think We're in Kansas... (but we ARE in Kansas City!!)

That's right all my little mid-western mixed-media mavens.... Art & Soul is coming to Kansas City in April 2013! Woohoo! We're totally going to change the meaning of "The Show Me State" as we add this new location to our selection of nationwide art retreats.

Our gracious host will be The Elms Hotel & Spa — a wonderfully historic property that is going to offer us the intimate surroundings that we absolutely love for our retreats. I must say that I am so ecstatic about this inspirational location that I just cannot contain myself!! The staff has already made me feel welcome as a part of their family. I can hardly wait!

Here are just some of the highlights of this awesome property...

• Seasonal culinary delights! Our experienced culinary team prepares fresh all meals from scratch featuring seasonal and local ingredients.
• Largest spa between Chicago and Dallas! Our full service spa features a private grotto, Eucalyptus saunas and a wide variety of treatments.
• Enjoy Keurig coffee makers in every guest room, stocked with Elms blend coffee prepared by the Roasterie.
• Fitness center featuring Precor equipment
• Indoor European lap pool with hot and cold tubs, open year round
• Outdoor pool, hot tub and cabanas are available seasonally
• Vintage lawn games, bicycles and guided historic and ghost tours 
• Complimentary wi-fi in guest rooms and all public spaces

So mark your calendars and get ready to relax, recharge, and rediscover your creative side at our brand new location!!

Art & Soul Kansas City

April 3-7, 2013

The Elms Hotel & Spa

Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Classes will be online by October 15. Check the website now for hotel information and all the exciting new info!!

Portland: Now that's reFRESHing!

You know how it is... the same thing gets boring.... times change... we want something more. And so it is with Art & Soul Retreats. We want to keep making your experiences better and better. So we thought a little recap of some of our favorite new things would be in order. Let's go!

So how about our new Portland Art & Soul venue — the Red Lion on the River in Jantzen Beach. Imagine the serenity of being right on the Columbia River... with spectacular views of the waterway right outside your room, the restaurants, and even the classrooms! This resort-style property is the perfect location for letting go of the everyday doldrums and diving into your creative adventure!

Besides the scenic location, one of the great advantages to this venue is that everything will be in one place! No more waking up early to catch a shuttle to that workshop in the other hotel. You don't even have to leave the Red Lion if you don't want to!

Wanna shop 'til you drop for one-of-a-kind mixed media supplies and gorgeous pieces of finished art & jewelry? Of course you do (silly me)! Well, our Portland Vendor Night has become Vendor Afternoon/Evening! Join us from 4pm until 8pm in the Red Lion's Ballroom and shop your heART out. As always, this shopping extravaganza is free to registered attendees and open to the public for a fee of $10 at the door. We'll have about 60 vendors offering finished artwork, art supplies, vintage findings, fabrics, jewelry, collage items, assemblage--something for everyone! And a no-host bar will also be available to "enhance" your evening (hee-hee). Please join us!



And perhaps you've noticed all fantastic new videos on our site to accompany the class descriptions? I mean... how great is it to "meet" your instructors before you even get to class. And heck... having a little extra sneak peek at what you'll be doing, well... we think it makes it a whole lot easier to decide what workshops you'd like to take.



We've got a bunch of new videos sprinkled throughout the individual workshop description pages, so browse through your favorite classes and you may get a virtual surprise preview!

I hope you enjoy and are able to take advantage of some of these exciting new changes. Portland is just around the corner... so I'll see you there!

P.S. It's not too late to register so give in to your creative urges today!

Any Dream Will Do...

You know those times when you do something for someone you love and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Yes... I know them well. In fact, I recently traded my mare Tahitian Pearls, for a fabulous show horse named Any Dream Will Do, for my granddaughter Abby.

Abby with her new horse.

It wasn't easy to let go of my trusty mare. Having acquired her as a 2-year-old, she offered me a lifetime of companionship in the 4 years we spent together. When I got Pearl, I trained her to let me take my electric scooter into her stall. I would sit with her for hours and read a book while she put her head in my lap. To this day, I can say, "put your head down" and she will drop so that I can scratch her ears.

My mare, Tahitian Pearls.

So what drives a person to let go of something special in order to make someone else's dream come true?

Love.

