I'm ready for fall with ArT for the FuN oF It! and Happy Hour

This fall we are trying something different in the Studio and we are expanding the types of classes we are offering. Painting canvases is fun but so it painting on old china or a wooden football cut out. Grab your friend and come down and get your create on! Have some wine and relax. It's all good......

Go Team!
Show your team spirit!  House Divided? That’s ok too! There’s room for both teams on this 12” x 19” football. Wire and ribbon included.
Thursday September 8^th @6:30 PM
Saturday September 17^th @ 1:00 PM
Thursday September 22^nd @ 6:30 PM
FEE: $24 per person

Fall Tiny Canvas Collage
Celebrate fall with this series of 4x4” gallery depth canvases using tissue paper, leaf skeletons, paper cut outs, paint and gold leaf. Place them on a shelf or hang them on a wall.
Saturday September 10^th @1:00PM
FEE: $35

Hand Painted Vintage Plates
Serve up a daring display with this novel idea for old plates. Each plate is hand painted. There will be a variety of designs to choose from for fall or Halloween.
Thursday September 15^th    @6:30 PM
FEE: $22 per person

 “Autumn Gold”

Try this new painting technique without a paint brush and capture all the colors of autumn.
Thursday September 29^th @ 6:30PM
Fee: $35 per person

“Stitches”

At Artworks Studio we love Halloween!
10x20” canvas
Saturday September 24th @ 1:00PM
$35 per person

Contact Laura or Kelsey to register for any of these classes.
laura@artworksandbeads.com
(712)775-2035

coloring outside the lines is encouraged

You know what I like more than anything? proving to people that they CAN make art. We've had some pretty skeptical people in the studio lately who were dragged to Happy Hour Art by their friends kicking and screaming because they just can't do it.

 

Nonsense I say.

 

 

Here are the rules of the studio:

 

1. Color outside the lines

2. There are no mistakes in art

3. Happy Accidents

 

and the Supreme Rule

ART: Break all the rules

 

So don't let something someone in authority said to you back in the day stop you from exploring your creativity today.

 

Art is necessary.

Art is fun.

Art is therapy.

Art is good for you.

 

This painting was chosen recently for a private party:

 

 

When I asked if everyone wanted to use the colors in the samples one person spoke up and said she wanted fall colors. Ok I can do that. And a big harvest moon....that works.....and the trees not as stylized maybe more tree like....and the rest of the group chimed in - yeah I want that too. I had two choices- I could panic or I could make it work. I chose to make it work and I painted along with the class. They got to see me develop an idea, make some mistakes, paint over them and add in some of this and some of that until we ended up with this:

 

nothing at all like the sample BUT that's OK! Everyone was on board to jump in and learn together. We were definitely coloring outside the lines that night. So don't be afraid - come in and give our Happy Hour Art classes a try.

 

And if you can't quite bring yourself to come to the studio and make art take baby steps. Get yourself a coloring book for adults and some colored pencils.

 

I am happy to report that those people who were scared walked out of here with a beautiful painting and a huge smile on their face.

 

 

 

 

 



 



Happy Hour, Bob Ross and Happy Accidents...C'mon get Happy with us!

A couple of years ago we realized how lucky we are to be able to do what we love-and as like most people we wanted to share it with the world. Happiness is best enjoyed when shared with others.

"More people need to DO this!" 

We didn't want to hog it all to ourselves. So we tossed around a lot of ideas on how to share with all those downtrodden adults around there. Something for those people who want to join my kids art classes but are too shy because they are 

"afraid they won't fit in and OMG I can't draw a stick figure let alone paint an entire canvas! "

(Does this sound familiar? Yeah, adults are just big kids with huge responsibilities)   We wanted a catchy title. We wanted people to feel comfortable and socialize. We wanted a way for people to relax and let the world disappear for awhile.....

happy hour

Noun

(plural happy hours)

1. A time of day, usually in the afternoon or early evening, when a bar or pub offers its drinks at a discounted price.
2. Any small gathering, usually in the afternoon or early evening, set aside to relax and have a drink.

