Making This Paris Lantern Glow

I’ve really been enjoying working with the members of the Artists’ Workshop group this year.

One of the best parts of our weekly sessions is learning more about how other artists approach their work.

I have long been intrigued by the way that colleague, Val Miles, incorporates foil work into her bird images.  You can see more of Val’s work by checking out ‘Val Miles Mixed Media’ on Facebook.

Val graciously offered to show me how she handles this process, and led me through the steps involved in adding foil to one of my watercolor lanterns.

Val uses a multi step process that involves: sketching your image, deciding where you would like to add foil, adding a background color in those areas, applying an adhesive, and then burnishing the foil into place.

Once the foil is adhered, you complete the rest of the painting in the normal way. In my case, this involved ink and watercolor.

Here are a few pics that show how the process unfolded on this Paris Lantern. You can have a first hand, up close and personal look at the end result at our Artists Workshop Spring Show & Sale, where this beauty will be putting in an appearance.

The show and sale takes place at Grace Westminster Church, 505-10thStreet East in Saskatoon. Friday, April 13 (7 – 9 pm). Saturday, April 14 (10 am – 5pm). Sunday, April 15 (Noon to 4 pm).

Thanks, again, Val for your patience and for sharing your how-to know-how with me!

  

Artists’ Chats – A New Feature At Our Spring Show & Sale

Have you ever wondered how someone got his or her start as an artist? Or why an artist works with certain images? Or how someone creates those special effects in their work? Well, here’s your chance to learn the answers to some of your questions.

Our 2019 Artists’ Workshop Spring Show & Sale is just a couple of weeks away. Our theme this year is ‘Bridging – Do You See What I See?’

As a way of sharing more about how we experience the world of art, our group will be featuring a series of ten minute Artists’ Chats throughout day two and three of the show.

Join us to learn more about your favorite artists and their backgrounds, motivation, influences, and processes.

See the schedule below for the interview times for your favorite artists.

Saturday, April 13

  • 10:30 –Val Miles
  • 11:30 – Monika Kinner-Whalen
  • 12:30 –Patricia Katz
  • 1:30 – Sharron Schoenfeld
  • 2:30 – Kathleen Slavin
  • 3:00 – Paige Mortensen
  • 3:30 – Kathryn Green
  • 4:30 – Lorraine McGrath

Sunday, April 14

  • 12:30 – Molly Clark
  • 1:30 – Cindy Wright
  • 2:30 – Jean Dudley

Where & When: The show and sale takes place at Grace Westminster Church, 505-10thStreet East in Saskatoon. Friday, April 12 (7 – 9 pm). Saturday, April 13 (10 am – 5pm). Sunday, April 14 (Noon to 4 pm).

Artists’ Workshop 2019 Spring Show & Sale

Spring has arrived and that means the 2019 edition of our Artists’ Workshop Spring Show and Sale is just around the corner (April 12 to 14).

This year our theme is “Bridging, Do You See What I See?” You’ll discover works of art created in oil, acrylic, watercolour, textiles, graphite, mixed media and watercolour batik. I can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been up to.

 This collaborative art show & sale features new work from our group of artists: Kathleen Slavin, Kathryn Green, Lorraine McGrath, Val Miles, Jean Dudley, Molly Clark, Cindy Wright, Monika Kinner-Whalen, Sharron Schoenfeld, Marilyn Weiss, Gail Prpick, Paige Mortensen and Patricia Katz.

Come and join us on one – or more – of these dates and times at Grace Westminster Church, 505 10thStreet East, Saskatoon, Sk.

  • Fri. April 12      7pm – 9pm
  • Sat. April 13   10am – 5pm
  • Sun. April 14  12pm – 4pm

Special Note:  This year’s event will feature a series of Artists’ Chats on Saturday and Sunday. Watch for my next post with full details.

In the lead up to the show, I’ll be posting more about the paintings I’ve been working on. In the meantime, here’s a compilation of images – one from each member of our group.

