Upcoming WORKSHOP at the WINERY

I'm excited to be planning another Watercolor Workshop at the Wolf Creek Winery, in Norton, Ohio.

This year's workshop will be a 3-day event, August 16-18, 2017.

The cost of the 3-day workshop is $250.  This tuition includes lunch and beverages each day, with wine in the afternoon, of course!

To sign up for this workshop, you can REGISTER with DEPOSIT here.

Our three projects will include prisms and patterns, gardens and grids, bouquets and black background, fruit and flowers.

And, as always -- ALL SKILL LEVELS WELCOME.

After you register for the workshop, I will send you a recommended supply list.  If you have any questions, please contact me at:  thepaintedprism@gmail.com

Upcoming PAINTED PRISM ART RETREAT in Estes Park, Colorado

There is still time to register for this fun retreat!  

We now have a few openings because of two cancellations.

Join us for 3 days and 4 nights in beautiful Estes Park -- 

to paint and create, to rest and rejuvenate, to learn and share.

All skill levels welcome -- 

TO REGISTER, with a deposit of $200, click here.

The balance of $350 will be due by July 1st,

or

a balance of $250 (early-bird) will be due by May 31.

All the supplies for the retreat are included in the tuition -- 

which also includes breakfast and lunch every day,

beverages throughout the day (wine in the evenings), 

and a yoga class every morning (if you're interested).

We will be staying and painting and playing here at a beautiful private mountain retreat in Estes Park -- set on 30 acres, with a private lake and gorgeous mountain views.

Your lodging is separate from the tuition. 

Come join us for 3 full days and 4 nights 

(Thursday afternoon until Monday morning)

 to learn, explore, and expand your talents, ideas, and creativity 

in this relaxed and friendly environment.

Thursday, 7/20 -- Check in between 3 and 6 pm.  Welcome Reception at 5 pm.

Friday through Sunday, 7/21-23 -- Our days will begin with a light breakfast, coffee, and tea.

Then, relaxing movement/exercise -- yoga, a jog, or a walk around the grounds.

        

The Art Workshops will start each day at 9:30 am.  We will be involved in art lessons and  projects for 5+ hours each day -- with time out for lunch.

At the end of each day, we will gather together at the main house -- for sharing, reflecting, story-telling, connecting -- and enjoying a glass of wine.

To Register for the Painted Prism Art Retreat:

- You can secure your spot at this retreat, by paying a deposit of $200, HERE.   The early bird balance of $250 will be due by May 31, 2017.  Or, the full balance of $350 will be due by July 1, 2017.

- You can also register by contacting Pat Howard at:  thepaintedprism@gmail.com

- Once you register for the retreat and pay the $200 deposit, you will receive an e-mail from us, describing how to book your lodging for the retreat.  

- At the present time, we have two cabins still available.  This cost is separate from the tuition, but very affordable.

2017 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Excited to announce the dates of my workshops and retreat this year:

More details will follow -- and, registration is not yet open for any of these -- but, I did want to let you all know the dates.

Painted Prism Art Retreat -- in Estes Park, Colorado -- July 20 - 24, 2017

This was such a success and so much fun, that we are doing this again this year.  Cheri Miller Thurston (my partner in creativity) and Mo Garrity (our yoga instructor and caterer) will be helping me out once again!

This will begin on Thursday afternoon, July 20th, and end on Monday morning, July 24th.


Workshop at the Winery -- Wolf Creek Winery, Norton, Ohio -- August 16 - 18, 2017

This year, the workshop will be expanded to three days!  So, it will be held in the winery's Great Room, on Wednesday, 8/16, Thursday, 8/17, & Friday, 8/18.  We will end each day in the winery's Tasting Room!


Watercolor Workshop -- Durango, Colorado -- September 15 - 17, 2017

Since I will not have a house and studio in Durango in September (we are moving to Littleton), this workshop will now be held at a friend's beautiful house/studio near Vallecito Lake.

This year, the workshop will be one day shorter, as well, so it will be a 3-day workshop -- Friday, 9/15 through Sunday, 9/17.

Watch for more details!

