A Sense of Narrative: Image Transfer Techniques on Clay

Students will begin by hand building a number of simple forms on which to explore slip decorating techniques. After a review of the more traditional slip decorating techniques students will prepare their screen, and be lead through the creation of a transparency with which to “burn” their own photo silkscreen. While learning about readily available products and simple methods to make photo silk screens in their own studios, participants will explore different methods of creating slip transfers including mono-printing, block printing, and using their new screens to print on to paper. They will then transfer those images to their pieces to create a sense of narrative on the surface of their work, building up layers of information for their final compositions. The pieces will be fired to mid temperature in an electric kiln, but uses of imagery in alternative firings will be discussed. The work will then be bisque fired and glazed in time for a critique session at the end of the week.

Course cost: $665   Supply fee: TBD     STUDENT SUPPLY LIST

2018_Clay_Order_Form_for_MISSA   (Your pre-ordered clay will be delivered to MISSA)

Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks as is inclusive of all applicable taxes.

 

CHRIS SNEDDEN has been a potter for over 30 years in London, Ontario, Canada. He began his studies after high school at Bealart where he fell in love with clay. Chris went on to study at Georgian College in Barrie and has since worked in almost every facet of the pottery business, from building electric kilns, teaching courses and workshops across the province, and producing gift ware and ceramic artwork for the international market. Chris has also completed numerous private commissions for everything from liturgical pieces to commemorative plaques and recognition awards. Currently, Chris is Director of Artistic Programming at the London Clay Art Centre, is a Ceramics Professor at Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario and serves as President for FUSION: The Ontario Clay and Glass Association. His work is shown at galleries across Ontario and he continues to teach, give workshops, and develop his award winning work.

The waitlist for this workshop has been closed.

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Bas Relief Sculpture for Ceramics and Multimedia Artists

Beginner and Advanced Artists will gain a basic understanding of sculpting relief in earthen clay using basic materials. In an easy step by step procedure anyone can learn the process of applying texture and relief to any art form. In this workshop we will begin by hand building a vessel. Students will have the opportunity to choose between two different hand building methods. We will apply a variety of texture and sculptural techniques to build a composition using our clay forms as our canvas. The application of clay accents and design in any creative project can add a unique style to your artworks.

Creatives working in encaustic, jewelry or sculptors wanting to add fine art relief will learn and understand the basic techniques of bas relief and how to achieve greater detail in their work. In this workshop you will learn confidence in applying clay relief to any surface using a variety of mediums. Our focus will be on earth clay but we will discuss the many different modelling mediums that can be incorporated in any project such as jewelry, painting or pottery. Once the process is mastered it can be universally applied to many multimedia and creative art projects. Artists will be encouraged to discover their own artistic voice.

Course cost: $285   Supply fee: $2  Student Supply List

Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks and is inclusive of all applicable taxes.
2018_Clay_Order_Form_for_MISSA

 

ANGELA PISTRUCCI works primarily as a relief sculptor, designing coins for International Mints.

Angela has passionately studied the time honored approaches to creating art to influence her own mastery of composition and design to celebrate the dawn of a new era in the applied arts.  She has been working towards educating artists and bringing the lost art of wax sculpting to the fore.

Recently in 2016 she was awarded a full scholarship at the Italian Mint, Istituto Poligrafico Zecca Stato – Scuola dell’Arte della Medaglia where she studied Wax Sculpting, Cameo Carving, Glass Enameling, Modelling with a variety of mediums, Moldmaking, Copper Engraving, Repouse and Chase. Angela is an award winning artist as well as has instructed Privately and in the community at Coast Collective, Metchosin International Summer School of Art and Clay Hub Collective. Although she focuses on Bas relief sculpting in a variety of mediums she has instructed and facilitated classes in life drawing and painting. In 2017 her Design for Saint George and the Dragon has been adopted as the National Gold Sovereign in Gibraltar.  Angela’s work is collected internationally and is currently on exhibit in the collection of the Italian Mint Museum.

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Millefiori Magic: Patterned Veneers & their Application

Millefiori is an ancient technique that can be described as a combination of sculpting and painting.  This technique has been applied to many different types of media, such as: Glass, Ceramics, and Wood. Wanda will share her years of experience as an artist in the technique of Millefiori using polymer clay. Polymer clay is a medium that allows for the mixing and blending of colours to create depth, variety and contrast.

You will learn to create a variety of “canes” which you will then combine in interlocking designs that will become more complex canes. These you will “slice” in such a way that patterned veneer sheets of polymer clay are made. These will then be applied to a 3- dimensional surface, in this case a vessel or bowl, and cured for permanency. Finishing techniques will then be demonstrated.

This class is open to students who are interested in learning how to work with polymer clay, more experienced polymer clay artisans and artists who are interested in the use of colour and pattern in another medium.

