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!