It has been a long, fast and furious few weeks and it has a long way to go.
I'm in business.....or at least, I hope I am. Cutting right to the chase here because this page is going to be a long one and there's a website to be built. My newest thing is called "Gusto Creative Vacations". Yep, no surprise here, something to do with the word "creative" again. Love of this stuff and the writing stuff and the good friend who lives in Umbria and oh my goodness....how quickly it all started to take on a life of its own.
Two week long workshops, back to back. One for creative people, you know the mixed media folks who can't throw an envelope flap that is a pretty color away, and one for writers or would-be's or wanna-be's. You know those folks. They run home every day and write it down or they don't even get that far. They pull off to the side of the road and make those crazy notes that only they can decipher. So, I don't have a lot of free time nowadays between the creating and the writing and the putting this all together but here's the first of the two weeks. Enjoy. And share. And spread the word because without students, we don't have workshops. And I'll cry.
Seeing
the amazing silk designs of Giuseppa Comodi, a talented and passionate artist
from Perugia, we will design our own silk scarves with intense colorful dyes
that are both easy to use and permanent. The Umbrian landscape and local color
will surely inspire us!
I'm in business.....or at least, I hope I am. Cutting right to the chase here because this page is going to be a long one and there's a website to be built. My newest thing is called "Gusto Creative Vacations". Yep, no surprise here, something to do with the word "creative" again. Love of this stuff and the writing stuff and the good friend who lives in Umbria and oh my goodness....how quickly it all started to take on a life of its own.
Two week long workshops, back to back. One for creative people, you know the mixed media folks who can't throw an envelope flap that is a pretty color away, and one for writers or would-be's or wanna-be's. You know those folks. They run home every day and write it down or they don't even get that far. They pull off to the side of the road and make those crazy notes that only they can decipher. So, I don't have a lot of free time nowadays between the creating and the writing and the putting this all together but here's the first of the two weeks. Enjoy. And share. And spread the word because without students, we don't have workshops. And I'll cry.
Creative
Journeys with Mixed Media
Christy
J. King is an inquisitive observer of the wonders and mysteries of the world.
She cannot remember not being curious about the way something looked, how it
moved, where it came from and, by the way, why aren’t there more colors? So
many possibilities, so many things to explore!
Having
lived in seven states (from Alaska to Massachusetts), as well as England
(twice), Norway and Germany, she has been influenced and intrigued with
landscape, culture, language and humankind. Her Master’s degree in Art
Education focused on research in left brain/right brain theory, while her
Master’s degree in Studio Art privileged her with two glorious semesters
studying in Venice, Italy- where its history, culture and arts forever captured
her inner artist.
She
has over 30 years of art teaching experience with all ages, from kindergarten
through university. The last 8 years she has taught art classes at Cape Cod
Museum of Art, focusing on a series of Creativity Studio sessions exploring and
discovering one’s inner artist. Christy believes that everyone is inherently
creative, and through various exercises and projects, one’s creativity can be
further developed, enhanced and a more vital part of everyday living.
Initially
enamored with oil painting, Christy also learned the advantages of using
acrylics and watercolors for their special properties. As an art teacher, she
has taught everything from pottery to weaving, printmaking, stained glass,
fiber works, sculpture, collage, assemblage and the traditional drawing and
painting. Her personal work now focuses on the joys, challenges and sheer fun
of mixed media arts. But art making is not enough without understanding and
appreciating its connections with history, culture, aesthetics and the basic
elements of art. Then you become immersed in a continuing journey of discovery
and enlightenment from which you will, hopefully, never recover!
Starting on Saturday, November 1, 2014 a
luxurious villa hotel in the central region of Umbria in beautiful Italy is the
setting for a week of Creative Studio
Workshops with Christy King. We’ll work
in mixed media, starting out week with the creation of a personal art journal,
one that you will use during your stay and will bring home as you continue the
journey you will have started in beautiful and inspiring Umbria. Come and be
creative, live, laugh, love and experience the hospitality of Umbria. If you
are an experienced artist, a newly creative person, or if you dream of having a
more creative life, you will find the experience to be transformative in so
many ways.
Here’s what
Christy has to say about Creative
Journeys With Mixed Media…..
We’ll
begin the week sharing ideas and possibilities for creating an artful journal
in which to record and illustrate our thoughts, revelations, inspirations, and
memories as souvenirs of our Italian immersion. Don’t worry if you think
you can’t draw or paint or make art, as I assure you that you CAN!
There are many avenues for creative expression and I will lead you on that
glorious path with a basketful of methods, techniques, and ideas. I’ll also
have examples and hand-outs to share so you can continue your creative journey
after you go home.
We’ll
work on at least four creative projects, with discussions about the process and
journey of creativity. Know that I am flexible and adaptable to changing
circumstances and ideas and suggestions, and we will have great fun in the
process! Also, everything we make is easily transportable to take home with
you.
Enhancing
our excursions to local artisans, we will explore similar projects with our own
personal expression. Visiting Paolo and Luciana Tonti, an exceptional family of
weavers in the tiny mountain village of Rasiglia, we will be inspired to weave
with both natural and man-made materials. Since weaving is essentially
interlacing strands of material, all kinds of wondrous possibilities await us!
Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are so engaging to
make and trade with friends, artists and anyone with whom you want to share a
personal connection. Using regular playing cards, create collage imagery with
selected images, quotes, poetry, names - so many possibilities! We will be using this creative form as a way
to connect with local artisans as well as with the other members of our
workshop group.
With
so many iconic artworks in Italy, let’s take that concept of memorializing something/someone
significant in a small personal icon using collage materials, paint and other
embellishments. This could start with a postcard image of a religious nature or
a photo of someone important or create your own muse to inspire you in the days
ahead. You’ll find the icons made by Danish artist, Elna Breinholt, whose
studio is in the beautiful town of Assisi, to be impressive motivation!
Who
doesn’t love jewelry? And the more personal, the better! So we’ll use wire,
beads, other embellishing materials and
Sculpey to create a brooch or pendant (or whatever you desire!) that’s your
original design! Italy is known world-wide for its stunning jewelry, so we’ll
have plenty of resources for ideas!