Wabi-Sabi Rust

My teenage grandson was over yesterday and I showed him how I rust cloth. He isn't into art, but he does like to see processes. I sprayed cotton muslin with a solution of vinegar and water (50/50). Then I sprayed a bunch o' rusty things and wrapped them up in the cloth. I covered them loosely with plastic and let them sit in the back yard overnight. I really like how it turned out.

Wabi-Sabi. Might be inspiration for a painting!

I'll bring some of this cloth to my upcoming classes at Art and Soul Retreat, Va Beach! Another instructor, Erin Keck made this lovely collage of the classes I'll be teaching! 

Upcoming classes with wabi-sabi spirit

I have lots of Wabi-Sabi coming up for you this year:   Papers Wabi-Sabi at Art and Soul Retreat Portland OR  April 7 VA Beach VA  October 5 You’ll be amazed how easy it is to create gorgeous papers in the wabi-sabi style. I use my paper cut or torn up for collage, for book covers, and for backgrounds. You can cover boxes with your papers and make 3-D elements with them. You'll use mulberry paper, richly colored re-inkers, alcohol ink, and acrylic paint, used teabags, rubber stamps, bleach and acrylic glaze medium. You'll learn how to make your paper both flexible and strong. You'll leave with a collection of delicious one of a kind art papers! More information and registration at the Art and Soul site.  A Strange Little Book: A Book for Non-Bookmakers at Art and Soul Retreat Portland OR  April 7 (evening) VA Beach VA   October 1 (evening) Create a quirky, unique little book using mostly recycled materials--no stitching involved! In this fun and informal class you'll use weird things like bizarre found photos, old teabags, coffee, old and odd book and magazine pages, old embellishments, and miscellaneous do-dads. You'll use cold connections to fasten the pages together in your own eccentric way. You'll love the lovely and unusual little book you leave with! More information and registration at the Art and Soul website.

Waxing Literary with Charlotte

at Art and Soul Retreat

Portland OR   April 8 (evening)

VA Beach VA   October 2 (evening)

 I’m excited to share with you how you can make a rich and mysterious work of art by waxing an old book and incorporating a Frozen Charlotte doll. You’ll make a 3-D art piece with encaustic medium, oil paint, found objects, vintage papers, and embellishments. You’ll learn how to incise, carve niches into the waxed book, and color the wax. You’ll also learn how to add an aged or gothic touch to your work. You'll leave with a unique mixed media work of art!  More information and registration at the Art and Soul website.

                                  Baby, It’s Cold                                                    

Art and Soul Retreat

VA Beach VA   October 4

Remember the big tubs of greasy old-fashioned cold cream our mothers or grandmothers used to use? You'll love cold wax, which is a similar consistency. You'll be slathering it on a wood panel, not your face, thank goodness. Cold wax mixes with oil paint and/or powdered pigment to produce a gorgeous paint surface with a subtle sheen. You'll experiment with free and bold abstract work and also with graphic style still lifes. Unlike hot wax, you need no appliances to achieve maximum waxy goodness. In addition to painting, we'll explore incising, using paint sticks, painting knives, and oil pastels. You can even add collage for more texture or design! Join me in exploring this unusual medium. You'll leave with two or three gorgeous pieces. Register at the Art and Soul site.

                          Mind Your Own Beeswax                      

 at Art and Soul Retreat

 Portland OR   April 9

VA Beach VA   October 3

The translucent qualities of the encaustic wax medium and paint create depth, mystery and complexity. Fall in love with the whole ball of wax! You’ll learn to make encaustic medium and encaustic paint, use collage and photo transfer with encaustic, and add 3-D embellishments in this fun and informal class. We'll incise, add oil paint, cheesecloth, specialty papers, and more. Whether you are new to encaustic or an old wax hand, you’ll discover something new while minding your own beeswax! You'll leave with several painting and/or collages and all the information you need to get started on your own.Information and registration at the Art and Soul website.

  

Wabi-Sabi Enchantment

 (co-teaching with Leighanna Light)

Taos NM  May 16-21

Join us for an exciting five day workshop in Leighanna’s studio in magical Taos! Embrace the wabi-sabi spirit as you learn to use oil and encaustic, Venetian plaster, dye re-inkers, acrylics, 3-D elements and more. You’ll create gorgeous paintings, mixed media work, and a beautiful and unusual handmade book. We’ll offer exciting field trips as well as playful, inspiring classes. For more information and registration, visit my website.

 

Waxy Intuition: Cold Wax and Oil Painting

Bloom Artiscape

Yachats, OR   July 17 and 18

Play with oil paint, cold wax medium, creating texture, marks of all kinds and gorgeous color. You’ll explore where your intuition and these lovely materials take you, as you let your inner self emerge in your work. You'll experiment with free and bold abstract work and also with graphic style still lifes.. In addition to painting, we'll explore incising, using paint sticks, painting knives, and oil pastels. You can even add collage for more texture or design! Join me in exploring this unusual medium. You'll leave with several gorgeous pieces. Register through Bloom.

TBA: A winter class at Collage on Alberta in Portland OR.  More info. to come!

Work from my wabi-sabi cold wax class at Collage on Alberta

Here, at last are some images from one of the classes I taught at Collage on Alberta a couple of weeks ago. I've been longing to show them to you, but I've been lethargic due to a cold, so haven't posted for a while.

Coming up: Images from my other wabi-sabi class at Collage, a hunting and gathering report, and info. on my new DVDs coming up from North Light.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The enthusiastic students played with oil paint, cold wax medium, and mixed media elements. They created lively and stunning work over the two day class. We had so much fun! Cold wax is kinda messy, but so satisfying to work with.

Wabi-Sabi Immersion at Collage This Weekend!

I'm so looking forward  to this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when I will be teaching at the fabulous Collage store and classroom in Portland's Alberta Arts District. There are a few spots left for the 2-day class on Friday and Saturday and for the Sunday class. 

In our 2-day class, Strata of Time, we'll explore the rich range of texture and color offered by painting with cold wax and oil. We'll use a variety of tools to shape our wax and oil mixtures. We'll also experiment with plaster, oil pastels, mixed media, and more! To find out more go to the description on the Collage website.

I will be signing copies of my book at Collage on Saturday evening. Come join us for refreshments and art talk! 

  

 
Sunday's class is called Visual Haiku. We'll create wabi-sabi pieces inspired by traditional haiku. Our media will include re-inkers, alcohol inks, acrylic paint, vintage papers, specialty papers, and recycled elements. For more about this playful class, go to the description on the Collage site.