Hey there! Last week I was away attending the Art & Soul Artist Retreat. My bags are unpacked now & I can't wait to tell you all about it!
Art & Soul is a week-long series of workshops lead by internationally recognized paper, fabric, jewelry, and fiber artists. I attended last year and loved it. So I made sure to add it to my calendar for this year. And I was not disappointed. Once again, I picked up a lot of new tricks and came home with a long list of new "must have" supplies and tools!
Being a jewelry designer, of course I took some jewelry-making classes, but I also signed up to learn painting techniques from mix media artist Lisa Kaus and a refresher class on color theory with Beverly Gilbert.
Assemblage artist Richard Salley taught both of the jewelry classes that I participated in. The first one was called "The $35 Billion Jewelry Project," and we made gorgeous pendants using plastic gift cards and copper sheet. I hit the jackpot by sitting next to Judy--a painter/jewelry designer from the Petersburg Regional Art Center--who had an entire grocery bag full of gift cards with beautiful designs. She generously shared her stash and gave me the cards that made my piece a success. Thanks Judy!! (This necklace used to be a Books-A-Million gift card--no kidding!)
The new "must have" supply that I discovered in this class was Magic-Glos by Lisa Pavelka. It's a one-part resin that is amazingly clear and cures in just 5-10 minutes. And the "must have" tool was a 8" benchtop shear/brake from Harbor Freight that we used to cut our metal into bezel strips.
Saturday was Vendor Night. Oh my goodness--having so many art supplies and amazing creations in one place was so tempting!! The artists/instructors all had tables with their brilliant work for sale. I immediately snatched up a necklace made by Jane Wynn, who taught a class I took last year and who penned Altered Curiosities: Assemblage Techniques and Projects.
(This is the necklace I made in Jane Wynn's class during Art & Soul 2008.)
Another treat on Vendor Night was that my friends Kim Nelson & Ellen McBride were there selling vintage supplies for artists from their shop called Loverly. Their booth was abuzz all night with workshop participants stocking up on inclusions for their jewelry and collages. And coincidentally, Jane Wynn stopped in and picked up a funky old light bulb. Too cool!
(FYI--Kim, Ellen, & I are scheduled to make another appearance as the Three Hip Chicks at the Heron's Way Gallery on June 20, 2009. Come join us!)
On Sunday morning, I pulled out my paintbrushes and dove into some mixed-media design and painting in Lisa Kaus's "Gridlocked" class. Each student composed a patchwork of paintings on a large piece of wood. Then we drilled, hammered, and wired found objects to the board, and sealed the piece with a layer of encaustic wax. Lisa's class introduced me to the "must have" supply--Lyra watercolor crayons. These creamy crayons make yummy colors that glide onto a wet surface and can be smeared and spread with a paint brush, just like regular watercolors. It feels great to apply color this way.
We ripped pages and glued colors to white Bristow board. When we stepped back, Beverly explained why the juicy color combinations we'd chosen were working together. It was great to start understanding the "science" behind them. (Thank goodness I didn't have any beads, otherwise I would have been up all night making color combinations!)
On Monday, I reached for my jewelry-making toolbox, again. This time Richard Salley was teaching "Turn Over a New Leaf." He showed us how to sprinkle enamel (glass powder) on copper and melt it with a torch. I've worked with enamel before--but used a kiln to fuse the enamel to the metal.
The "must have" supplies I discovered in this final class were the Thompson's medium temp./medium expansion enamels and the torch. However when I got home, I did some research and found that people advise using a Hothead torch and Mapp gas when you torch fire enamels, rather than just using a propane tank. ...And, since Hothead torches are typically used for lampwork beadmaking, somehow I ended up having a Hothead torch and beadmaking starter kit in my shopping cart. Oye! You know how that goes, right?... Aren't we all hopelessly in love with creative supplies and tools?!
Wow! It was an incredible getaway! Leaving the studio and spending lots of time with other artists and fantastic teachers was just what the doctor ordered to cure my cabin fever/studio duldrums. And now I have a TON of new techniques, supplies, and tools to work with.
(Judy, if you read this--mark your calendar for Art and Soul 2010. It's scheduled for May 20-24. I'll save you a seat!)
