Garden Spirits

Saturday Oct. in Brag Creek

2011-11-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

What an amazing trip. Left at 5:30 in the morning . Still dark outside. I was playing the music loud in the car and singing along.On the 22x a policecar suddenly appeared behind me with his lights flashing. I had been driving the speedlimit the entire trip just to see how long it would take me to get there. So what was this about?.
He said he just wanted to check my papers. Oh Ok. He came back with a ticket in his hands. You were driving 120 and the speedlimt is 100 here.
No idea it was 100. I thought a little over 110 would be OK. I must have been going down hill and sped up to 120. This was not a good start to my nice trip. Passed Calgary the landscape was so beautiful I kept driving until I saw the sign Kananaskas. That had to be wrong. Wanted to check the GPS but it would not turn on. Then a info center came up and it showed I had passed The turn of to the #1 highway which led to Brag Creek. Getting to the building there was no one there but there was a little classroom in a building next to it which had the #23b. Maybe it was here. I went inside and called out. Alarms went off but no answer. I had set off the fire alarm. This was three now. I hoped this would be all the trouble I could get into. The rest of the day was great. Nice facility and fun people. Mother daughter team and three sister team and one man.

Great food at the local restaurant for lunch. What more do you want. Like I always say. I teach you as much as I can about creating a as much as possible the human figure shape in class. After this you can do what you want. At least you have been able to do this shaping once so you have a sample to go by. Some great bodies were created. Poses varied and the draping is always the fun part. Tie dye fabric was used and lace. A skirt was puffed up in the back with tinfoil to create an interesting silhouette. A ballerina and a man and two reclining figures. And not to forget the little budha woman in yoga pose. Check them out what they look like.

2011-10-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Biography: Rita Wildschut.

Graduated in Fine Arts with great distinction from the University of Lethbridge
major in painting and sculpting.

Owner of Red Roof Studio art and photography retreat.

Publicity:

CBC Radio: ``Wildrose Country`` with Colin Mclean
CBC TV : ``Òn the road again`` with Wayne Rostadt
Lethbridge TV Chanel 7: ``Morning talkshow`` with Rene Newhouse
Medicine Hat TV: òn ``6 o`clock news``
Brooks Bulletin, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Newspaper, The National Post, news articles about several shows.
``From the perspective of a birthmother`` Solo exhibit in Lethbridge. and group in Medicine Hat
Travelling group exhibit throughout Alberta about `Suffering and healing in Healthcare`` by the St. Josephs Collegiate in Edmonton.
article about 14 Larger than life figure sculptures in the landscape.
Chapter about my art and garden in ``The Garden Road book`` by Elspeth Bradsbury.
Building a Strawbale art studio environmentally friendly building.

The Studio offers:

Gallery and studio space on location .
Sculpting, painting, digital photography classes for one day, weekends or week.
Bed and breakfast on location.
Art Therapy workshops.
G.S.M. manufacturing and distributing.
Artist in Residence projects for schools. See : artistinresidence.blogspot.com
Art Summer camps for kids and adults.

Maritimes east coast workshops October 2011

2011-10-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Our trip to the east coast was amazing.

Learned a lot. How big our country is and how empty the landscape in between.

A lot of water and lakes and coast and lovely towns and more lovelier people. What a friendly communities we encountered.

Great seafood for two weeks long every day. hmmmmmmmmm. Loved it.

The tip from this trip and workshop came from Pat Bennett in Nova Scotia. Use local and real fibers I had told her once. So she did her research and found out that seaweed was great for draping and hair. What a great discovery and how more local can you get. This is something you find at your own beach and what wonderful strong fiber it is. Check out the pictures and see if you can find them.

I brought rocks to every workshop to put our sculptures on. What an amazing choices. Round ones sharp ones and colors to choose from. So beautiful and again how fitting for this landscape. Match your fabrics to the colors you find in your rocks. Rosemary in Newfoundland uses drift wood. She has a great way working with wood and does her fairies on drift wood. Beautiful little creatures . She will be my distributor for the Eastcoast. So if you need supplies and live on the east coast give her a call. 709 229 0639 or check her website www.rosemarycollection.ca

UPCOMING DATES FOR WINTER AND SPRING 2011

2011-08-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

November 12 Saturday in Bragg Creek art center, 9:00 to 4:00 Alberta
September 17th, Home Studio in Duchess Alberta, Intro Garden Spirits workshop.9:00 to 3:30.
Phone 403 378 4276
Nova Scotia in Port Dufferin Seaside Inn. Tuesday the 27th of September Introduction of Garden Spirits figure sculpting.(:00 to 3:30
Tuesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 "The Zen of painting.
Wednesday September 28th "the Zen of Painting class.
NewFoundland September 30 to Oct 1 , St John, Zen of Painting 6:00 to 8:00
October 1, 9:00 to 3:30,
October 2 St John , Garden Spirits figure sculpting, 9:00 to 3:30
Stephenville, College of the Atlantic, NewFoundland, to register phone 709 643 7825,October 6 and 7, Zen of painting 6:00 to 8:00, and 9:00 to 3:30,
Stephenville , College of the Altanlic, October 8, Garden Spirits figure sculpting 9:00 to 3:30

Olds Hort Week 2011

2011-07-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

2011 Olds Hort Week
Funky Birds and the next day Lady Bugs and Dragon
Flies and in the afternoon we made Fairies and Angels.
These women had a sense of humor. What a great idea for a fund raiser these items. The birds were so original and so fun to see in a garden. Each one had such a personality and fun to look at.
Once the decorating started the characters started to come out. One was funnier than the other.
Great fabric was used for draping. Patterns and use of shaping with the fabric was well executed.
The details were made with acrylic paints. For the lady bugs and fairies we added some glitter and paints as well.\
Have a look at these fun few days.

