Artist Lisa Bebi Paint Over Demo added to the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Retreat in November 2009

Paint Over Technique, Star Glam © 2009 Lisa Bebi

We are honored to have Lisa Bebi to join us as a demo instructor for the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Retreat on November 13 - 15, 2009 in Julian, California! Get ready to have some fun and make some art.

Here is all the information. Hope you can join us!

The retreat offers a special time to make art, make new friends and reconnect with old friends.

WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:

THE FAMILY FIELD AND CONSTELLATIONS, group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
PORTRAIT PAINTING with Judith Burnett
ENCAUSTIC TECHNIQUE with Jaime Lyerly
(More details about the workshops below)

Now Added!
PAINT OVER DEMO with Lisa Bebi
See Lisa's innovative Paint Over Technique on her blog, Pimp my Spleen, and in Somerset Studio's Workshop Volume 4.

When: November 13, 14, 15, 2009

Where: Camp Stevens in Julian
1108 Highway 78
Julian, CA 92036
Phone: (760)765-0028
We will be staying in the new Wolterstorff Lodge.

Fee: A $135 (member), $155 (non-member) or $180 (retreat plus basic membership) fee covers registration, 2 nights and 5 meals (organically grown and prepared by Camp Stevens), and all workshop fees. Note: There might be a small materials fee.

Directions:
From San Diego: Take highway 67 to Ramona, then Highway 78 east to Julian. Camp Stevens is located 2 miles east of Julian on State Highway 78.
There is a “Camp Stevens” entrance sign on the left side of the highway exactly 2 miles from Julian.

REGISTER EARLY!
A deposit of $35 (refundable before November 6, 2009) is required to secure your reservation, and the full amount of $135, $155 or $180, is due at registration.

Registered participants will receive a detail map, a packing list, schedule, and other details via mail. Please let us know if you require a special diet, or have physical restrictions.

Note: There is no cell phone service.

Workshop Descriptions:
(A WCA/SD membership is NOT required to participate in the retreat)

The family field and constellations; group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
There is a “life force” that flows through families, generation after generation. This force is one, which relates family member’s to each other. This is part of the family field of consciousness. We call it the Family Soul. Ellen will be facilitating a healing session which works with the energetic patterns held within the family. Come ready to heal and restore balance to your body, mind, and soul. The time spent together during this workshop will most likely change your view of yourself, humanity, and your family in a way that fosters more love, compassion, health, and vitality.

Portrait Painting in oils with Judith Burnett
You will learn a basic portrait painting technique. You will learn how to pose your model in order to get a good likeness and a satisfying painting; what materials and colors you will need, and how to mix and apply your paint.

Encaustic painting with Jaime Lyerly
Encaustic is beeswax, damar resin and pigment applied to a surface hot and fused using heat. You will be learning the basic techniques of encaustic painting is this workshop. We will cover history, materials, substrates, tools and safety. We will explore layering, collage, incising, embedding, and transfers. There will be plenty of time for hands-on experimentation. Bring your own collage elements and get ready to try this “hot” way of painting. (see more of my encaustic work)

About Camp Stevens and WCA/SD retreat
We will stay in the new Wolterstorff Lodge, which is built from the ashes of the Bishop’s Lodge; destroyed in the “Angel Fire” in September 15, 2007. The lodge has 24 beds; 4 six person rooms with shared bath, and a meeting room with a fireplace. Outdoor Facilities include a tree house, outdoor chapel and other outdoor meeting and gathering spaces. Visitors can also enjoy a swim in the pool (seasonal), a stroll in the botanical garden, games on the lawns, basketball and volleyball, or an evening campfire.

For more information, or to register for the Retreat, contact Jen Bottoms at (619) 892-3429 or via email.

If you missed my encaustic workshop in Escondido, you can join me for this one! Hope to see you there.

Happy Art Making! See you at the Retreat! ~ Jaime Lyerly

5 Art Actions for Busy Artists to Ignite the Creative Spark and Keep it Burning Bright

"I'm so busy!"
"I have no time to make art!"
"If there were only __ more hours in the day, then I could make art!"
"I'm so tired after my long day, all I can do is watch TV..."
"My brain is fried... how am I supposed to be creative, NOW?"

I have heard them all before. I have SAID them many, many times. And with this semester's schedule, I really don't have much time to make art. I am so busy that all you will get in this post is words, not how to pictures. So what can we do to keep the creative fires burning or ignite the creative spark that has dwindled? ART ACTIONS to the Rescue!

My idea of Art Actions are a modified version of SARK's Micro-movements, laid out in her book Make Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day (and awesome book with a ridiculously long title!). Micro-movements are about making an movement toward your goal by doing actions that take no longer than 5 minutes. Each action gets you moving without the pressure of having to do it all. Brilliant! To learn more about how SARK helps artists and writers, Click here to visit Planet SARK.

