NAEA Convention - New York City

David and I are excited to be returning to New York City in March for the National Art Education Association's National Convention. Thousands of art educators from all over the world will invade NYC to be part of this annual event, and we'll be offering a variety of workshops and presentations. If you're an art educator, we invite you to join us for in the Big Apple at one of our talks or hands-on workshop.

Wednesday, March 1, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Journal Fodder Junkies of the World Unite! (pre-conference workshop)
We kick off the convention with a full visual journal workshop, and we're taking it back old school with this. This was the very first workshop David and I presented and what eventually lead to our first book. The original workshop was only a two hour offering, pretty much just a tease of a workshop. Come a day early, and spend it with us as we delve into the visual journal. This is a paid workshop, and you will not be able to register on site. Make sure to register now so that you don't miss out.

Thursday March 2, 11:00 AM - 12:50 PM
Tet[R]ad: Draw and Play Here—Collaborative Journal Exchange Workshop (hands-on workshop)
Participants are introduced to the international visual journal exchange project known as tet[R]ad, and invited to get involved and engage in a one-to-one journal exchange with another art educator.

Thursday, March 2, 4:00 PM - 4:50 PM
Sketchbook and Visual Journal Speed Date
Bring your sketchbook or visual journal and participate in our interactive session – a speed date where we’ll share in a series of quick opportunities to learn and meet someone new!

Friday, March 3, 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Confronting the “One and Done” Mentality
Discover how to shift from “one and done” projects to a student-direct curriculum that honors personal goals, yet infuses the standards into a structure that allows for artistic inquiry.

Saturday, March 4, 1:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Priming the Pump: Creative Kick-Starters (hands-on workshop)
Using simple and fun activities and a few basic materials, this workshop focuses on engaging students in unique ways to generate original solutions to various artistic problems.

Make certain to register online to insure a spot in the hands-on workshops!

We hope to see you in New York!

Struggle

Reflecting on the notion of struggle today. I have often struggled with really putting myself out there, to really shine and call attention to myself. At times, I can be extremely shy and socially backward even though much of what I do is being up in front of groups of people. I sometimes wonder how much I am holding myself back.

Filling with Color

Using pens, markers, colored pencils, and other materials to fill in shapes because sometimes you just want to color.

Watercolor Pencil and Watercolor Paint

Watercolor pencil has to be one of my all time favorite materials to use in art in general, but I love using it in the journal. There are several basic techniques to use it, but one fun way is to use it with watercolor paint.

By coloring the pencil down first, and then painting a contrasting color over top of the pencil, you can get some gorgeous color blends and gradients.

This technique works on blank pages as well as a layer on top of other materials.

Folded Pages

The journal is a place where pages can interact with one another and create connection. Folding pages is a quick and easy way to link pages and create that interaction. Folds also create instant hidden spaces and areas of surprise.

Memory

Just one photo today. Using the idea of memory, I spent quite a bit more time with the spread.

Calendars

Virginia Spring Workshops.

I invite you to join me at one of my workshops this spring in western and southwestern Virginia. I'm excited to go back to Galax in March for a weekend of workshops and to add a Saturday workshop in Harrisonburg during April.

I'll be returning to the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts for the weekend of March 18th to present two full-day workshops. On Saturday, March 18th, I'll be presenting Mapping the Journey. This mixed-media workshop is adapted from a couple of workshops Dave and I have taught in years past, and we'll be mining our experiences to find inspiration for our work. Participants can choose to work in journals or on stand alone works or both!

On Saturday, March 19th, I'll be presenting Luminous Liquid Layers. In this acrylic painting workshop we will focus on using Golden High Flow Acrylics to create richly layered works on canvas and paper. This is a pared down version of the two-day workshop that I'll be teaching in Asheville, NC in May.

On Saturday, April 22nd, I'll be repeating my Luminous Liquid Workshop in Harrisonburg, VA at Larkin Arts. This is a new venue for me, and I am looking forward to taking this exciting workshop to a different audience.

I hope that you can make it out this spring. I'd love to share my experiences, ideas, and techniques with you!

Check out the Events page for a listing of all our workshops and events.

Rectangles

Stenciled Words

I've been focusing on a different idea, concept, or technique each day, and it's been great to go back to things that I haven't done in a while. Using lettering stencils is one of those things.

I'm not sure why or how I got out of using the stencils so much, but it always seems so easy to get out of a habit. I'll have to make certain to use them more in the future.