Camrose April 30th and Duchess May 1

2011-05-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Check out the poses and the silhouettes . So important the body language. I do teach the students how to create a body shape with the real proportions. I always feel I might as well share what I know. If you check other companies figures they are all stick figures. There is nothing wrong with that if you cover the body with draping. At least my students know how to make the body correct and have the option to show of the sculptural quality of your shaping. You just have more control and options if your body underneath has shape.

I am always so proud of my classes when I see the control they have over giving their character personality.

We have attitude and stretches and fairies , mermaid that is full shaped, wedding dress inspired by the Royal wedding that just happened , to gardeners hoeing and weeding. The draping and dressing of the figures can be so much fun when you see how a simple piece of fabric turns into an amazing flowing dress. The trick is sometimes to let the fabric dry a bit so it holds its soft flowing quality without clinging to the body. Sometime you will have to let it dry a bit more and do it again.

A trip to the silk flower department gave this fairy its wings.
Great colors brown with green.

Some of the ladies came home with me from Camrose to join the advance class here in my studio. We had some birds and larger figures and a troll. Oh Debbie is the queen of finding the best fabrics. Check out the Troll and his hair. Because it was still on the hide the wool most likely does not need to be treated with GSM. In nature the wool on the sheep is fine. The same goes for feathers. I used to cover them with medium but decided to now leave them like in nature. Tracy had the most beautiful feathers with her as well. They both shared their treasures with me. Now I have to think what to do with them. It will come. I put my creations on our www.redroofstudio.com website. The advanced class has so much more to consider when you enlarge the body. Shaping and forming is way more involved. But oh what a fun group to work with. We had some laughs. The bigger you work the better the shaping gets. The next class will be larger birds. 5feet tall. To make some impact in the garden. I will announce the dates for these. keep checking the blog and face book.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

2011-03-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

Upcoming dates:

Home Studio Duchess painting and drawing:

Wednesdays open studio - two month sessions From 12:30 to 3:00

or 6:00 to 8:30

Starting in September and going to June

Have Fun learning how to paint $98.00

Includes your pre-drawing canvas. Any time

last week in July one week all you can do with GSM Cost: 695.00

the first day of that week Monday introduction class ( beginners welcome) 9:00 to 4:00

You set the date with Collin for Digital photography class

9:00 to 4:00 min of two students $125.00

Febr. 19 - 20 Saturday and Sunday

Free style mosaic. Learn how to mosaic free images or designs on flat surfaces.

Bring your own variety of tiles in a old pillowcase and a surface at least 3/4 inch plywood.

Other locations:

Edmonton Greenland Garden Center

Saturday March 5 morning 3 hr class 9:00 to 12:00 introduction class Lady bugs and dragon flies. Bring your own copper wire.

Saturday March 5 afternoon 1:00 to 4:00 introduction.

little angels and fairies.

Bring your own copper wire.

Sunday March 6th, advance class we will build a heron for at your pond. Welded Armature is included in your kit.

Friday evening and Saturday all day March 11 and 12

"The Zen of Painting" in Bassano

Saturday

Saturday March 19th Ottowell center Edmonton introduction Garden Spirits.

Saturday March 26th Introduction Garden Spirits in Gem.

Saturday April 16 Bassano is hosting a Garden Spirits introduction workshop.

Saturday April 30th art Society of Camrose is hosting a introduction Garden Spirits

Jane Cherry-Lemire

City of Camrose

Community Arts Director

Chuck MacLean Arts Centre

4809-52 Street

Camrose T4V 1T9

780-672-9949 (ph)

780-608-8740 (fax)

Sunday May 1, Duchess home at Red Roof Studio , Advanced Garden Spirits workshop

Wednesday evening, Thursday, Friday and Saturday June 1,2,3 and 4 a three day workshop where we can build a three foot figure, birds and do a casting project. Supplies included in your fee of $350.00 If there is room left you can stay here for $100.00 a night which includes your three meals.

Ottewell Center in Sherwood Park

2011-03-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Roof-Studio-Art-Photography/98707309627

This weekend we were in Edmonton at the Ottewell Center at Sherwood Park. March 19th 2011

What a beautiful space to work in. A great hostess, great home made cheese buns and stew.
Lots of room for all. This class was so versatile. Runners , dancers, sitting poses and people in motion. Lots of characters were created. I love it when I see such variety.Each person gets to express their own personality.
This is what it is about. To allow your own personality to come through. Create something that is yours and unique.

I know that every time I teach a class to people the first time they are a little hesitant . This sticky stuff they work with. How to wrap how to shape, is this ever going to look like anything?
After lunch it happens. Once the fabric starts to drape and their figure gets dressed and people find out how this stuff really allows for such versatile fluid lines and shaping, they can see what it can do.
The folding of fabric and cutting it in strips or use it for hair or headdress. Braid it, tear it, stick it on and there you go.

I still find it so amazing how these first timers create a figure so proportionately correct. It took me so many years to figure out how to make the human form correct.
One day and they got it.

Check out all the different characters and how fabric is used so well.