 

All FIMO materials generously donated by STAEDTLER.

 

Course cost: $285   Supply fee: $10         STUDENT SUPPLY LIST
Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks and is inclusive of all applicable taxes. 

 

WANDA SHUM is a B.C. grown artist who was formally trained in Electronic Communication Design at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design; she’s been an independent artist for over 18 years with a variety of works to her name.  Wanda’s works are recognized for their bright and whimsical qualities.

Currently, she’s working with polymer clays in a technique called ‘millefiori’, which is like a combination of painting and sculpting. ‘Millefiori’ or ‘A Thousand Flowers’ is a traditional Venetian glass art that involve the formation with fused glass rods that has a pattern throughout. The modern version of this is created by laying different coloured polymer clays together. Then the cane is sliced to reveal the design within.

This technique has allowed her to create unique jewelery and accessories.   Her latest body of work, especially her teapots have moved beyond the framework of form and function into the realm of collectible art.

 

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Zentangle™ – Basics and Beyond

Zentangle® drawings may appear complex and intricate, but learning the step-by-step method shows how simple it really is. Tangling, or pattern-drawing promotes mindfulness – hence “zen” in the name. Unlike doodling, you concentrate on each line, circle or shape. This focus creates a calming effect that helps you forget distractions around you. Many have found Zentangle helpful in managing sleeplessness, stress or agitation, chronic pain, etc. , while others just tangle for the joy of producing satisfying and appealing art. One low-stress feature is that tangled drawings are abstract. There is less stress when there is no pressure to achieve a pre-planned “something”. The finished art may be unexpected, and who doesn’t love a nice surprise?

Zentangle is easy to learn and share and is appropriate for any age group or level of ability from “I can’t even draw a stick man” to accomplished artists who use it to unblock creativity, and/or to enrich other projects. Zentangle adds interest to projects as diverse as scrapbooking, mixed media, quilting,  jewellery, graphic design, cake decoration and pottery.

Zentangle is therapeutic, non-technical, requires few supplies, and takes on a different personality with the style of each tangler. In this two day program , you will learn the basics, then build confidence and skill as you progress through more complex designs and some finishing techniques to add that  “Wow factor”. No previous art successes necessary.

Course cost: $285   Supply fee: $24  STUDENT SUPPLY LIST

Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks and is inclusive of all applicable taxes.

 

BARB ROUND, a retired registered nurse,  was excited when she was introduced to Zentangle, recognizing that this method had so much to offer people as stress relief, confidence building and skills development. Barb became a Certified Zentangle Teacher in 2012, and since that time has provided instruction in this meditative art to 2000+ keen students in three provinces.

In 2015 examples of her art were included in 4 different books. Barb teaches frequently in schools, and enjoys working with seniors and special needs groups as well as adult classes.

Barb’s goal is to get people in touch with their inner artist – even if they’ve never met him before! She feels that this easy-to-learn and calming art form is perfect for those who are new to arts and crafts as well as experienced artists. Her students’ successes are Barb’s greatest pleasure and her best endorsement. See what they have accomplished on her website.

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Introduction to Natural Dyes

Join Hanahlie Beise from Hinterland to explore the magic and history of natural dyes. There are thousands of dye materials available in nature. In this class we will use Cochineal, Indigo, Fustic, and Pomegranate. Hanahlie has studied natural dyes in Oaxaca, Mexico, and has held a series of workshops in both Oaxaca and in Victoria over the past two years. The goal for this class is to achieve a rainbow of colours on wool fibres. You’ll learn how and why we mordant fibres prior to dyeing, how to make an extract, and how to safely dye fibres. Plus, you go home with all of the recipes and instruction to make it all again later.

  • Cochineal is a small invasive insect that thrives on the nopal cactus (also known as the prickly pear cactus) native to Oaxaca Mexico. Cochineal has been cultivated, harvested, and used as a natural dye by the ancient Aztec and Maya people of Mexico and Central America. During the Spanish conquest, this dye became one of the most valuable exports in Mexico (second to silver). It is still used in many products outside of textiles including cosmetics, alcohol and food colouring.
  • The Fustic tree commonly grows in ditches, on roadsides, or near swamps and rivers in Mexico and Central America. The yellow dye comes from the wood and is used globally as a textile dye and in leather tanning.
  • Pomegranates are originally from Northern Iran and India, but are now widely cultivated around the world. Using the skins of the fruit, we can produce sunny or earthy yellows, greens, and even grey and black.
  • Indigo is a living dye made of fermented and crushed wild indigo (in this case the indigo is from India). Indigo grows in many places around the world and has been used as a natural dye for centuries. As it’s name describes, the natural dye colour is blue, but indigo can also be used as an over dye to achieve browns, greens, purples, and black.

Classes run from 9 – 4 pm daily. Studios are open after hours.

