Taos Workshop Coming in May!

Here's one of my latest cold wax/oil pieces. To see the story behind this piece, visit my wabi-sabi blog!

Leighanna Light and I have an exciting mini-retreat to share with you. We'll be holding a five day workshop at her gorgeous studio in Taos, New Mexico in May! Here's the scoop below. You can register on my website. 

Join me and international art teacher Leighanna Light for a five day workshop her studio in in magical Taos New Mexico! Embrace the wabi-sabi spirit as you learn to use encaustic, Venetian plaster, dye re-inkers, acrylics,oils, 3-D elements and more. You will 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.

Tuition: 800.00 This includes a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant, delicious lunches each day, Serena's two-day class on Saturday and Sunday, field trips on Monday, and Leighanna's two-day class on Tuesday and Wednesday. Most supplies will be provided for each class for an additional 25.00 fee to each instructor.

Magical Landscapes from Art and Soul

Before I head off to Art and Soul in Virginia Beach, I want to share some of the lovely landscapes my students made in "Landscapes of Dreams" at Art and Soul in Excelsior Springs MO. These were all done with painting knives on acrylics. Students loved the freedom the knives gave them to paint boldly.

More Art and Soul Pictures

More student work from "Wabi-Sabi Wax." In this class students learned how to make encaustic medium and paint and how to use these plus oil paint and mixed media to create rich layered work.

A few images of students' "Wabi-Sabi" decorated papers. More to come tomorrow.

Stories of Cold Wax Painting

My love affair with cold wax painting continues. The pieces I'm doing now are completely experimental and intuitive, which is amazingly fun and occasionally frustrating. I painted last night and transformed my piece quite a few times before I was satisfied. Here it is:

Continuity

 

 

 

 

You'd never know it, but this piece has red, blue, burnt sienna, green, yellow, iridescent gold, ochre, celadon, buff, white, and black in it.
  

Some things I've learned about cold wax painting:

Use colors  you love for the first couple of layers of wax and oil paint--you will likely want to scrape back to them later on.

I work best with large-ish panels so that I can make bolder strokes or excavations.

Adding texture to the layers as you go will result in interesting texture on the top layer even if the old color doesn't show through.

You can paint wet on wet with a few colors but then it is best (for me, anyway) to let the piece dry before adding more so I don't get mud. I find that translucent colors work best for wet on wet.

I need inspiring music to keep my changes and additions brave enough.  

There are thousands of ways your piece could go at anytime in the process. Just do a lot of pieces and you won't  be overwhelmed.  
 

Resurgence

I did this piece in the last Art of Life group, my monthly women's art workshop. The group members made me stop at this point and I'm glad they did.

I'll be teaching a class in cold wax called "Baby, It's Cold" at Art and Soul Retreat in Virginia Beach on April 27. I'm looking forward to seeing what the participants come up with.

Paint a dreamy landscape to start the new year!

Happy New Year! I'm happy to announce my first studio class of 2013.

Landscape of Dreams

Sometimes less can be more! Explore the freedom of palette knife painting and learn how to create simple, elegant, and fascinating landscapes. You’ll learn about the effects of various acrylic mediums on paint, how many painted effects can be achieved, and how suggestion can be more effective than detail. You’ll relax, listen to music and let yourself interact with the tools and materials to bring the landscapes of your dreams to life.

Saturday: January 19, 2013 1-5:30
Tuition: 90. Supplies Provided.

 

The Art of Your Life Studio

1146 SE 80th Ave.

Portland OR

 

Register on my website.

Art is...You in Stamford CT

I had a wonderful time teaching in Stamford for Art is...You. Despite 30 lbs. of beeswax vanishing mysteriously before it got to me, I was able to teach three classes with amazing students who did amazing work. Thanks to Sallianne who rounded up more wax so I could teach the first day!

Here are photos from "Wax Reflections", a class where students created gorgeous portraits in encaustic medium. I had brought enough encaustic medium to get us started and the additional wax arrived before we needed it. The fuses in the room tripped a few times until the hotel staff managed to keep them from doing so. All part of the retreat experience, sometimes. Despite these glitches, I am blown away by what these brave students created!

 

 

All at Once

Have you ever noticed that sometimes bad things happen all at once? And sometimes good things happen all at once. That's the case for me right now. I just had a wonderful time at Art is...You in Petaluma. I came back to prepare for Art and Soul Retreat here in Portland and then for Art is...You in Stamford, CT. This also turned out to be the time my book editor needs me to go over the galleys and correct errors in our step by step photos and captions. So, I'm not complaining--this is all wonderful stuff!

Just have to remember to keep breathing...

Student creations from "Altered History" at Petaluma. Some eye candy for you today.