Guest Posting Myself

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.

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!

                                 

   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!                                    

        

                                

      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!