Sorry for Random Posts

Every so often I get an email from my blog of an old post. I have no idea why it happens. I certainly am not sending them. I don't know if everyone is getting them or just me. I do hope you will forgive this blog malfunction. Sorry for the unnecessary invasion!


Workshop at Mendocino Art Center

Magic things happen when a roomful of artists spend 4 days together is a beautiful, creative place. Mendocino brings out the best in people. Mendocino Art Center is the heart of this village. Art rules. We had a wonderful time, made art and new friends. I am going to miss my wonderful students and this magical place.
Mendocino Art Center main entrance.
The view from our room...lots of apartments for instructors and students.
Apartments there are clean, bright, and most importantly right near the studios!

My classroom area where we could work until 9 each night.
The grounds are beautiful.

Art is everywhere.
Flowers in Mendocino seem to generate their own light
Paper clay work was new to everyone.


And yet each person gained skills over the 4 days we worked together.

Each style unique.

Most left with work in progress.

Inspired by nature.

Flowers from the grounds.

Some with wonderful design skills.

All sculpted with creative hands.

Stylized or realistic.
Flowers never looked better.


Leaves have never been more colorful.

Poppies were popping.

Ideas were hatching.

We learned from each other.

And from nature.

Colorful iterpretations.

And meaningful memories.
Even wihtout color, the work is strong

Some work quietly away and surprise us all when suddenly beauty appears.
Colorful concepts...

By colorful people...

Like fireflies lighting up the night...

With waterlilies waiting to bllom...

Everyone practicing new skills, making new art friends and sharing their creativity.
These were the creative hands at play. I am going to miss seeing them everyday.
Sometimes in your life, everything lines up just right and you know that this is where you were meant to be in order to connect with others who share your love of art making. These art makers were here to try something new. And together, we made magic, memories and new friends. I am grateful.

Paperclay Workshop in Mendocino!



There are still a few spots left in my Paint, Paper and Paperclay Workshop at the beautiful Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, CA. This amazing venue is right in the middle of a charming, walkable, arts community north of San Francisco on the Northern California coast. I have some really fun projects lined up and a lot of new mixed media techniques to share. All skill levels, from beginners to advanced, will find this workshop intriguing and fun.

Learn to work with paper clay, acrylic paints and mediums, solvents, collage materials, and more.

Join us July 10-13 for 4 days of fun filled art making and meet new creative friends.

For more information and a materials list click here.
And to register on line click here.

 




The Burden of Guilt

I was invited to be part of a gallery show of 20 women artists doing self portraits at Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene. With this project, a portrait of myself over the past 6 months, I decided to purge what was plaguing me. 

For as long as I can remember, I have been hounded by guilt, 
as I believe most women are. Whatever I am doing, I always feel I should be doing something else. Doing something for someone, taking care of some responsibility, working on something, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, saving the world! What a burden it has been to carry. And so each time a new guilty feeling arose, I made an arrow for it. There were so many that I could not include them all. Now that I can see them, I feel sad that I have tortured myself for so long with such ridiculousness. At 64 years of age, I feel I have earned the right to let go of all the “shoulds” and stop feeling guilty. After all, this is my ONLY life, and from now on, I plan to live it for myself. 

And now I will try not to feel guilty about that.


The Burden of Guilt   24" x 36"  Paper Clay/Mixed Media
 This show is well worth seeing and runs through June 20th.




I must be crazy

I am always watching over my shoulder for that pesky Alzheimer's Disease that took my mother's brain to tea and never returned with it.  I worry that I will inherit her fate and not remember that I am me, and worse yet, that I can make art. And so each day that I forget a word, a name, why I went down 2 flights of stairs into my studio to get...what? Why I started a sentence...and then...what was my point? I forget.
I Must Be Crazy   22 x 8   Mixed Media
This and other self portraits of 20 women will be in an upcoming group show at Maude Kerns Art Center opening next Friday.

A Paper Clay Fish Tale



So...it's my husband's birthday this Saturday...and after 25 years of gift giving...I was at a loss about what to do this year. So I decided to make him some art. And about the only thing I know he would like is a fish. So I used this opportunity to experiment with making a free form paper clay piece...one that is not on a board or canvas.

I used balsa wood, matte board and tape for my backing. Unlike ceramic clay, paper clay would be too fragile and flimsy to use without a support on the back.

Below is my process. And I like how it turned out. But I need a better backing than balsa wood because it warps. But it actually gave the fish some roundness, so it worked out. But I am still on the search for a better backing material that is easy to cut.

I cut a fish form out of balsa wood and taped on, then glued the fins to it.

Then I covered it with paper clay and sculpted my fish with details.

After painting the clay with finishes, I painted it black.

Then I removed the black paint, leaving it in all the indentations.

Then I painted it with transparent acrylic paints.

To cover the back, I drew around the fish on black felt with a gel pen.

I cut out the felt and before gluing it to the back, I painted all the edges black.

