Now it is time for me to teach my annual assemblage class at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI. This year I have selected the subject Portrait Assemblage. Here is the course description:
"Our goal in this workshop is to combine the art of portraiture with assemblage. You want to use images that capture a person in a particular moment of time, building a stage for the meaning, emotions and characteristics. Bring images that focus on a special likeness, personality or expression that seeks exploration. We will be mounting the images on assembled objects of your choice. Special challenge: Bring an image of yourself that you want to use to reveal your own story. Gary will be teaching the basics of photo transfers, assemblage construction and mixed media techniques and will be providing all the tools, mediums and lots of objects to help grow your art project! Three days, free crap, cool art, and lots of fun."
Denice and I drove out to Mineral Point with a van full of supplies and tools on Wednesday, September 25th. We just wanted to unload the van and set up the next day but the flow got going and we did maybe 75% of the set up a day early.
The north end of the Lind Pavilion is my classroom, tool area and supply depot.
We cover the tables so that the participants do not get junk drunk before we even start.
The south end of the Lind is for the 21 students to work. They each get their own table.
Dinner this night was going to be a new restaurant for us--The Hi Point Supper in Ridgeway, WI. We had a special guest sitting with his back to us all night at the next table--former Wisconsin Badger football coach and Athletic Administrator Barry Alvarez.
We used Thursday to refine out set up of the workshop. As the day progressed, participants started to show up to set up their own tables in the workshop. We ended up going back to the Hi Point this night with Katherine Engen, Pam Rogalski and Gail Willert.
By 9:00 a.m. on Friday the participants have moved onto the workshop tables
Class samples by Lynn Ovenden, Andrea Matus deMeng, Karla Fuller and Michael deMeng
The class gathers for the opening lecture
After the lecture in the morning the participants were free to roam all the junk I brought to combine with the junk they brought into their projects.
Gail Willert helped out with a momigami workshop and some physical warmups to keep us loose
Photo by Denice
Here are some photos of the participants and the work that they did over three days:
Cris made a necklace with a little toy plane
Cris's photo assemblages
Barbara
Amy
Lynn
Katherine
Pam
Jean
Karen
Gail
Theresa
Sarah
Mara
Marcia
Kristine
Chris
Kathy
Lynn
Stefan
Christy (far left)
Karen
I want to thank all the participants in the Portrait Assemblage workshop for their artful efforts. Thanks also go to Shake Rag Alley and all the staff who make teaching at Shake Rag a pure joy.
Due to an unfortunate illness to the instructor, the next class at Shake Rag (that was supposed to start the night mine closed) was cancelled. Through a number of suggestions, Shake Rag created a three day Assemblage Mixed Media Studio that I was to lead. This meant that participants can choose to either hear the Portrait Assemblage workshop blah-blah again or go their own way in an open studio.
Another idea popped up: maybe some of the Portrait Assemblage participants would like to stay. Some did. On Monday we had 11 people in the Lind Pavilion working in various directions.
Here is the work done by those who choose to sign up for the full three days:
Beth
This sweet little piece by Beth went home with Denice and I
Bruce
Diane
Lynn
Both sessions of the workshops had the opportunity to visit my Portrait Assemblage exhibition at the Green Lantern Studios which was coming to an end. Here are some pictures from the exhibition space taken by Denice.
I want to thank all the art patrons who purchased art from this exhibition. I am very happy to say that 14 pieces sold. I want to thank Carol and Richard at Green Lantern Studios for their support of the art community.
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