A pretty darn near perfect weekend at the Women Art Retreat in Mountain Home, Arkansas.  The weather was great, not too hot.  The students and women were so much fun to be around, food was yummy, classroom exciting with lots of creativity, visiting in the evening enjoyable.....what else can I say, it was great. 

Thanks Ozark Regional Arts Council for sponsoring this event and thanks for letting me be one of the three instructors.  Below are some pictures of the students in my class.  First time to ever teach in the horse stall area....truly unique but most comfortable and relaxing.

How excited everyone was to get together to create.  I have missed being in the live classroom.  We were all giddy and like a child during the first day of returning to school.  Another exciting thing is that these girls have not made a polymer clay fairy house before.  We used recycled jars as our base support.  So cute and fun to make.  Just take a look at the slide show.  Thanks Ouachita Artists Gallery and Studio for sponsoring the workshop and thanks all you ladies that participated.  

I just cannot believe it has been a year of Covid-19 I must say it has drug on but also gone so fast.  I have stayed busy learning and practicing polymer clay.  This time has allowed me to take classes, experiment on my own and teach a variety of classes.  

Zoom has given me a freedom to teach in my studio which has truly been wonderful but also a different feel in teaching.  Sometimes while teaching I am just talking to myself and even answering myself.  I found right quick you really need to be organized and have everything at your fingertips.  Learning and teaching others polymer clay has made this stay-at-home time tolerable.  If it were not for this and our vegetable garden, I do believe I might have gone bonkers.  

Of course, getting "Red" our puppy has kept us busy.  I had forgotten how much like a baby a puppy is, but he has been a pleasure and brought some joy and laughter in our household.

This is such an exciting article   I just had to share it with my everyone.  I am honored and humbled by this lovely presentation.  Thank you CALS (Central Arkansas Library System) and good luck with  your reopening.
https://robertslibrary.org/blog/marlene-gremillion-artist-teacher-creative-dynamo/

Well you can't say I lead a dull life....for an old woman I stay quite active!  
My latest adventure is teaching   Polymer Clay to beginners at the Artists' Workshop   Gallery in Hot Springs, Arkansas   once a   month on Mondays   due to the gallery being closed   Monday-Wednesday   during this  COVID-19 Pandemic

We  are social distancing and wearing masks which for the 3 hour session can be a bit of a challenge plus it is harder to talk with a mask on and the ole' glasses fog up.  I limited the class tyo 5 so we could also social distance.  I must say this has been a unique experience.   The women taking the class have been wonderful and such good sports about the whole thing.  We have moved fairly slow, slower than normal it seems like.  Creating during this pandemic is a very strange indescribable situation.  Seems you just can't be yourself and time is just so very different.

I did something new, started an Etsy Shop.  I just had to try something different.  Check it out at HERE

What do you do when you must stay home  due to Covid-19.  When confronted at first in March I worked out in the yard helping my husband repair  and redo the patio, then put in raised garden areas, haul dirt for the garden, plan the garden, start seedlings and on and on...

I should really learn to create my own designs and make original cards on  the Cricut machine.....still working on that off and on.......So then the Eureka Springs Art School and their local animal shelter had an online fund raiser which I participated in creating pet portraits and I thought it would be a good time to try that in Polymer Clay so I managed to do three for them

You know once I get  the polymer clay out I just have to do more so I decided  to see what kind of veneers I could create to make earrings and that lead me to writing a pdf tutorial and to  create 2 videos which need some practice in order to get them to  be better but I think there will still be time since we are almost into our third month!  Note I posted one on my home page on my web site 
I will have 75 earrings once they are completed with findings and all.  

It just seems like all days run together and feels like I get nothing accomplished at all.....BUT writing this post has made me realize I really have accomplished quite a lot!  Looking forward to the future most especially to hugging my grandchildren once again.  Stay safe everyone.

Just spent a   cold, rainy week in Texarkana but enjoyed every minute of it.  For four days, four different classes I taught pastel and mixed media to some really great young adults at the Arkansas High School. The first day the students prepared paper with black acrylic and pumice for their support to paint the subject of  outer space which I thought would be exciting to do.  I really feel they got into it and did an excellent job.  

The last two days were collaging on watercolor paper with different types of papers, (opaque colored papers, tissue, napkins and oriental papers) in a cruciform composition.   The last day pastel was applied on the dry collage finishing up their compositions almost.  Some outstanding pieces were accomplished.  Here is a slide show of the happenings.

On Friday and Saturday I moved on into the adult side teaching for the Four State Regional Art Club.  On Friday they learned the pastel mixed media  like the high school and they did quite well also.Saturday was a little different working in Miniature Abstract mixed media in Watercolor.  Guess I was just in a mixed media mood for that week.  I was unsure how I would hold up teaching for 6 days and demonstrating one evening but I did it and felt like I accomplished a lot, along with teaching a variety of techniques and experiments to a great number of students.  Here are a few  pictures of the adults working hard.

You know one thing I like more than teaching art is watching students create.  I am just fascinated with their use of their hands in designing and putting together art pieces no matter what medium.  I also like watching their faces as they think it through and study and even sometimes struggle.  I suppose that is the reason I take a lot of photographs of students hands and faces while working.  This week was no exception.  The class was small but a mix of seasoned artist, watercolorist, and first timer in watercolor learning watercolor portraits from their photos.  They were very busy since this was only a two day workshop at the Arkansas Craft School in Mountain View, Arkansas.  What a relaxing setting at the school.  Thanks for hosting the workshop and thanks to the students in attendance.  Take a look at them in action.