EncaustiCamp 2011

In recent posts I have mentioned that I was working on teaching workshops in the future as well as working on a project with Patricia Seggebruch…well, the time has come for the official announcement. Patricia is not only a woman of grand vision, but she is also blessed with the gumption to follow through with her visions. Her latest dreamchild is something she is calling EncaustiCamp which will take place July 13-17, 2011 on the outskirts of Salem, Oregon. Oregon, here I come!

Click on the link above to go to the official site to read about the retreat and find out about the workshops. The idea behind Patricia’s desire to create this retreat is this:

Encausticamp is about everyone; encaustic artists, mixed media afficionados, experimenters extraordinaire and all form of crafts persons alike! This retreat is about going beyond the borders of encaustic art and opening welcome arms to the art and craft world at large so as to expose the beauty, versitility, accessibility and intense pleasure of this multi-media friend to all walks of artist, crafter, experimenter.

There will be six instructors, myself, Patricia, Crystal Neubauer, Michelle Belto, Jan Harris, and Judy Wise. We are sharing what we do in our own studios and hoping to bring our love of the wax medium to people who are curious about the medium and have never tried it before,to people who have experience and who may want to learn new ways to combine encaustic with different media. There will also be six assistants for each workshop-Mary Beth Shaw, Megan Anderson, Christine Webb, Sue Simpson, Deryn Mentock, and Tonia Davenport who will be assisting me with my workshop.

Patricia is all about inclusion and I am honored to have been invited to teach and share what I know. Together we came up with the idea to combine my two passions- book making and encaustic. I will be teaching a 1 day workshop, that I will teach each of the three days, entitled A Book of Images and Wax

encaustic and mixed media accordian book

The past few months I have been obsessed with combining encaustic and paper as well as creating different book forms with encaustic as a main player. It has been so fun. Experimentation. Discovery. Those beloved Aha! moments.

a little photo montage of some book art that I was working on back in November. The top two images are from a coptic bound book filled with encaustic and mixed media pages. The covers are encaustic as well. The bottom image is of a triptych book in which the covers open up to be the two side panels.

I also worked on a book of plaster, encaustic and paper that is hanging from the rafters in my studio right now. Working on another one right now. Well, working on it in my head, I haven’t had too much studio time so far this year.

I am so excited to be part of Patricia’s dream and to be sharing what I know and have learned through the years of working with encaustic. While teaching art workshops is a new endeavor for me, I used to teach and provide speech and language services in special education…totally different worlds, but the principle is the same.

The other day when I was at my son’s preschool there was a big sign up in the front hallway that simply said, “The essence of Teaching is Giving”. That really spoke to me and I am ready to give it all that I’ve got. Come join us!

Oh and did I already mention that it’s in my beloved Pacific Northwest!! I can’t wait!