What can I say....Polymer Clay is just fun especially when teaching others.  This was a two session workshop October 16 and 23, 2017 at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock where hopefully the students learned to not fear making canes.   They made some beautiful blends of color to die for and got just as excited as I get when I see color mix.  They jumped right in and created the basic canes with no difficulty even though 3 were total beginners with polymer.  I took pictures along the way so be sure to view their progress at assembling more complex canes to make the project.   I just regret I did not get a photo of all the little bowls they made other than their group picture.  Wonderful job girls.  Hope to see you in the spring maybe.  Thanks AAC for sponsoring this workshop.  See slide show below.

What have I been doing the last two mornings....well one of my favorite things teaching.....and one of my favorite thing to teach watercolor collage using oriental papers.  When you have a variety of oriental papers they are just so luscious to look at and to touch and then fun to tint and design color on them.  That is just what we did the first day with watercolor.  They were dry the next day and the collage began, tearing and cutting and of course pasting shapes into creative designs.  So proud of all the students.....some were totally new to art.....yeah!  Hope they will love it like the rest of us.  They concentrated and worked really hard....and it is hard to do all this in just 6 hours but I do believe they have gotten the nack of it and MY wish is for them all to try it more at home.  Send pictures you all.   Take a look at them in action below!

Thanks National Park Community College Continuing Education and Coronado Center for sponsoring the workshop

This was a 6 hour two day workshop in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas sponsored by National Park Community College Continuing Education at the Coronado Center in the Village.  Had a great group of woment who really did a wonderful job wrapping and designing.  We even started a "tree of life" piece they will finish at home and I hope they send pictures.  The participants not only came from the Village but also from Hot Springs and surrounding areas.  A mother and Daughter came from the northern part of the state too.  What fun is that!?!?!?  The majority of the ladies had not wire wrapped before which always makes it exciting to teach a new creative process to someone.  Take a look at their accompolishments  in the below slide show.   Thanks NPCC and Coronado Center for letting me teach.

What a treat to return to the Eureka Springs School of the Arts a second time to teach Polymer Clay.  This was a three day workshop were 8 students  worked me hard and I worked them hard creating canes, a free form box and fun little bugs!  Of course there is always one who wants to do something else which he accomplished well too.  Thanks Eureka Springs School of the Arts for allowing me to teach once again.  Take a look at all the activity of the students below.

May is such a beautiful time for a retreat in the country but also a very unpredictable weather time.  Our phone weather alarms went off a number of times during hard rain, lightning, wind and tornado warnings, my continuous wheezing and coughing.... but we all survived with laughter, fun and creativity!

Ivey Jeans Ozark Farmstead was such a relaxing location to have an artists retreat.  Between Ann and Cindy they made it just a perfect weekend to long be remembered.  There was good eats, laughter and sharing of ideas, hard work at creating and learning, oh yes I could go on and on.  Take a look at what went on here.  There was more than photos could express.  Two instructors Darlene and Marlene....what a combination!

Thought you might like to see the International Society of Experimental Arts.  I have a piece in the exhibit which I am proud of.  This was the largest wall hanging I have ever done.  I am challenging myself to do more large pieces so look to the future to see if I am really going to do it.  Check the exhibit out HERE

Traveled to West Monroe, LA in heavy rain and it was like reliving last year’s storms!  The April 3-6, 2017 Abstract Mixed Media in Acrylic Workshop started the morning rainy also…..OH NO  we all commented, NOT AGAIN.  Well it cleared about noon and was so beautiful the rest of the time, which we were all thankful.  The Kiroli Park was so pretty and in bloom.

Excitement built as we created designs for our pieces and began to pull out everything to accomplish wonderful pieces, and that they did.  There were two girls who were new into art and another who had done only watercolor.  What fun getting them to join the “art addiction” of creating with just about anything!

Thanks all for taking the workshop and thanks to Ouachita River Art Gallery for sponsoring the workshop and to Kiroli Park for the lovely lodge use.
 
Oh almost forgot we made special memories at this workshop too….they were remodeling the restroom facilities so we had sound effects the entire week.  Goes to show artist will suffer anything for the love of art!

Please take a moment to view creativity in this slide show.

Wire Wrapping a Cabochon March 27 & 28, 2017 was a full class of 15 enthusiastic students.  They hovered around, watched closely, and then choose their own pieces to work with in either copper or brass wire (or a combination).  They worked hard both days but I am sorry to say we ran out of time.  Next session I hope to extend to 3 hours each day.  I was concerned about the students’ hands getting tired….but they were troopers.  Pleased with what they accomplished.  They kept me so busy I only have a few pictures and some that students sent me later.  Good job.  Thanks to the Coronado Center (POA) and National Park Community College Continuing Education for sponsoring this workshop.