Since we are not a bar, pub or tavern  the first definition really didn't fit. But when I read the second one I had this "Ah-hah!" moment.

HAPPY HOUR ART

was born

Several times a month we offer art classes for adults. We encourage them to bring a beverage (non-alcoholic is just fine too), turn off their phones, relax and socialize. We take each person through a step by step process and at the end of the evening they walk out with a finished original piece. Yes we are all painting the same picture but we encourage participants to put their OWN mark on their piece. Change the colors! Change the layout! Add extra flourishes! Leave out certain elements!

 There are 

NO MISTAKES IN ART

We take the Bob Ross approach to being creative:

"People might look at you a bit funny, but it's okay. 

Artists are allowed to be a bit different." Bob Ross

Since its inception we have branched out into more than acrylic painting. We've added Mixed Media, Collage, Jewelry making and a Pinterest night. Since moving into a larger studio we are actively seeking out new ways to encourage adults to discover how much fun art is again. We have even started hosting an Open Studio one Sunday a month where you get to pick what you want to paint. 

If you want to see what classes we are offering in the Studio and surrounding communities please check in at the Artworks Studio Facebook page. You'll find the most current class schedule on our Notes page. 

It's a give away! Collage/Mixed media paper pack

I am giving away this packet of hand painted, gelatin printed papers to one randomly selected lucky winner.
leave a comment on this post on blogger= one chance to win
follow the blog = one more chance

Pretty simple for pretty cool papers! Good Luck :)

You will receive everything you see in this picture- plus a few extra goodies to collage with

Always changing

When I started on this journey back in 1982 the name of the store was

Carroll Fine Arts Gallery and Supplies and Custom Framing

 

quite a mouthful and I didn't pick the name out.

 

In 1982 I left college after 3 years and bought the above named  business in my hometown.

I was 20 years old.

 No experience.

No business classes.

Just a burning passion for art.

and totally clueless what I was getting myself into.....what I wanted to be when I grew up...

but a $10,000 loan cosigned by my parents and a crash course in business courtesy of the same parents and I was the proud owner of the Carroll Fine Arts Gallery And Supplies and Custom Framing. I represented over 40 regional artists. Along the way my own work got lost in the business of work.

 

 Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.

 

I didn't love framing pictures- it was OK.

I didn't love selling other people's art- I enjoyed making art friends and talking art with them.

I didn't love retail - I love working for myself. 

 

Now I am 52 - and still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up

The original concept has changed over the years- because I have changed

I don't frame pictures for people anymore but I have quite a love affair with vintage frames. 

I sell original works by myself, my sister and few friends of mine and we get together at least once a year and have an art weekend in my studio.

I love working with kids and I teach 80+ kids during the school year and 490+ in the summers..

I love teaching and I have started an adult painting and wine drinking class.

The name  has evolved into it's current name - Artworks Studio - it's a studio because it's where I create, teach, mentor, socialize, consult and spend a lot of time.

 

A year ago I purchased a scrap booking store. I don't scrap. But I DO love paper! I'm a mixed media artist and I find myself using many of the same supplies scrappers use. I have changed the mix over the past year. Less cutesy papers and stickers and more grungy/vintage. I have added creative kits and blank art journals and really cool disposable cartridge pens and letter press note cards... and everything I sell is something I would buy. I read somewhere that a successful shop is one that reflects the owners personality. Mine says - I am not sure what mine says about me...

 

Now things are changing again- Because I am a mixed media artist I collect quite a bit of odds and ends. Things like bottle caps and game board pieces. Marbles, broken clocks, keys and hardware. I am changing some of the "gifty" stuff.  Keeping the vintage costume jewelry and my hand made jewelry.  Closing out the new costume jewelry. Maybe I am making a mistake maybe I am doing the right thing.

One thing I have learned from the moment I signed that loan 32 years ago- you won't know anything unless you take a risk and try. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Art Battery- Fully Recharged and Loaded!

In my studio I have an art program that runs through the school year ( September-May) and I work with 75+ students Pre K- high school.  My summer program begins the first week in June. This June and July I had over 490 students walk through the doors in an age range of 3 to 16.

