Archives: Past-workshops

Collagraph Printmaking: Experimental Image Making with Texture

This is a 5-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Explore this unique and creative approach to printmaking to produce richly textured and embossed images on paper. A collagraph is a print made from a collage of a variety of materials glued onto a plate. Textural found materials are adhered to matte board and then inked and printed to create intricately sophisticated images.

In this 5-day workshop students learn how to use the tools and materials required to create their own collagraph plates, work on their composition with the instructor, and explore various ways to ink and print single and multiple plates using a hand-pulled press. There will be time for experimenting with colour and layering images.

This course is suitable as an introduction to printmaking or for artists who want to explore a new technique. Students familiar with this technique will be able to experiment with imagery under the mentorship of the instructor.

Material fee includes supplies provided by instructor.  See student supply list for further details.

A Bookbinding Sampler

This is a 5-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

This is an introduction to the fundamentals of hand bookbinding.   Students will be sewing and binding 2 different book structures, a German case biding and a more advanced Bradel binding. In addition students will be decorating paper using  traditional paste paper techniques, the results of which will be used on your books.

Finally, students will learn the basics of box making as you construct and cover a clamshell box to house both your bindings.  In this way you will amaze your friends and be left with skills for tackling future projects with a small kit of readily available tools.

Material fee includes supplies that will be provided by instructor.  See student supply list for further details.

Seascape/Landscape/Cityscape in Clay

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

This weekend course focuses on making 3-dimensional clay wall tiles, with the natural beauty of the West Coast shoreline/majestic forest as the source of our inspiration as well as a source of our tools. Also explored will be the interpretation of the environment in which each student lives, and how to express that particular place through similar
methods with clay.

Each morning the class will go on short walks through the forests and shoreline collecting natural treasures such as bark, twigs, shells, rocks, ferns… These found “tools” can be used to texture and decorate the wall tiles. As well, the student will explore ways to enhance and finish the pieces with “store bought” and “homemade” underglazes. Attention will also be paid to the environment from where the student comes, with discussion of possible textures and images that might be used to depict their unique environment. Frames and mounting will also be briefly discussed.

Material fee includes supplies provided by instructor.  See student supply list for further details.

**THERE IS ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT IN THIS WORKSHOP!**

Painting Expressive Portraits in Oils

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Learn to paint portraits full of life and expression.

Starting with short painting exercises, you will learn to mix colours that convey vibrant skin tones. Step-by-step, you’ll discover simple techniques for mixing tones that communicate the subtleties of skin as it appears in light and shadowed areas of the face – an essential skill that will give your portraits a sense of dimension and drama.

Building on these skills, you will create a full portrait painting from the ground up using provided reference photos (or students may bring their own).

You will begin with an underpainting process (or ‘imprimatura’), using measuring techniques to resolve the face’s proportions and general likeness. General shadow tones of the face will then be indicated with this paint, showing the faces three-dimensional nature before layering colour.

As you mix general areas of colour we will place an emphasis on value and temperature. Using ‘alla prima’ techniques and a ‘tiling method’ you’ll being to block in general skin-tones on the face. As you progress through your painting, you’ll receive hands-on instruction, helping add nuance and just the right amount of detail. Finally, through demonstrations and feedback, students will add indications of emotion to bring a sense of meaning to their piece. Along the way the instructor will provide tips and tricks about directional brushwork, colour subtleties and tonal values.

You’ll come away from this course with the tools you need to paint your own captivating portraits in oils!

Material fee includes supplies that will be provided by instructor.  See student supply list for further details.

Experiment with Cyanotypes

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Cyanotypes are the oldest form of photography, first used to document plant specimens by Victorian botanists. These camera-less images are a simple, safe, and ecologically friendly technique, which encourage experimentation and spontaneity. Participants will make Cyanotype prints from locally gathered plants using three different techniques during this fun and exploratory, two-day workshop. We will learn the basic chemistry required to prepare surfaces for cyanotype printing, as well as exposure timings and methodologies, experimental approaches, and developing, toning and drying prints.

The first day of the workshop will be devoted to making both traditional and contemporary cyanotypes. The second day will be an opportunity for participants to explore the techniques of their individual interest, with the support of the instructor. The workshop will end with a sharing and talking about results. Cyanotypes are especially suited for working with botanical materials, but many objects, transparent or opaque can also be used to make images, including high-contract transparencies.

Cyanotypes are a non-toxic, hands-on photographic printmaking method that is suitable for photographers of all ability levels. This session includes all of the supplies needed to create these prints. Participants are also asked to bring their own naturally obtained materials, such as leaves, feathers, lace, flowers, and other items that may be utilized to produce markings and shapes on their prints. Other materials will be provided by instructor and will be included in the Material Fee.

Throwing: Improve Your Skills!

This is a 2-day workshop. Classes run from 9 – 4 pm and includes daily lunch.

The focus of this workshop is on the potter who has developed some throwing skills but would like to advance their skills.

Techniques such as throwing taller forms, making beautiful bowls, and more complex forms such as teapots, will be demonstrated and explored. Throwing assignments will be tailored to the individual students personal goals.

Millefiori Garden in Polymer Clay

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9 – 4pm with daily lunch included.

Discover your inner flower-child.

Join me on a discovery of colour and clay to create your own fantasy garden. Learn to create a variety of flowers and leaves in Polymer Clay in the Millefiori technique.  You will also learn to use those patterns to create a colourful garden collage on a flexible sheet that you can use in a variety of ways.

Improv for Well-Being and Connection

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

In this workshop, we will build group connection and cultivate creativity, using the principles of improvised theatre. Improv is not only a great way to be joyfully creative, it is also an impactful tool for personal growth. In this workshop we will play games that stretch our minds, deepen group connection, encourage self-expression, move our bodies, and fill the room with laughter. We will take time throughout to reflect on our explorations as we rediscover the joy and benefits of play. This is not a performance based workshop and no improv/theatre experience is needed!

Each day will begin with games to warmup our minds and bodies and reconnect as a group. From there we will dig deeper into themes such as active listening, storytelling, spontaneity, and embracing failure using improv games, as well as a variety of other techniques using the environment we are in.

Workshop Outcomes:
• Feel the impact of the phrase “Yes, and” vs “Yeah, but”
• Take risks in a fun and safe environment
• Have time to reflect on your experience in a variety of ways
• Gain a deeper connection with your group in a short amount of time
• … and enjoy some deep belly laughs!

“Brett is talented at creating safe spaces for people to step outside their comfort zone and be vulnerable. I love how she seamlessly weaves the core principles of Improv into personal and professional development. You emerge a better human and don’t even know it because you were laughing the whole time.” -Ame-Lia T.