About the Course
Are you lacking confidence or overly self critical about your art? Looking to find your unique voice or just need to get out of your head and into a more intuitive place? Or maybe it’s simply time to have some fun in the forest!
Banish your harsh inner critic and learn how an awareness of core creative principles can help to guide your process. We will play with the expressive elements of line, shape, colour, texture and composition, and learn to apply principles of balance, harmony, contrast, rhythm, repetition and scale. Over time this process becomes more familiar and your choices more intuitive, allowing you to trust and immerse yourself more fully into your work. We often move into and out of both the intuitive and the analytical (the playful and the reasoned), when making art. It is during the latter stage when our inner critic becomes loudest and we can become ‘stuck’ or frustrated with our art. As you learn to recognize ‘where you are in your head’ and make choices based on what ‘is’, rather than what you ‘expect should be’, on your page, you will learn to recognize and work through these more challenging moments.
We will work on paper and wood panels using collage, stencils, printmaking, painting and drawing techniques, while the beautiful boreal forest setting offers you endless inspiration.
Outcomes - - learn how to ‘get out of your own way’ to discover what you love about making art.
- become familiar with Principles, Elements and Processes of art making without becoming over analytical . and recognize different stages in your process, including when your work is finished, or at least when to stop! - develop more effective and enjoyable creative habits while producing an exciting body of work.
- Learn about colour mixing and combining shapes into multiple configurations to explore endless compositional possibilities.
-Explore a variety of tools, materials and techniques as you share your creative journey with others in a nurturing and supportive environment.
-find inspiration in the beautiful and peaceful boreal forest setting.
Your Instructor:
Miranda Jones
Miranda has been making art all her life, however, a move to Canada from Australia enabled her to transition into more consistent creative employment and learning opportunities. She completed her MFA at the University of Saskatchewan in 1989 and has been creating, exhibiting and teaching art ever since. Known for her signature use of vibrant colour and metallic leaf, Miranda’s inspiration comes primarily from nature and the outdoors. Her love of Nordic skiing, cycling and swimming offers wonderful opportunities to immerse herself in nature. Teaching has also become an important part of her creative process. Not only does she believe that creative learning is vital to our health and well being, she has found teaching can often be as rewarding and inspiring as making her own work. Miranda works out of the Studio on 20th artist collective in Saskatoon and exhibits in Saskatchewan and abroad. She is represented by Nouveau Gallery in Regina and Black Spruce Gallery in Saskatoon and north. Her work can be found in many public, corporate and private collections around the world.
Prerequisites
Suitable for all levels, (adult and teen). The ability to hold a pencil, paintbrush, scissors and matt knife (safely).
A willingness to let go of your creative expectations and trust the process to be your guide.
What You Need To Bring
Set of acrylic paints (can be a mixture of Fluid and heavy body paints. Golden or Demco
recommended, but any heavily pigmented paints will do).
Essential colours: black and white (or black and white gesso).
Smaller sizes of each of the primary colours, for example hansa or cadmium yellow, ultramarine or cyan blue, and a primary red. Other colours recommended: pthalo turquoise, raw umber, quinachridone nickel azo gold or Indian yellow, yellow ochre, teal blue, quinacridone magenta. (Or other favourite colours including a mix of translucent and opaque colours.
Stay-wet palette. (Or make your own with palette paper, thin sponge pad and sealable container)
Small 3’’or 4” brayer or paint roller
Small artists spatula or palette knife
Heavy quality mixed media drawing pad approx 10” x 10” or larger. (Recommended: Strathmore, 400 Mixed Media 10” x 10” or 11” x 14” pad.)
Brushes for acrylic in a range of sizes. (at least one large round size 6 or 8, One Flat and one filbert recommended and an inexpensive 2” house paint brush)
Acrylic Matte medium or acrylic glazing fluid and heavy body acrylic matt gel or paste
Mat knife or scissors
1” Masking tape
Your choice of a variety of graphite sticks, charcoal, pencil crayons, markers, pens, oil or water based pastel crayons (Caran D’arche neocolour are my favourites)
Lightweight decorative papers, tissue paper and/or magazines for collage
(Optional but FUN)! A gelli plate. Either purchased or home made. Google gel plate recipes online*
also highly recommended: 1 large plywood or masonite workboard to stretch your paper. (approx 2’ x 3’ - heavy cardboard works too.)
What Is Provided
1. A selection of Pre-cut Birch plywood panels
2. Deli paper for collage and a large sheet of acid free artist quality paper.
3. Sanding blocks
4. Dremil tool for incising demonstrating. Limited sharing - Must be sanitized between uses. BYO if you have one.