March 5 and 6 at Greenland Garden Center

2011-03-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Snow and more snow where ever we drove. This is March .But arriving at Greenland Garden Center was like stepping into Spring. Smelling green and flowers.What a place to spend your winter Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
Lady bugs and dragon flies on Saturday morning.This is more a wire sculpting method than figure sculpting. The fun part is when they are dry you can paint them up. Glitter and patterns. I don't know what happened but the medium was drenched onto some of the bugs that drying took an amazingly long time. So painting had to wait until they got home.
In the afternoon we did angels and fairies. So cute some of these. Cheesecloth was the best hit for draping the dresses. Although some ladies had some wonderful things with them to dress them with.I hope to see them back at a figure sculpting class. Such a nice touch with working with this medium.

I am back in Edmonton the 19th at the Ottowell Center. Still have the 20th available to teach somewhere near there.

The Sunday 7th we build birds. Wow what great birds we got. Not one was the same. I love to see that every one does their own thing. These will look great in a garden at a pond or patio.
Draping the fabric so it looks like feathers is quite the challenge but these ladies had the touch.
Some amazing birds were created.
This was my first class in birds and it turned out great.

I hope to find a class this upcoming 20th of March in or around Edmonton. Let me know if you know of something.

July 23rd Olds College Hort Week

2011-02-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

Hort Week at Olds College

We had to drive after class in Saskatoon to Olds that same day. Wow that was a long drive. We arrived at midnight at the security guards office and they had our keys ready for the night.
Great organization. Next day breakfast and set up for the next class. What a beautiful place to be. Gardens and flowers so nicely done. You feel as if you are in paradise in the middle of the prairies.
There were some real fun characters build. The loveliest figures. I spend everytime more and more time in explaining how the figure works. Where it flows and where to add.
The results are so beautiful. The wrapping as well. If time is spend on carefully wrapping and watching where the strip goes you can get such nice results. In this class the figures were really beautiful. The result was that few wanted to cover it up with draping. And rightly so. Check them out.

Sherwood Park October 2009

2011-02-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

Greenland Garden Centre in Sherwood Park.
Christmas was already there at Greenland Garden Centre. The biggest Christmas store in Edmonton.
So beautiful the trees and all the different displays for Christmas.
A big class of 26 I was expecting. As it turned out I did not have to be so nervous. There were only 21 students.
Collin was warned to stay around and help out if needed but left at around noon and came back at 2.00
We had a special for Christmas gift. A gift package valued at 85.00 for 65.00
This class had a large variety of colors at the end. Always fun to see the end result of each color on thge different t-shirt colors. The color of the t-shirt effects the end result.
The Centre had some very nice rocks that were chosen instead of the standing pose. Lots of various poses were created.
The nicest thing was the people that came together. A mother of 79 had paid for all 5 sisters to join the class.
What a great present. There were several mother daughter teams and ofcourse friends that came together.
This makes it such a fun day to spend together. Friends, family, colleagues , what a good time spend to bond.
This class was very good in making hats wired from inside to help creating volume. The use of pins are very helpful here.
Remember to bring some for draping next time. Silk flowers ,butterflies and birds for finishing worked very well for the end result.
Check them out.

Last Sunday at Red Roof Studio

2011-02-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday . What else to do than go to Red Roof Studio and do some creating. Look at these wonderful creatures.
A frog ready to jump in her Yoga pose. Kelly made this Yoga Frog for her mothers pond. June used her wedding vale to create her wood nymph and used the branch she found in her garden and Margareth made an angel for a photo frame for her daughters picture. What a great day.

Family Workshop Bring your sister and kids

2011-02-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday Feb 5th Family workshop.
check out the attitudes. One became a jewelry stand. We have a dancer , a dude and one who is just shocked.
What else was there to do on a Saturday where the roads were full of snow and you could hardly leave the house. I am always here and do stuff in my studio.

Ladybugs and dragonflies,Fairies and angels or the advanced class of birds

2011-01-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

Greenland Garden Center in Sherwood park is offering the three hour workshops of Ladybugs and dragonflies, and angels and fairies on Saturday March 5 and on Sunday the advanced class building a bird for at your pond.

These classes are offered as well at our home studio Red Roof Feb. 13th for the 3 hour class and the Sunday May 1 the advanced class.

Don't miss out on these new and fun classes.

Patricia Garden Club Jan 15

2011-01-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

The Patricia Garden club had their session Jan 19th. What a fun day this turned out to be. So much snow outside and such fun and warm inside. Who would want to do anything else.
We had all different characters with different personalities .
It is so amazing to see this every time when you see the characters develop.
Shirley had her Tshirt from her cancer marathon. Her sculpture became a true Spirit. A lovely pose of contemplating and surrender to life.
I love to see how these turn out and what they represent after.

What a special piece this turned out for her.

OCTOBER 30 workshop at the home straw studio

2010-11-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

The straw bale studio hosted another Garden Spirit workshop last Saturday.

What a fun group of ladies. Two of the ladies were here already way before we started and had hardly slept the night before.
(I bet they were exhausted after a full day working).

Great homework they had done. One of the bases they found was a bike with a clock in there.
Another was a very interesting metal piece that was used for a seat for the ferry.
A big suitcase with all kind of goodies was opened and in there were al kind of great finds.
Like the dress the lady at the bike wore. All metal which draped so beautifully.

Pictures with ferries to choose from. So the ferry she made got ribbon with metal for wings. This worked just great. Another base was a beautiful rock which had opened and inside was the most interesting design. The hunt for an original base is part of the fun. Jewelry, ribbon, textures on fabrics, All these things you can play with to create an interesting sculpture. I cannot wait to see the silky goat hair coat in the suitcase how it will be used.

And Tracy, I put an add on Kijiji to advertise in Lethbridge. If any one has more tips for me to get workshops elsewhere, let me know. Promotion is just not my strongest suit. But Tracy is planning one in Lethbridge.
Stay in touch with her for the Lethbridge area.