Art Actions are my own way of tricking myself into making time for art. Even though I love to make art, it can be overwhelming to even get started on project - especially working in encaustic which takes me 45 minutes even to set up and heat my wax! While these Art Actions make take longer than 5 minutes, help push you towards bigger and more complex projects, while keeping the creative fires burning. They also can BECOME larger projects or a series if you love what you are doing. Or they just can be a way to keep your hands moving. I admit to doing all of these Art Actions while watching movies with my family. TV time gives me about 1 - 2 hours worth of uninterrupted creating time. Not bad!

The trick is NOT to put pressure on yourself to make art. These are just exercises, like word association and free writing for writers or blind contour line drawings for figure artists. Onto the actions....

Top 5 Art Actions to Ignite the Creative Spark:

1. Organic shape cut outs
Materials: exacto knife, cutting mat, Bristol board or thicker colored paper

Action: Grab an exacto knife and some paper and start cutting. No straight lines; no rulers; no thought. Keep flowing like a smooth line of charcoal, and see what shapes come from your subconscious. Cut out a shape; put it aside. Cut another one out. Cut out a hole in that one. But no trying to make it look like anything! That can come later, if desired.

2. Abstract Oil Pastel coloring
Materials: Oil Pastels, smooth paper (such as Bristol board or poster board)

Action: Choose a pastel, and scribble on the paper. I call oil pastels "adult crayons" because they have all the excitement of being able to lay down color quickly and easily like crayons, but use artist grade materials instead. So color all over the paper and then when it is filled with color, blend them using your fingers covered in paper towel. Again, don't stress about what flows on the page. I lean towards abstract color blotches because the moment I try to do something with a figure or object, it becomes too analytical. Try coloring in the organic shapes that were cut from Bristol board.

3. Paper art re-purposing
Materials: Old art, drawing exercises, or "failed attempts" on paper, acrylic or mat medium, brush, substrate (board, canvas or paper)
Optional: Scissors

Action: Have lots of art that didn't turn out as expected? Rip it up and make it into something new. I choose to rip things up because it is freeing to separate it from its original intent of being art. Now it is just a scrap of paper - nothing intimidating about that! Glue down the ripped pieces onto a blank piece of paper, canvas or board. Or you can add it directly to another "failed attempt." It is wonderfully freeing. The pictures can become a background for something else, but don't stress about that now. Just rip and glue it down with the mat medium.

4. Stamp Carving
Materials: Blank soft rubber carving blocks, carving tools, pencil
Optional: Transfers or images, tracing paper

Action: Stamp carving is so much fun! It requires a little more attention to what you are doing so you don't cut yourself, so make sure that the TV show you are watching isn't too enthralling. I found this wonderful Stamp Carving Tutorial which will help you with the basics. Personally, I don't do transfers onto the block; I draw and then carve using one of two bits. These are addictive. I wait until I have more time to actually ink the stamp and use it.

5. Intuitive Knitting
Materials: Yarn and knitting tool of your choice (mine is the Knifty Knitter)

Action: Grab your favorite yarn and knitting tool and start knitting. Leave all your patterns and stitch counting for another time. Just explore what the shapes you can make with your tool and the rhythm of your stitch. I set limits for myself to work in; such as one type of yarn, and use a 8 inch rectangular Knifty Knitter loom. Just knit. Have curiosity about what is going on with the piece, but don't try to force it into any shape - especially into something functional! That is the easiest way to kill the creative spirit is to try to give it a function. They can become fiber art pieces later, or hidden inside something bigger...it is up to you!

Ready to ignite the creative spark? Try one of these Art Actions! Turn off your analytical mind, send your inner art critic out on an errand and intuitively make something. It is the act of creating, even for a few minutes that will keep you connected to your art even on your busiest days.

Your Turn: Try one of these Art Actions or one of your own design. What kind of Art Actions do you do to keep your creativity alive? Sketching? Collage? Sewing? Taking apart typewriters? Whatever it is, keep doing it! And share it here with us. I would love to hear your ways to keep the fires burning so that when you do have time, it flows out into beautifully crafted art.

Happy Creating! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Art Marketing tip - Facebook fan pages: what, why, and how

Studio working photo that was only on my Facebook Fan Page until now, © 2009 Jaime Lyerly

Facebook Fan Pages got you confused? You are not alone. Get all the details about Facebook Fan pages by Artist Lisa Call forwarded from the Art Biz Coach in this informative and easy to read article.

Facebook fan pages: what, why, and how

Posted using ShareThis

I have a Facebook Fan page for my own art, but as the article states, it doesn't show the notifications if anyone posts on the fan page. Therefore, I have to remember to check and see if anyone commented on my work. I have been promising pictures of my wood project as a work in progress, and now it is almost complete. I just need to add some hardware to the back of the piece, and finally call it done. So you may not get a work in progress, but you will get to see start to finish on it via pictures. I also post more pictures of studio working shots on my fan page than I do on my blog or personal Facebook page.

There are not clear and distinct lines drawn for my personal Facebook page and my Fan page. I post lots of calls to artists and art marketing tips on my personal page. My blog feeds to both pages. The reason to have a Fan page for me is that it is the only place on Facebook that is ONLY about my art and art related activities. I also run a Fan follower drawing just like I do on this blog.