A Look Back at 2016

In looking back at the year 2016, I have to say that it was the worst year of my life.  And, March of 2016 was by far, the worst month of my life.  That was the month that I lost my oldest son, my first-born child -- after he suffered a massive heart attack.  He was only 45.

Todd, 2nd from the left -- with his three brothers

This is not the place to go on about what a devastating loss this was.  All of us who knew and loved him are forever changed.

But, he touched many people's lives, not just my own -- and was an inspiration to so many.
This was true while he was alive, is still true now, and will continue to be true, way into the future.

We all wear our orange TODDSTRONG wristbands every day, to remind ourselves what he was all about.

Todd was a big supporter of my work and my blog, so I continued with my workshops.  I couldn't bring myself to do much painting or blogging, I'm afraid -- but, I did manage to have three successful workshops last year.

The First Annual Art Retreat in Estes Park, Colorado

We had an amazing group of 18 women, and everyone had a great time.  We will definitely do it again in 2017!

Here I am, preparing 18 little palettes for everyone -- that was A LOT of squeezing!

Here are a few scenes from the retreat:

A yoga session every morning, in the crisp mountain air.

Painting a Color Wheel Mandala

...

Our yoga teacher, Mo, also prepared a healthy and delicious lunch for us every day.

The Art Studio

The 3rd Annual Workshop at the Winery in Norton, Ohio

This workshop has become a lovely and fun tradition --

Cheers!

We paint in a beautiful big room at the winery, surrounded by lots of windows

We have a core group of people, who attend the Ohio workshop each year -- largely, made up of friends and family.  And, each year, a few new students sign up -- and quickly become friends and part of the core group.  

 

In 2017, I will be expanding this workshop to three days, since two days never seems enough!

My Last Durango Workshop at my Home/Studio

It was a bittersweet 4 days, for a lot of reasons.  This was my last workshop at my home/studio in Durango -- after 11 years!  We will be moving in the spring of 2017, to Littleton, Colorado.  I'll be happy to be much closer to my kids and grandkids, but it was sad to say goodbye to all the ladies that I've come to know over the years, through my workshops.  

The good news is that I will still be offering a Durango workshop in September of 2017. My friend and fellow artist, Diana Willson, has graciously offered to host a 3-day workshop at her beautiful home/studio at Vallecito Lake, near Durango.  Yea!

Some shots of the 4-day workshop:

TUTORIAL PDFs

This year, I also started offering some of my step-by-step tutorials as PDFs, and will try to offer more of these for sale, in 2017.  I currently am offering 6 of these, including the following:

PORTRAIT COMMISSIONS

Two of the portrait commissions I was able to complete this year:

Braylon

Marni

Looking Forward to the NewYear

- I just hit 1,000,000 views on my blog, so I'm looking forward to continuing my posts and tutorials.

- I was accepted into the Colorado Governor's Show, which will be in April/March.  More on that later!

- Workshops planned for Estes in July, Ohio in August, and Durango in September.  Dates will be posted in a few weeks, and details for each will follow shortly thereafter.

- My on-line mentoring course continues, with more students all the time.

- And, lots of family time!

We all showed up to watch my son, Zach, paint a mural at Columbine Gallery in August.

The entire family went to the Bronco game in Denver, on a cold night in November -- even Todd was there with us!

I thank everyone -- all my readers, followers, students, family, and friends -- for your patience, understanding, love, and support!!!

Durango Watercolor Workshop - Day Four

On the last day of my 4-day workshop, we painted "From the Ground Up" fantasy landscapes.

After dividing the paper into 5 uneven sections, we painted a graded wash -- blue to rose to yellow -- for the underpainting.

After painting the underpainting, everyone chose a reference strip for the foreground, and began painting "from the ground up".

After painting the foreground panel, everyone chose another reference strip, and painted the next panel.

Time for a lunch break . . . 

After lunch, everyone moved up to the middle ground section . . . 

 . . . and on up to the top background/sky sections.

At the end of the day, we gathered to share our creations.  This is not the only way to approach painting a landscape, but it sure was fun!

Thanks, ladies -- the workshop was so much fun!  This is the last workshop I will have in my home in Durango, since we will be moving in the spring.  But, we weren't too sad because I already have plans to have a Durango workshop next September, at my friend Diana's house.  So, I will see you all next year!