Check them out.

Sherwood Park workshop on Saturday March 19th 2011

2010-10-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

March 5th workshop at Greenland Garden Center in Sherwood Park.
A three hour workshop Lady bugs and Dragon flies on Saturday morning and in the afternoon a Angels and Fairies workshop three hours.
For Sunday there is an advanced class to do a full day 9:00 to 4:00 bird for your garden (Heron)
Saturday March 19th 2011 at the Ottewell Centre in Sherwood Park
For registration contact Sonja Marinoski by email:minirose@telusplanet.net
Friday evening and Saturday March 11 and 12 I am teaching the Zen of Painting at Bassano school
registration at Newell further education with Jacky
Saturday April 30 , Camrose at the Chuck "Mclean Art Centre "
For registration call Jane Cherry at 780 672 9949

Olds Hort Week

2010-07-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday in Saskatoon the next Thursday in Olds.
The fields were yellow from all the Canola. What a sight to see. Dark clouds here and there set of a beautiful contrast. Rolling hills full of Canola. Lovely.

The brochure had such a good description of the course outline that this time students had brought Tshirts with a history.

This makes the course so much more meaningful . Cancer survivor, a loved one , something spiritual to remember. It can also be a pose you create that gives you that reminder every time you look at it. The message you want it to portray.

"Back by popular demand" Using a cotton t-shirt you will be able to give your sculpture a personality and spirit of its own. Bring to class a t-shirt (you can bring one from a loved one or someone whose spirit you want to live on).

This is what happened in the class. Check some of the text of the t shirt. The color you add to the medium is transparent and some colors will leave the detail in tact which makes for a great extra detail.
See the samples from this class.

Great thought was put into the posing and creations of the figures.

Hort week in Saskatoon

2010-07-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

University of Saskatoon Hort week.

Not often do we get to drive to Saskatoon in the summer. But this trip was just beautiful. The fields rich with their crops. Skies full of cumulus clouds. So nice to look and see the beauty of the land.
We had mostly standing figures. Initially I thought that all were going to start to look similar.
Hands in the air and one foot up.
Strange. This does not happen very often. But in the afternoon once everyone started to clothe their figures they started to get their own personality.

One of the ladies had done her homework before she came to class. She had a picture of a statue she wanted to make. This is sometimes a good idea if you have a plan beforehand. Not that this is a must. But for some people this works. Another great idea is to have a book with fairies or other garden creatures in it with you.

I prefer to work from my imagination or what the figure tells me to do. I watch while I work and bend the forms and the body language tells you sometimes just what you want it to say. The more you play with the armature the more ideas you get.

The figures all had such good shapes that I find it hard to encourage draping. The body looked so good that you have to be careful not to cover it up with too much fabric. Be sensitive and careful and allow the shape to come through while you drape.
This class did very well in that. Have a look what happened.

Drayton Valley in May

2010-05-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

DraytonValley in May,

Our first beautiful days in May and I got to travel to Drayton Valley.
I took the Cowboy trail all the way north. What a beautiful trip. Spring was in the air. The trees had started their young leaves so tender and lovely. This was going to be a workshop for the spouses during a Rotary event.

I have always been hoping to have a workshop for the women while the men have their meetings.
Hopefully this will give some companies an idea for their activities planned for the spouses. Maybe one of you might be able to help and send this along to the people in charge of those activities.
We did have a fun day and really I mean it when we say NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED.

Just look at the results. How we get to the end result is always fun to see . I added some pictures this time of the process. Watch for the expression on the face of the participant doing her mammogram vice grip procedure.

So funny to see how we get things the way we want them. The shapes of the bodies were just perfect. It is nice to see in this first class the body shaping. Good to know but if you have to, you can just dress the figure from a much more stick like figure.
It is just nice to see that you were able to get such a nice body underneath. You can see this when you drape your figure. Check the pictures for the movement of the draping and the silhouettes that were created.
So fun to see when you go around your figure and see it from all angles. The nose and the fabric that brakes the outside lines by setting the edge of the jacket a bit away from the body and the hair not packed tightly against the head.

Please feel free to leave a message on how you experienced the workshop.
Thanks Michelle for having me entertain the Rotary women.

Duchess Home studio my younger sculptors

2010-05-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Just have a look at the young students workshop we just did last weekend

Saskatoon April 17th

2010-04-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Check older posts for upcoming dates on classes and workshop.

We were back in Saskatoon at the Golf dome at the Ramada Inn.

A very small group we had, but a lot of fun. I love to see such wide variety of figures. We all start out the same but then it happens. The shapes take on a character of their own. All shapes and sizes and personalities start to come out.
Have a look at what we did that day. We will be back during Hort week at the university of Saskatoon the Tuesday 22nd of July. The Charter House will be hosting a workshop in the Fall. I heard they have a great facility at their store.
So looking forward to be there.
Jenny Lucky is the hostess for this workshop.

Greenland Garden Center

2010-03-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Sherwood Park at Greenland Garden Center this last weekend was amazing as always.
Driving through a winter landscape to Edmonton and arriving at the garden center into spring is just such a treat.

The flowers everywhere and the beautiful landscape you have to walk through to get to our new classroom was just like you have arrived in dreamland. The new classroom was just beautiful. Spacious and everyone is always so helpful. Cappucino with a choice of delicious deserts and a lunch menu with homemade minestrone soup sandwiches or panini.
It is just such a nice location to teach and always a full class. Hopefully from the ladies that took the course we hope to get some more classes elsewhere.
Some large figures were made the next day in the advanced class but also some interesting small ones.
The store had some items like flowers and leaves to be used as wings and decorations for hats.
Some different fabric was used like a lacy curtain for draping and decorating a hat. Also the figure sizes were delightful. Some real butts were attempted. I love to see such variety in body shapes.
Check it out.

