Costume College

Destiny and I after setting up the Sassy Feet booth.

Sassy Feet  went to Costume College this past weekend
 to teachand have a booth at the Vendor's Marketplace. 

 Sassy Feet's amazing Glitter It! paint.

Parasols and puppets and a view down the vendor hall. 

Stylish hats and bags.

Skeleton toile fabric by Alexander Henry.

Small bustles,

big bustles.

 A touch of the macabre.

 The biggest hat at the event.

 Now that I'm retired I got to go along and help  and  check out all the amazing costumes.  We had a great time. Margot and Destiny taught very successful classes, the booth sold lots of product and we're already looking forward to going back next year.

Background Check with Seth Apter

On Friday we drove down to Fullerton where I was privileged 

to take an evening class with the inimitable  Seth Apter.

The class was called Background Check 
and we learned how to add layer

after layer after layer

of paint, gesso, and coloured glazes,

to create wonderful backgrounds,

 for journal pages and small art pieces on cradled wood panels.

It was fun to add some small embellishments to the 

wood panel pieces after returning home.

And even more fun to get to meet Seth beforehand (along with fellow-blogger and good friend Chris Miser) to have lunch and talk about our passion for mixed media art.

Front and Back

At the workshop with Anne Bagby she told us it's always a great idea to collage the backs of your small canvas boards and use a small detail brush to paint the sides black. This gives the work a wonderful "finished" look.

 There wasn't time to do this at the workshop   

 but I have done so now that I'm back home again.

 Here are two of the 5x7" collages I did
with their now collaged back sides.

Anne said she often puts a bunch of these in a basket at a show and people love to go through them - enjoying both sides.  A great idea for my next studio sale.

Workshop - The Last Day

That's me, hard at work on the last day of 

the incredible 4 days of art, art, art!

There were only about a dozen of us left, as many 

had to return home following the Sunday class.

Here,  above and below, are some of the
wonderful pieces created,

by my talented classmates,

using red rosin paper, Portfolio oil pastels, paint,

black and white toner copies and lots of creative genius.

Lynne encouraged us all to keep layering, 

to add more and more and then 

just that little bit more after that.

Here's part of the panel I did,

 (will get a better picture in an upcoming blog). 

Lots of layers, lots of colour - it works well.

 

A last glance at Friday Harbor as the ferry pulled out.  

A great six days - what a ride!!

Workshop Day 3

 

 That's the ferry pulling out of Friday Harbor taking me back to normal life and away from an amazing four days of intensive art making and learning,

On day three with Anne Bagby we made stencils

 of different types of body shapes.

Then we made complicated paper using deli paper and tissue paper as substrata and collaging with bits and pieces of coloured and patterned  paper.

 We used the stencils on the complicated paper to cut out the body shapes,

and then created our figures on 5x7" canvas board.

These are the four I did and I was quite pleased with the results.

On Friday I'll wrap up with day four and Lynne Perrella.

Workshop Day 2

Day 2 and more faces.  Lynne Perrella taught us to make these colourful and amazing portraits starting with black and white toner copies and Portfolio water soluble oil pastels.

 The results, as you can see were varied and stunning, running the gamut from Oriental princes to classic clowns to sultry divas.  My two are bottom right and the one above it sightly to the left.

 Backgrounds of layer upon layer and then those 

that were exquisitely simple yet compelling.

 Colour and drama were the themes of the day 

and the entire class delivered in spades.

 

It was such fun that I got started on a third one - 

can't wait to see where she leads me.

Workshop - Day 1

It doesn't get any better than this!  Lynne Perrella and Anne Bagby,  and four days to create and be immersed in mixed media art.

As it turns out this is the last time Anne will be teaching a workshop outside of her home studio in Tennessee, so I feel extra blessed to have this chance to work with her again.

Lots going on, techniques learned, connecting with old friends and making new. Worked on these 5x7" clown collages.

And the best part?   Three more days! 

Arrived

Car, plane, shuttle, and ferry, but finally here!  Workshop starts tomorrow. For now, a day of wandering around town and doing some exploring.  We all meet tonight for a get acquainted reception at a local restaurant and tomorrow the art begins to fly!

Off to the Islands!

San Juan Islands that is -  sweaters and boots
not swim suits and sunhats.

Anne Bagby

Four days with Lynne Perrella and Anne Bagby!

 Lynne Perrella

Art-tastic!!

Gettin' Ready

In a bit over a week I'll be leaving for the

 San Juan Islands in Washington,

to attend a four day workshop with 

Lynne Perrella and Anne Bagby!

 It's being hosted by Wild at Heart Studio in Friday Harbor.

I've been busy this past weekend gathering supplies and materials.

I'll be blogging while I'm there, 

so stay tuned for all the juicy, arty details!