 

Countdown To Open Studio – One More Sleep

I’ll be bringing a handful of 8 x 10’s to tomorrow’s Artists’ Workshop Open Studio Show And Sale. A sampling of them appear in this post.

 

But don’t let the 8 x 10 confuse you. Our doors will actually be open from 11 to 9! You’ll find us at Grace Westminster at 505 – 10thStreet East, here in Saskatoon.

 

With all of the prepping and packing behind us, I’m excited to actually put up the show in the morning.

 

It will be fun to share what we’ve been up to with visitors and lovers of art. I know that my colleagues in the Artists’ Workshop are excited, too.

 

All of us are visual artists – who work in many different styles and mediums.

 

If you’d like to learn more about the group, this link will take you to a listing of Group Members.

 

The membership roster includes links to individual artist websites where you can preview the range of styles and approach.

 

Many of us will be working on pieces during the Open Studio and available to share background info on our techniques and approach to art. Hope to see you tomorrow. Just one more sleep!

 

Countdown To Open Studio – Two Days Out

Well, it’s two days until our Artists’ Workshop Open House, and I’ve worked up quite a sweat running up and down the stairs between the studio and the workshop as I gather together all the bits and pieces and pack up for the show. I’ll spare you a photo of my current state – cause it ain’t pretty!

I can tell you this, though. Creating the works of art was a pleasure. Seeing them come to life when matted and framed was exciting – except for the part where I gouged a chunk out of my index finger on a piece of metal frame. Ah well, occupational hazard! What I have found is that much of the rest of the work to get ready for a show is just plain slogging.

What’s involved? Well, it looks something like this:

Researching options for displaying the work. Figuring out which direction you’ll try this time out.

Rounding up the materials and supplies to make it work – from grids and hooks to table covers and other elements that will make the space look good.

 

Choosing and finding lighting that will help you show the work off to best advantage.

Designing and ordering new business cards, so that visitors and collectors can keep in touch.

 

Ciphering and calculating costs and returns to set prices that make sense for both the artist and the buyers.

Creating a master price list for recording sales – and information tags to mount with each image.

Promoting and getting the word out about the event to those who might be interested – without overwhelming them or you. Coordinating and collaborating with colleagues on show set up, arrangements, marketing, and a thousand and one little details.

Protecting and packing up the work for transit so no frames or pieces get scuffed or scratched.

Well, that would be the short list. I do believe, though, that I’m almost ready.

Here’s what a show looks like when it’s all packed up and waiting to be loaded for transit.

And once I get a bit of a rest, I’ll be eager to visit with those of you who are able to take in the show. Seeing your smiling faces will make it all worthwhile.

In case you need a reminder, the details are:  Artists Workshop Open Studio Show and Sale next Monday, November 26 between 11 am and 9 pm in the auditorium of Grace Westminster Church at  505 – 10thStreet East here in Saskatoon.

PS – In case you’re counting and are wondering what happened to the Countdown – Three Days Out, it didn’t get posted. I made a short video of the small works that I have in the show, but had trouble uploading it to include in a post. I may yet get there, but at the moment, I’m a bit too pooped to tinker with it again.

Countdown To Open Studio – Four Days Out

In addition to the panorama format I described in yesterday’s message, I’ve also been experimenting this fall with creating images in a square format.

This was inspired when I began taking square photos to populate my Instagram account. That’s the only format Instagram accepts.

Once I started cultivating a ‘square’ point of view, I found it to be an interesting way to look at the world.

I will have eight images at the Open Studio Show and Sale that have been created and framed in the square format. I think you’ll find them interesting. I know I do. You can preview a few of them in the photo below.

Again, the doors will be wide open and welcoming at our Artists’ Workshop Open Studio event between 11 am and 9 pm next Monday, November 26 in the auditorium of Grace Westminster Church at  505 – 10th Street East here in Saskatoon. Hope to see you there!

Countdown To Open Studio – Five Days Out

I’ve been experimenting this fall with the panorama format – long and narrow. It really lends itself to landscapes and in this instance, waterscapes.

The first of these panorama images – Autumn Along The River – was created on location along the South Saskatchewan River here in Saskatoon on a warm autumn afternoon.

