December Sedona Workshop

It's that time of year again, Sedona is calling! Join me in my favorite place on the planet, we still have a couple of spots left for my December Workshop Weekend at the lovely Sedona Art Center, located right in Uptown. 

Sedona, AZ is one of the most beautiful places on earth. If you have never been to Sedona, you are in for a treat. The amazing 360º views of red rocks will take your breath away. There are plenty hiking and walking trails among the rocks as well. There are still slots left in this class!

December 5/6/7 2014

10am-4pm

Sedona Art Center

click here for Sedona Workshop Information

The Sedona Arts Center (above) offers workshops and classes in every medium and is located in the heart of this art community. They feature a gallery of student work where you can see some fantastic samples of what folks are creating in class.

You will also enjoy art abounding in a number of galleries and shops such as the LARK art gallery pictured above. They carry some of my Paper Paintings animal collages and are located in the Hozho Center. There will be an opening reception at LARK gallery I'll be there sipping wine and visiting with fans of my collage art and whimsical animal art, which Lark is known for.

Click here for information about the Lark ARt Gallery






The last time I was in Sedona, I took an art tour of three working artists studios with Tatia Flick (above) and I have to say that it was a fantastic way to spend the day! Tatia is an amazing host and she drives you around to the artists studios, giving you a view of Sedona neighborhoods and back roads. She also does shopping tours! What could be better. ? Tatia is a sweetheart, you will love spending the day with her.

Click here for Sedona Art Tours Website




About 45 min from Sedona is Jerome, an amazing old mining town that is now a plethora of art galleries and unique shops and restaurants that wind their way straight up a mountain! If you have time, it's a great day trip!

Click here for Jerome, AZ info



We took the kids to Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon and went in slipping down the rock water slide! It was tons of fun and would make a great half day in addition to your Paper Paintings collage workshop at the Arts Center!



Click here for Slide Rock State Park Info


Don't delay. Book today!
I'll see you in Sedona December 5/6/7

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

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

Creating a Companion Piece

12x12 on flat wood panel, painted similar background to match the apple

Last month in my Sedona, AZ Paper Paintings 3-day workshop I created the demo apple on the left to show my students the technique of collage. As often happens, one of my students purchased the demo piece from me.

Lesley asked me if I could also make her a pear, (and a pair) to display with her apple. Creating a companion piece after the fact, vs. creating it at the same time can be tricky. When I create two collages that go together, I typically put them on the easel at the same time. I work back and forth between the two so that I am utilizing some of the same collage papers on each piece, giving them harmonious color and patterns.

mimicking the same line quality, style, and underpainting of the pear

Since I was going to create the pear after the fact, I told Lesley that I'd need to take the apple home to the FL studio. I was in luck that I had created the Sedona Apple on the road because this meant that I was working from a limited stock of papers in my travel bag. Working from a gallon sized bag of papers vs. a full studio drawer of papers narrowed down the search for similar patterned and colored collage paper.

completed pear, you can see the same leaf papers, reds and yellows on both pieces

In addition to bringing Lesley's Sedona Demo Apple home for reference, it was also imperative that I bring it home to varnish along side the pear. I did demonstrate varnish in the class with the apple, however my varnish at home is my own mixture of gloss and matte and it was not going to match the sheen of the varnish out of the bottle. Any time I create companion pieces, I want to be sure that both have matching varnish. When I completed the pear I gave them both a coat of my secret recipe varnish. 

Now the pair is complete and they are going to look great hanging in Lesley's kitchen! 

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

click any image to enlarge

Fueling the Body and Soul

We are made up of 50-75% water,  fuel for the body

Today was my last day in Sedona. Class ended yesterday and I took today to explore my favorite place. Sedona is a small town, so most of what I did today, was like visiting an old friend. But this morning was very different. I started my day on a very special mission, a new experience.

the path less traveled, fuel for the soul

In all my visits to Sedona, I had heard about the power of the vortexes and how it was the sole purpose in many folks coming here. I guess I was more about the views and the sunset, the red rocks mesmerize me to this day. When I come around the bend on 179 into town and see the first sign of the red rocks, it takes my breath away. Every time. 

A map to the Universe

In this weekend's class at the Sedona Art Center I mentioned that I had a special mission, I had some ashes to spread in the red rocks of Sedona, for a friend. Mary was so sweet to make an amazing suggestion, she said "You know, Boynton Canyon has two vortexes a male and female." Right then I realized, that's my special place. 

I did some research on Boynton Canyon and how to find the vortexes there. They don't label them or advertise them. Thanks to the time and effort of his blog An Alternate Route, by Steve Prefontaine, I had no problem finding my way. I followed his photos and directions by downloading his page before I went out into the Canyon ad lost cell signal.