That is a lot of kids.
And a lot of art.
And a lot of energy.

When August 1st came I had nothing left in my art battery.
Couldn't imagine teaching again.
 Couldn't think of new or different projects.
 I was on automatic pilot.
I cleaned and rearranged the studio.
Picked up new boxes of crayons and markers.
Got the new art journals ready for the kids.
Made some vague notes in my curriculum notebook.
But none of it was done in anticipation of seeing my students again.

I needed to recharge my art battery- it was dead.

A couple of months ago my sister and I talked about getting together in August. It had been a few years since I went to Chicago.  So we found some creative classes to take while I was there.
I just got back to the studio today and my batteries are FULLY charged and ready to go!

On Thursday August 22nd- I spent a rainy afternoon by myself at the Art Institute of Chicago where I saw the special exhibit "Impressionism Fashion and Modernity"

 

It was so wonderful to see the art work and then to look at actual gowns worn by models in the paintings. Looking at the gowns and accessories made these paintings that I have seen many times even more real. Also- I have read many books over the years where gowns designed by Charles Frederick Worth were considered the height of fashion! To see real gowns actually designed by him almost made me swoon! 

 

 

Next I made my way to the new modern wing where I spent a few hours looking at the collection. I took pictures... 

 Max Ernst- basic shapes and simple lines can tell a story!

Kandinsky's use of color and his brushstrokes create the energetic movement of the troika  and his simple lines tell a wonderful story and is so spontaneous

Emil Nolde- Red Haired Girl is a portrait that is more about the color, energy and emotion than anything else.

and Joseph Cornell's assemblage pieces were wonderful and curious and so full of little stories....the ideas flew across the pages of my notebook. So much to see. So much inspiration. Who was Suzanne Duchamp? I knew all about Marcel but nothing about Suzanne.

Mondrian's "Farm Near Duivendrecht"  - I have been working on a collage of trees and have been stressing that my trees weren't tree enough- his trees are not perfect- yet they capture the lines and movement that only bare branches can. I think I am ready to finish my collage because looking at Mondrian's painting gave me the permission I needed to continue and the affirmation that my trees were just fine.

 

Max Ernst and Joan Miro- and their simple almost calligraphic lines. I tell my students over and over again- simple basic shapes- everything you look at can be broken down into basic simple shapes. They ( my students) want to make them so complicated!

 

Surrealist Objects- I had not heard of them before. I knew of Duchamp's Ready Made pieces but not these....these pieces reminded so much of pieces I have created.  Pieces I have encouraged my students to work on. Now I have sources to show them museum works.

 

On Friday I spent the afternoon at Ignite Glass Studio where I learned how to make

                           a glass paperweight

 

and a bowl

 

 

and now I had reached that endorphin state known as "artist's high" 

 

On Saturday I spent the entire day - from 9AM until 9PM  in two workshops with Mary Beth Shaw.

 

WOW!

From her website:



 



"Mary Beth Shaw worked in the insurance industry for 18 years before she quit her job in 2000 to re-ignite a childhood love of art.  She is now a full time painter and internationally known workshop instructor. Her creative process is largely self taught, spontaneous and joyful. She is author of  Flavor for Mixed Media published by F&W and is also a columnist for Somerset Studios Magazine. Her second book, Stencil Girl comes out in the Fall of 2013. "

 

These are the pieces I created under her tutelage.

 



 

 

Again the ideas filled my head and I filled pages in my notebooks with projects and concepts I want to teach my students this year.

 

Bring on the students for 2013-14. I am ready!

 

 

 

in pursuit of the elusive grease pencil

Over the past several months my work has taken a turn into interesting territory. I work in mixed media and collage. Sometimes I need to add some definition to a piece. Last winter I grabbed this wax pencil I had in my stash.

 I think I picked them up at the thrift store for .50
I am always picking up odds and ends at the thrift store and using them in my work.

anyway- I used the pencil in the piece and then blended it in with my fingers and it was amazing- it was just the grungy dirty edged look I was going for.

Sooooo........now here I am and I need some definition but soft edge blending but NOT black. Or yellow. or White.