Now I see after uploading all the pictures that we miss the big one Paulette made.
It was a beautiful one. Cannot believe Collin missed it.

Some samples of my own work

2010-02-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ruth Olafson from Manitoba has some tips for us.

She is planning another workshop in June for Morden Manitoba. Not confirmed days yet. Stay tuned in.

She gave me some great tips on armpits when the aluminum still shows.: Use some paper towel with your GSM and stuff it in the spot.
For covering the head in one quick smooth manner: use some cotton baby socks.
Thank you Ruth for these great tips.
I just found out for myself working with the paper towel. This is great for smoothing and shaping shoes and faces and hands.

Pictures are of my own work. Lots of other things you can do.

Saskatoon at an Artistic Touch of Glass

2009-10-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Saskatoon October 24th, 25th

The hostesses this last weekend were the ladies form an Artistic Touch of Glass.

Great facility to have a workshop.

11 Ladies joined for the introduction class.

Some had done their research before and came well prepared. Fun fabrics and interesting details to add to their sculptures. We had a beautiful picture book with fairies to look at. The ladies were going to make something inspired by the pictures from the book.

This is a great idea to have pictures of images you like to work with. The store itself had books available as well with images to look at.

But these ladies had stuff with them . Beautiful fabrics and and feathers for decorating.

Houkje, one of the ladies in the class was a very special addition to any class. She had the most amazing things with her. Tips on improving the bending of the armature.

Fabrics with glitter and her own made butterflies , bugs and flowers with bead work. Tips like using wire cloth for making hats and sticky rubber for making faces.

Value village was across the street and great things were brought back from there as well. Scarves and chairs and benches.

The next day we stayed to do a two footer. Some very elegant ladies were created. But a real football player as well.

A variety of fabrics were used that made for a nice result. Check out what was created this weekend.

A special thanks goes out to Laralyn and Lenneke our hostesses and to
RoseAnn Gibson who has the best Fish and Chips in Saskatoon.

Sherwood Park October 2009

2009-10-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Greenland Garden Centre in Sherwood Park

Christmas was all around at the Garden Center . The biggest Christmas place in town. The most beautiful displays were made for the holidays. We had our nice space in the back. As long as the sun stayed behind the clouds it did not get so warm.

A big class was expected . The class filled to its limit very fast.
21 students and a few came together.

Some mother daughter teams and one mother had paid for her 5 daughters to do this class together. Some friends together and colleague teams .What a great thing to do together on a day.

The result was amazing. Lots of different colors in this group as end result depended on what color the t-shirt was to start with.
There is always a transparency to join the two colors which gives for some very interesting end result.

The draping and hat making was very special in this class. We used wire to create some more volume for the hats.
Always go overboard with an idea. add some flowers or birds to get even more volume.

One of the bases was different. Even though it might not stick to glass it is possible to glue it with another kind of adhesive after. Check out how nice the black figure looks on a clear glass stand. Very elegant.

The use of butterflies, silk flowers and birds really added to some of the creations.

Thornhill Manitoba

2009-09-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Thornhill Manitoba

It was a long drive from here. But what a nice city. Mordon, Manitoba.
Truly friendly Manitoba.

The hall in Thornhill made a great place to have a class. Lots of room. Great group of women.
Again some very interesting poses. I love it when everyone does their own thig. Such fun to see individual personalities come through.
Diana had a plan already and came totally prepared. She was doing her own thing and made a chicken. So fun to see. It is so nice to see the directions you can take it to. But in a first time class is especially nice to see. Same principle but different shape.
She also made time to pull off a figure as well she draped at home. Check out the picture she send me. Great movement and motion in her pose. Now you can see where this can lead to.

A great tip we got from Ruth. She brought in a big chunk of timber with an upside down nail in it. She propped her sculpture on the nail and finds it easier to wrap this way.
Check out the pictures.

Fabric possibilities were tried as well. Texture and design. See what great draping was done with the different fabrics. Still cotton but with texture and color.

One of the ladies sisters came to visit and check out the work. She was from New Zealand.
Imagine we might bring the class to New Zealand. Her and Collin were talking and planning.
You just never know. One of these days our class might make it to over the ocean. Any excuse to travel. Just organize enough students and we will be there.

Parksville in August

2009-09-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Parksville in August

What a beautiful place to have a workshop. Ocean and sunshine and working in a beautiful garden
in the shade.
What more do you want. Great ladies in Parksville. All friends of my friend Merrien.

For the fabrics we had some purples. One used on blue fabric and one used on red fabric and white. Amazing how the color underneath effects the end result. Once you are finished there is always an option to paint a wash over the finished color. Use some of the pigment with weathercoating and brush over or sponge. Acrylic paint or oil can be used as well to add or change the end result.

The fabrics used for draping can vary. Tulle was used very successfully for ferry wings and dress. A nylon silky top worked for draping one of the figures. If it is not 100% fiber fabric it sometimes works for draping. I would suggest to stick to Cotton for wrapping your figures.
But as always just try it to make sure for yourself. This is how we get some new things happening.

To make your figure more of a spirit use details and fabrics that have meaning to you.
All of these had a personal touch. Jewelry that had belonged to her mother added made her piece a three generations spirit.
A heart shaped little rock from mothersday made a very special added detail.
All these thoughtfull poses and additions make it such fun to look at.

