It is Almost Time for CREATE Mixed Media Retreat

I am thrilled to be one of 30 instructors at the CREATE Mixed Media Retreat in Irvine, California, May 30th - June 3rd, 2012! This weekend, 23 of the instructors are participating in a blog hop. Their blog addresses are at the bottom of this post and I encourage you to visit their websites to see what they will be teaching at CREATE.

I am excited to embark on this California adventure, in the company of my amazing friend, Dea Fischer, who will be teaching two book art courses and also co-teaching photo transfer processes with me. If you love mixed media and are in the area, or if you would like to take a little vacation in Orange County, check out the 60 courses offered at this amazing retreat. There are courses in book making and art journaling, print making and surface design, mixed media stitch, collage and assemblage, mixed media jewellery... wow! The available workshops can be seen here. I will be teaching Fuji transfers, Fuji emulsion lifts, and Creating the Vision; Printing and Transferring Your Images. If you would like to know more please see examples and course descriptions below.

Fuji Emulsion Lifts
Ha Ling By Tiffany Teske 

Fuji Emulsion Lifts (3-Hour)

Date: Saturday, June 2 Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske

Price: $85.00

Materials Fee: $20.00

Looking for a new way to add your images to your art? Let Tiffany teach you how to make Fuji Emulsion Lifts using Daylabs & Polaroid cameras. Whether you are a skilled photographer or a novice you will learn how to turn your images into one-of-a-kind emulsion lifts that can be displayed on their own or used to enhance your mixed-media pieces. If you have experience with Polaroid emulsion lifts, this class shows you a similar way to work with a more readily available film. Participants will leave with up to 20 Fuji images, on watercolor paper, glass, and metal, to use in other workshops.

Students Should Bring: 90 or 140 lb hot press (smooth) watercolor paper in 4x5” pieces (up to 20), 4x6” prints of photographs to work with and/or 35mm slides, Acrylic gel medium (matte or gloss), a 1" brush for applying medium, any porous or non porous surfaces you would like to put an emulsion lift on (examples: shell, metal, mirror, glass, wood, fabric

 

Fuji transfer

By Tiffany Teske

Fuji Image Transfers (3-Hour)

Date: Sunday, June 3 Time: 9:00am-12noon

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske

Price: $85.00

Materials Fee: $10.00

Do you use your own images in your art? Join Tiffany for an introduction to Fuji image transfers using Daylabs and Polaroid cameras. Whether you are a skilled photographer or a novice you will learn how to turn your images into one-of-a-kind transfers that can be displayed on their own or used to enhance your mixed media pieces. If you have experience with Polaroid transfers this class shows you a new (and different) way to work with a more readily available film. Participants will leave with up to 10 finished transfers on watercolor paper which can be used in other workshops.

Students Should Bring: 10 pieces of 90 or 140 lb hot press (smooth) watercolor paper cut into 4x5” pieces, 4x6” prints of personal photographs to work with and/or 35mm slides

Gel medium skin on glass 

Maine by Tiffany Teske

Creating the Vision: Printing and Transferring Your Images (6-Hour)

Date: Friday, June 1 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske & Dea Fischer

Price: $149.00

Materials Fee: $25.00

You've mastered the photography and you've created images you love. Deepen your layers of creative engagement by learning to incorporate images of your own creation into your mixed-media artwork. Join Tiffany Teske and Dea Fischer to explore fascinating image printing and transfer techniques that can be tricky to master effectively. You will create cyanotype or "sun" prints from negatives, and practice making gel medium skins and transfers, blender pen transfers, encaustic and heat transfers. You will produce several pieces during this workshop that you can take away to use in your work

Students Should Bring: Negatives (large format if you have them or know how to make them, but we will teach you); photocopies (not prints) of non-copyrighted or self-created material; soft gel acrylic medium; 1" soft-bristle paint brush, blender pen (a solvent-based art marker like Copic with no pigment, available from your art supplier); an old spoon.

If you would like to sign up for any of these courses, or would like to know more about CREATE, please go to the CREATE website.

The Create Mixed Media Retreat’s Meet the Instructors Blog Celebration Weekend:

• Dawn DeVries Sokol: dawndsokol.c
• Helen Shafer Garcia: agavelatte.blogspot.com
• Jacqueline Newbold: djnewbold.blogspot.com
• Jane LaFazio: janeville.blogspot.com
• Jeannie P. Moore: Jeanniemooresblog.blogspot.com
• Jen Cushman: jencushman.wordpress.com
• Joanne Sharpe: joannezsharpe.blogspot.com
• Jodi Ohl: sweetrepeats.blogspot.com
• Leighanna Light: Thingmakerstudio.blogspot.com
• Lisa Engelbrecht: lisaletters.blogspot.ca
• Orly Avineri: oneartistjournal.wordpress.com
• Pam Carriker: pamcarriker.com
• Robin Dudley-Howes: robindudleyhowes.blogspot.com
• Sandra Duran Wilson: sandraduranwilson.blogspot.com
• Sherrie Drummond: sherriejd.com
• Sue Pelletier: suepelletierlaughpaint.com
• Tiffany Teske: tiffanyteske.com
• Kari McKnight-Holbrook: backporchartessa.blogspot.com
• Laura Mika: mikaarts.com
• Thomas G. Ashman: blacksheepartist.com/blog
• Bianca Mandity: Biancandm.blogspot.com
• Clarissa Callesen  clarissacallesen.blogspot.com
• Kristen Robinson: KristenRobinson.net

And Cloth Paper Scissors Editor Jenn Mason!

I Will Be Teaching Fuji Transfer, Fuji Emulsion Lift, & Other Photo Transfer Techniques at CREATE Mixed Media Retreat in California

I am very excited to be one of 30 instructors at the CREATE Mixed Media Retreat in Irvine, California, May 30th - June 3rd, 2012! It has been five years, to the day, since I travelled to teach. Back then, I brought my 1.5 year old daughter to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, to teach digital travel photography. Now, I have a 5.5 year old and a 2.5 year old, and I am ready to embark on a new adventure, solo this time, in the company of my amazing friend, Dea Fischer. If you love mixed media and are in the area, or if you would like to take a little vacation in Orange County, check out the 60 courses offered at this amazing retreat. There are courses in book making and art journaling, print making and surface design, mixed media stitch, collage and assemblage, mixed media jewlery... wow! The workshops are listed by order of day and can be seen here. I will be teaching Fuji transfers, Fuji emulsion lifts, and Creating the Vision; Printing and Transferring Your Images (with my wonderful friend, Dea!) If you would like to know more please see examples and course descriptions below.

Fuji Emulsion Lifts
Ha Ling By Tiffany Teske 

Fuji Emulsion Lifts (3-Hour)

Date: Saturday, June 2 Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske

Price: $85.00

Materials Fee: $20.00

Looking for a new way to add your images to your art? Let Tiffany teach you how to make Fuji Emulsion Lifts using Daylabs & Polaroid cameras. Whether you are a skilled photographer or a novice you will learn how to turn your images into one-of-a-kind emulsion lifts that can be displayed on their own or used to enhance your mixed-media pieces. If you have experience with Polaroid emulsion lifts, this class shows you a similar way to work with a more readily available film. Participants will leave with up to 20 Fuji images, on watercolor paper, glass, and metal, to use in other workshops.

Students Should Bring: 90 or 140 lb hot press (smooth) watercolor paper in 4x5” pieces (up to 20), 4x6” prints of photographs to work with and/or 35mm slides, Acrylic gel medium (matte or gloss), a 1" brush for applying medium, any porous or non porous surfaces you would like to put an emulsion lift on (examples: shell, metal, mirror, glass, wood, fabric

 

Fuji transfer

By Tiffany Teske

Fuji Image Transfers (3-Hour)

Date: Sunday, June 3 Time: 9:00am-12noon

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske

Price: $85.00

Materials Fee: $10.00

Do you use your own images in your art? Join Tiffany for an introduction to Fuji image transfers using Daylabs and Polaroid cameras. Whether you are a skilled photographer or a novice you will learn how to turn your images into one-of-a-kind transfers that can be displayed on their own or used to enhance your mixed media pieces. If you have experience with Polaroid transfers this class shows you a new (and different) way to work with a more readily available film. Participants will leave with up to 10 finished transfers on watercolor paper which can be used in other workshops.

Students Should Bring: 10 pieces of 90 or 140 lb hot press (smooth) watercolor paper cut into 4x5” pieces, 4x6” prints of personal photographs to work with and/or 35mm slides

Gel medium transfer on glass 

Maine by Tiffany Teske

Creating the Vision: Printing and Transferring Your Images (6-Hour)

Date: Friday, June 1 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske & Dea Fischer

Price: $149.00

Materials Fee: $25.00

You've mastered the photography and you've created images you love. Deepen your layers of creative engagement by learning to incorporate images of your own creation into your mixed-media artwork. Join Tiffany Teske and Dea Fischer to explore fascinating image printing and transfer techniques that can be tricky to master effectively. You will create cyanotype or "sun" prints from negatives, and practice making gel medium skins and transfers, blender pen transfers, encaustic and heat transfers. You will produce several pieces during this workshop that you can take away to use in your work

Students Should Bring: Negatives (large format if you have them or know how to make them, but we will teach you); photocopies (not prints) of non-copyrighted or self-created material; soft gel acrylic medium; 1" soft-bristle paint brush, blender pen (a solvent-based art marker like Copic with no pigment, available from your art supplier); an old spoon.