I headed out early in the morning, so I had no trouble parking at the trail head. There were only mountain bikers unloading whenI pulled in and purchased my red rock pass out of the solar powered vending machine in the parking lot. 

It was all great until I saw the bear sign. 

Gulp.

And there it was. My land shark. GEEZ! I was struck by the very same fear I have for sharks. I hesitated, I walked, I turned back, I walked, I stopped, I walked, I turned back. 

Fear, it can be paralyzing. Just today someone emailed me and said they had my DVD, bought all the collage supplies, but were too scared to start. Why? It's not like your collage is going to MAUL you. Oh my goodness. I wasn't going to let fear deter me from my mission. 

"I'll sit on this bench and wait for someone else to come along the trail and I'll hang behind them," I thought. I'll let them go ahead as an appetizer. OMG. How often do we do this? We don't want to go first, we don't want to put our art out there to be judged, we'd rather follow behind someone else, safe. 

Along came two women who looked like experienced hikers, I hung behind them and headed up the trail. They were going my way, so it worked out. (It felt good not to be totally controlled by my fear of the land shark.) When we got to the vortexes, they had their own agenda, and I had mine. It was just us three up there, so very quiet and peaceful.

The vortexes from the Vista Trail below

I climbed up to the area between the two vortexes to experience the energy. Warrior, the male vortex on the left (I climbed to the very top here and sat) and the Kachina Woman on the right. Can you see the "V" formation in the clouds? that's not doctored, this is the photo as it was taken with my iPhone. 

I imagine experiencing a vortex is like experiencing art, there is a special energy to it. We all bring a part of ourselves to the definition of just what that pull feels like, and how each individual describes their experience is always going to be unique and different. I felt out of balance when I stood there in the center and closed my eyes, I felt like I was slightly swaying on my feet, like I could feel the earth moving. 

I went around the back of the male side of the vortex (which was free standing) to find a peaceful place. There are personal cairns (rock piles) built all over this place by previous visitors. I decided to build a cairn in honor of my special mission. 

the cairn I built in honor of Jared

I came to the strongest vortex in Sedona to spread a small amount of ashes of a young man with a huge personality and a pretty strong pull of his own. I have never spread ashes before, so it rounded out my all-new experiences for today. 

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

the central area between the two vortexes is marked by a rock circle and many cairns 

the sign of a Sedona vortex is said to be the twisted trunks of juniper trees that appear nearby

After ceremoniously letting a handful of powder catch the canyon breeze, I climbed around to the front of the vortex. And there he was. 

Out of nowhere came a man, now standing with his arms and legs spread apart like an X in the center of the two vortexes. He came over and handed me a stone heart, put it in my palm and told me it was the energy of the Creator, the power of the Universe, it was Unconditional Love and it would go with me wherever I went, I could take the power of the vortex with me on my Journey, I could then pass Unconditional Love on to someone else.  This is how we will change the world, he said.

Robert (he later introduced himself) told me he was going to climb to the top of the Warrior formation and play healing Reiki music. "Do you want to join me?" he asked. Really?

Why not? Open your heart and your mind. 

Together we climbed up to the top of Warrior, Robert knew the footholds and pointed the way. What an incredibly spectacular view! It took my breath away to sit there and gaze out over 360º of the red rock canyon colored by Karma and brought together by the Universe for me in that moment. 

My view of the Universe

Robert playing healing music for the earth

I don't now how long I sat up there listening to Robert play, it certainly was relaxing. Between songs we spoke about Unconditional Love, the Creator, and about letting go of all the baggage and crap that bogs us down in life. His last song was called Releasing, just for that purpose.

I'm not sure where Robert came from, but I am very glad our paths crossed. I believe it was all meant to be a part of an original experience, and my special mission. 

the Warrior formation 

Yeah, I climbed to the top of that and back, and never did see any land sharks.

Thank You for being a part 

of my Art Journey,
Elizabeth

click on any image to enlarge

Workshop Weekend, Sedona, AZ

AM, yes, an hour some of you never see. I'm very familiar

Maybe it was the anticipation, that kept me awake. Maybe it was the congestion. Either way, I could't sleep.

My iPhone alarm was set for 4:00, by then I was long awake – tossing and turning, watching the clock glow, blowing my nose, checking my email. How do you rest an ever running mind? "Have I forgotten to pack anything? Should I bring my Red Sox cap? (let's face it, I am a fair weather fan, born in Boston) Do I have enough business cards? Do I have enough to keep me busy in flight?"

You'd think I never did this before.

Today I am headed to the Sedona to teach a collage workshop at the Art Center, I've been doing this twice a year for going on three years, April and November. When booking the flight, I was trying to secure the lowest possible fare for the Art Center, overlooking the fact that I had signed on for an American Airlines Journey that included two layovers between Orlando and Phoenix. Two.