Olds College during Hort Week

2009-07-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

July 23rd Hort Week at Olds College.
What a nice place to spend the day. Paradise in the middle of the prairies. The gardens and flowers are so nicely kept.
We had arrived at midnight from Saskatoon and our keys were ready at the security office.
The next day we had our breakfast and went to lass to set up.
Great class room. This group did such a nice job on the body shapes. Not many were draped after. I always think I might as well teach what I know and it is up to the student to try it. The one they do at home can easily be a stick figure. They are really not so bad looking once you dress them up. But to see such nicely shaped bodies was great.
The wrapping can be done so nice if you spend a little more time on details. Keep things tight and controlled and the results are so nice.
Check these out what a good job was done.

July 22 at the University of Saskatoon

2009-07-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hort Week in Saskatoon.
What a nice place to be during this event. Vanessa had organized for me to be there and her mom had joined the class. Her sculpture had to be just perfect because that one was going to be kept for next years sample.
Just to show what students can accomplish in a first time class. I am still impressed what the pieces look like when finished.
Take a look.

Everthing you can do with GSM

2009-07-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

The one week workshop at the home studio was very interesting.
Everything you can do with GSM was demonstrated and created.
-Two figures together, male and female.
-Large three footer with face, feet and hands in detail. (Wrapping details are important).
-Casting and painting with GSPlast.
-Using GSStone to make faces and figures.
-Making fabric using all kind of materials. Paper tissue, string, wallpaper, glitter,
paint, bits and pieces of everything you can find. Silk flower petals etc.
-Shadow box creations.
-Animal creatures. Dinosaur and birds
Check out the results.

Leslie Dietz creations

2009-06-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have to share these sculptures with you all.
Inspired by the elements of life.
Leslie added a fifth element Void. He named this serie "Elemental Dancers of 5 figures"
Earth, Air,Fire, Water and Void.
Imagine seeing these in a garden. Thank you Leslie for sharing.

Saskatchewan Delisle

2009-06-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

Delisle in Saskatchewan.

You cannot miss the lodge. Right downtown.
I missed it. Could not find it but eventually with some directions there it was. The Legion lodge room.
Donna was already there and shortly after we set up Donna's friends came in.
A real fun group.

No they did not think their figure was going to look anything like the samples I had brought.
But slowly in the afternoon the truth was coming out. More than expected. The figures had such personality . Every one did their own thing. Such variety and so fun to see.

Donna had made a beautiful lunch for all and she was an amazing hostess.
Thank you Donna for organizing such a fun day for all of us.

"Do your own thing"

2009-04-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

April in Saskatoon

The Saturday we had the introduction class and the next day an advanced.
Oh my, what nice work came from both classes.
I just finished loading all the pictures and laughed at the memories.

"do your own thing"

Some people just have a knack with things. "Kathy"
So fun to watch when one of the sculptures was dressed with just wrapping. I wondered how much wrapping she was putting on. When I noticed how nice it started to look.
She was not draping the figure in the afternoon but just kept wrapping her with all the strips she still had.

So there it is. You wrap your figure to get them dresses. Some people drape and others, that know how to sew, will make little patterns for their figure. Not Kathy. She wrapped it all and she looked wonderful.
It shows again you never stop learning new things.

Poses were all so individual and created such personalities. From serious to sassy, joyous and lush. From Goddess to little girl. A wide variety was created.

Very nice wrapping as well. Check it out.
It makes such a difference when the body shapes appear so smoothly when you can be considerate with the wrapping.
Some of the figures were so beautifully shaped it would have been a shame to cover them with draping.

Another note I wanted to make. A patterned fabric used for wrapping. See if you can find it.
Very nice result.
Stripes in the fabric gives a control of direction. You can make it static or drape in all kind of directions.
Patterns , textures and colors were used in all different ways. A real interesting workshop again.

Remember to keep an eye out for a one week workshop at my home studio this summer.

My Son's Creative Talent

2009-04-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.wil-do-homes.blogspot.com/

Birthday Party At my Home studio

2009-04-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

A Birthday party at my home studio

What a great idea to celebrate you friends birthday with a garden spirit workshop.
This was fun for me as well. Wine for lunch and the best special cupcakes in the world for dessert.
Food will do that every time. Make it a party. I had made some soup and Collin had made his delicious chicken salad.

I shared my special rock collection with the ladies and it was beautiful to see the figures develop on them.
One of the ladies had her husbands Tshirt and wanted to have calla lilies she had at her wedding with her sculpture. Oh boy I did not have any thing like that in the house. Usually I have some silk flowers like roses or something like that around to use. But not Calla lilies.
No problem I thought. Lets try to make some.
Wow. Check those out. I think they look great.

Impressive are the body shapes. Beautiful shapely hips and boobies. Check out the wrapping on the boobies.
The posture of the figures gives each one such a personality.
Again a fun day spend.

Spring? at Greenland Garden Center

2009-03-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Spring inside at Greenland Garden Center in Sherwood Park

March 7th and 8th. Wind blowing and snow and cold on our trip up to Sherwood Park. Spring was definitely there inside the Greenhouse. What a welcoming site to see. The garden inside looked amazing with the several ponds and water features . Fish in all sizes and colors swimming happy around between the beautiful plants and greenery. What a lovely site. Tim had welcomed us with a special cup of freshly ground coffee. Made to perfection from the Espresso bar. The staff at Greenland and the entire ambiance makes it just such a special experience to teach. The snowy weather and cold outside did not hold any one back to join the class.