The colors were strong; and the winds and rain had not yet dashed the leaves to the ground.

I used a black pen with a calligraphic tip to add line and form to the trees and shrubs.

The second of these panorama images – Emma Lake Sunset Bay – was inspired by a photo shared with me by my cousin, Wendy.

She and her family own a cottage on Emma Lake, and are lucky that they are able to enjoy scenes like this all summer long.

I enjoyed laying on the color in the foliage and the reflections on the water.

And I had a lot of fun using a stick pen and sepia ink to accent the reeds poking through the surface of the water.

You can see both of these panoramas and many more of my works at the upcoming Artists’ Workshop Open Studio event between 11 am and 9 pm next Monday, November 26 in the auditorium of Grace Westminster Church at  505 – 10thStreet East here in Saskatoon.

Join us for art and conversations about art with all 13 of our member artists. Hope to see you there!

Countdown To Open Studio – Six Days Out

As I mentioned in yesterday’s Blog Post, our Artists’ Workshop group will be holding an Open Studio Show and Sale next Monday, November 26 in the auditorium of Grace Westminster Church at  505 – 10thStreet East here in Saskatoon.

You’ll be able to enjoy art and conversations about art with all 13 of us that day.

As this week unfolds, I promised to tempt you with a few pieces of art in the lead up to the show.

Here are two of my images with a floral theme – each of them 12 x 16 inches in size.

The first image, Meewasin Leaves, is an autumn bouquet that was inspired by the colorful leaves and branches that I gathered on a September walk along the Meewasin Trail.

It is one of the first images where I experimented with this technique for creating a mottled ground.

 

The second image, Au Nom De La Rose, was inspired by a flower shop of this name in the Latin Quarter in Paris.

The displays outside this shop are always interesting – with their unique stands, brilliant colors, and petals that drift across the sidewalk in the breeze.

Watch for more blog posts with samples of pieces from the show. And let me know if something ‘twigs’ your interest.

Artists’ Workshop Open Studio Show & Sale

Next Monday, November 26/18, our group will be hosting an Open Studio in the auditorium of Grace Westminster Church at  505 – 10thStreet East here in Saskatoon. This is where we hold our weekly sessions. and we’re throwing the doors open that day from 11 am to 9 pm.

Since September, I’ve been spending Mondays painting with these lively members of the Artists’ Workshop group. They’re each fine artists in their own right – and exceedingly generous with their time and their expertise.

I’ve enjoyed experimenting with different techniques in ink and watercolor, and feel myself growing as an artist as I watch and learn from what others are doing.

And now, it’s time to share with all of you the kinds of things we’ve been working on and playing with.

You will discover displays of work from each of us. You’ll also find members of our group available for informal show and tell conversations so that you can learn more about how we work with our ideas and materials to create the images you’ll find in the show.

I hope you’ll be able to drop on by sometime during the day or evening to share in our world of art – and perhaps pick up some fine art to spice up your world or gift to someone else.

One of our artists, Paige Mortenson, has created a compilation of images which features one piece of art from each of our members. (See below)

In this week’s count down to the Open Studio event, each day I’ll be posting here in my Pauseworks Studio blog a couple of sample images from my collection – items that you can expect to see in the show. I hope they entice you to drop on by.

Thrilled To Join the Artists’ Workshop

After so many years of working and painting solo, I decided to take a leap and try something different. Earlier this fall I joined the Artists’ Workshop group, and I’ll be working and showing with them for the 2018-19 fall and winter season.

The other twelve members of the group have made me feel very welcome. It’s been a treat to spend my Mondays painting at what I refer to as ‘Studio 2’.

The group itself has been in existence for 27 years – although various members have come and gone over the years. Each Monday finds the artists hard at work in the hall at Saskatoon’s Grace Westminster Church. Members develop and bring their own projects to work on. However, there is rich informal exchange of ideas and information about techniques, resources, and marketing during each of the weekly sessions.

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Copyright © 2016 - Pauseworks Studio - Patricia Katz, Optimus Consulting
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