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Drop-in Collage Workshops

Drop-in Collage Workshops

Posted by on Mar 10, 2014 in Workshops | 2 comments

For this year’s workshops at the studio we’re going to switch things up a little by offering drop in collage classes every Thursday from 10 to 4, starting on March 20 (and drop-in “Drawing Workshops” on Mondays, 10 to 4, beginning on May 12).

The collage and the drawing workshops will follow a new format: we are going to suggest a different theme for each workshop, pulled out of a hat, literally, at the beginning of each new session. Everyone will work on something related to that particular “theme of the day”. The subjects are very broad and can be treated in any way that suits you – and may challenge you to find something interesting in a seemingly bland or baffling subject matter.

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Spring – Birds – Birdhouses

Spring – Birds – Birdhouses

Posted by on Mar 8, 2014 in Workshops | 0 comments

Back in the 90s I had the notion to start making birdhouses. I thought it would be fun to use up some old wood I had laying around and do something good for the environment by promoting bird habitat.
I liked the sculptural aspect as well and soon found my self imitating some of the old houses and barns of my childhood. Every old building I saw was fodder for a birdhouse and the more I made, the more elaborate they became. Wooden roofs became metal roofs and plain siding gave way to scalloped metal shingles.

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Working small with an encaustic pen

Working small with an encaustic pen

Posted by on Aug 16, 2013 in Workshops | 0 comments

Painting with an encaustic pen is a quiet meditation on process and discovery. It favors patience and deliberateness.
What appeals to me is the slow build up of wax, stroke by stroke, layer upon layer, adding colors bit by bit and carefully mixing them directly on the panel.

This method lends itself especially well to working on a small surface. For example, the encaustic painters of Greece, who developed this process, seldom made pictures larger than the average head.

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2-2-2 Studio Talk and Work

2-2-2 Studio Talk and Work

Posted by on Jul 3, 2013 in Workshops | 1 comment

2 hours of review and discussion of 2 people’s work and 2 hours of follow-up, working in my studio.
A maximum of 2 people (one hour per person) for this unique opportunity to meet and discuss one of your projects in a supportive atmosphere – and also be of help when discussing the other person’s work.

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How to Start an Artist Book

How to Start an Artist Book

Posted by on Jul 3, 2013 in Workshops | 1 comment

When I start an accordion book piece I usually gather several pieces of paper with drawings or collages that I have lying around in the studio and start gluing them together, letting chance dictate how the story develops.
After the pages are glued and the long strip is laid out I start looking for associations and intuitively begin filling in the gaps with more drawings, collage and color.

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Monotype Draw-through

Monotype Draw-through

Posted by on Jul 3, 2013 in Workshops | 1 comment

When I was younger, in my 20s, I liked to draw this way. The effect was always compelling and somewhat unpredictable.

I would begin by laying a piece of blank paper on a piece of Plexiglas that is covered in printing ink and draw on the paper with a pencil or the end of a paint brush. The pressure from the pencil would pick up the ink and create a fuzzy etching-like line on the other side of the paper. By adding light pressure from the palm of your hand or finger you can add and modulate areas of tone and shadow.

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Poetry and Signs – Workshop in September

Poetry and Signs – Workshop in September

Posted by on Jun 23, 2013 in Workshops | 0 comments

DANGER RED HUCKLEBERRIES DO NOT EAT

Asin is a cannibal ogress from the mythology of the Alsea tribe. Like other monstrous ogres of the Northwest Coast, Asin preys on children and is often the subject of “bogeyman” stories told to frighten children into avoiding dangerous behavior. Asin was particularly associated with huckleberry plants, so Alsea people (especially children) did not touch or eat huckleberries. Hearing Asin’s cries was considered an omen of death.

Alsea is on the other side of the mountain where I grew up.

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Rustic Jewelry Workshop

Rustic Jewelry Workshop

Posted by on Jun 8, 2013 in Workshops | 0 comments

In this workshop you will learn to create amulets, rings, chains, pendants, even tiaras from unusual and unexpected materials.

Use found materials such as rusted wire, metal, old photos, string, wax, wood, rocks or shells that you collected on the beach, tiny doll parts, or beads you created beforehand, and anything else you have lying around.

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Dolls and Rustic Figures – Workshop

Dolls and Rustic Figures – Workshop

Posted by on Jun 4, 2013 in Workshops | 2 comments

What is so appealing about a doll? They are a source of delight to a child but often mysterious, a little ominous and disturbing to an adult.

Long before they were children’s play-toys, small figures were used by adults in various forms of ritual and ceremony.

Made of sticks, wire, metal, string, beads, cloth, wax, found objects and all manner of unusual things, dolls possess a succinct and strange ability to embody powerful energy.

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