Grownups Art Camp May 9 from 10-3!

Oh my, the kids have loads of fun in one of our Art Camps! In our summer camps out here in the country our kids have a blast every summer!  Last summer they got dirty, played outside, played games, ran through water streams from the hoses, created loads and loads of art, loved on the ponies and the dogs, picked blackberries, ran through the secret trails, collected eggs, climbed the trees and in general, just had kid fun.Take a look below!

A few scenes from one of our summer art camps!

But as the parents said, "Why should the kids have all the fun?" Yep-that's what we thought too!
So we decided to have a 1 day "ArtEscape" camp just for the grownups on the Saturday before Mother's Day-May 9 from 10:00-3:00. No one under 21 simply because you can BYOB AND it's your adult summer/spring camp experience! It's only $45.00 per person-dress to mess, bring a sketch pad and a bagged lunch (with your favorite beverage) We supply all the rest! Oh and if you want to BYOB-feel free!
 http://artstudentacademy.com/Grown-Up-Artescapte.html


Our second, little studio will be open and the new deck is perfect for the grownup kind of relaxation...so maybe you don't want to climb a tree, but the trails are fun, the roses will be in bloom and we'll work on several amazing indoor and outdoor art projects! 

http://artstudentacademy.com/Grown-Up-Artescapte.html

Don't miss out!

Working with Kids in the Arts

So below is from my Artsy Journeys blog and I wanted to share another avenue of creativity that I work: teaching art. 

I don't get too psychological about it because art for children is a fun world. But I have discovered over the years (lol-first with my own) that given "free rein" to create "anything" often leads to nothing at all. And kids are no different from adults in that!

The trick is to start with a plan-an objective-and an idea of how to get there.  With that big roadblock pushed aside, the way is paved for the artist (big and little) to explore the levels of creativity as they take that path. A new lesson, a new path. That's how it works :-)

 

Working with kids in the Arts

Everyone has ideas about how to work with children in the arts.  No other subject, like ART, has so many different opinions and ideas and confusion as to "what it is."How can something so fun be so confusing?

Artsy Journeys is more about art exploration than disciplined art yet they go hand in hand.The two work together. For instance, it takes discipline to sit down and create something in a journal or on paper. It takes discipline to go to the shop or read a "how to" book or article. It takes discipline to put away your tools, try something different or work till you feel you have completed your project.

Working with clay and armatures

Working with children is often about creativity coupled with "directional" discipline. Kids need and want direction. The ones that jump into a project without waiting for direction are usually the ones that soon start complaining about not being able to "do it." That can have a bit of a negative impact on those kids who are creatively following directions so when the kids start new projects, they get the best results by ...yep...paying attention to me before we start!

There's no secret to it-I keep it short and sweet. "Look into my eyes, let's go over the tools, now we'll look at the examples.......tell me what I just said."

3D sculpture with marshmallows and toothpicks

This works SO well-just as I did with my own children. I love the kids-love to work with them. They love to learn, But too much initial freedom  in the arts is confusing to them and actually gives them mind blank! In art we call it the "blank canvas" syndrom. Writers love to talk about "writer's block." It's all the same thing. We ALL need a direction to start!
 
When the child is given the required tools/materials for an Art project and pointed in a particular direction with a few guidelines, THAT is when the enthusiastic creativity begins to happen!

One of my "grown up" students with her Sculpey sculpture!

A Group event at the ART Studio!

Often I have artists telling me how wonderful it must be to spend all my time in the studio. But just like the post earlier, we recharge in a variety of ways! I don't have to be painting to be having fun :-)

I invited fellow artist, Ophelia Staton to my studio and on Feb 9 we had a fun filled afternoon at our "Ladies Art Retreat!"  You can see the other side of what I do when we fill the studio with people, art and fun! Pop over to my "Artsy Journeys" blog   and sign up for our April 13 class online!

Felting? Clueless and loving it!

I put the following on my Artsy Journeys blog and copied it here. Enjoy!

 

Fiber art, felting and a drive way into the country!