Course cost: $285       Supply fee:  $10    All supplies are provided

  • STUDENT SUPPLIES: Students may want to bring an apron, a notebook and a pen.

Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks. Prices are in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes.

 

HANAHLIE BEISE is a textile designer and fibre artist based in Victoria. For over five years, she has been raising alpacas for their fibre and producing yarn under the brand name Hinterland. With a global network of designers and collaborators, she creates knitwear patterns with Hinterland Yarn, which she sells online. As the growing farm business evolves, Hanahlie studies and practices the tradition of natural dye, teaching workshops locally and in Oaxaca, Mexico.

 

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Practice on the Page: Five-Day Writing Intensive

Find the story you’re meant to write, and dive deeply into your practice.

Practice on the Page’s Five-Day Writing Intensive is your chance to stretch your writing muscles, get inspired and let your creative side come out to play.

This all-levels course offers you a safe space to find your voice and nurture the stories your heart has been waiting to share, with Pedder Bay providing a gorgeous natural backdrop. Danielle Pope will guide you through a progressive series of grounding activities, writing exercises, prompts and reading opportunities to get your words flowing and deepen your level of self expression. By the end of five days, you’ll have the tools to launch a practice, accelerate a project, or breathe life into that book you’ve always been meaning to write.

Come with a project, or a blank page — whether you dream of starting a blog, working on your next novel, or making space for five days of fun, this course is your chance to deepen your commitment to your writing practice. Bring along your favourite notebook and pen, and prepare to dive deeply into this journey of creativity.

Course cost: $665     Supply fee: $0     STUDENT SUPPLY LIST
Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks and is inclusive of all applicable taxes.

DANIELLE POPE, “The Story Midwife,” is a writer, editor, photographer and writing coach in Victoria, B.C.

She believes everyone has a story to tell, and leads writing workshops and retreats to help people find their voice and play with creativity. In addition to Practice On The Page, Danielle was the creator of the Women and Words workshop series, as well as the 30-Day Writing Challenge and the “Write Now” prompt cards — a deck aimed at stimulating creative inspiration.

Danielle earned her degree in writing from the University of Victoria, specializing in creative writing, poetry, non-fiction and journalism. She acts as a coach for new and experienced authors, and has been a journalist in Canada for nearly 15 years. Her writing can be found in publications across the country, and through her instagram account: @TheStoryMidwife.

When she’s not writing, you can usually find Danielle playing with poetry, acrylic paint, chickens or mason jars — but not usually at the same time.

         

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Exuberant Clay: Exploring Form

Through a straightforward process using one plaster segment press mould we can manipulate and alter component parts to arrive at many variations and differing expressions of form. This is the Segment Mold Process that Carol Gouthro has devised to create her pleated, undulating, exuberant ceramic sculptures and vessels. Likewise, the ceramic surface can be enlivened and energized by using a layered approach to surface and design that evolves from wet clay through bone dry to bisque.

Sample of class activities:

We will begin by drawing simple shapes on paper and cutting paper templates, and then proceed to sculpt solid clay into a right angle wooden form. Next we carve and facet the clay form adding bas relief if desired. Instructor will demonstrate this process step by step.

Mix and pour plaster over the solid clay prototype and make a simple ¼ segment plaster press mold. Un-mold the forms, clean mold and begin to use it.  From this segment press mold we will build numerous variations by connecting, altering stacking, piercing and re-combining the component parts.

Continue building forms and making combinations. Instructor will demonstrate methods for creating texture slabs to be used to create texture skins on leather hard clay.

Instructor will demonstrate multiple techniques for surface design using slips, under glazes, and stains, including creating patterns with wax resist, wax inlay, sgraffitto, shellac resist, etc.

Workshop time is 9 – 4 pm daily. Studios are open after hours.

Course cost: $665    Course fee: $40

Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks. Prices are in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes.

 

CAROL GOUTHRO, is a Seattle based ceramic artist and educator who has been maintaining a studio practice and exhibiting for over 30 years. Carol has an extensive exhibition record of solo, group, invitational, and juried exhibitions, most recently as an invited artist and workshop presenter to Biomorphic at Amoca in California, and as an exhibiting artist in The Evocative Garden NCECA  Portland, 2017 curated by Gail Brown. Her ceramic work has been published in numerous books and periodicals, most recently Uppercase Encyclopedia of Inspiration: Botanica. Carol has been a ceramic instructor at the Seward Park Clay Studio, and Kirkland Arts Center in Seattle for 25 years, teaches workshops internationally, leads International Arts and Craft tours and gardens any spare minute she can find.