"What? WHAT?" I asked myself out loud while viewing my Expedia itinerary email which featured a very long and colorful list of flight numbers starting at 7:25am this morning and ended at 2:30pm this afternoon, INCLUDING gaining two-hours of time with the time change. Ugh. "How did that happen?" "Probably because you weren't paying attention when you booked it." was the reply from The Voice of Reason on the other side of the couch.

True.

And then there's the two hour car ride through the dessert from Phoenix to Sedona. On 3.5 hours sleep. Sigh. Passion Tea sounded appealing to me on my arrival at OMA's Terminal A Starbucks, but when I get to Miami (yes, I am flying South first... ugh) I'm opting for some caffeine.


guess what? we cannot accommodate your carry-on luggage

And why is it that every flight you go on these days, they announce that they are ALREADY out of overhead bin space for your carry on during the boarding of Zone 1? So now they are fighting with me to check my roll aboard, which happens to include all the things I did not want to include in my checked luggage. Thank you very much.

A beautiful day in Miami

My husband set me up with the new MacBook Air 13" and I couldn't be happier. This new computer is MUCH lighter and more compact than my MacBook Pro was. It's also much less weight on my shoulders (can I just tell you that the computer bag slipped off my shoulders and dropped on more than one occasion? Yes, I can tell you that now because I finally came clean with my husband about it)

It's about having the right tools for the job. I would not have blogged on the go with the other computer, it was just too much effort. How spoiled does that sound? OMG.


30 min in the air didn't even give me time to log into GoGo inflight, just one of the few ways I entertain myself when sitting still. The other way I entertain myself is breaking out the collage supplies, but that didn't happen either. Im not big on sitting still, as you can imagine, so this was a bit of a squirmy 30 min. I thought about sleeping. I reclined, closed my eyes, and started counting sheep, but then I started thinking about how much fun it would be to collage sheep. "What would I use to create all the curls? would I paint white paper or just use text and type and sheet music? would I infuse colors? would they be warm or cool colors? Cool of course..."  and on and on like that. No rest for the wicked (witch in the purple tights) I tell you.

Miami did offer me some much needed grub. I am a big eater, so any airport that offers me the opportunity to sit down and eat eggs, potatoes and Cuban coffee, makes me happy. Even if it's totally off the direct path to Phoenix. Life is about the Journey though, and I am keeping that in the forefront of my mind today.  Right behind the pressure that's building up in my sinus cavity.

Sitting on the floor of Miami Airport tethered to a plug outlet

Next stop Dallas, TX. Side Note: I saw more than one person wearing cowboy boots in this huge airport. Somehow in all my travels, I've never been to Dallas. (and somewhere I too have cowboy boots) I took the tram from terminal B to terminal C (oddly, via D and E) which was pleasant enough, it was like a monorail track outside. Unlike Atlanta, you could not have walked it if you wanted to.

My in flight entertainment

This was a 3-hour jaunt so I managed to whip out the collage supplies and work on two small pieces. I always bring small pieces to work on my seat back tray table. I bring my collage glue in 3-oz. containers in one zip top, clear plastic bag. Since I ended up in a middle seat, this was quite the challenge, I usually have the isle as extra real estate to pull the travel bag of papers into as I dig through it to find my colors. Not today. Given the alternative of sitting still, I opted to figure out how to make it work, and I did. However, next time I will check in earlier and have the opportunity to choose an isle seat! Expedia is FIRED, they did not remind me to check in yesterday. What's up with that?

Upon arriving at Terminal C I immediately began looking for food options. Right across from Gate 30 was TGI Fridays where folks were lined up waiting to get in and a man in a candy striped tie handed me a menu to look at while I waited. Fried, Fried, Fried. Maybe that's the Fri in Friday. The soup of the day was broccoli cheddar. The healthy options on the menu boasted 750 calories or less. For lunch. hmmmm. There was not even a salad to be had for less than 749.

After much deliberation, I went with a grilled chicken salad, hold the cheese and the croutons and the dressing. (surely this might get me down to 650?) Out came the salad just as I was asking if there were any plug outlets under the table. Always tethered to the plug.

A metal fork and a plastic knife. Hmmm, "Can I get a real knife?" I asked my server. "Unfortunately, no." And then it dawned on me, security. Security? I mean I probably could to as much damage with metal fork tines as a butter knife, no? For me it was about the weight, one heavy utensil, one light. Strange.

Here I sit at gate C waiting for the last leg of this trip to Phoenix. The plane has been delayed by a half hour. "Blah, blah, blah," I already forgot why. In a way I am happy, as I am currently tethered to the power tower along with everyone else around me. Half an hour will charge my devices.