So off I go to a Felting workshop with that most wonderful of feelings-clueless.
Yes, clueless. Meaning that I do not have a clue as to what to expect, what to do, how to do it or any preconceived idea of what is involved. I wasn't even sure what "felt" was. :-)

A collage of 7 or the 8 completed in the 6-8:30 class

A friend and I carpooled and it was probably a good thing. I am far from map illiterate-rarely use a GPS (ha ha-I am the type to first look at a map and then see if the GPS is right) so I drove in my little Honda Fit which lovingly gets close to 35 mpg (40 downhill with a back wind) and of course mapquest nor the instructor knew to tell us about the bridge out/detour. No big deal-lovely afternoon, nice drive and eventually we do reach our destination-a "Retreat" deep down  a half mile gravel driveway (this was not much more than a track) through beautiful woodlands and lo and behold, come to a charming house and cute art studio smack in the middle of Franklin Co, NC...and in essence (this is not a joke) in the middle of nowhere. One of those lovely wooded properties bought back when an access road was  the only way to buy ancient, overgrown farmland, replete with the remains of old homesteads. No fields-just lovely forest and, yes, that retreat feeling of crickets and tree frogs ...very loud tree frogs as evening approached :-).

What a cute concept by Debbie!

A lovely example by Sharon!

Anyway, we WERE in for a treat as 8 of us gathered together and our instructor (And Retreat owner), Margaret Hilpert of Cedar Cross Retreat led us through the steps. Now I had seen something on Facebook about felting a scarf and was totally baffled (and lost)  by the rolling, slapping, pounding, soaking of the wool (which is what felt is I discovered) but when actually DOING it, the procedures begin to make sense. 

I was not joking when I said rolling, pounding, kneading and eventually wadding up our creations and throwing them onto a towel on the floor. The word, "workout" comes to mind.

My efforts resulted in this tree :-)

In the photos you can see some of the results and they were lovely. Felting is an ancient art and everyone from the Mongolians to the Europeans understood the insulation qualities of felt...from yurts to felt boots, hats, wall hangings, etc. Personally, after making my small example, I would NEVER put it on the floor. LOL, in our art business no one wants to step on floor mats either (after being made and handpainted) so wiping one's feet on a work of art just isn't in my DNA.

Margaret had some beautiful examples of her work that she had later, upon finishing the felting, had embellished with additional needlework, "needling" (a cool punching in of loose fabric) yarn, glittery stuff and all manners of creativity.

Felting is considered "fiber art".  No longer a survival necessity, but a beautiful art piece for one's enjoyment. The creations seen on the Internet that artists are making are just amazing.  Supplies (just google it) for feltmaking are everywhere. In essence, it is a whole other art industry akin to jewelry making, pottery painting...Frankly I was happy to come away from the experience knowing a new, yet ancient technique for creating yet another form of beautiful art. Everyone dabbles in their chosen art field at different levels and I look forward to "playing around" with my piece when I figure out what to embellish it with...already I can envision using this new art in art journaling, perhaps in some paintings....so many options!

To learn more about where we were and who we enjoyed an evening of camaraderie, art and beautiful woodsy solitude, visit www.CedarCrossRetreat.org.

Results from art Journaling class!

Collage of journals from Art Retreat!

The group of ladies had a ball at my studio!

Look closely and see if you can see the miniature journals they created as well!

Art Journaling is like mixed media-you can have as much or as little art supplies as you want...the more the better...the key is to have them at arms length (reach) so you can grab and create within seconds.....make it simple on yourself and the results will be more than you dreamed!

Want to know more? Pop over to my special site! on art journaling: www.artsyjournals.com

Making the studio a retreat

New fence in front of studio

Today was one of those days where we were able to check off yet one more thing on our perpetual "to do" list!

And what we checked off was the fence in front of the Art studio! As with any big project we've put a lot of time and effort into our art studio. We spend a lot of time in here and we try to make it not just a place to work, but a retreat.  Visitors love the look and feel of our studio.

We built it a little over ten years ago from recycled materials gathered from a 1910 house being demolished, a warehouse of construction leftovers and good old fashioned muscle and help from family members! ...it took us almost two years  because  we paid as we went along. No debt :-).