I made a loop hanger out of ribbon and glued it and the felt down with wood glue.

Nice and tidy back. Important detail.

Finished fish. It's about 15" long...a good size for a fish...definitely a keeper.


New Birds at Guardino Gallery in Portland

Yellow Throated Gossiper  6x6    Paper Clay on Board


Blue Backed Nag Pie   6x6    Paper Clay on Board
Red Headed Ne'er Do Well     6x6    Paper Clay on Board
Weary Traveler  5x7    Paper Clay on Board
Waiting for Sunrise  5x7   Paper Clay on Board

Winter Solstice    5x7    Paper Clay on Board

Class Work Gallery: Paper Clay Workshop at Emerald Art Center 2014

Below you will find a wonderful display of the works done by students in my 2 day Paper Clay Workshop: Friends of a Feather. 

The first day we sculpted clay, the second day, we painted it. As you will see, these students are making some wonderful art. They are all at different skill levels, and this was new to all of them. Most of the work is still in progress, but check it out...they look really great! I am so impressed. 

I am always grateful for spending time making art with others who really want to do it. What fun. They are always the most creative, fun-loving, interesting, and passionate people.

I'm blessed.




Clay work, day one. Bas relief sculpture.


Notice how different everyone's style is.

This owl is a wonderful loose style.

And others went more stylized and modern.


The sculpting is very meditative. The room becomes quiet.

Except for someone cracking jokes occasionally.








On the second day, we paint the dried clay, beginning with contrasting colors.

Designs take form.

Darks and lights are established.

Texture appears.

Mood is created.

Style is developed.
Delicate with pale charcoal.




Whimsy and movement defined.

Blue hues create gentle quiet.

Design rules.

And then we add color...and the whimsical magic begins.

Fresh and glowing in the morning sun.

Soft, textural simplicity at the beach.

Happy, sunny spring with fresh, fragrent blossoms.
Compelling, textural drama. Wow.


Move over Picasso and Matisse. I want this on a bag!
Luminous with moonlight and color dancing.

Feel the delight in this calm summer breeze.

Elegant stillness and solitude. Peace.

Dynamic, organic and just plain cool. Even unfinished.

Lightness and light. A magic combination.

Peaceful, warm and cozy. Let's rest.
And so these are the perpetrators. Tables full of diligent art makers.
...and a lot of really fun people.

Show at Jacobs Gallery, Eugene

I will be having a show at Jacob's Gallery in Eugene with Mike Walsh, an amazing installation artist with a social conscience who uses mixed media and a lot of symbolic imagery to make his point. They put us together thinking our work had a common thread. 

This show will have a variety of works from my ongoing series, Out of My Mind, as well as from my series of Everyday Saints and Urban Jungle. The opening is January 24, 5:30-8pm at the Jacobs Gallery in the Hult Center. 

Yikes! There will be an "Artists' Talk" at 6pm.

Free Demonstration at Emerald Art Center

Nesting    Mixed Media/Paperclay on board  8x8 
Join me as I demonstrate the work we will be doing at my upcoming workshop at the end of January. I'll be at Emerald Art Center for the Springfield Artwalk this Friday evening from 5-8pm. See two  great shows and visit their Holiday Gift Shop at 500 Main Street, Springfield, Oregon.

Paper Clay Workshop at Emeral Art Center, Springfield




Join me for a 2 day Paper Clay/Mixed Media workshop:

Friends of a Feather: Paper Clay Workshop
at Emerald Art Center, Springfield, OR
Thursday and Friday, January 30 and 31, 2014
10 am - 4:30 with 1/2 hour break each day (12 hours of instruction)
150.00 members, 165.00 non-members

Create a bah-relief of a feathered friend. Learn new methods of self-expression in this fun 2-day workshop with my inventive paper clay techniques. Using Creative Paperclay®, participants will sculpt relief forms onto boards on the first day. The second day will be devoted to carving and sanding the air-dried pieces, then finishing them with gesso, acrylic paint and medium. The result is a rich, textural, wood-carved effect that leaves people wondering how it was made. This class is ideal for all levels of skill from beginner to advanced. This flexible and forgiving medium will stir your creativity. Birds make a great and simple form to work from for learning this technique. Choices of bird images will be provided. If you bring your own, please size it to fit your panel (see materials list).