I do complaining about my schedule, talking about life, silly quizzes and general chit-chatting on my personal page. I talk about my art and interact with people interested in my art on both pages. But only on my fan page to I do fan drawings and post more studio pictures. So to paraphrase the article, become my fan to learn more about my art; friend me on my personal page to see the whole me.

Your Turn:
Do you already have a Facebook Fan page? If so, how do you distinguish it from a personal page? Drawings? Special for fans only drawings? More pictures? Video? I would love to hear your ideas on what makes a Fan page special. When you have created a Facebook Fan page, send me a request to become your fan!

Until then, Happy art and Fan page making! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Call for Artists - Conrad Wilde Gallery Submissions

Conrad Wilde Gallery is accepting submissions for their upcoming shows, including the 5th annual Encaustic exhibit. Their focus is contemporary and encaustic work from emerging and established artists.

Deadlines are mostly in October 2009, so you (and I) must hurry to get these submissions in.

Conrad Wilde Gallery Submissions

Posted using ShareThis

Good Luck to us all! ~ Jaime Lyerly

8th Annual Customer Art Contest at DANIEL SMITH: Artists’ Materials – $1,500 Gift Certificate for the Winner!

Deadline is February 2010, so there is still lots of time for this opportunity. Check it out.

8th Annual Customer Art Contest at DANIEL SMITH: Artists’ Materials – $1,500 Gift Certificate for the Winner!

Posted using ShareThis

~ Jaime Lyerly

Still time to REGISTER for the Women's Caucus for Art/San Diego (WCA/SD) RETREAT for 2009!

There is still time to REGISTER for the 12th ANNUAL Women's Caucus for Art/San Diego (WCA/SD) RETREAT for 2009!

Here is all the information from the WCA/SD Retreat Coordinator Jen Bottoms:

The retreat offers a special time to make art, make new friends and reconnect with old friends.

WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:

THE FAMILY FIELD AND CONSTELLATIONS, group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
PORTRAIT PAINTING with Judith Burnett
ENCAUSTIC TECHNIQUE with Jaime Lyerly
(More details about the workshops below)

When: November 13, 14, 15, 2009

Where: Camp Stevens in Julian
1108 Highway 78
Julian, CA 92036
Phone: (760)765-0028
We will be staying in the new Wolterstorff Lodge.

Fee: A $135 (member), $155 (non-member) or $180 (retreat plus basic membership) fee covers registration, 2 nights and 5 meals (organically grown and prepared by Camp Stevens), and all workshop fees. Note: There might be a small materials fee.

Directions:
From San Diego: Take highway 67 to Ramona, then Highway 78 east to Julian. Camp Stevens is located 2 miles east of Julian on State Highway 78.
There is a “Camp Stevens” entrance sign on the left side of the highway exactly 2 miles from Julian.

REGISTER EARLY!
A deposit of $35 (refundable before November 6, 2009) is required to secure your reservation, and the full amount of $135, $155 or $180, is due at registration.

Registered participants will receive a detail map, a packing list, schedule, and other details via mail. Please let us know if you require a special diet, or have physical restrictions.

Note: There is no cell phone service.

Workshop Descriptions:
(A WCA/SD membership is NOT required to participate in the retreat)

The family field and constellations; group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
There is a “life force” that flows through families, generation after generation. This force is one, which relates family member’s to each other. This is part of the family field of consciousness. We call it the Family Soul. Ellen will be facilitating a healing session which works with the energetic patterns held within the family. Come ready to heal and restore balance to your body, mind, and soul. The time spent together during this workshop will most likely change your view of yourself, humanity, and your family in a way that fosters more love, compassion, health, and vitality.

Portrait Painting in oils with Judith Burnett
You will learn a basic portrait painting technique. You will learn how to pose your model in order to get a good likeness and a satisfying painting; what materials and colors you will need, and how to mix and apply your paint.

Encaustic painting with Jaime Lyerly
Encaustic is beeswax, damar resin and pigment applied to a surface hot and fused using heat. You will be learning the basic techniques of encaustic painting is this workshop. We will cover history, materials, substrates, tools and safety. We will explore layering, collage, incising, embedding, and transfers. There will be plenty of time for hands-on experimentation. Bring your own collage elements and get ready to try this “hot” way of painting. (see more of my encaustic work)

About Camp Stevens and WCA/SD retreat
We will stay in the new Wolterstorff Lodge, which is built from the ashes of the Bishop’s Lodge; destroyed in the “Angel Fire” in September 15, 2007. The lodge has 24 beds; 4 six person rooms with shared bath, and a meeting room with a fireplace. Outdoor Facilities include a tree house, outdoor chapel and other outdoor meeting and gathering spaces. Visitors can also enjoy a swim in the pool (seasonal), a stroll in the botanical garden, games on the lawns, basketball and volleyball, or an evening campfire.

For more information, or to register for the Retreat, contact Jen Bottoms at (619) 892-3429 or via email.

If you missed my encaustic workshop in Escondido, you can join me for this one! Hope to see you there.

Happy Art making! ~ Jaime Lyerly