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| Our cabin in the woods |
I was fortunate to be invited to teach a workshop at
Menucha Retreat. The
Watercolor Society of Oregon arranges for two art workshops at Menucha each year. The venue is really beautiful; and with the meals prepared for us and comfortable sleeping arrangements, all I had to do was teach and think about art! What a great way to spend four days!
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| The workshop space--The Greenhouse |
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| The view of the Columbia Gorge |
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One of many water features
on the grounds. |
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| Trying our a new stamp |
The ten participants were so willing to try new things and add what they learned to their own unique art making. I was inspired by their enthusiasm and creativity. The workshop title was
The Bridge Between Abstract and Realism, so everyone attending came with the hope to learn more about combining these two aspects to their own art. We made stamps, stained papers, created art material from newspapers; all new materials were then used in paintings. For some people, painting on a full sheet of watercolor paper (22 in. by 30 in.) was a new challenge, but I encourage painting big!
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| A demonstration by yours truly |
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| Carving a stamp |
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| Working on a full sheet |
On day three, I asked everyone to share and talk about their art making. You can see the many directions each artist took with their new tools. Most of these paintings are in process.
One last photo: every night we had a slightly different, but equally beautiful sunset to watch as we ate dinner.