What a day to spend together.
Sisters, friends and mother and daughter teams, joined for the experience of building a human figure for their home or garden.
The end result is every time so fun to see. Each sculpture has its own personality. Subconsciously, students create something of their own character in their figure. This is what is so nice to see. Such individuality.

Actions and poses so interesting. Some need another item added to them yet. A bench for the working man or an item for their hands. These things can easily be added later on.

The only problem we encountered was the fabric that is not 100% cotton. So much harder, especially if you work with it for the first time, to work with. It has just too much stretch and bounce back characteristics that makes it so much more difficult to work with. I hope this will not hold her back to try it again, this time with a 100% cotton T shirt.

The advanced class the next Sunday was taking on a different direction than we had planned for initially.
We only had a few students and lots of room to work in. I thought I could spend a little more time on details since most of the students knew how to drape and finish their work. We spend time on hands, feet and making faces from just the tinfoil and fabric. The wrapping technique I developed for shaping and forming flow so you can almost leave your figure undressed.
It takes a bit more time to develop the form and nice shapes of the figure. In the end so worth it. Some decided to not finish their figure but start a second one perfecting the building and structure techniques learned.
I think all did get out of the class what they had hoped for. Each one something different.
Check out the end results of this amazing weekend.

Calgary Teachers Convention

2009-02-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

February 12 at the Calgary Teacher Convention

There were only a few of us but my goodness what nice work came out of this class.
Lots of interest. Through the windows others could watch and see what was being done. Some came in and wondered why they had not seen this course. They did not realize what it was. Next year they will be there.
The ladies that were there did have lots of attention and spend the time on wrapping as if they were not going to drape them. I have been trying to perfect that technique and see how beautiful you can wrap to enhance the shapes you created. Try wrapping around the shapes and follow the flow of the body shape. This takes a little more time and effort but so worth it. Therefore they did not get dressed. Two had time left to build a bird in the afternoon and not drape their figure.
Check out the pictures from this class. Beautiful shaping and draping.

Picture from Leslie mailed to me

2009-01-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

Leslie from the Greenland Garden workshop this last Fall had been very inspired at home over the holidays.
Check out the dragon. What an amazing character. Check out the armature he prepared for the wings.
Beautiful job.

LaFleche Saskatchewan

2008-11-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

What a nice town.

La Fleche at Debbie and Lynn Sutherland's home.
What great hosts they were.
It was a beautiful drive while the sun was setting we drove through the quiet spacious landscape. A scrumptious dinner was waiting for us at the Sutherland home Friday evening.
Early Saturday morning we had the women from Saskatoon already waiting at the door . No time to waste. A great class. The three muskateers from Saskatoon had done this before and came prepared. Special fabric was selected and Anne had made a special mini quilt for her sculpture. With a little planning ahead it is so fun to start playing.
The fabrics and textures on the fabrics make the figure so interesting.
This class was very individual in their characters as well. From a porcelain doll figurine with lovely lace and fabric to copper made fairy wings, a mermaid, old man and mother and child, a little child and a pair of baseball players. I love to see such variety.
A real creative group in LaFleche. So original. Check them out.

Red Deer at StudioThe Werx

2008-11-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

November 15th Saturday we had the workshop at Marianne again in Red Deer.
Small group but fun never the less.. Two did the advanced figure. One sitting and one standing and two did the small figure one sitting one standing.
Wilma had seen the class from Edmonton and brought a picture with her of the figure Barb had done in Edmonton. She hoped hers would end up looking like Barb's.
Never works. Yet, both are beautiful. Wilma had brought this great lacy fabric with her, she had made a shawl for her aunt with. Now she could use some of it for her outfit on the figure.
Wow, what great fabric.
Thelma, (80 years old) what a role model for all. Such a sparkle in the class. The last time she had made this wonderful old lady on a bench. This time she had a chair and was going to make a partner for the lady.
What a guy it turned out to be. Really old looking reading his book.

The standing one was a beautiful fairy and so elegant and nicely shaped. Good job for a larger one. It is not that easy on the larger one to get all in proportion.

The sitting one was a male reading his paper. He had to be pre-welded in a position which limits the choices you have when you don't know what the other person has in mind yet.
But she made it work.

Workshop in Sherwood Park Greenland Garden Centre.

2008-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Two days at Greenland Garden Centre.

Some brought their mother, some their grand mother, some their best friend, and then there were students that came just by themselves.
What a fun thing to do on a weekend together. Barbara had so much fun she signed up for the second day as well. And every time I am so impressed what people do at a first time class. Then see the second one.

Saturday November 8th.

These students are first timers?

Just imagine what they can do with this medium if they keep going. These are just not images of a human form, all are saying so much more. All these poses are all so different and say so much. There is so much more to talk about. This is why I cannot quit.
Every single one that is made has a story to tell and one that is the persons own.

They ask me what theme will I be teaching and I think. That is always up to the student. Each one of you will have your own thought about that.

There was a person that brought a Tshirt worn during her breast cancer and was working with that. There are characters that start out one direction and change once the draping begins. A theme is there at the end perhaps.

I like to keep it open. Allow your imagination to flow and see what happens.

The store had lots of items to buy for details. Such as wings and dragonflies, branches for Christmas and lots more. Great to add to your statue.

Remember that if these items are not coated with GSMedium, they are not weather resistant. That is not a problem if they don't go outside of course.

Check out all the figures of two day classes. the second day Sunday as well.

Greenland Garden Centre.

Hobo from Kamloops

2008-11-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

Check this one out.
Mary Kelly from Kamloops.
Hobo playing music. Talk about detail. How fun to see such details. Check out the shoes, hands, hat, nose, socks.
Love it.
If you can take some time and spend it on detailing it is amazing what the possibilities are. Thank you Mary for sharing.

