Triad Color Theory - with just 3 paints

This past weekend, at Create Chicago, I taught Color Moods, which is basically a half day color theory class based on different Triads of Red/Yellow/Blue. The idea is to work very abstractly with the paints, trying out a few triads until you find one that suits your mood. This project is outlined in my book too in case you are interested.

One of my students, Bette Brody, loved(!!!!) Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Paints. Using the Triad - Dash of Red, Smidge of Blue, Dab of Yellow (and white), you can make such pretty colors - I mean look how happy these colors are - they make me smile!

And the little pieces that Bette cut out?  They are adorable abstract compositions, aren't they?

Destination: Creativity

Rice Freeman Zachery's latest book. I saw a sneak preview when I was at Art Unraveled and can't wait to get a copy of my own so I can wallow page by page.
Check out this delightful video promotion. There is silly footage of me dancing (omg, that is too much information) and hanging a spoon from my nose. The retreats are so much fun.......and we even make art too, ha!!!

Adding or Subtracting

I am fascinated with the idea of adding or subtracting. Have no fear, I am not talking about math, just hang with me for a moment.....I remember the exact moment this occurred - I was at an artist's talk being given by local sculptor Iain Fraser.....someone asked him if his process was completely additive.....to which he replied, "yes" and then talked about that for awhile. I listened with one ear as I pondered my own process.
To be honest, I had never thought about this before as it seemed a little esoteric. But the more I pondered (and yeah, I get totally obsessive this way, especially in the middle of the night, ha!) the more I came to understand that my process is both Additive and Subtractive. Very strange for a girl who has never enjoyed Math.

"Happy Birthday Mr. Turner" 30" x 30"

(You can click on both of these images to enlarge, by the way)

"Ode to a Wall" 24" x 18"

These are my most recent explorations. There is a lot of additive followed by a lot of subtractive including use of a palm sander, distressing down into the layers......plus, the white squares were carved out of the finished piece, back to the white of the Claybord - don't the squares look like confetti? I will confess that the palm sander was slightly scary and I felt out of control during that part. But maybe that's a good thing?

Artfest 2012

I swear I am on a perpetual swirl. But I am not dizzy......
Anyway, I forget if I mentioned that Artfest is up and open and registrations need to be sent in very soon. Teesha will start to open and process them (by lottery) on September 1st.

 I am thrilled beyond belief to be teaching 3 classes. You an see lots more detail on the site but I thought I would tease you with some images just because that is how I am.

 I sooooooo look forward to Artfest. For me, in addition to teaching, I meet up with friends who I see only at this event. Artfest is a pilgrimage of sorts, for us to gather and spend time together making art, such an amazing way to honor our creative souls. Teesha and Tracy have created something magical with Artfest, the original art retreat, in its 13th year. Whether teaching or student-ing, I lovelovelove to attend!! There is something indescribably delicious about being part of a huge gathering of like minded souls. Oh swoon goes my heart......

Art Unraveled 2011

All I can say is wow, wow, wow and wow. What a great time I had this year - caught up with old friends, made new friends, taught classes to genius students, signed books, sold stencils, ate good food, bought art supplies (mica from Dan Essig!!) and jewelry (bracelet from Ruth Rae, earrings from Deryn Mentock).
Now I'm back home, slept 12 hours straight last night I was so exhausted. Geez.....

But I'm back in action and made a little slide show.....wish I had taken more pics, but I lost my camera at one point (lucky for me it was found). Hopefully you can get a flavor of the event. The Embassy Suite is a sweet place to hang out and Linda and Chuck do a first class job. I need to put together my class proposals for next year, any suggestions? I have some ideas, but would love to hear what my blog readers have to say about this too.

Open Studio Recap

Here are some pictures that Greg took at Open Studio. This first picture is the view from the door. That is Dawson standing on the left, her ceramic art in the middle. Straight ahead is the Flat File draped with paint stained tarps (as a tablecloth). It was a cool and artsy touch, Dawson's clever idea. I think that me, Greg & Dawson put together a pretty nice show if I do say so myself. I felt very proud.

 

The bottom picture is 'my' view from my painting table. As you can see, even when given tons of space, I manage to reduce my working area to postcard size. Geez......
On the left, my stepdaughter and one of my grandsons admiring Dawson's work.
The entire event was a roaring success and CAM did a great job - the best year ever! We had quite a nice crowd of people come through, pretty much a steady stream of people all day long. It was so neat to talk to folks who asked interesting questions and seemed to have a genuine interest in the artistic process - I love being able to share my passion with like minded peeps.
So now I am headed out to Art Unraveled. If you are in the Phoenix area, you can even sign up last minute and still take a class.
And..........registration for Squam closes on 8/15.
And, wait, there's more.........classes for Artfest are up!! Details on the site. It is a stellar lineup with return teachers (I am so thrilled to be back) as well as exciting new names. I can.not.wait.