Collage and Cocktails

Check out my recent art and music inspired Collage and Cocktails class which took place at the Grand Bohemian Hotel and Gallery in downtown Orlando, FL.

We had a wonderful time with our Blueberry Açaí Blueberry Van Gogh vodka cocktail and an iris collage project inspired by the art of Van Gogh.

Check it out here on my Growing Bolder Blog

Journey to Sedona, AZ

This week I taught collage at the Sedona Art Center, as I have been doing for four years. Read about my class, the town, and how I found gallery representation there as well. A business trip in the true sense of the word. 

Growing Bolder Blog Here

Thank You
for being a part of my
Art Journey,

Elizabeth

Madeline Island School of the Arts

signature sun tea

classroom in the milk house studio

I have been asked to "test the waters" by the folks at Madeline Island School of the Arts. They are hoping to put me on the class list next year. As it turns out, mixed media classes are not filling up as well as others on the Island. Why is that?

In my class we have so much fun, slinging paint, stamping, stenciling, dry brushing, texture rubbing, winging it… And that's just making the paper.

making the most of found and purchased papers

After we create our own collage papers, we organize them according to color and then we hit the ground running. Since you arrive at class with your under painting in hand. (oh yes, there is homework in this class!) we are ready to glue this wonderful paper down on day two.

Collage is very forgiving because if you don't like how it looks, you can pull it off or go over it with a new piece. There is no stress in collage. The one comment I hear more than any other  in class is "Oh, this is so much fun!"

class sizes are small with a lot of one-on-one attention

Even if you are not an artist, you can have fun in my workshop. I have had many mother and daughter, best friends, long lost college roommates come together in my class to experience collage and to spend time together with someone they enjoy being with. Often times one of these two people are artistic and talked the other into coming!

cliff jumping, I wonder how cold that water is?

Madeline Island looks like an amazing place, you can see why I want to meet you there in 2015 with my bag of tricks (and colorful papers).

ferry crossing to Madeline Island

aerial view of the island

the milk house studios

I encourage you to look up Madeline Island School of the Arts website and learn a little bit about them. They are, in fact, on an island. Their season is in the summer, when it's warm and beautiful in Wisconsin. You know I can't go anywhere cold.

Tell them I sent you, and if you think you would be interested in taking my collage workshop up there, let them know that as well. We are "testing the waters" to see if we could fill a class. I think we can. 

I'll watch you jump off that cliff while I'm sipping sun tea on the shore. 

email MISA and tell them you want PaperPaintings on their 2015 roster here.

Thank YOU

for being a part of

My Art Journey,

Elizabeth

Visit my page on Growing Bolder's Elite Blog to read all about the wild ride I had getting my artist table and centerpiece setup at the Maitland Art Center fundraiser, despite rain, hail, and tornado warnings!

Click Here. It's a great story!

Cherie's Progress

Cherie and I in October at her home in Vero Beach

A quick note to tell you that Cherie is doing well in South FL and staying warm (note the wrap and at the fancy matching jewelry that I picked out this morning I stayed over to see her in October). 

For those of you who do not know Cherie's story, read about her journey and battle with spinal cord injury here:

http://elizabethsthilairenelson.blogspot.com/search?q=Cherie%27s+progress

Currently her PT and OT therapists are busy filming her standing up in the standing frame and filling out forms to apply for her to return to Shepherd Center for Spinal Cord Rehab in Atlanta where she could gain more training and therapy.

Cherie spent some time there after getting out of intensive care in Florida, but now that she has gained a bit more strength and movement, we are hoping that she is a candidate for even more therapy. 

Keep her in your thoughts and in your heart that she will soon be on the road to Atlanta. She will have to buy a new handicapped van in order to get there, her current one is old and won't make the trip. 

We love you Cherie!! Well wishers can email her or mail her notes and cards of encouragement, which she absolutely LOVES! Cherie's mother was a fine artist who gave me some of my first exposure to museums and art when she and I were just kids. I've know Cherie all my life. 

If you want to send Cherie and art card or words of encouragement, email me for more info:

ejnelson@mac.com

Thank You for being a part of my Art Journey,
Elizabeth

What's on my Easel

Jazz Singer / 16x20 / collage on cradled panel / in progress

Jazz Singer

The Jazz Singer is a piece I created previously and sold. Every now and then I have someone ask me to recreate a piece because they love it so much and they ask so nicely. I explain that there will never be any two collages alike, but I am willing to give it a whirl a second time.

This week I have been working on The Jazz Singer for a student who took my collage workshop in Longwood, FL at the Craft Shack.

Process

I start with a pencil sketch on wood panel, I sort out my composition and a little bit of shading in this stage. After I have a good drawing to go by, I start painting in my composition with acrylic paints. The painting is going to help guide me in gluing my papers on top.

©St. Hilaire Nelson 2014

©St. Hilaire Nelson 2014

A good solid foundation of shading is important in the under-painting stage. Here I have established my lights, darks, highlights, shadows, and expanded on my sketch. When I begin to apply the paper I will push the colors and textures even further.

Hand-painted papers hang on the line in my studio

I paint all my own collage papers by hand, I use a variety of different techniques and paper resources to create my own palette. I often use found or discarded papers in addition to exquisite purchased papers. Nothing is off limits when it comes to collage!

©Douglas Nelson Photography

Workshops

I travel the country teaching workshops and may be near you in 2014. I have a full list of workshops along the right hand side of this blog with links out to the host venue. My next class will be held in my home state of Florida at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts

click: Mount Dora Center For The Arts Workshop Info

February 28 - March 2nd

Typical 3-day class schedule / click to enlarge

Historic Downtown Mount Dora

See you in Mount Dora or your neck of the woods!

Thank You
for being a part of my
Art Journey,
Elizabeth

InnSane: An Interview with Elizabeth St Hilaire Nelson

InnSane: An Interview with Elizabeth St Hilaire Nelson: Meticulously torn bits of hand-painted papers, delicately put together, form the exceptionally vibrant collages created by Artist Elizabe...

Thank Youfor being a part of myArt Journey,Elizabeth