So today, we were able to step back and admire our new section of fence. It's the same kind of fence we have around our rose and herb garden. Tobacco stick screwed to treated wood...and the sticks, if not touching the ground, last as long as the treated wood!  We had to first tear down the picket fence we installed at the beginning as the invading wisteria (yes we stupidly planted it on purpose!) had started to pull it down. Putting up the fence was the easy part. Attacking the vegetation with chainsaw, clippers and Round Up, was a the hard part :-). Oh well the original concept was good...we just picked the wrong plant for an arbor!

Artists often need beauty and quiet times for inspiration.... it's a perfect place for many of our classes and our art retreats. Sure you can find the beauty elsewhere as an option. But being a part of it, nourishing it and reveling in it...well now, that's the artist's life!

Same type of fence around herb and rose garden

Art Journaling and making the memory a reality!

 OK, I confess. I just copied and pasted this entry from my other blog into this blog but heck I can't improve on it anyway! And it IS a part of the day to day life of being an artist :-) 
I am very focused on paying my bills while creating the best art for my clients that I can,but this is a branch that is another creative path that I walk...the blog IS new...but it's still the same old me sharing all the aspects of an artist's life! Visit me as well at the link below!

http://artsyjournals.blogspot.com/

My Art Journal page

How can you not be inspired by flowers? Your garden or a friend's? 

The Queen Anne's lace is blooming  everywhere now. The warm winter meant it all came about two weeks early. In NC they bloom wild alongside what we  call "Tiger Lilies" Somehow "ditch lilies" doesn't do it for me! I let a few grow randomly in my garden and love that decision!

Both types of flowers are a fond remembrance of mine of my sister and I riding our horses down the roads and seeing these same types of wildflowers growing alongside the  road in upstate New York!

So a combination of using leaves (yanked from my grass) as a stencil, lace, paint, spray ink, markers and my trusty gel medium, transposed my vision into a fun 9 x 11 Art Journal page of a few sentences and all things Queen Anne's Lace!

It's easy to paint the flower...just blop dabs of white paint in the general shape of the head of the flower!

The journal next to the Queen Anne's Lace in my garden

Someimes. You just gotta have fun!

Pet rocks!

Sometimes, you just gotta have fun!

"Pet" rocks. I used gouache paint to paint on these little 3 inch rocks. I would rather have found some cool rocks out on a long hike but these came from one of those bags at a craft store and were do-able.

Some of the luminescence is from the Turner Gouache pearl and metallic colors.

Paint Horses Art Party!

 It's every little girl's dream!  (Well big girls too) to ride, own or somehow dream horses!

The next best thing is to paint your own!

So we did for two and a half hours one evening recently at MacNair's Barn in Raleigh, NC.

We had a "Paint Horses Art Party" for a group of 29 4Her's.  Yes I said 29! And they spent a little over two hours totally involved in painting a 9 x 12 acrylic painting of a horse they owned, rode or just loved.

 No computers, no texting, no cell phone talking. Just pure involvement in the Art Zone! The results speak for themselves as this grouping of photos shows.

We did this as a fund raiser for the 4H group so at the end of the evening the group had raised almost $300.00 from the event!

We did not get everyone's photo but the ones we did manage to snap before the evening ended...well their expressions say it all! 

Visit our Art Student Academy website to read what the girls had to say!

29 girls-2.5 hours and every one painted their own horse or one that they ride at the barn at MacNairs Country Acres in Raleigh NC!

Art Party!

Wonderful results from participants in 2 START classes we  held in Stantonburg,NC April 23

Here I am playing around with a collage of photos taken April 23 at a wonderfully fun art party we held with a group of artists at one of the members lake cottage! Hmmm-it's a little small but spending a day painting can be a tremendously enjoyable event!

I took the outdoor photos before the sun came out and took the fog away but you can still enjoy the view that we had!

Getting off the cell phones and painting!

Had a great time at Wake Forest Art and Frame last night during the second Friday bash held each month in beautiful downtown Wake Forest!

I have added a photo here but a link to the rest of the first ones with more to come from a few other cameras! The fun part is that the teens put down their cell phones and picked up the paint brushes and.....didn't even text :-)

 New classes at Art Student Academy!