Questions about workshop: mail@rogenemanas.com


Supply List (please bring exactly these items):
--Acrylic paints-- Bring what you have. If you do not already own them, you need to minimally buy a set that includes ivory black, titanium white, a cool red like Magenta, a cool yellow like Azo, and cool blue like Cyan. Or you could get a prepackaged starter set of small tubes. Do not buy student grade paints...they have weak pigments and you will not like the results (like Basic by Liquitex)
--Acrylic Matte Medium or Semigloss Medium in liquid or gel form (small container is fine)
--Paint brushes--bring brushes to use with Acrylic Paint, one small size for detail plus at least one medium size. Flats or filberts work best. We paint our entire piece with gesso and medium so you will also want a larger soft brush for that.
--1 small Wooden Cradled Panel (8x8 or 8x10)--available at Oregon Art Supply, UO Booksore. The same size canvas would also work.
--Xacto knife
--Pencil, eraser, and ball point pen
--A plastic container for water
--A palette for acrylic paint (I use an 8x10 piece of glass)
--Rolling pin or something that will work as a roller
--Tape, masking or whatever
--4 oz Creative Paper Clay (no other brand)
--Small wash cloth
--Small amount of Gesso
--Sculpting tools if you have them (I use a particular wooden tool which I will loan you)

Optional:
--letter stamps, other things to stamp into the clay (I will bring my collection of tools)
--hair dryer to speed drying times

These shared materials will be provided by the instructor:
--Carbon paper for image transfer
--Tracing Paper for sketching designs
--Plastic sheeting for clay work
--Rubbing alcohol
--Bird images
--Sandpaper
--The loan of a clay tool


Visit My New Etsy Store!


https://www.etsy.com/shop/RogeneManas

Well, at long last I have an Etsy shop. I have planned to do this for a couple of years and finally did it! You can see and purchase all of the work that will be hanging at the Lovejoy Bakers in Portland. This group of work is from my ongoing series: Inside We're All The Same. I will be hanging everything on November 1, so stop by to see my work and have some AMAZING baked goods.

Lovejoy Bakers in the Pearl District: 939 NW 10th Ave  Portland, OR 97209

Being Ok with Just Being    18x36   Mixed Media

Show at Lovejoy Bakers Opens Nov. 1

Beginning on November 1, I will have a show of work at Lovejoy Bakers in Portland, Oregon. November 1-30, 2013. It is located at 939 NW 10th, corner of 10th and Lovejoy in the Pearl District. The work in this show is part of my ongoing series called "Inside We're All The Same."  Most pieces are mixed media like the one below.

Hiding From Myself   12 x 24  Mixed Media on canvas








Day 2, Paper Clay Workshop at Collage

After sculpting the images with paper clay, we painted them on day 2.  Though nobody finished painting their pieces, take a look at how beautifully they were coming along. Check back to see finished images if they share them. What a great bunch of artists. Thank you all for your hard work!





 











Today's Paper Clay Workshop At Collage

Oh my gosh! Check out these wonderful paper clay works by today's Friends of a Feather Paper Clay Workshop! I am so inspired by my students. Each one has a different way of working. But all are headed to some wonderful pieces. Tune in tomorrow after Day 2 of the workshop when I post the final pieces. Can't wait!









Everyday Saints Class Work

Karen finished hers! Wow!
Wow! Debbi finished hers and started another!
This is "Sally Kahlo", completed by Vicki. So charming!
Valerie's Frida looks like she is glowing from within!

What a class full of talented women I had yesterday! They were so into making their artful icons. They created images that represent their feelings and aspirations with bits of paper on small canvases. It was a very inspirational day at Collage in Portland, thanks to a bunch of fun loving art makers. The best thing about teaching a class is hanging out with really fun people who just want to make art! I am so lucky.


Check out their unfinished work...even unfinished you can see they are on their way to being some mighty fine pieces. I hope they finish and share their images so I can post them here. Stay tuned.











Day of the Dead Show

These are some of the pieces I am taking to Guardino Gallery in Portland for their annual Day of the Dead Show. They are all made from paper clay plus other mixed media. The show opens on Halloween Night and runs through the month of November.

  Frida le los Muertos     Paper Clay/Mixed Media   11x14

I'll Be Seeing You    Paper Clay/Mixed Media   18 x 24  

There's No Such Thing     Paper Clay/Mixed Media  12 x 7

Let's Make Art Together!

Click here for more information about my two workshops coming up in Portland on October 10, 11 and 12! We will be making mixed media pieces using torn paper collage and paper clay.

The workshops will be held at Collage on Alberta Street in Portland...my FAVORITE mixed media store on the planet. It is a wonderful classroom space with everything you could ever want for making art... right next door.

Join us for some fun, fast and forgiving art making using my twisted techniques. There are a few spaces left.

Sample for "Everyday Saints" Workshop   "Our Lady of Careful Consideration"

Sample for "Friends of a Feather" Workshop   "Bird in Hand"



Feral: Paper clay cat sneaks into the juried "Mayor's Art Show"

Feral   Mixed Media/Paper Clay  26x20 Framed  850.00

This feral cat used to come through my yard and sit near my bird bath. If I opened the door to my studio, he would run away. So we never made friends. He has since disappeared. But I am glad I captured this image of him, hiding, or so he thought, among the budding hydrangea branches. 

This piece was recently accepted into the Mayor's Art Show and will be on display at the Jacob's Gallery beginning August 22 at the opening, throughout the weekend at the Eugene Celebration, and during the usual gallery hours.