The tower may be constantly plugged into, but it's never cleaned. Maybe that's because it's in 24-hour demand.

And we are off, from Dallas to Phoenix! The pressure in my ears and sinus cavity continues to mount with the altitude adjustments in flight. Note to self: find a walk-in clinic in Sedona. Which by the way is at 5000 feet elevation. Florida is ZERO. My ears are going to kill me all weekend.

If you are not familiar, Sedona is a small town that can only be accessed by a two hour drive through the dessert from Phoenix. Upon arriving in Phoenix, I gathered my bags, took the rental car shuttle bus and headed to Alamo. At this point, I cannot hear anymore.

What?


headed out of Phoenix, once through the traffic the landscape and lighting were fantastic! You can see the Saguaro at the top of the hill.

I rented my car, hooked up my Google Maps and hit the road. Let me say that I have been to Sedona about six times before, so I do have a general idea of where I am headed. I rolled up onto the ramp of Route 17 only to hit rush hour (really?) traffic at 4:30pm getting out of Phoenix. Oh boy do I wish I could use the HOV lane about now. Oh well, it's about the journey, the Journey!

The drive was spectacular because of the daylight as the sun set. It changed everything. Usually I get into town much earlier in the day (no, really? OMG there are direct flights) And I end up driving through the dessert smack in the middle of the day. That lighting does not flatter the Saguaro cacti or the landscape very much. The Saguaro is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and the blossom is the State Wildflower of Arizona. A little tidbit of useful information for you.

the pink mountains in the distance, maybe it's the red sand reflecting the sun

Getting close, I can feel the red rocks coming, but I'm losing daylight

So the Journey was different for me this time, and I appreciated very much the color of the dessert at dusk. It's been a very long day getting to Sedona from Orlando. By the time I had my "ah ha" moment when I come around the corner on 179 headed into uptown (I know right where this is on the road) and I see the red rock outcropping for the very first time... it was dark, I missed the sun by about 20 min.

Open your heart and your mind, you never know where the Journey will take you

But no fear, the sunrise is almost as glorious as the sunset and I am an early riser. I have to be, because the Urgent Care clinic closed at 6pm. What? They open up again at 8am tomorrow morning. I'll get my sinuses checked and then make my way to the Chapel of the Holy Cross if I have time before class.

I always go there to light candles for my SU roommates who perished in the bombing. And I sit (still, yes I do sit still) and reflect on how much of an amazing place Sedona truly is to me.

This trip I have another candle to light, and another special ritual to perform. For Jared and his mother Nancy. I think the early morning light might just be a perfect variation.

click to enlarge any image

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

and PS it's COLD here!

The Gallery recently moved into a new space

Many thanks to the Art Gallery of Viera for inviting me to judge this years annual juried exhibit. Yesterday morning I hit the highway around 8:30 am out of Orlando and headed South on 95 down the coast of FL about an hour until I arrived in Viera. It was really nice to see Susan, Helen, and Jerry again. 

Art Gallery of Viera hosted a Paper Paintings workshop about two years ago, it was a very well attended class and we had an excellent weekend. Ironically, Amanda from that class popped up in my Houston class again this year! You just never know...

The new gallery space is stunning, as is the plaza in which they are located

Jerry told me that this year they turned away 35 pieces and kept 48, much higher numbers than they had in last year's show, and the quality of the work represented this. 

I took my time looking at every piece individually and making notes on my favorites in no particular order. I revisited my favorites and intently considered what it was that I liked about each and every one of them, it's a very difficult decision to narrow things down.

some examples of the work in the show

As a juror and a viewer, it is impossible to disregard the personal experience and preference that you bring with you to a piece of art. I am someone who appreciates unique technique and bright colors, as a result, work of this genre is most interesting and appealing to me. I was drawn to the liberal use of color in some of the landscapes as well as the creativity of technique in some of the photos and mixed media pieces. Making art is much about honoring creativity, conceptual thinking, and technique; some of the most creative pieces in this show were the ones that pushed their medium and execution way outside of the typical “box.” 

Check out The Gallery online if you are in the area and are interested in showing your work or taking a class, this is a great group of people. 

I know who won, but I can't say anything! Winners will be announced on Sunday, stay tuned and in the mean time, visit the Gallery on Facebook.

After a nice lunch with Susan, I hit the road another hour South to visit Cherie in Vero Beach. Only to witness her in a STANDING FRAME upright and vertical. She's doing amazingly well and in her new room (she moved to a bigger house!) are framed Art Cards from her days in the spinal cord rehab center. For all of you who sent notes and cards, she still talks about how much it meant to her.

Cherie and I posing for the camera, pulled out all the family jewels this morning!

Learn more about Cherie's Story Here

Thank You
for being a part of my
Art Journey