The Painted Cottage

Rex Ray Video

Rex Ray is one of my favorite collage artists...even though his work is very retro/modern...and very different from my own style...I like his thinking and the way he approaches collage in general.  I developed a type of "speed collage" for my students based on Rex's process of cutting up old magazines and making collages. (See previous post about Rex Ray) I was happy to find this video on Barnes & Noble's site about Rex.

 

New Fall Classes at AAH

Fall Classes - 2010

at The Art Association of Harrisburg

21 North Front Street

Harrisburg, PA 17101

717-236-1432

(Ages 15 through Adult, AAH Lower Level, 8 weeks)

 
Artistic Papers for Collage and Mixed Media

In this course, you will learn how to transform ordinary plain paper into unique and extraordinary custom papers to use in collage and mixed media art. You will learn many unusual methods by tinting, gesso, pasting, stamping, embossing, and stenciling. The key element is that this is a “green” class, using mostly recycled materials. The first part of each class will be demo and instruction with plenty of hand-outs, and then students will work independently on projects. This class is for all levels of experience.
Instructor: Elaine Brady-Smith
$90.00  Sept. 15 – Nov. 4 
Thursdays, 6–8pm
PLEASE REQUEST A SUPPLY LIST
WHEN REGISTERING.
 

Tina Berrier, Collage on Illustration Board, 2010
 
Collage

This class will cover collage basics and how to combine the elements and principles of design to make your collage artistically unique. Students will gain a variety of knowledge including some off-the-beaten-path techniques. Each class will begin with a demo and instruction with plenty of handouts and then students will work independently on projects. This class is for all levels of experience.

Instructor: Elaine Brady Smith

$90.00  Sept. 16 – Nov. 4

Thursdays, 7–9pm
PLEASE REQUEST A SUPPLY LIST
WHEN REGISTERING.

 

Register For Both Classes:

Artistic Papers for Collage and Mixed Media

AND

Collage

And Pay Only $150

SAVE $30

 

Registration: http://www.artassocofhbg.com

Erin Sparler.com

I'm always delighted to meet new people...especially new students in my Collage Classes at Art Association of Harrisburg. In this past winter session I had the pleasure of meeting the bright and talented Erin Sparler. Erin never hesitated to challenge my teachings in class. I liked that about her and I knew at once that she was a wizard at what ever she did.

  

I was right.

Erin just launched her new website. http://erinsparler.com 

She is fantastically talented in Photography, Drawing, and Digital Art. I spent an hour studying her photos and artwork amazed at the whimsy and freshness of her insightful perspective. Her body of work is fascinating and delightful to behold. 

Another nice surprise was a mention of my classroom studies on compositional design. I was delighted that Erin wrote a post about it and also held a discussion with her students at Central Penn Business School.

http://erinsparler.com/news/2010/03/composition-types/

Thanks Erin.

Blog vs. Website???

(Diane Troutman, Linda Billet, Alyson Stanfield, Christine Goldbeck, Elaine Brady Smith)

Day Two of Alyson Stanfield's Art Marketing Workshop through the PA Guild of Craftsman was excellent!!! So much excellent information that I have to take a few days to read over my notes in order to process it all. I feel like I have many decisions to make on what my next marketing move will be.

One of the biggest questions on my mind is whether or not to keep both a blog and website going at the same time. The question of time management is a big one for every artist and the less administrative management we have, the more time we have to spend in the studio.

I am pondering the possibility that maybe having just a blog is the way to go. It can be updated quickly, keep viewers informed, and connect to all social media easily. Why do I still need to keep a website? I don't update it as often as I should and it is seeming outdated to me more and more lately.

Any comments or thoughts on blogs vs. websites???

I'd Rather Be In the Studio

Attended Day One of Alyson Stanfield's Two Day Workshop on Art Marketing at Millersville University through the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsman. Very good information and I am learning more valuable marketing skills which I hope to put to good use in the near future. Alyson is delightful and easy to listen to with lots of great advice. Here are some of the highlights of the workshop:

• How to write a better artist statement that connects with your audience
• How to organize, expand, and (yes!) use your mailing list
• The tragic mistakes artists make on websites and blogs (and how to fix them)
• Email secrets that produce results
• How to increase traffic to your website and blog
• How to build your online presence with Facebook and Twitter without becoming a slave to your computer

You can read more from Alyson on her blog Arts Biz Blog

And in her book "I'd Rather Be In the Studio" available on her site and at Amazon.com.

http://www.idratherbeinthestudio.com/

Tomorrow...Day Two....