You see, Abby's show horse is 18 and about to be retired, so she needed a new horse. Pearl is a beautiful, powerful Saddlebred... but a bit too much for my granddaughter. Pearl would require a lot more training to be safe in the show arena — at least two years worth! So it was a sensible decision to trade Pearl and get a new horse for Abby.

And can I tell you... nothing touches a grandma's heart more than seeing her granddaughter simply beaming with love and an ear-to-ear grin on her face when she sees her Dream come true for the first time. To top it off there was an immediate connection between the two, similar to what Abby had with her first show horse. I believe they'll be fast friends for a very long time.

Many times during our life we have special dreams. And many times those dreams involve people closest to us. When you share your dreams with others, the result is almost always the same... marvelous things happen. The joy of giving is just as satisfying as the joy of receiving. When you take a chance and let go of something... the Universe rewards you with something even more special. Truly, I am the lucky one.

Art & Soul Radio... Tune in for Daniella Woolf: A Textile Sensibility, Sept 10th

Daniella Woolf brings a “textile sensibility” to the ancient medium of encaustic, merging these two disciplines and using a limited choice of materials to create a newly formed language. Her art background includes fiber, collage, jewelry and metalsmithing.
A 2008 Rydell Visual Arts Fellow, Daniella’s encaustic work has been exhibited at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Pittsburg Center for the Arts and internationally at the British Craft Centre, London. She also has an extensive resume as a sculptural textile artist.

Daniella teaches popular encaustic workshops and writes the blog, Encausticopolis, about all things wax. She has authored 2 books, Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility (2010) and The Encaustic Studio, a wax workshop in mixed-media art, out just this year.  And there’s a DVD included with the book. What more can you want except Daniella in person?

So please join us for an inspirational chat...


Art & Soul Radio featuring Daniella Woolf
with Lesley Riley
Monday, September 10th
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!

Art & Soul Radio... Tune in for Orly Avineri: One Artist Journal, August 27th

Orly Avineri journals. But erase what comes to mind when you think journal. Orly’s journals are exquisite, stand-alone works of art. The cover blurb on her self-published book, One Artist Journal explains that journaling is Orly’s attempt to “unify the self by expressing the intricacies of the nature within and around her, through seamless blending of fine art, graphic design and written language.” And seamless it is. Rich, inviting, and my favorite term, drool-worthy art. I’m excited to talk with Orly today, both about journaling and her self-publishing experience.


So please join us for an inspirational chat...


Art & Soul Radio featuring Orly Avineri
with Lesley Riley
Monday, August 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!

How Do I Do That? Attaching Hollow Charms...

I recently ran across this helpful how-to from one of our long time Art & Soul attendees — and former Virginia opening night workshop instructor — Michelle Bernard. I know that I myself have purchased tons of adorable little 3D embellishments at Vendor Night, and then had no idea what to do with them or how to attach them to my artwork. Well, now I know. Check out her post below.... it's easy peasy...

Did you ever wish you could attach a cute little 3D embellishment to your project but were reluctant because it was hollow in the back with only a very thin edge? I know I've asked myself, "how can I do this and be sure it's going to stay put?" Well, I'm going to share with you my special method! So... here we go...

Step 1: Grab your embellishment and protect your work table with a non-stick surface. Here I'm using Ranger's Non-Stick Craft Sheet. 

Step 2: Tear up small pieces of paper towel. Paint one piece with a gel medium on both sides. Make sure it's nice and saturated, but not drippy. I'm using Claudine Hellmuth Studio Multi-Medium, also from Ranger.

Step 3: Next you're going to take your gel medium-soaked piece of paper towel and "stuff" it inside your embellishment. You can use a toothpick to make sure it's pushed into all the little nooks and crannies.

Continue painting your pieces of paper towel with gel medium and pushing them into the back of your embellishment until they are even with the back edge of the charm (you can even turn it over onto your non-stick surface for one final "push" to make sure the paper towels are nice and even). Let this dry overnight.

Step 4: So now your embellishment is ready to securely be added to whatever surface you like. Here is the necklace that's waiting for it's little brass kitty cat. Put a glob of gel medium onto the backside of your "stuffed" embellishment and put in place. Don't press it all the way onto your piece too hard. Place it so that there is just a wee bit of "breathing room" for the medium. You'll get a much better hold that way, as all your glue won't all squish out from underneath your charm.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this process as I know I did when I tried it. Opens up a whole new set of possibilities!  ~ Michelle xoxo