Upcoming Retreats

Portland, OR 2023 FALL - Oct 8-15, 2023

Portland, OR 2024 - April 14 - 21, 2024

Harrisburg, PA - May 13-19, 2024

Portland, OR 2024 FALL - August 11-18, 2024

Portland, OR 2025 - March 15-24, 2025

Portland, OR 2024 Registration is NOW OPEN

To begin registration for the Portland, OR 2024 retreat: click on the class that you're interested in and it will take you to the class description--scroll to the bottom and, if there's still space, it will say "Register for this class"--click on the link and it will put it in your shopping cart. Repeat the process until you have chosen all your classes and are ready to 'check out'. If a class is full, it will indicate that at the bottom of the description page, and it will not let you choose it.

All registration is Online ONLY!

Quicklinks

Lisa Agaran

Lisa Agaran is a mixed media artist, instructor and Creative Spirit Mentor. Her work has been published in Incite, Dreams Realized: The Best of Mixed Media and Incite 3: The Art of Storytelling (North Light Books). She has a BFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and a Masters in Psychology. Prior to her art career she worked as a licensed psychotherapist (Inactive), Creativity Coach and Graphic Designer. Lisa also taught one of the core certification courses at the Creativity Coaching Association where she also trained under renown Creativity Coach Eric Maisel.
Her workshops integrate both her artistic and psychology background to help students tap into their true creativity.
Lisa believes creativity is essential to our sense of wholeness and wellbeing. Taking time to honor your creative spirit is just as essential as a good night’s rest, exercise and eating right. It refills us both spiritually and mentally.
Lisa has been teaching both in-person and virtual workshops for the last 10 years. She also host an annual retreat “Awaken the Invisible Power of Your Creativity”. For more information about Lisa and to view her artwork visit TrueCreativityWithin.com OR ArtbyLisaAgaran.com.

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Rosanne Anderson

I've been a fiber fan for so many years, to include raising my own small flock of rescue sheep. I enjoy all the prep work and am excited to see a year's worth of dirty growth turn into beautiful fluff to use in my weaving, crocheting, knitting, and locker hooking. I attend many conferences and festivals in order to keep current with fibery news, look for new opportunities to learn and teach, and just enjoy the ambiance of the fiber world. After a military career, ranching, and teaching middle school, this is a great chance to live creatively and always learn new things!

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Thomas Ashman

Thomas Ashman is a mixed media artist, bookbinder, composer, and teacher, who lives and works in northern New Mexico. Drawing inspiration from his education in literature and experiences in the construction trades, Thomas developed his unique book binding technique to facilitate the use of unusual materials such as glass, sheet metal, and various types of hardware for the binding and covering of quality handmade art journals. Thomas has appeared on DIY network's "Craft Lab" (season 2) and has had work published in Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset Studio and Somerset Gallery. His work received the "Curator's Pick" and "Viewer's Choice" awards at the "Queen Mab's Picnic" exhibit at the 18th Street Gallery in Bakersfield, CA., and his all-copper journal was included in the 2008 San Diego Book Arts National Juried Exhibition at the Geisel Library at UCSD. Recently, Thomas was selected as "Art Journal/Bookbinding Artisan 2011" by Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine (Jan/Feb issue). A sampling of Thomas's work is currently on display at the Sea in the Desert Gallery in Santa Fe, NM.

ThomasAshmanArt@yahoo.com
www.blacksheepartist.com

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Vicki Assegued

Vicki continually explores and experiments with fiber art approaches and loves to then share her techniques with her students, supporting them to create their own unique and gorgeous art. Along with teaching national workshops at locations such as Mendocino Art Center and Sedona Arts Center, Vicki exhibits her artwork in galleries and prepares you to create pieces so you can do the same.

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Nicole Austin

I am a mixed media artist, designer and instructor from San Jose, CA (currently residing in Tempe, AZ) with a BA in Creative Arts. I believe that everyone has a unique style and desire to create and that we are born curious and creative. Over the years, many of us are discouraged from following our creative urges but I believe it is never too late to begin (or begin again!). I love to encourage my students to draw from their own experience when creating art and to have the courage to take chances. My art is messy, colorful, layered and fun. I have been drawn to the creative arts since I can remember. My first canvas was pretty much every surface in my grandma’s house: the walls, the books, underneath the marble coffee table in the dining room (she didn’t find out until YEARS later and it remains one of her treasured possessions!). I loved playing school and “art gallery” and my dream was to be an artist and teacher. I love the energy that my students bring to class;I love hearing their stories and guiding them through the fear and frustration and reflecting the joy they experience and cheering them on while they (re)discover their creative voice.

Website: https://www.kinueko.com

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Orly Avineri

Orly Avineri is a mixed media artist, a teacher, and an author. She was born and raised in Israel, ended up in Southern California after living in the Netherlands for nearly a decade. Now living in the beautiful Willamette Valley in Oregon she teaches workshops and retreats in intimate settings, locally, in the US, and abroad. Orly’s work’s purpose is to advance the well being of those who seek it through unique and intimate natural and man-made processes and materials. Engaging in a world that is far more expansive than her own enlivens her to no end and she hopes to invoke that feeling in others by introducing and marrying multiple media to inspire freedom of expression and a deep belief in the possibility, the power, and the beauty of change. All for the sake of a deep sense of interconnectedness to all.

www.orlyavineri.com
Instagram: @orlyavineri
Facebook: @orlyavineri
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Lisa Bebi

Lisa Bebi, since a small child, has loved two things: looking through snapshots in her family album and painting as expression. For over three decades, the San Diego native has married these two things together, and her work has received international awards and recognition for its content, style, and color. Lisa received her BA in fine arts from SDSU, where she developed as a colorist, straddling representation with abstraction. Daughter of a journalist, Lisa always finds ways to tell the untold story she sees in snapshots. “I love the authenticity of the snapshot. It’s a single moment in time but by painting it I can extend that moment, revel in it and bring to life characters and scenarios that I fancy. Working this way gives me enormous pleasure.” She extracts the “behind, the behind” using innovative techniques and finesse. Over the course of her life she has received awards, accolades, and endorsements. She has been a longtime contributor to many international mixed-media magazines and several books; has taught in artist residencies locally and internationally; is a Golden Paints educator; and is often a local juror.  

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Ruth Chandler

Ruth Chandler grew up in Japan where the vibrant color and texture of Japanese fabric, combined with the simplicity of Japanese design, caught Ruth’s attention. Ruth learned basic Sashiko from an elderly neighbor and at the age of four, and began to create and sew her own clothes at the age of ten which became an outlet for her imagination and creativity. She made her first quilt in 1990, a queen size, hand-appliquéd and hand-quilted Hawaiian pineapple quilt, and she has never looked back. In her own unique style she loves to use new techniques mingled with the old and her work usually shows the influence of her years spent in Japan.

Ruth teaches locally from her home studio and Blue Twig Studio, and nationally at Art and Soul Retreats. Ruth has written several articles for Quilting Arts magazine and blog posts for Havels’ Sewing. Her work has been published in several books. She can also be found on her blog. Ruth is one of the co-authors of the best-selling book, Fabric Embellishment-the Basics and Beyond. Ruth’s newest book modern Hand Stitching is in stores now. Ruth may be contacted for nationwide classes at ruthachandler@ comcast.net.

Ruth lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the foot of Pikes Peak with her husband of 37 years. She has a daughter and son, both married and 6 beautiful grandchildren who are being introduced very early to all art forms.
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Andrea is a life long maker. From an early age there has been no material
that does not inspire her curiosity.
Starting A Work of Heart in 1998 Andrea's passion for making has blossomed
into creating an online community centered around a monthly membership called
Watch.Learn.Play. where she nurtures connection in community through bite sized
mixed media art & book making lessons. When she is not making art, designing
stencils or building custom art kits, Andrea enjoys fostering kittens for her local
county animal shelter 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Pam Cook

Pam is a full-time science teacher and a part-time artist, indulging her imagination by creating whimsical characters of polymer clay. After dabbling in many forms of mixed media art, Pam found her niche in polymer clay sculpture after taking several classes taught by Lisa Renner.
Pam enjoys trail running near her home in Northern California and was recently able to be a kidney donor.
  

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Anna Corba

Anna Corba's journey in collage began when her flea market collections refused to lay tame on her studio shelves. With a degree in Art History and further studies in fine art from the Academy of Arts in San Francisco, Anna's paintings began to incorporate paper ephemera and found objects gathered throughout the years.
Wanting to make use of her gathered finds more often, Anna developed her own product line, a collection of artful objects handmade in her studio and showcased at specialty boutiques across the country, as well as larger emporiums including Anthropologie and Rachell Ashwell Shabby Chic.

Anna's studio is nestled among the vineyards and rolling hills north of San Francisco. The past few years have found her working on book projects, traveling to France and developing a group of workshops designed to share her love of collage using vintage elements. Welcome!

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Tammy Dinius

As a mixed media abstract artist, I draw inspiration from the world around me to intuitively create highly-textured and colorful artworks. I experiment with many different materials, including acrylics, inks, watercolors, charcoal, hand-carved stamps, pastels, and more. I am a self-taught artist and enjoy the freedom that mixed media offers.
Art has been a stabilizing and healing force in my life. It gives me an avenue to express my emotions through shapes and forms; I am particularly fascinated by the mind-body connection during the act of creating a piece. As marks accumulate, messages often present themselves in my work, whether it be through a humorous saying or embedded in subtle marks layered over time.
I am also inspired by how global issues affect each of us on an individual level. I believe art has an incredible power to transform and heal both the artist and the viewer. In this vein, I strive to provoke conversation and create a pathway to acceptance and understanding. Additionally, through my work, I hope to uplift and inspire viewers to connect with themselves and the world around them.
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Jenny Doh

Jenny describes her style of painting with acrylics as “magical realism,” where she uses the process of intuitively building up layers and then coaxing out a concept either through discovery or deliberate placement, as one where she celebrates the essence and not just the likeness of her subjects. She believes that it is by putting one’s personal and meaningful intersections with a concept onto the canvas that a painting transforms from décor to a true work of art.

Jenny was born in Seoul, Korea and moved to the United States in 1974 and grew up in Bakersfield, California. She is author and packager of numerous art and crafting books and considered a leader in the world of art and craft publishing. She is former Editor-in-Chief and Director of Publishing for Stampington & Company’s Somerset Studio and its sister publications.

Jenny is head of Studio Crescendoh in Santa Ana, California where she teaches painting and fiber arts and shows her work in a gallery setting. The studio also hosts visiting artists who teach painting and mixed media.

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Donna Downey

My work is evolutionary, an ever changing palette of colors in constant motion. As a painter, I find the process of applying paint to canvas a bit sexy. Intimately developing a relationship to the movement across the surface and losing myself in the strokes of color the brush leaves behind.

Because my art takes root in its color, I begin placing the colors like a map intuitively allowing the composition to reveal itself. The paintings develop in response to the energy created and it is as meditative as it is necessary to my personal connection to my art. I love a challenge of switching between media and it is not unusual to find me varying my canvas size from 6” to 6'.
To learn more visit donnadowney.com
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Rochelle Gaukel

Rochelle has always loved art – it has been a way to express herself and her style. Her road to creating jewelry began 12 years ago where she attended a chandelier class in Cortona, Italy. From that point on she fell in love with the art of soldering and jewelry making. It truly has been the best journey of her life meeting so many wonderful people, learning new things, and opening many doors to new opportunities. 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Micah Goguen

Micah Goguen grew up in Central Georgia and obtained his Bachelors in Art and Art History and his Masters in Art Therapy from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. He focuses primarily on bringing art to the community and using art as a form of communication for those struggling to understand and cope with life situations.
Goguen produces work while teaching art to both adults and children. He also volunteers time at the local community center and works with adults in alcohol and substance recovery as well as uprooted and traumatized children. Using mural work, art for entertainment and art therapy for healing, Micah collaborates with school systems, local shops, and non-profits to help unify and most importantly “spread a message”. The overall vision is to focus and rededicate back to a buy local, shop local mentality that strengthens community through unity and purpose.
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Ruth Greening

Art is such an amazing gift. Whether we enjoy looking at it or participate in creating it. I have always had some form of artistic influence in my life in so many forms. Entertaining, cake decorating, wire wrapping, Precious Metal Clay and now Silversmith work.
I love learning from so many wonderful artists and creating works of wearable art, but the best is teaching someone else how to create their own artistic voice. Seeing that “AW HA!” moment when it all comes together
I look forward to working with you and seeing what inspiring pieces you have tucked inside your heart and challenging you to let it shine!


 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Beatriz Helton

I am a mixedmedia, fiber and textile bookmaking artist. Making something out of nothing is my passion. When I'm in the zone on an art project, I feel a sense of presence that inspires and challenges me. Whether drawing, painting, paper making, fabric dyeing, stitching, or finding something to add to my work, I enjoy getting lost in the process. My bookmaking is always evolving. No two books are exactly alike. Each page is a different expression of shapes, colors, textures, and impressions from my life. I am always intrigued to find unexpected images presenting themselves in the finished piece. I enjoy when the viewer finds something personal in my work. I believe an individual’s view of art is as unique as their fingerprint. 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Pamela Sue Johnson

Pamela Sue Johnson began making art 15 years ago as a hobby for relaxation. “I went to art school at my kitchen table,” jokes Pamela who has become a popular art instructor in her community. Known for her engaging style of teaching, Pamela guides her students to tap into their creative nature for inspiration.
Pamela has a focus on teaching mixed-media collage, watercolor painting and also acrylic painting.
Pamela has been featured in Somerset Studio magazine and also local media. Her classroom teaching as well as her online presence has attracted her a lively following who enjoy her free and loose style of art making. “All art tells a story,” says Pamela. “I love to inspire and empower students to find their creative voice to tell their own stories.”
Pamela lives in Vancouver, Washington. To learn more about Pamela visit her website or find her on social media where she often posts about her artful life.
www.pamelasuejohnson.com
Facebook : @pamelasuejohnson
Instagram: @pamelasuejohnson
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Erin Keck

An Assemblage Artist residing in Mechanicsburg, Pa., Erin Keck's artwork results from re purposing found discarded objects. She loves to breathe new life into castaways from yesteryear. Erin's artwork is shown and sold in three prestigious art galleries in Pa. The 2nd Floor in Mechanicsburg, Pa, Village Artisans Gallery in Boiling Springs, Pa, and Perry County Council Of The Arts in Newport, Pa. She has been a Featured Artist in two of the galleries with Private Showings. Recently Erin's work has been published in the book, “1000 Steampunk Creations” by Grymm. Seven of her pieces were chosen for this book. She has taught community craft classes on a monthly basis from 2007 – 2010, and has taught classes at the Charmed I'm Sure Studio owned by friend and colleague and fellow Art & Soul instructor, Jean Van Brederode. Erin has lectured at the Central Pa. Bead and Jewelry Society, and has also taught private classes in her home studio. She has attended Art & Soul retreats for the past three years, and values the inspiration and knowledge that she has received from the Art & Soul instructors.You can see more of Erin's artwork at www.EKCreations.etsy.com. (be sure to view her sold items.)

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Kat Kirby

Since the early 1970s, Kat has been a believer in the healing power of the arts and creative self-expression. After retiring from a 40-year career as an Expressive Arts Therapist, her passions include teaching a variety of workshops such as creating art journals, collage, handmade books, Mixed Media arts, watercolors and doodles, and more. Kat enjoys exploring and experimenting with art materials, and sharing her discoveries with her students. She hosts a free Zoom session every Tuesday through her private Facebook group, “Kat’s Clubhouse.” When she teaches, whether it be virtual or in person, her two rules are: 1) You can’t be wrong, and 2) Have fun!

https://katkirby.com/
kat4clay@gmail.com
https://www.youtube.com/c/kat4clay/videos
https://www.instagram.com/2katstudios/
https://www.facebook.com/kathryn.w.kirby/


 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Helene Knott

Art is our universal language. From pre-historic bison scratched onto a cave wall, to the fervent expression of religious faith brushed onto a chapel ceiling; humans have been driven to leave a legacy of their hopes and dreams etched in stone, wrought in metal or wood, woven in cloth or painted on paper and canvas. It is a unique characteristic of human nature to create visual form that goes beyond function into abstract thought. No culture, past or present, has failed to leave this expression of their existence and humanity. The message can be patently obvious as an epic battle immortalized in a Medieval tapestry or as enigmatic as a legion of stone heads staring out to sea on a long deserted island. It can be as realistic as a photograph or as abstract as swathes of color. Art can be used to invoke spirits or exorcize demons. I am driven to speak with my hands, to translate my visions into a form that bridges all language barriers. My visions come from my perception of the world around me, dreams and faint remembrances of lifetimes lost in the past. I am a storyteller at heart and my quilts are my stories.
I was born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula in central California, a beautiful area that served as an inspiration to set me onto a creative path for life. From a very early age I showed a keen interest in art, starting with drawing and painting and exploring different mediums for my self-expression. In the early 70's, I turned my attention to fiber and fabrics with a focus on quilting and embroidery. For the last 40 years or so, fiber and quilting has been my primary focus and passion.
In 1991, we moved to the Pacific Northwest. I began teaching fiber and quilting classes in 1999. Over the years, my work has won awards at local, regional and national shows and the recognition has served me well in promoting myself as a teacher. In 2006 I received a nomination for the ‘Teacher of the Year’ by Professional Quilter Magazine another teacher ultimately won the top award but to be nominated was an honor itself. Some of my quilts have appeared in the pages of books and the cover of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine; and I have written articles for various magazines and currently design quilt patterns. This year, I became a fabric designer for Northcott Fabrics and my first line came out in May of 2018.
In addition to art and quilting, I have a passion for gourmet cooking, books (the only place I can get into worse trouble than a fabric store), films and music.

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Leighanna Light

Leighanna Light is an art instructor, thingmaker, bookmaker and figurative assemblage artist. Her background is in fine arts and photography, and she has been teaching art workshops for the past 15 years. Leighanna is represented by galleries & museums across the country and her work has been published in numerous books & magazines. “I love to create, to hunt for things to create with & to share my creativity with others. It’s what I live for, it’s my oxygen.” Leighanna grew up in a small town in upstate NY and has spent most of the past 20 years in New Mexico. She currently resides in Taos NM with her best friends Thomas & Lily.

 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Trish McKinney

Trish McKinney, is a national and international award winning artist who loves to tell a story through her paintings. She is a Signature member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, was published as the featured artist/author of an article in Art Journaling Magazine and won numerous awards in national and international exhibitions. Trish describes herself as a Teacher, Painter, Dreamer, Believer, and Artist. One of her favorite quotes is “Instructions for living a [creative] life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” Mary Oliver. Trish loves to inspire students to do these 3 things.

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Deborah Milosevich

I have been a professional artist for more than forty years. My work has been shown in galleries in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. I served as the director for the Lubbock Arts Alliance for several years and taught Art Appreciation at Texas Tech University for 18 years.
For over 20 years, I have led various art workshops in Texas, New Mexico (Ghost Ranch, Mabel Dodge Luhan House, and other retreat centers there), Washington, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I’ve taught many different kinds workshops: painting, shrine building, mixed media construction, SoulCollage® and spirit dolls.
I thoroughly enjoy being with workshop participants as they discover new levels of creativity and personal insight. It feeds my soul.
  

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Lora Murphy

Lora Murphy was born in Ireland and educated in Ireland, USA and Italy. Trained as an oil painter, she now works primarily in Encaustic and Mixed Media. Lora teaches workshops in contemporary portraiture in Encaustic throughout the world. She created Essence of Mulranny studios to develop workshop programs in Mulranny, Ireland . “Mulranny is a place not just to visit because it is so beautiful, it is to be experienced” she says, “To be in a place providing so much inspiration with varied landscape (and weather) and ever changing sea and sky, is a privilege, and to be able to share it with people who want to create in this space is a real joy.” In 2021 she created the Painting with Fire online workshop program featured the world's
 best encaustic painters .
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Jacqueline Newbold

Her life journey gives Jacqueline Newbold a never-ending source of inspiration to represent gems of the world in her color-filled paintings. Her watercolor journal has become a visual diary and constant companion everywhere she travels. Using a warm and playful color palette, Jacqueline enjoys capturing a moment in time by painting the dappled sunlight on a field of lavender, or the brilliance of a tropical beach. She introduces color in the shadows and sun-drenched areas, which creates a luminous glow in her paintings. Primarily a watercolor artist, she uses her watercolor journal as a springboard for exploring creative ways to incorporate mixed media into her art and providing the bases for her larger creations.

Jacqueline is a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon, the Northwest Watercolor Society and the High Desert Art League. She teaches watercolor workshops locally, nationally as well as leading painting workshops in France and Italy. She has several articles published in the mixed-media magazine, Cloth-Paper-Scissors about creating art while on your journey. Jacqueline has partnered with Daniel Smith Art Supplies to create a watercolor traveling kit. Her self-published book, Watercolor Journeys is a helpful guide for beginning to advanced watercolor enthusiasts and her workshop DVD with Interweave has just been released: Art Journals On-The-Go: How to pack, prep, paint, and more.

Website: www.newboldart.com
Blog: http://djnewbold.blogspot.com
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Roxanne Padgett

Roxanne Padgett has been creating “stuff” and making “messes” since she was 4 or 5 years old using whatever materials she could find. She does the same thing today, but now it is called mixed media art “I enjoy experiencing the creative process with others and I believe that everyone is creative and not just a special few. My personal motto is “Fear No Color”.
Roxanne teaches a variety art classes for adults throughout the Bay Area and at art retreats around the country. In addition, Roxanne is the Creative Director at the Museum of Children’s Art . Roxanne’s art work has been featured in a variety of publications such as, Somerset studio, Sew Somerset, Stuffed and Green Craft. Roxanne is also the author of “Acrylics techniques in Mixed Media” Layer, Scribble, Stencil, Stamp published by North Light Books.

padgettroxanne3@gmail.com
  

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Jesse Reno

Jesse Reno is a self-taught mixed media painter. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil, and painting and exhibiting his works since 2000.
Jesse has amassed over 3000 paintings in the last 12 years, and has exhibited his work extensively across the US and Canada as well as France and Mexico. Jesse's work has been covered in various art publications including Juxtapoz, Artnews, Artension, dpi and Somerset Studio just to name a few. One of his largest works can be seen in Winnipeg, Canada where he was commissioned by the Province of Manitoba to create a 25 x 40 ft mural as a reminder to the cultural importance of the Native American people in the region.
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Renee Richetts

Renée Richetts (November 5, 1954) is an American artist best known for her mixed-media artist books, often created from re-purposed materials. She received her education at U.C. San Diego, where she attended an exchange program to study art history and literature in France. Examples of Richetts’ work are represented in public collections at the University of California in San Diego, and the Girl Scout Museum in New York. Her work is widely collected in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
Richetts has been teaching art to adult learners for over 30 years in the U.S. and in Europe. Her teaching style combines demos with skills application by attendees, and lots of feedback to support each attendee’s unique artistic vision. Richetts is known to be a huge fan of all things pop-culture related, and for bringing a sense of fun and generosity to all her classes.

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Debbie Rijns

An independent studio artist, Debbie was born in New York. Arriving in this country at an early age (8), South Africa quickly became her home.

A porcelain restorer by profession, Debbie has been creating from a really early age. A photo of her at age 3 painting the wall of the house with mud testifies to that talent.

Debbie offers courses and workshops in various media all over South Africa and other exotic places on an ongoing basis.

“I have been given a wonderful gift, of being able to see, design and create in a multitude of mediums. This gift gives me great personal satisfaction, and to be able to share this with others is just awesome”.

Debbie gives credit to her father for her creative streak, he once told her “Just because a tin can is a tin can, doesn`t mean it`s only a tin can….”.

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Susan Schenk

Collage is a wonderful way to wake up the sleeping artist within. Collages are unique individual expressions, just like the artists are. I am exploring a range of subjects without a political agenda, welcoming the technical challenge of making realistic renderings from recycled materials. I enjoy making something attractive from discards, appropriating images and putting them together in intriguing ways.  Like any artist, I am especially thrilled when my work calls to a viewer to come closer and spend some time engaged in the piece.  While my pictorial collages are best viewed from a distance, a close up inspection can reveal a very different piece of art.