Creating Without Thinking in 21 Days

While watching my students last night work on their first project in Collage class made me think about how our brains process creativity. Creativity is a funny bird. It seems to me the harder you try, the more effort you put into creating something the harder it is to accomplish. Our brains seem to set up road blocks when they see creativity coming through the door.

One of the first exercises I now give my students is a project that requires no thinking...just the doing. I give them very little directions for this project...just cut some magazine papers and glue them down on another piece of paper...nothing obvious , no preconceived ideas, no worries about design or composition...just do it and do not think.

And this exercise is not about creating something wonderful. It is about learning how to turn off the unnecessary part of your brain.

The ability to create without thinking is one of the biggest obstacles artists have to overcome. Thinking also disguises itself as FEAR. Fear of creating. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of creating bad art. Thinking and Fear can go walking hand in hand right across your artwork and ruin everything.

Some FACTS about thinking while creating:

• Thinking causes judgment...most of the time it's personal.
• Thinking causes a block of the natural flow of ideas from your brain.
• Thinking can hinder you from doing fabulous art.

We must turn off our brains. Stop thinking. Stop being afraid of making bad art and just do it!!! Sounds easy huh? Not as easyily done as said but I do think that we can train our brains to unthink when we want to. Something like the process we use to change a bad habit like biting your nails. They say it takes 21 days to break a habit. Change takes time but it can be done. 

So the object is to train ourselves to not think. To turn off the fear and judgment and lift that ton of bricks off our last creative nerve. What do we have to lose? What is the worst thing that could happen? I truly believe that if we just keep moving forward and continue practicing not thinking we can create some really amazing art. Try it for the next 21 days.

Spring Collage Class at AAH

It's not too late to register!!!

  

Collage

at The Art Association of Harrisburg

21 North Front Street

Harrisburg, PA 17101

717-236-1432

  Link to AAH

(Ages 15 through Adult, AAH Lower Level, 8 weeks)

Geared for all levels of experience,

the course will cover collage basics

and how to combine elements

and principles of design

that will help make collages work.

Students will learn

hand-tinted artistic paper techniques,

as well as alternative

off-the-beaten-path techniques that

can make collages artistically unique.

Each class will begin with a demonstration

and end with critique,

including guidance from the instructor.

This class is packed with information not only for the collage artist

but also overlaps to

mixed media artists as well.

REQUEST A SUPPLY LIST WHEN

REGISTERING.

The instructor will cover sub-straights

and additional collage papers

and materials at a supply fee of $12

(PAYABLE AT THE FIRST CLASS)

Instructor: Elaine Brady-Smith

$90.00

Apr. 13 – June 8, 2010

Tuesdays, 6:30–9pm

FREE Artist Trading Card Series

I'd like to offer a FREE Artist Trading Card to anyone who would like to sign up for my EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION Feed. The first card in the series is "Bunny Love". Sign up in the upper left hand corner of this blog and then email me at paintedcottage@comcast.net and send me your mailing address.

"Bunny Love"

Original is 20" x 20" Mixed Media Collage on canvas

Doshi at Whitaker

I just found out that one of my pieces has been juried into a show through the DOSHI Gallery at Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg, PA. The show theme is "Emotions" and I entered a piece called "KABOOM" The show opens at the Whitaker Center on April 2 thru June 11, 2010.

"KABOOM" 24" x 24" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas

KABOOM was truly a breakout piece for me. My work has been fairly neutral in color up to this point and while working on this piece color began to emerge. Orange of all colors! This was one of those struggling pieces that took weeks to complete and went through multiple layers of change until I felt it was saying something worthwhile.

What I discovered later when it was finished is that this piece represented a new shift in my creativity. All the stress and struggle in my head over this piece and the lack of substantial color in all my previous pieces seemed to explode on this canvas. And the explosion has rocked me from the core. The work that followed this piece were full of color and I felt freer than I had in months.

Color can really affect out thinking. I experienced that with the creation of this piece. I am looking forward to seeing more "Emotion" from other artists participating in this exhibit. The links for Whitaker Center and The Susquehanna Art Museum are listed below.

Leave a comment if you have had a similar experience with a "breakout" piece of artwork or a "revelation" of change in your own creativity. I am really curious about other artists experiences with this.

http://www.whitakercenter.org/

http://www.squart.org

Kathleen and Taylor

I really just have to share this! My daughter Kathleen and her good friend Taylor have been working so hard lately, practicing, learning new songs, they spend hours at the piano in our living room working on their collection of songs. They have performed at Union Street Blues several times and at an American Cancer Fund Raiser Coffee House several weeks ago. Their friend Lindsey is in the background turning pages...a very important job!

 

 

 

You can see more Union Street Blues videos at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqvGkl5AK3Y