I have spent countless hours searching for grease pencils in bright colors. HOURS! I know someone out there has to make them. I found all sorts of vintage ones on eBay. Found a website all in Japanese. And one form South Korea that was written in Korean then translated into English which made for amusing reading but I didn't want to place an order because I wasn't 100% sure.

Then this afternoon I found exactly what I was looking for

- GREASE PENCILS IN COLORS and they are located in the USA 

COLOR ME EXCITED!

 

I ordered some of each color and now I just have to wait until they get here.



Crop and Create

This Saturday at the Santa Maria Winery in Carroll I will be hosting my very first crop event for scrapbook and paper crafts. If you have never been to the winery it's located on the Old Lincoln Highway ( HWY 30) in downtown Carroll in a renovated historic building. It's beautiful with lots of atmosphere, good wine, fireplaces and good food.

There is still room for you! The cost is $35 and includes lunch, wine and snacks! Register by calling me at (712) 775-2035 or on my cell my (712)830-9514.

Cari Segebart of Scrapbook Synergy is bringing her portable scrapbook store so you can purchase any supplies you might have forgotten to finish your projects. You will get a chance to make an Artist Trading Card or two...


I will be demonstrating during the day new products like
 Mistables Canvas Resist

Tim Holtz Adirondack  Colorwash Spray Ink

Smooch!

 

And a few other products.

You will also find the current issues of Cloth paper Scissors

Somerset Apprentice and Somerset Studio

and Green Craft!

Come play with us. Bring your paper, scissors and glue!

 



 

 

 



paper is my Passion!

I have been away from my keyboard the past couple of months. I was in a play at History Boy Theater and then I was directing the Youth Theatre production of Harry Potter and the Obnoxious Voice and then I started my summer classes and I teach all day and it was pretty insane.

I don't think I was home on a weekend from the first weekend in May until just this past weekend.

So if that wasn't enough going on as of June 30th I became the owner of the Scrapper's Nook. It's a scrap booking supply store.I have always had a love affair with paper. I have some sheets of fine art paper I bought in Chicago over 10 years ago.  I plan on selling scrap book supplies just like Cathie did but I also plan on taking it in a new direction. I spent the past 10 days combining her inventory in with mine. Which required pretty much taking everything off the walls and starting from scratch. We hung pegboard on the north wall and slat board on the south wall. Dusted and cleaned every surface and weeded out inventory that had been around for quite awhile.

Did i mention that this was supposed to be my week off and I was supposed to spend it at the cabin at Black Hawk Lake. yeah- that didn't happen. OK I am really not that upset about it since the temps were in the upper 90's all week with high humidity and did I mention there is central AC at home and NOT at the cabin?  We couldn't even take the boat out because the lake on our side is too low...so I guess if i was going to be indoors I might  as well spend it remodeling the studio right?

Messy. Messy. Messy......

I have been spending hours on the net searching for just the right papers to stock. I don't scrap. I never have. I do, however, use lots of scrap elements in my artwork. Brads, and eyelets, stamps and other embellishments. I will be stocking unique art papers- LIKE THIS- I love Washi paper.

I am also working on becoming a retailer of my favorite magazine- Cloth, Paper, Scissors if you have never picked up a copy you should. It is full of wonderful inspirations for mixed media artists.



This canvas was created during our 2nd Art Retreat and it
has 8 layers on it before I declared it finished.



 I have been working in mixed media for the past several years and have wanted to share my passion for it with other people. The past two years I have hosted a private Art Retreat for my sister and my friend Shari. We have so much fun making messes and creating papers using Citra Solv and gelatin plates and transferring images from old magazines onto canvas....and so many of my facebook friends want to know how they can get invited too-

 So I am going to finally offer some workshops for adults. This fall there will be some scrap nights and some workshops on how to create your own one of a kind background papers or accent papers for scrapping. I also plan to introduce some basic easy hand bound book making classes as well as taking the - I can't draw a straight line with a ruler- out of the equation art journal sessions. I hope you can stop in and see what's new and maybe take a class or two.

Spending time being creative is time well spent!