As a participant in this 2-day painting workshop you'll explore techniques for building up abstract oil paintings in layers, through the use of cold wax medium, tube paint, paint sticks and powdered pigments. You'll discover new ways to create textures, lines, and color fields, and be encouraged to experiment with tools that you may not have previously considered in your work (brushes will play only a minor role!) In this approach to painting, the outcome evolves from the painting process itself, so the class will appeal to those who enjoy flexibility and surprises along the way. Presentations and resources about abstraction will deepen your appreciation of its content and meaning.  You will leave fired up with many new ideas and techniques to carry forward in your own individual painting style. Experience with oils is helpful but not required.

Sat/Sun. March 6/7  9:30-4:30  $235

Faerie Cottages

Tatiana Katara

Just in time for your Spring Garden planning! Make your own charming miniature faerie cottage from natural materials. We'll be using hot glue guns to adhere beads, buttons, bark, lace, flowers and natural materials to adorn the house structure, producing individualized and unique faerie cottages. A large variety of materials will be available for you to choose from, but you may want to bring along items from your personal stash to add to your choices. If you'd like to do this project with a young person, both working on the same faerie cottage, there is an additional $15 fee.  For additional photos of Tatiana's work, go to: www.faeriefactory.com

Sat  Mar 13   10 - 4:30   $95/$12.50 materials  (child helper $15)

Goddess Doll  Shelia Howe

Get in touch with your inner Goddess! Starting with a meditation to connect inside with our higher selves.  We ask " What part of our inner goddess needs to be expressed right now?"  We then create.... the goddess within will manifest herself in your doll. Join us for a full day of sewing, gluing and sharing your creative ideas.  At the end of the workshop, there will be sharing and a discussion about each and what discoveries they have led us to during the process of their creation. Note to adults interested in attending with a young person: adult tools are being used and it is important that the young person is mature enough to understand this and that the adult is responsible for monitering the young person's work and actions.

Sunday March 14,  10-3:00   $85/$25 materials  (child helper $25)  Materials included: handmade doll form, fabric, trims, hair, buttons, paints, jewels, glue guns, sewing machine, & thread.

Wheels of Time and Place

Anne Forbes

assisted by Rebecca Power

Prepare to engage mindfully and playfully with the seasons and cycles of your life as spring comes to your home, garden, neighborhood, or schoolyard. We'll spend the day exploring what home place means to us; how to track the seasons with renewed curiosity; and how to tune in to the plants, animals, and elements of nature that surround us wherever we live.

The Wheels of Time and Place, created by Anne Forbes, is a set of circular journals that individuals, groups, or classrooms use to become more intimate with their home places. The Wheels serve as nature journals, storytelling journals, spiritual journals, or a combination. At the workshop, you'll be guided to start one or more Wheels of your own. We'll go step-by-step to create maps or images to ground the center of your Wheel and prepare to practice new habits of observation and recording through the seasons.

Like a wheel on a cart, time turns around the hub of your home place; the metaphor is a journey taken through a day, a month, a year, or a lifetime of curiosity and appreciation.

Basic Needle Felting & Wet Felting   Nancy Welch

In this four-week class you can develop a portfolio of book structures to use for ournals, one-of-a-kind books, or gifts. Explore choosing, folding, tearing, and cutting paper and learn basic sewing and gluing techniques to create a selection of unique books with minimal supplies. We encourage adding embellishments and personal memorabilia. Minimal supplies are necessary to make beautiful books. No experience necessary.

Papermaking Jackie Hefty

In this four-week class you can experience pulp preparation in blenders, by cooking, and in a Hollander beater. Explore recycling papers, pulp additives, and pigmented pulps and construct your own papermaking screen to keep. Create a plaster mold from a clay form and take a paper cast of the mold. Also explore sheet formation, collage, embedments, and pulp painting.

Thursdays Mar 25 - April 15   12:30 - 3:30

Limit 10, Enroll by Mar 18, 1.2 CEU, $145  Program #2568

Program in conjunction with UW Continuing Education  Please register with UW Continuing Education.

You CAN Draw!  For the Absolute Beginner

with Kay Brathol-Hostvet 

If you can ride a bicycle, operate a sewing machine, or drive a car, you can learn to draw, too!  The skill of drawing is simply a matter of eye-hand coordination and practice.  The focus of this workshop will be on how we learn to draw.  Drawing is a fun and relaxing hobby, a useful tool in planning home and garden projects, and a foundation skill for all the other visual arts.  If you are afraid to draw, Kay will alleviate those fears through fun-yes, FUN-drawing exercises and simple, straightforward directions to get you started.  This is a good workshop for those who need or want a refresher on drawing, too.  All materials are provided including your own drawing tools and sketchbook to take home. Class size limit: 8

Fri Mar 26   9 - 4:30   $95/$12 materials

Developing Drawing Skills

Kay Brathol-Hostvet

Drawing is a wonderful hobby and the foundation for all visual arts.  This process-oriented workshop is for those who want to further develop their basic skills and gain more pleasure in the drawing process.  We will focus on loosening up, learning to see and measure accurately, and developing various drawing techniques. This is a great follow up to Kay's "You CAN Draw!" workshop or any other beginning-intermediate drawing class. We'll work in pencil, pen, and charcoal.  Some materials will be provided; see supply list for your required materials.  Class size limit: 8

Sat Mar 27  9 - 4:30   $95/$5 materials

Color.  Color ?  Color ! Briony Jean Foy

Curious?  Frustrated?  Learn the basics of Color Theory:  Hues, Tints, Shades, Tones, Contrasts and Harmonies.  In this workshop we will do yarn windings and other exercises to decipher color.  As a group we will look at examples of your work that you think are successful and examples that do not work as well.... We'll figure out why.  Make your work come alive.

Supplies to bring:  Scissors, tape, and Yarn- any and all scraps you have  (especially fine yarns- minimum 5" long.  We will throw them all into a group pile to share.  Some provided, but we want as many colors, sizes, textures and fibers as we can get!)  Also, bring 1-3 color art postcards that you LOVE.  Images of paintings work better than photographs - choose based on the color more than line or image.       

No experience necessary yet, can be a good review.  Weavers, Knitters, Crocheters, Spinners, Sewers, are all welcome.

Sun March 28  10 - 4    $ 85

Interactive Art: Adding movement to books, journals, and cards Kim Rae Nugent

A new class with different paint techniques and interactive structures based on her book- Interactive Art: Mixed Media in Motion.

We will start Friday working with a limited paint palette and preparing pages with new techniques not taught by Kim at Whispering Woodlands before. We will also begin to make some interactive structures.

Saturday, interactive structures will be our primary focus. This works well as a continuation between the Friday and Sunday class or stands on it's own as an individual class.

Sunday we will finish up with some more paint techniques and interactive structures, then assemble our books adding more details as time permits. Artists of all skill levels are welcome! 

Fri April 9, Sat April 10 and Sun April 11  10 - 4:30  

All 3 days $285/$25 materials or Sat only $95/$10 materials

Fri April 16   10 - 4   $50/$5 materials

Introduction to Painting with Soft Pastel Kay Brathol-Hostvet

Many students "fall in love" with pastels after taking this workshop!  Soft pastels are fun to use, colorful, versatile, immediate, and very expressive.  Kay will introduce you to this fascinating dry painting medium through a variety of exercises on different papers.  Learn how to use solvents and fixative to enhance your images.  You'll complete three different works in this one-day studio workshop, including a densely-colored painting on sanded paper.  Every workshop participant will experience ample personal attention as well as fun and positive group interaction.  All paper for this introductory class will be provided; see supply list for your required materials.  Class size limit: 8

Sat April 17    9 - 4:30   $95/5 materials   

Gourd Musical Instruments:

Making a Non-Tunable Drum

terri schmit (the gourd girl)   

Just in time for celebrating Earth Day on April 22! Students are given a gourd shell first to sand and decorate, then to add a goatskin drum head. Drums measure approximately 6 ½ " in diameter. Students should bring a small mallet if they have one. All other materials are provided.

Sun April 18   12:30 -4:30   $95

Making a Gourd Mask

terri schmit (the gourd girl)    

In honor of Earth Day April 22!  Using a section of gourd, students will stain and place facial elements and then embellish the edges with beads, feathers or other naturals.  Bring a woodburning tool and a drill with small bits (1/16" or 3/32") if you have one. Note to adults interested in attending with a young person: adult tools are being used and it is important that the young person is mature enough to understand this and that the adult is responsible for monitering the young person's work and actions.

Fri April 23   1-4  $60

Encaustic Painting Sampler

Jenny Learner 

As an Introduction to Encaustics - We'll start with a brief history of the medium and the artists who have been inspired by encaustic painting.  Learn why the revival and new enthusiasm in today's art.  Safety, palettes, brushes, supports, tools, paint, and medium will all be discussed.  Students will explore techniques demonstrated on small boards and watercolor paper. Each student should bring 4, 6" sample boards to try these techniques. See supply list below.

Demonstrations and discussions to be covered over the weekend will include; fusing methods, painting, glazing, surface textures, scrafitto, marks, transfers, collage, mono-printing, stenciling, encaustics and oil sticks.No experience necessary - both beginners and experienced artists welcomed. 

Sat/Sun April 24/25  10- 4 $240/45 materials

Watch for Jenny's 3 day extended/advanced Encaustics Workshop this July.