If you would like to sign up for any of these courses, or would like to know more about CREATE, please go to the CREATE website by click this link. If you can't make it to California, but will be in Banff, Alberta, or near here, please contact me for a private workshop. Cheers!

Encaustic Workshop with Debra Van Tuinen at Elevation Gallery

Late last week, I took part in a two day encaustic workshop, hosted by Elevation Gallery in Canmore. I was invited to attend earlier in the week, and after seeing the work of Portland, Oregon based artist, Debra Van Tuinen, I was keen to participate. The workshop was on a Friday & Saturday, and with my husband's schedule in full swing for the upcoming ski season, I had to wrangle last minute child care before I could say yes. All the pieces fell into place thanks to some good friends.

I was thrilled to and grateful to spend two days learning, creating, and meeting other artists. I first learned about encaustic when taking a materials class taught by my friend Mahshid Farhoudi, at the Ottawa School of Art. We learned to make oil paint, acrylic paint, egg tempura, encaustic, and how to stretch and prime canvases with handmade gesso. I loved the course, and pretty much decided that the only one of the above that I would make again would be encaustics. We were not given a lot of time to actually use the materials in that course, so my pucks of encaustic medium remained in my studio. Just before Quin was born, I tried a bit of beeswax collage. I did many things wrong, such as using canvas, and not fusing between layers of wax, so the piece now needs some repair (which I am happy to say I can do, as soon as I have a minute...). After that, I collected some beeswax from my friend's beekeeper stepfather, but didn't work with wax again until about three months ago. I decided it was time. I heated up the crockpot, melted some wax, and started making encaustic collage. Just as I have felt with many things in my art career, I knew that once I had the time to play with this medium, that I would fall hard and fast in love.

And then, as often is the case, the opportunity to attend this workshop, fell into my lap. I knew I needed to make my best effort to attend. I am so glad that I did. Debra is a generous teacher, and she answered my questions, while teaching me what she has learned first hand at R&F Paints, and from her years of working with encaustic. I also met Teresa Posyniak, from Calgary, and Pascale Ouellet/Bigoudi, from Canmore. I have read a lot about Pascale's work and have been wanting to meet her. There were nine participants in the class, all working artists, something Debra really enjoyed. She was happy to be able to demo the techniques and then watch as we all got down to business.

On the first day, Debra taught us about different ways to work with the medium and encouraged us to play. I spent a bit of time with texture, building up and layering the wax, and lightly fusing. When I use wax in collage, I work a long time to make the surface flat. During the second part of the day, I did fuse my layers so they would melt. In the end, I made three backgrounds and one finished 6x6" painting. Most of the day was spent creating abstraction. I appreciate abstraction, but since I normally work with images and text, I was missing those elements. I do think it was valuable for me to just play, and not to think about finishing a piece.

Background #1

Background #2

Background #3

Rivers & Roads (By Tiffany Teske)

Encaustic on board

6x6"

On the second day, Debra taught us how to make monotypes. I dabbled in it a bit, but would really like more time to explore this technique, using different types of paper, and of course, mixing media. All I need it a flat griddle, a piece of aluminum, and encaustic medium. We also learned how to make our own crayons using pigments, which is what I learned way back when from Mahshid. The final demo was on encaustic collage. From what I could tell, that is something I have experience in that most of the other students did not.

Debra showing us how to make a monotype...

The pressure was on us all on the second day. Elevation was planning an encaustic exhibition, Hot Flash, for the next day. Most of the art was chosen and ready to go, but to give the workshop participants an opportunity to show their work, Cheryl Baxter, the owner of Elevation, held a critique during which some of our pieces were chosen for the exhibition. I wanted to make something unlike I had ever made, but at the same time, I wanted to have something suitable for the show. I will admit that at one point, with only three hours to go, I panicked and ran to my bag of collage materials. I began to plan out a fairly easy piece that I knew I would finish in time. However, I shook myself, and returned to my work space, determined to create a piece using gold leaf, which was my original plan. The piece has no text and no images. It came together not only in time, but in a more pleasing way that I had hoped. It was only later, when titling the piece that I realized how personal it is. I learned a lot while making it, which after all, is the point of the whole class. I really enjoyed this workshop and I am so happy that I was able to be a part of it. I hope to one day visit Debra in Portland.

Teresa Posyniak's pieces

Pascale Ouelett fuses a piece...

Forever Thine (By Tiffany Teske)

Encaustic on board with gold leaf

12x12"

This piece reminds me of my grandparents who were married for 66 years. 

Debra & I at the opening of Hot Flash

Hot Flash runs from October 16th - 23rd, 2011, at Elevation Gallery, #100 729 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta.