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Monday, October 12, 2009

Open Studios and Art and Soul

Come On In!

This past weekend I participated in Portland Open Studios. My studio will be open this coming weekend as well. It's been so wonderful celebrating my beloved new studio with the many visitors who stop by!
I can't resist sharing some photos of the studio decked out for the event.


The Door's Open


Sit down and have a chat


Display Table



Display Table View 2


Art Wall where garage door used to be


A visitor experiments with encaustic


I took three classes and taught two at Art and Soul Portland which ended last Monday. Wow, what a great week! I taught "Tear it Up!" and "Wabi-Sabi Wonder." I took a book making class from Traci Bunkers, "Dolls for Big Girls" from Judy Wise, and "Vintage Metal Deck" from Leighanna Light. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun in these classes. The classes I taught were full of amazingly brave and talented women, and I'm excited to share their work with you!

Below are some dolls other students and I made in Judy's class. Go to her blog to see pictures of all of them--they're great.




This outrageous witch was made by one of my students and a new friend, Diane

Diane begins a doll



Here I am at work on Miss Havisham



A friend from Art Unraveled, Nancy, made this book in Traci's class.



Nancy with her book


I won't show you my book from the class yet, as I still have to do the stitching. I did finish my vintage metal deck in Leighanna's class. Here's a phone picture.

I discovered the wonders of my new Crop-a-dile. I think it will change my life.


(If you are a mixed media artist and haven't discovered the above tool, I recommend you do so at once!)





My table at Vendor Night


After teaching on Saturday, I womanned my booth at Vendor Night, an annual shopping extravaganza at Art and Soul.

Here is work from "Tear It Up!" The students created torn paper flower collages. We had a somewhat challenging area for the class, being in the atrium of the Embassy Suites, with a waterfall loudly flowing behind it and a greenish light to work by. The students were troupers, and made lively and fascinating work. At the end of the class we went outside to photograph what they'd made.


Lovely blue flowers pop out of the complementary background



Evocative flowers and woods in fall



This lively and clever flower has diverse petals and a background just right for it



This student had a great time creating this delightfully surreal flower



A complex and organic environment for this lovely bloom



Bold 3-D daisies on a rich background



Nature unrestrained and lush



A happy, whimsical flower with a bold stem


A many layered piece full of life


This flower piece celebrates a special child



Wild and stylish flowers



Rich colors and yummy daisies


Magical, fantastical plants and bloom



A 3-D lovely--you can almost smell it


Luscious, tropical pieces by a student from Florida



Swirls and text set off by a dazzling red bloom



A set or diptych with richness and movement


An aged, Renaissance like piece. right out of Old Europe



Tres chic with a stylish flower, this suggests Paris

Tropical and clever with photos of stairs for stems



A mysterious, and complex flower, maybe from another planet



Inspired by Monet's Lilies, serene and vibrant


Modern and vividly imagined flowers



Elegantly composed flower, reaching for the light



Perfectly shaded hydrangeas--hard to believe they're made of paper



This piece embraces life and death and has a comforting feel



I want to go where these flowers are



Fresco-like delicious mystery



A 3-D rhapsody



The whole piece is like music



An jaunty and bold flower, not afraid to be green


White lilies pop wonderfully from a complex background



A lyrical evocation of spring



Thanks to all the Tear it Up students--you were a great bunch of artists to work with!

In writing this post I noticed that the flower collage class pieces had an overall mood of vibrant joy. I smiled all the while I was downloading the pictures and savoring each one. I've decided not to add captions to the Wabi-Sabi Wonder class pictures, in keeping with the indefinable essence of Wabi-Sabi. I'll let readers and viewers respond in your own ways to these pictures, which evoke complex emotions.

The Wabi-Sabi class was held the last day of the retreat and this group was ready to try anything.
Thanks for your great energy and boldness!


















































Thanks to Glenny, Vonnie, Maria, Jen, Richard, and everyone who helped make Art and Soul a wonderful experience. I learned so much from my teachers and from my students!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Love your blog, Serena. I was in your Dolls for Big Girls class. :)

Serena Barton said...

Thanks, Patti! I got a toaster oven at Goodwill and made new legs for my doll. Can't wait to do more.

Dayna Collins said...

So many gorgeous photos that I'm dizzy! Thanks for sharing your studio and the art that was created in so many wonderful classes.

chrissie hines said...

serena the studio looks great but the pictures from your classes were so inspired, so wonderful so full of color that i just could not look just once
How fabulous!!!