A fun day with Wabi-Sabi

I had a wonderful time teaching "Wabi-Sabi Wonder" at Julia Gardner's studio in the Troy Laundry Building on Saturday. All the participants in the workshop were experienced artists. They were excited to experiment with painting and mixed media work with a wabi-sabi aesthetic.They were all such delightful and interesting women--I hope I get to spend time with them again!

 

One of my demos--done with a painting knife

  

 

 

 

 

Class at Troy Laudry Studios

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be teaching a painting and mixed media class called "Wabi-Sabi Wonder"on Saturday, April 28. This workshop will be at the historic Troy Laundry Studios at  1025 SE Pine here in Portland. Artist Julia Gardner is sponsoring the workshop in her spacious studio. For more information and registration, visit my site.

In this class you'll get a head start on learning several of the techniques and styles that will appear in my North Light book next spring. We'll use my special re-inker glaze, paint, papers, embellishments, and some unexpected items to create gorgeous pieces. You'll receive haiku to use as inspiration. It'll be relaxing and fun!

Here are some examples of the kind of pieces you can create:

Field at Night

Aide-Memoire

The Time Before

Contemplative Chaos

Today's Experiment

Experimenting with nail polish remover transfers and text on encaustic. A new class is percolating...

A Peek at Portland's Past

The other day I stopped by my beloved Muse Art/Design and was surprised to see that the large antique shop next door had disappeared. Instead of the antique store name above the empty space I saw this for the first time:

From the font used in the sign, I'd guess the late forties, but some of you may have a better idea. I looked online for information about this long gone business. I found that there is a current business by this name in NE Portland but I don't know if there is any connection.

Anyway, when I saw the old signs I conjured up visions of neighborhood kids lining up for cool ice cream cones and sundaes on a hot day and fathers stopping by after work to pick up a quart of ice cream goodness. Ice cream isn't in my food plan, but I can just about taste it right now--delicious and just like homemade. 

While in a sort of wabi-sabi mood, I took these pictures of the fence between our back yard and our neighbors'. We all keep talking about replacing the fence but not doing anything about it. Aesthetically speaking, I love it the way it is.

Collage Text to Share

I got these old receipt fragments from a vendor at Art and Soul in Virginia Beach. Feel free to use them in your collages! Just click on the image for a larger copy to save.