Virginia Art and Soul Workshops

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Juliana Coles 9-4:30 Sunday	831 - The Pirate's Code: Extreme Journalism with Juliana Coles	[back to quicklinks] $ 130
Fellow Pirates and renegades, there’s treasure in these here uncharted Atlantic waters.  So if you are ready to experience a meaningful encounter with the self, then come with me--you know who you are.  Hoist the Pirate colors, and batten down the hatches mates, ‘cause we’re going out to sea...deep into the center of our being, for treasure beyond our imagination:  that’s right--gold, jewels, and the occasional artifact of our existence.  I’ll watch out for you as we travel through various journal writing assignments combined with art-making exercises to dig deep to find ourselves and tell our unique story in the container of a mixed media book of self exploration.  In this creative and expressive excavation, we’ll journey to our rich interior and return to tell the tales of Ahoy!  We’ve Found her in all this mess, this churning sea of life, this  buried soul, this unentered darkness of scattered bones and blood:   this is where our real life wants to be resurrected and dug up.  Not perfected, controlled, or prettified for some imagined audience that ain’t us or who we want to be, but raw, honest, gut-wrenching , pure and powerful--as is--without the need for embellishment or damn critic.  Welcome, treasure seekers, this mysterious cavernous underworld is my terrain:  I work and create in these dark waters and treacherous reefs so frightening and yet so hauntingly beautiful.   And as the Captain, I know where the hidden map is, where X marks the spot.  Deep within. Isn’t time to uncover your true being? Come aboard, I know you‘re ready for this journey Each student will be required to bring a “Mystery Bag.”  A plastic grocery bag or smaller will do.  Some suggestions are collage items, an old paintbrush that is all glued together, that orange paint you hate, stickers from when you were 14,  artist tools and supplies you no longer use or never liked, torn up pieces of your artwork that didn’t work out (no recognizable artwork, please) books to cut up, magazines, sticks, markers, 2 inch chewed up pencils, you get the picture-sort of a grab bag.  We will be using these mystery bags as part of a mixed media warm-up assignment.  What, and how much to bring, is up to you.  Don’t worry about trying to include nice things- we’re looking more for garbage items.  We all ready have our own nice supplies-we want your cast offs to really make us think! Supply List:  --A blank book, altered book, handmade book, or any other kind of book for your Pirate’s Code Visual Journal.  It can be any size or thickness or one you are currently working on.   --Mixed Media Tool Kit:  You will need your favorite supplies or your mixed media tool kit.  You will definitely need the following:  your favorite glue - I love big UHU gluesticks, scissors, some brushes for your paints, a rag or two, and a jar for water.  All Visual Journalists should have a set of rubber stamp letters.  And I highly recommend Staz On stamp pads because we work so quickly.   Bring at least two acrylic paints: one light color and one dark.  Bring two markers (these will probably get ruined.  A graphite pencil and a light colored pencil, and your favorite writing tool.  The rest is up to you.  Just bring your favorite supplies ( paints, rubber stamps, inks, crayons- whatever) in some of your favorite colors- or bring some new supplies you’ve been meaning to try and we’ll work with them.  --Collage Kit:  Bring some of your favorite Pirate, treasure, sirens, & sea worthy ephemera and images.  Bring copies of things that are precious.   Bring at least one book with text or poetry to cut up, and one magazine.   Please email Juliana Coles with any questions or concerns: meandpete@msn.com

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