Showing posts with label Kanuga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kanuga. Show all posts

3/31/09

WORKSHOP

The past week, actually seven full days, was spent painting in a beautiful wooded area on a small lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. It was very special, living in a cabin with a wood burning fireplace, eating meals each day with 300 other artists, and enjoying the creative energies that flowed there at Kanuga. This was my tenth year at Kanuga, and next year we'll be celebrating the 25th anniversary of watercolor/watermedia workshops there.

Mike Bailey from California flew in for the week and did a watercolor demo for the whole group on Monday evening. Next year, he'll be one of the instructors at Kanuga.

This August, future participants will select their instructor for 2010, choosing from twelve unique artists. Nick Simmons will also be one of our instructors, teaching how he uses fluid acrylics. You can check out all the teachers here. Be sure to email them to send you the info and registration before August if you're interested in attending. The classes fill up very fast.

Miles Batt added four days worth of art instruction to my brain, but it's not all soaked in yet. He's amazing. AMAZING. Should be a National Treasure. He's brilliant and way beyond most artists' thinking, including mine. It was tough to keep up with him, and I don't think many people will ever be able to figure out how he thinks. So creative!

The last two days of the workshop, we enjoyed being with a smaller sized group of artists painting on our own, with individual consultations from a couple of well respected professional artists, Carrie Burns Brown and Linda Baker. Their guidance will make a good difference in my future work. Linda will also be one of the instructors next year. Next year's line up of teachers is really good.

Soon, I hope to post some of my work painted during the week. One of my paintings was a throw away, one very mundane, a couple are ok, but there's one that I am absolutely nuts about.

The little green cabin was where our classroom was. Hollies with brilliant red berries were growing wild everywhere, and the huge weeping cherry was in full bloom. We had a great facility and excellent lighting and work areas.

For people who don't want to 'rough' it in the cabins (kind of like church camp,) there is a lodge with hotel-like rooms, too. Did I mention that the food was great? And no kitchen clean up. We were spoiled. Looking forward to next year already....









4/10/08

NEXT YEAR

I'm already looking forward to next year at Kanuga. That place is special.

This photo was taken before dinner, on Tuesday evening, from the big porch which has lots of comfortable chairs and rockers. (But we didn't take time to sit in them because we were so busy painting.)

Next year, many of the same artists will return to enjoy another four days (at least) of instruction and inspiration. It's like a big family reunion, and although I've missed the past two years, I felt immediately at home this year when we all got together for dinner the first night.

Spring 2009 will be a whole new line up of instructors, and I'm leaning towards signing up for Miles Batt's class. I like the class description, and I've been told that he's an excellent teacher. If anyone knows about his workshops, please fill me in on what they are like.

If you're interested in going to a top notch workshop event in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina next spring, check out http://www.kanugawatercolorworkshops.com/index1.html. Hope to see you there.