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Coloured Pencil & Mixed Media Techniques

In this course students will explore, practice and learn coloured pencil drawing in combination with non-traditional media and methods.   A variety of subjects including still life, botanical and portraits will be explored. Students will learn techniques for accuracy in rendering, building on and developing observational drawing skills and compositional perspective. We’ll push into areas not traditionally used with coloured pencils such as: scratching on paper, incorporating writing, using markers and chalk/oil pastels. Understanding balance, colour, form and visual movement will be an important focus as we work to give voice to students compositions using single and multi-drawing images through diptychs and triptychs. All skill levels are welcome.

Course cost: $285     Supply fee: $12    STUDENT SUPPLY LIST
Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks and all applicable taxes. 

 

JEANNETTE SIROIS is an award-winning artist working with coloured pencils in the creation of large-scale works focused on exploring the human condition and her connection to nature through a shoreline series and large format botanicals. Her work, often described as hyper realistic, is meant to investigate the journeys we go on throughout our lives and how this journey guides us towards decision making. Her work attempts to create dialogue around issues of destruction vs. healing, mindfulness and the possibilities of the unknown.  She has been creating and teaching art for over 30 years and has been a finalist in top portrait competitions such as the Kingston Prize.  Her works can be found in private collections, museum permanent collections and public art collections.

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The Contemplative Brush

This workshop explores the power and tradition of the brush as a tool for contemplation. We will be inspired by the remarkable and enduring legacy of the Northwest Coast Calligraphic artists. These artists held deep affinities for Asian brush techniques and materials as they developed their very personal brush language.  Our focus will also be on creating a very personal brush language as we explore using the breath to support the brush in spontaneous mark-making.  A series of experimental ink exercises will combine with innovative brush-making and an investigation of hand-made papers. More structured practices will consider the mandala and the insights gained by the esteemed MISSA instructor, the late Jack Wise. Individual exploration will allow for numerous possibilities. There will be time devoted to the basics of artist’s books and we will also visit mandalas, boxes, mobiles, collages and finished works on paper.

All classes run 9 – 4 pm each day. Studios are also open after hours.

Course cost: $285   Course fee:  $35

Tuition includes lunch and daily snacks and is inclusive of all applicable taxes. 

 

ROBERTA PYX SUTHERLAND was born and raised on the west coast of Canada, and resided in Britain, Hawaii, Spain, Malawi, Scotland and Pender, Thetis and Hornby Islands. She attended Emily Carr College of Art and Design, received a BFA(Hon.) University of Victoria with printmaking training at the Hallam University in Sheffiend U.K. with residencies at the Banff Centre, and others in Europe including the BAU Institute. She studied Vajrayana Mandala painting in Katmandu, Nepal and zen calligraphy with Shinzan Roshi  Gyokuryuji Temple, Japan.

Pyx was the chosen artist for Cercle des Amis of 2012 by Geneva’s Editart Gallery to work with master printer Masafumi Yamamoto.  She was the mentor for MISSA Artist in Residence program. Frequent exhibitions in Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland (including United Nations’ Women’s Expo). Her work is  represented in numerous private collections, the Canada Council Art Bank, Bronfman Collection, public galleries in Victoria, Burnaby, Kamloops, Vernon, Universities of Concordia, British Columbia, Alberta, Puget Sound, Victoria and the public libraries of Toronto, and Geneva including various public art installations, particularly the Hornby Island Soup Can (Warhol tribute).

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Nature Tradition: Cultivating Inspirations in Clay

In this 5-day workshop Adam Field will demonstrate his methods for carving intricate pattern on a variety of wheel-thrown porcelain forms.  He will also demonstrate traditional Korean Onggi coil and paddle pottery techniques. From ancient Korean techniques, to innovative solutions for timeless problems, participants will develop a new perspective on creating and decorating functional pottery.  Participants will learn new skills for mapping out and carving geometric patterns in clay.  Generous discussions about studio practice, aesthetics, materials, ceramic history, and promotion and marketing strategies for the studio potter are certain to encourage individual discovery, growth, and development of fresh ideas.  Participants will gain the skills and confidence to create and decorate work in their own voice.

Course cost: $685       Supply fee:  TBD    STUDENT SUPPLY LIST

All prices are in Canadian Dollars, are inclusive of applicable taxes and include daily lunch and snacks.

 

ADAM FIELD, born and raised in Colorado, Adam earned his BA in art from Fort Lewis College. For two years, he immersed himself in the culturally rich art scene of the San Francisco Bay Area, where he began his full-time studio practice. From there, he relocated to Maui, where he established a thriving studio business. He spent most of 2008 in Icheon, South Korea, studying traditional Korean pottery making techniques under 6th generation Onggi master Kim Ill Maan. In 2013 he created and premiered HIDE-N-SEEKAH at the NCECA conference in Houston, TX. After maintaining his studio in Durango, CO for 5 years, Adam moved to Helena, MT in 2013 where he was a long-term resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts. Adam is now a full-time studio potter in Helena, MT. His Works are included in private collections and kitchen cabinets internationally.

 

 

The waitlist for this workshop has been closed.

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