Instructor Spotlight: Melissa Cable

Jewelry artist Melissa Cable has been creating for over 10 years. She has taught at bead stores and shows around the country, such as the Bead and Button Show, Bead Expo and the Puget Sound Bead Festival. Her work has been published in magazines including BeadStyle, Stringing, Bead and Button’s Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads and in the book A Beaders Stash.

Her current body of work uses Roberts Real Faux Bone(TM), an innovative artist material with infinite possibilities. But most of all she has a passion for creating and teaching projects that allow her students to learn important skills while walking away with a fun, finished project.

Check out what Melissa will be teaching this year at the Portland Art & Soul event…

Daffodil Ring – an evening class where you can discover how to incorporate Faux Bone into your jewelry making techniques. It’s an innovative material that will bring a new level of creativity and flexibility to your pieces. You will leave with one finished ring and have materials for another to make at home.

Rippled Bangle -in this full day class, you’ll learn to texture, color and manipulate Faux Bone strips on a custom jig and use metal and Faux Bone sheet to create a bangle bracelet. You’ll also get to use epoxy clay and pigment powders to embellish the flower focal piece. Leave with a finished bracelet as well as a quality jig to use for future projects.

Tangled Vine – another all-day class where you will discover how to texture, color and manipulate fine strands of Faux Bone on a custom jig to create a stunning cuff that you can customize in many ways. You’ll leave with a uniquely stunning bracelet as well as a quality wooden jig to use for future projects.

And for those of you thinking of attending the Vegas Art & Soul Retreat next year, you’ll definitely want to check out Melissa’s workshops that were just listed yesterday!! She’ll be teaching jewelry-making classes that allow you to make jewelry using Faux Bone, metalworking, wirewrapping, and more. Be sure and check out her Basket Bezel Flower Cuff, this whimsical Dogwood Charm Necklace, a very unique Engraved Tapestry Cuff, and her innovative Faux Bone Geode.

Isn’t her jewelry just fabulous? We think so! For more information on Art & Soul Retreats, workshops and instructors… visit our website.

Vegas workshops will be up next week!

Do you feel lucky? Well, we certainly do… being the hosts of another Las Vegas-based Art & Soul Retreat! We’re diligently working behind-the-scenes to get all the amazing workshops, teachers and project photos up onto the website for your perusal.

You can look forward to fabulous classes from your favorite teachers like… Sally Jean Alexander, Lisa Kaus, Sherry Haab and Robert Dancik… as well as some of the newest, cutting edge mixed-media artists on the planet (yes, they’re coming from all over the world)! So mark your calendars… fill your printers with ink and plenty of paper… get that Do Not Disturb sign ready… and get excited!

Classes and instructors for the Vegas, June 14-18, 2012 Event will be listed on the Art & Soul website next Wednesday, August 10th. Happy browsing!

P.S. There’ll be plenty of time to look through all the Vegas workshops before registration begins later this year. So no worries!

Instructor Spotlight: Serena Barton!

Visual art was Serena Barton’s first love as a child. Eventually this gave way to theater, then to her work as a counselor and raising children. Serena rediscovered her desire to make art after her first trip to Italy. She taught herself to paint and create mixed media work in her forties, earning her right to insist that it is never too late to delve into what inspires you!

Serena’s business, The Art of Your Life, offers creativity and art workshops, groups and individual art coaching. Serena also teaches classes on women and creativity at Portland State University as she continues her own visual art career. She exhibits and sells her work through several galleries and shops, as well as online and teaches at national art retreats.

Serena’s work has been licensed for fine art prints, hardback journal covers, and dinnerware. Her work has appeared in the art books Renascence, The Diptych Project and Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Book for Cooks. Serena has published A Joyful Frenzy, a book of her artwork with text on the stories and processes behind the work. Serena’s magazine articles have appeared in issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine and Studios magazine. Serena’s great joy is to provide an atmosphere where you can discover or rekindle your own creative abilities

Check out these fabulous workshops Serena will be teaching at the Portland 2011 Art & Soul Retreat…

Who’s Your Mummy – Create your very own “mummy” portrait — like those from ancient Roman Egypt — using beeswax and resin. You’ll learn to build up layers of encaustic paint and how to scrape off paint to evoke an aged portrait.

The Egg And I – Learn how to make the simple and inexpensive paint that Botticelli used for “The Birth of Venus.” Using pigment, water, and egg yolk, you’ll create rich and luminous colors. The process is fun and easy. You’ll use the paint to create luminous portraits, still lifes, or abstracts. You’ll learn how to prepare your support, layer colors, develop lights and shadows, and how to scrape and incise paint for special effects.

Wabi Sabi Wax – Discover the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection as Serena shows you how to let delightful accidents lead you to creating with a playful spirit. You’ll discover the magic of beeswax in creating layered and fascinating paintings. You’ll experiment with using oil paint, papers, and ephemera with beeswax to create rich, complex textures.

And Serena will be teaching those same classes at the Virginia Art & Soul venue in 2012! Check out those listings here.

For more information on Art & Soul Portland or any of our Mixed Media Art Retreats… visit our website!

Introducing our 2011 Portland On-Site Store: Stamp A Dee Do Da!

Wowie, wow, wow! Take a look at all these wonderful art and craft supplies! Papers and stamping and accessories, oh my. So while you’re drooling — we’d like to take a moment to give a big shout out to Stamp A Dee Do Da — our on-site store for Portland 2011 Art & Soul.

 

For the last 24 years, Patti Haltom has owned and operated a rubber stamp and paper arts store in Milwaukie Oregon. Last year she participated by having a table at Vendor Night and this year she is very excited about setting up the on-site store for Art and Soul.

 

Stamp A Dee Do Da will be bringing a wide variety of “old and new” items to the store. You can also place orders with Patti ahead of time for any items needed for classes or special requests at orders@stampadeedoda.com.

 

Patti says she’s really looking forward to seeing you all…

 

…and I bet you’re saying the same thing!

Exciting new promotion for Portland!

If you register for 4 or more full day classes at our Portland 2011 Art & Soul Retreat you’ll receive a 7 Gypsies Binderie!

The Binderie is great for punching holes in book board, leather, and other things you can’t use a regular punch for! It’s even battery operated to make it easy on your hands and to power through multiple layers of cardstock. Comes with free starter kit including 6 cardstock pages and 2 bookboard covers.

So, if you haven’t already — check out our Portland Art & Soul Retreat — and pick out your class workshops! Hurry! This offer is only available through August 31st or until supplies run out!