2026 06 Ornamental Regalia: Andrea Matus deMeng at Shake Rag Alley

Regalia: The Art of Ornamental Portraits

June 4-7, 2026

Instructor: Andrea Matus

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Today is the first day in our Andrea Matus deMeng adventure as she is teaching again at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI.

Denice and I were able to take a leisurely drive to O’Hare Airport in Chicago, IL, as the flight from Vancouver is arriving at 3:00ish p.m.  Michael deMeng, Andrea’s husband, is traveling with her this trip. We met the deMengs outside Terminal 2 and we were off to Wisconsin.

Because of the timing, we decided to eat in Rockford, IL, at the Thunder Bay Grill. As it turns out, this was familiar to Andrea as evidently, she and I had eaten there on some other art adventure in the past. 

After a shopping trip to Wal-Mart in Dodgeville, WI, we were able to get everyone in their appropriate sleeping quarters.

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Denice and I had breakfast at my favorite diner in Mineral Point, The Red Rooster. After that we drove to the Lind Pavilion on the Shake Rag campus which is where the class is going to be held. We spent a half-hour unloading all of our art supplies and setting up our tables for tomorrow. 

Around 11:00 a.m. we left Andrea alone to do her class setup and took Michael to House on the Rock. HOTR is one of the weirdest places to visit in Wisconsin. You can Goggle its history but let’s just say when you are there you are walking through the extra=ordinary mind of the creator, Alex Jordan.

To see all the photos from our trip to HOTR, visit this site: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gniebuhr/albums/72177720334130282

We spent about 3 hours walking around before leaving on a buying mission for supplies for Andrea at the same Wal-Mart we were at last night.

Tonight we decided to eat out at Bob’s Bitchin Barbeque in Dodgeville. Then we headed back to Roland’s Loft were I did some reading before heading to bed. Tomorrow is the first day of class!

Thursday, June 4, 2026

Today’s breakfast was at The Pointer Cafe before heading down to the Lind Pavilion for Regalia: The Art of Ornamental Portraits. 

Here us the class description: Adornment as power: A headdress of roots and antlers, a crown of impossible flowers, a face framed like ancient architecture, regalia tells a story about identity. Working large to make an impact (16×20″ to 18×24″), merge photography with painted, drawn, stenciled, and collaged ornamentation. Learn to construct luminous surfaces, creating depth with glazes and mediums, combining collage with painted detail, and using pattern as structure and narrative. We’ll talk about balance, color, and how to give ornamental elements visual authority, plus tricks for integrating photographic elements, stenciled motifs, and hand-drawn additions. Whether you’re drawn to deities crowned in botanical glory, warriors wrapped in symbolic pattern, or totemic beings with natural elements, this workshop provides the framework to bring these visions to life. Create 2 portraits that bridge fine art and personal mythology. 

Andrea Matus de Meng

Class Sample #1

Class Sample #2

The Lind Pavilion on the Shake Rag Alley campus

Denice and I had this corner as our workspaces

Tonight Denice and I drove to Platteville to eat at the China Buffet. If there is any down side to Mineral Point is that there are just a few places to eat so we wanted some variety in our diet. 

Friday, June 5, 2026

The breakfast gang likes to meet at Cafe 43 owned by our friend Molly.

As class went on, Andrea began to work on this collage as a real-time class sample. 

Friday night the gang got to eat with the deMengs at Commerce Street Brewery in Mineral Point.

Saturday, June 6, 2026

After breakfast at The Red Rooster, we went to work all day in the pavilion. That night we had dinner at Eliza's on High Street in Mineral Point. 

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Today is critique day where our art work is celebrated with Andrea and the whole class. 

PAM

DIANE

LYNN

LAURA

MICHAEL

DENICE

After packing up the deMengs, Niebuhrs and Lynn went over to Ridgeway to the Wisconsin supper club, The Highpoint. 

Monday, June 8, 2026

Today the deMengs and Niebuhrs head to Madison, WI, where we met our art buddy Katherine Engen. We ate lunch at Bonfrye. It was great to touch base with her. 

Then it was time to drive our international friends back to O'Hare International Airport. We dropped the deMengs off at their terminal at 3:00 p.m. Denice and I were home and unpacked by 6:00 p.m.

We want to thank Andrea Matus deMeng for a great workshop. Our thanks also go to Shake Rag Alley for hosting us while we make art.

Now it is time to talk about my project for the weekend.

Because I was heading to a long distance workshop, I did some auditioning at home. This is what I came up with before packing up. I decided I wanted to collage on multiple planes this upcoming weekend. 

Auditioning is Andrea's technique for getting started with the collage. This is what I came up with once I was at Shake Rag Alley.

For my cradled board, I decided to go with some orange paper on the board. Then I decided that painting it like mud cloth would add to the mythology of the piece. 

For this project, layering would apply to both the collaging and the assembling. The other two cradled boards were also papered.

Here is how far the collage got before I did the final detailing. 

The lid of this product from Germany, Amazona steel pins, provided the theme of this collage.

Thus we have Amazona. It is 24"HX 17"W X 4"D. It consists of a 20"H X 16"W cradled board, a 12"H X 6"W cradled board, a 6"H X 6"W cradled board, jewelry, Amazona steel pin lid, furniture flourishes, cardboard, frame piece, paper and paint. 

2026 05 Lost Eyes Whose Sight Will Not Be Restored

 This is the second mask I made for the Michael deMeng on-line workshop, Mythic Masks and Junkyard Gods. 

When I was auditioning stuff in my basement to make a new mask, I came across these two toy automobiles. The black one is a Hasbro Marvel Black Panther Vehicle while the wood one appears to be a hand made soap box derby car.

More parts were harvested to create the mask. 

The basic construction can be fairly rough as there is going to be a lot more done to these parts to make it mask-like.

The derby car, without its wheels, becomes the nose. 

The curtain tie back becomes a moustache. 

Texture is added. Then it is time to paint. 

Thus we have Lost Eyes Whose Sight Will Not Be Restored. The title comes from Sue Owen's poem A Basket of Buttons. It is 14"H X 13"W X 6"D. It consists of Hasbro Marvel Black Panther Vehicle, Wood Soap Box Derby Toy, Wood Toy Wheels, Curtain Tie Back Hook, Clock Pendulums, Plastic Printer Part, Doll Eyes, Plastic Wind Up Key, Sari Ribbon and Paint.

2026 05 What Awful Joy

Photo taken at Shake Rag Alley

When I was at Karen Robison's Paper and Book Camp 2.0 at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI, I made a collage that I really liked. So that meant when I got home I wanted to find a good box to make the perfect match to the collage.

I picked this Climax Smooth Plug Tobacco Box. It is a glorious old box in the roughest shape. I decided that I would use it anyway so that meant I had to strengthen it with some Aves Clay. The nails I like to use on many of projects, in this case, helped to hold the box together. 

Thus we have What Awful Joy. The title comes from a piece of text I added to the collage. It is 16"H X 10"W X 3"D. It consists of a Climax Smooth Plug Tobacco Box, Masonite Board, Nails, 3 Hole Wood Piece, Metal Numbers, Tea Dyed Papers and Paint.