That crazy, wild, Claresholm group....

... did a FINE job this past weekend in the Mixed Media II workshop.  We had so many students and so many starts that we were all totally confused by 10 am on Saturday morning (and we started at 9).  How much fun is that?!

Susan, Jean, Jean, Cathy, Glenda, Billie, Brydon & Alice working like fiends

Luckily, Alice Saltiel-Marshall had been on hand throughout the organizational process to keep us all in line.  She also presented the cobweb technique she'd taught me last fall, and bailed me out on the drywall compound technique too  (somebody forgot to make enough starts)!

Alice wows us with the richness of a cobweb technique.

One of the participants, Meg Nicks of Sunny Raven Gallery, volunteered (well, I confess she was thoroughly strong-armed) to demo gold/silver/metal leaf.  The other artists watched with great glee, and not a little awe, as a dark blue background began to sport rich metallics using three different methods.

Meg dances with gold leaf

The floors, tables and walls were covered with half-started, nearly finished and 'good Lord what stage is that?' pieces (that last one was mine) to the point where we were tippy-toeing around the Seniors' Centre like elves in  a drunken stupor.

We played with drywall compound, raw pigments, fabrics, wallpaper, alcohol (inks, not the drinking kind), papers and paint to the point where we were all inebriated with colour.

You can tell with all the help (add Kerry Hart for all the treasury work and marketing, Judy Dahl and Shannon Clay with even more marketing, and Alice Saltiel-Marshall for organization, marketing and demos) I had next to nothing to do - sounds like a GREAT gig, right?  

Back:  Meg, Jean, