A Great License Plate seen in the CREATE mixed media retreat parking lot

Scenes from our "Musical Chairs Painted Canvas" Class in Cincy

"Musical Chairs:  A Painted Canvas Adventure" is a collaborative painting endeavor on gessoes canvas.
The students painted, switched positions, and painted over the work of others in the class.  Two canvases were set up and the students switched back and forth.  The first half of the day was spent on the paintings.
After our lunch break the canvases were divided and each student got a portion of both canvases.
These pieces were subsequently fashioned into journal covers, art cards, postcards, ATCs (artist trading cards), and more.  We played music and had a fantastic time!

Here is the progression of one of the canvases:

the artists pose in front of one of the painted canvases.

Beautiful!

Afternoon:

We gathered around a table and spent the afternoon creating

lovely pieces of art with the painted canvas, markers, etc.

This class is such a joy for Jamie and I to teach!

If you are planning to come to Costa Mesa to CREATE!, we will be teaching it there.

Please join us!

Sheer Imagination: A 2-day lamination workshop

Jamie Fingal and I will be teaching a 2-day workshop in Costa Mesa at CREATE! retreat.  Our workshop is featured in the daily Cloth Paper Scissors email blast:

Sheer Imagination: A Paper/Cloth Lamination Adventure Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jenison In this 2-day workshop, you will learn to create unique laminated cloth using their own color copies of any subject you choose (travel, art, cooking, funky imagery, sewing, family, and text if desired). We encourage you to create an artwork using a theme and to create your own mixed media apron.  Jamie and Leslie will provide a vast variety of tools and materials for you to experiment with and add unique layers of imagery to your laminated cloth. Color, design, and free motio machine quilting will be discussed as everyone will be fusing their laminated images and sewing them down. This is our interview for CPS CREATE!: Meet CREATE Instructors Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jenison     1. When did you start creating art individually? Leslie:  I've been interested in art my entire life. I fell in love with quilt making in  the late 70s. When my family moved to San Antonio in 1997, I became interested  in surface design and mixed media, and combining these passions has consumed  me ever since. Jamie: I've been making art as long as I can remember, first as a graphic  artist, then decoupage boxes and suitcase with fabric and paint.  I made my first quilt in the early 80's, onto art quilting in 2001, and wrote  a book in 2007. Now we are team teaching and we bring a variety of strengths to the working  relationship that compliment one another quite well. We are both passionate  about what we do and bring fun and laughter to the classroom.       2. What can students can expect out of your workshop Sheer Imagination  at CREATE Costa Mesa? Separately from each other we have been experimenting with laminating paper  and cloth together. This is a very interesting way to create a unique material  which can be used for a wide variety of textile, quilt, and mixed media  work. It is a technique that is not taught very often, because of the many  supplies that are needed. Since one of us lives locally, we knew it could be done,  and we are thrilled to offer this 2-day workshop!  Learn more and register now.         3. Where did you find your inspiration for this workshop? We felt that we wanted to look beyond the art quilt and create an art apron that  expresses any theme the student desires. The aprons are totally wearable  and will be one of a kind works of art that are sewn.  Jamie has made 3 unique mixed media aprons. I love the symbology  of the apron as a means of expressing an idea. We have both created  a number of mixed media pieces using the lamination technique and are  very excited to share this with our students.         4. What other hobbies to do enjoy besides making art? Leslie:  I am an avid photographer, reader, cook, blogger, and gardener.  I am also a private pilot.  Jamie: I also enjoy gardening, reading, writing, photography,  have a few blogs and love to cook.         5. What are you most excited for at CREATE Costa Mesa? We love the whole atmosphere of this retreat! The students are really  enthusiastic and focused, yet we have a blast with them, and we love  seeing the other instructors, many of whom have become close friends, and  meeting the new instructors and getting to know them.  Costa Mesa has a lot to offer CREATE attendees because of the close  proximity to a wide range of shopping, restaurants, the beach, etc. It is going to be  a great place for this retreat!!          6. What is your favorite memory of CREATE 2010? That is a tough one to answer because there were so many great memories! One that stands out for us is that the students and instructors were so inspiring. One of the best moments for us was seeing the Student Showcase at the end of the week and looking at the amazing  things everyone had "CREATE"ed during the retreat. Truly, it was astonishing.

Come Join Us At CREATE! in Costa Mesa California!

CREATE! Cloth Paper Scissors is offering not one, but two, locations in 2011:  Costa Mesa CA in May, and Chicago in August.
Jamie Fingal and I are excited to offer something new in Costa Mesa:
"Sheer Imagination:  A 2-day paper/cloth lamination workshop"

Image in paper

same image, laser-copied, then laminated to sheer, fused and quilted

My apron as "personal armor":  it is all about the journey.

apron detail

Jamie and I have been exploring this method of creating custom imagery on cloth and are excited to have a 2-day workshop to share this method!  In the workshop students will use their own personal imagery to create a mixed-media apron.  Please consider joining us for this workshop on Friday, May 20th, and Saturday, May 21st.  Class registration opens online February 8th.  Sign up here for email updates.

Student images

Nancy Urschel, one of the students from our CREATE! retreat workshops in Chicago sent photos of a painted canvas she created after returning home, as well as two totes she constructed from the canvas.
Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your work!  Take a look:

Artist Faire @ CREATE Chicago

The Artist Faire was held on Friday evening of the CREATE event.  Artists who were teaching at the event participated, as well as other artists in the area who only participated in the Faire.  The vendors skewed heavily toward mixed media/assemblage work, but most of the vendors were pleased with the outcome.

These little dye pots lead to my end-result at the Artist Faire

mixed-media "mail art" postcard combined with screen printed bamboo batting, beads, and 

free-motion embroidery.  Mounted on black felt.

8x10 inches

Dye-printed post-consumer facial cloth, mail-art postcard, divided, grommets & beads, machine-stitched.

8x10 inches

dyed silk habotai, screen-printed facial cloth & bamboo batting, mail-art postcard, 

free-motion machine embroidered

8x10 inches

dyed bamboo batting and facial cloth, mixed-media mail art, hand-stitched beads, machine-quilted.

8x10 inches

posing at my vendor table behind my hand-dyed cotton knit scarves and other work.

I'm wearing a 25"x125" cotton-viscose tissue knit scarf, hand-dyed.  It's yummy.

Judy Coates-Perez gives me a hand at merchandising.

I needed her help!

Here is the lovely Alina Mardesich, who won my donated knit scarf!

Alina was a student at CREATE, and it was such fun to get to know her.

The lovely and talented Kelli Nina Perkins (L) and Alisa Burke.

Showing off my beautiful new red shoes, as well as my beautiful and luscious scarves.

I sold several, as well as my hand-dyed Radiance cloth.

Jamie & I, chillin at our vendor table.  

Hard to believe she is only drinking water, isn't it?!

Images from "Musical Chairs: A Painted Collaboration"-CREATE Day 2

Class #2: This 3-hour evening class managed to produce 2 amazing painted canvases!
Here are some images from their collaborative experience:

work begins on the first of 2 canvases

progression of the painting

finished!

Canvas #2:  finished!

Our thanks to two incredible groups who attended our workshops.  We enjoyed having you!  Please stay in touch.  I want to finish this post with exuberance, and no one expressed it better than this student:

Please visit Jamie Fingal's blog for more images of our workshops.