Painting the Family pets

January 29 turned into a stunningly beautiful day! Our 10-12 class on Painting your family dog or cat was packed and most of the participants were here for the day!

So by lunchtime we were opening the doors and letting in some brilliant sunshine :-) The coffee was on, participants were happily working...it just doesn't get any better than that!


Upcoming workshops are on our website!

 This is her very first horse painting! Is she happy? :-)

Little Sara was pleased with her dog painting!

 Betty is more of a pro and it showed in her beautiful cat painting!

 And this participant drove all the way from Wilson to take the class and created a beautiful horse painting!

Emily's first horse painting!

                         Emily came with her mom and   together they had some amazing paintings to take home to show Dad!

January art workshops that POP!

What do all these happy people in the photos have in common?
They all came to our studio, and whether they were new to painting or experienced, two hours later, they all left with a completed painting!
And best of all, the class was just $30.00 with ALL supplies included! And better yet, if they participated (and almost everyone does) in the second class, it's just HALF PRICE! Convenient online sign up.

There will be hot coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade and tea for refreshment. Bring your lunch (or places nearby!) If it is nice weather (we can only hope) we can picnic outside......we hope you are animal lovers (5 dogs, 2 ponies, 2 goats)

So what classes are coming up at Art Student Academy?
This link takes you to a list for the next few months: http://www.portraitsnc.com/lessons/Getting-Started-Dates-and-Times.html

Saturday, Jan 15 from 10-12 we will learn all about colors, what to select, what to mix..this is a must have class for anyone who wants to learn and improve their painting skills! 

We have just a few openings left!
Same day from 1-3: Beautiful landscapes! This class is designed to take the skills you just learned and put them to work!

Sat Jan 29 from 10-12: Paint DOGS and CATS! Only 2 spots left for this popular class! . Popular class for a parent with a child.
Same day from 1-3: Paint Horses! Oh my, this class is full!

But we have another Dog and CAT class in Raleigh which is ALL DAY at the Jerry's store in Raleigh, NC http://www.jerrysartevents.com/dogandcatpo1.html

All of our contact information can be found on the website of http://www.ArtStudentAcademy.com
Sign up today!

Full workshops and SNOW!

Hardworking students-sunny, cold morning!

 You have to follow this link http://picasaweb.google.com/ipaintportraits/Dec4ARTCLASS?feat=directlink

to see ALL the photos that we took Dec 4 in our two workshops but read on and see how our day progressed!

The view from the Studio porch around 2:30 pm!

We had such a great time in our workshops! It started off sunny and cold and all the students worked in our naturally lighted studio. They did an amazing job. Ranging in age from 10 to 60 something, they all slipped into the art zone with no effort. A two hour limit forces most people (especially newcomers) to work outside their normal comfort zone! After all-many were totally new to this! But, undaunted they worked through their challenges and what a group of paintings!

Congratulations all!

And just think, our next workshop on Dec 18 is all about painting SNOW!

Art as Comfort Food

Really, all we needed last night in our studio was a crackling fire to add a little more of the already present ambiance of the evening! Munching away on cookies and relaxing with hot coffee and lemonade (the wine has to be next for the all adult classes!) the two hour class zipped by. It was "comfort food" in the form of art!

Part of the idea behind the START (Stop Thinking Art is Really Tough) classes is to engage and re-engage artists of all ages and give them the opportunity to not only create but to experience new mediums and techniques.

In this class, we concentrated on dog portraits in acrylics. Our mother and teen daughter duo had never used acrylic paints. They travel a lot and were delighted to discover the ease of use and quick dry times of acrylic paints!
Our participating Dad, with his teen daughter, at the class after a long day at the office, relaxed completely as he became immersed in his painting! The interesting thing is how delighted the parents were at their own efforts. They easily slipped into the Art Zone after years of disuse!

I suggested to several adult siblings recently when they asked me how to get their mom back into painting, that with the holidays coming up, they purchase some art supplies, as well as an easel and taboret for their mother. Better yet, sneak into her home and set up a mini studio so that all she has to do is walk in and sit down to paint!

Add a gift certificate to a START class and they have given back to their mother, all the encouragement that she showered on them through the years!
The cycle doesn't get any better than that!

Diligently working away