 

"My goal as an artist is to let my work bring joy to the viewer."

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Carol Spohn

Carol’s painting journey started when she learned to paint with acrylics during her lunch hour at the office where she worked. If not for the step-by-step process of decorative painting, she would not have been introduced to the world of painting. In 2000, Carol started painting primarily in transparent watercolor and her teaching career was launched. Carol paints primarily with watercolor accented with multimedia.
Carol’s workshop is a perfect opportunity for the beginner as well as the experienced painter to learn techniques enabling them to complete successful paintings. Carol shares her step-by-step approach to painting with students of all levels. All projects include written instructions, a line drawing and a color photo. Drawing ability is not necessary, allowing the student to focus on the mechanics of painting.
The creative backgrounds in Carol’s paintings set her artwork apart from other artists. Her use of color and textures invite you into her joyful paintings. Each lesson is designed to introduce the student to a new technique or way of looking at art. Students paintings are successful when they “trust the process” of Carol’s methodical instructions. No two paintings are alike, and that is a good thing!
Carol recently retired to be a full time artist and instructor. Painting is her joy and often times, her therapy. As much as she enjoys painting, Carol’s first love is teaching painting to others. Carol is a popular instructor at community education classes in St. Paul, MN, decorative painting conventions and travel workshops throughout America, France, Italy and Canada.
A lifetime resident of Minnesota, Carol lives in a 125+ year old house in Saint Paul, Minnesota with her husband Coz and their two cats, Mickey and Bailey.
 

 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Jacqueline Sullivan

 Jacqueline Sullivan expresses her creativity through mixed-media, acrylic, and calligraphic paintings and books. Her works are unique expressions of adventure and discovery, each piece experimenting with texture, layers, color, unusual materials, calligraphic marks, and words. In addition to technical precision, personal artistic development is intrinsic to her practice. She earns her living as an artist educator as well as maintaining an active studio practice to develop personal work.
In her 30 years of teaching, Jacqueline has developed and presented many classes. She is a certified GOLDEN Artist Educator, making her a specialist on acrylic products and techniques. She is a member of the education teams for Marabu Creative, Ampersand and Silver Brush. Her workshops are multi-disciplined and given online as well as at top art retreats and for art, book arts, fiber and calligraphy guilds and conferences in the US , Canada and Europe.
Jacqueline’s work has appeared in many publications, including Astarte’s Mega-Zine, Cloth Paper Scissors, Pages, and Somerset Studio, as well as many calligraphic journals. Her work has been published in Acrylic Works 4: Captivating Color the Best of Acrylics. And Acrylic Works 6: Creative Energy, the Best of Acrylics both published by Northlight books. Her bestselling DVD, Acrylics: Textures, Layers, and Metallics, is published by Creative Catalyst Productions.
Jacqueline has a degree in graphic design, working for many years as a publication, marketing, and advertising designer. She is the recipient of top national awards for the fashion publications that she designed. She uses her knowledge of graphic design to help her students improve their paintings. She paints and lives in Cincinnati, OH.  

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Dina Wakley

Dina’s colorful, expressive style is anchored by her design hallmark, the creative use of white space. Her personal, organic design aesthetic strikes a balance between “artsy” and “classic”.
Dina is a mixed-media artist and teacher. She loves everything about art: creating it, thinking about it, looking at it, and teaching it. She has been scrapbooking since 1995, stamping since 1996, and art journaling since 2004. She believes in writing yourself down, expressing yourself, and making your mark on the world. As a Ranger Signature Designer, Dina designs a line of mixed-media art supplies that includes acrylic paints, mediums, brushes, rubber stamps, stencils, and more.
 

[RETURN TO TOP]      

Proud Sponsors for Art & Soul

For your convenience, you may pre-order your materials for classes! Your materials will be waiting for you at the retreat. And you can always purchase additional materials at the retreat.

Runaway Art and Craft Studio

Runaway Art and Craft Studio is our onsite store and sponsor for Portland, OR Retreats.
Visit Runaway Art and Craft Studio...