Cranbrook, British Columbia

2008-10-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

Cranbrook October
Great accommodations in Cranbrook at the Arts Council. A small group but very nice to work with. All standing figures but all different approaches. Check out the head results. Love the hairdo's and details. Direction of wrapping can be so fun when you can shape out the forms with it. Ideas changed during the class. From a runner to a Greek Goddess and a big gowned dress to an African beauty. Also the idea of using two figures in one piece. There is a relation between the figures that adds to the sculpture.
Using a white or very light gown has a different effect on highlighting with the metallics. The highlights are not lighter that the fabric but darker, therefore confusing. Difficult to decide what to do. Not to use metallics perhaps?

October 2008 in BC, Cranbrook

Saskatoon October 4th and 5th 2008

2008-10-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Saskatoon Oct 4th and 5th
I should write immediately when I get back from the workshop.
I know it was a fun one. Met with Donna, Kathy's sister that made it very special. Gwen was there from before and Barb and Linda. So good to see familiar faces.
Amazing every time to see such interesting sculptures created. From beginners to advanced students. A wide variety of ideas.
From a mermaid to some very cool poses and drapings. Of course we hope to see Kims mermaid finished. He promised to send a picture once it is done.

Pam just emailed me her picture of her finished sculpture. And there it is. Added next to the old one. It looks great. Now you see. You just need more time to finish them. Don't hurry.
You can always change a lot to your figure as long as you don't have them weather coated yet.

Winner "Fight Boring" contest

2008-08-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Check this out.
http://www.savers.com/instore/saledates.php

Olds College Garden Spirits workshop during Hort Week

2008-07-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

The 15th of July we were at the Olds College during their Hort Week.
Lots of other courses were happening. My husband Collin visited and took pictures so I would be able to see what beautiful things were created during these classes. Some amazing flower arrangements.

We had quite the visitors as well. Hopefully we will see you next year .
The students created some very different poses. I like to see the individual
personalities develop. None of them looked the same. All had their own character. That is when that spirit comes into the sculpture.
Some poses were stretched and even a bend over one. So fun to see such variety. There is even a child in there.
See if you can recognize. Proportions are different. Well done.

Birch Hills at Wanda's Saskatchewan

2008-06-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful place this was. Outdoor workshop in the garden, sheltered by the trees, overlooking the garden and the lake in the distance. What a view.
This was quite the location. Liz came with me for company. It was a long drive from Duchess, but with a friend next to you, a trip like this just flies by. We talked and listened to songs and sang along. The hours flew by. This class was a different one. The people in this class had a plan. Some knew just what they wanted to build. Not a normal person but Goblins. Therefore not 8 heads but 4 for the creatures these guys were.Huge heads and everything was different. So you adjust your shape. Check them out. Also the human shapes were diverse. Not just standing but running or pregnant or hanging from a tree.
I loved them all. I love diversity.
Look at the stained glass fairy wings. The fabric used for draping was not cotton but for draping it is not as crucial as in wrapping.
The mermaid was made with the moss green. So beautiful. First make the legs as if she has two normal legs then wrap them together as one to create the effect of a fishes tail.
I hope Wanda will have more workshops at her place. Sign up when you can. This is some beautiful location to work and stay.
Thanks again Wanda

Art as Therapy at Drayton Valley Community Learning Center

2008-06-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Upcoming in Drayton Valley
Drayton Valley Community Learning Center will be having their workshop on the Saturday 20th of September this Fall.
This workshop will be taught with the intent of therapy .
Working with the human form and using a material that has a memory of someone or some moment that has meaning, allows for a therapeutic process
Therefore the choice of the garment is important.
Contact Verna Block for registration at 780 540 3373 or email info@dvcommunitylearning.ca

May 17th Sharon Snell home studio workshop

2008-05-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sharon and friends had organized their workshop at my home studio this last Saturday.
What a good plan to spend time with your friends this way.
Some planning had gone into the hunting for their own bases. Some very special rocks were brought in.
I always say. That a rock has your name on it.
Once you connect with it it is yours.
So interesting how many people connect with rocks. And what a nice way to make use of them.

My special rocks move outside closer to my front door. I deposit them closer and closer by where I can see them. Then when I need one I know which one to take. They come in all sizes. From gravel to boulders. I can sit on the beach and look for the tiniest little stones and enjoy them. Once they go into my gravel they disappear. But I know they are there.
Enough about me and my rocks.

Ella had a real good find. She brought a glass and metal lantern like base. I had the perfect match for wings here for her fairy. Metal as well. The funny stores where they sell things you would never put in your house now are treasures for the garden sculptures. I had found these wings in Saskatoon and picked up four. Perfect match for Ella's base.

Problem with glass and metal is, the surface is not porous and needs to be wrapped with fabric somehow, so the sculpture can grab itself to the base instead of adhere. Once you fold the fabric around a curve and it hardens you are alright. It might chip off as it does not adhere to a non-porous surface. We solved it by filling Ella's top of the base with tinfoil and then wrapping it with fabric for the fairy to sit on.
The glass on her base made it look very light even though the size was quite substantial.
Some wonderful poses and different shapes were produced.

Yeh, Jennifer. Love the heavy bottom girl with the tiny boobies. Talk about contrast. The clothing was from draping to very cute outfits designed to fit the poses. Well done.
Look at the wide range of work. I love it when I see that. Every one makes their own spirit.
Their character. That is when you know you gave it your own personality.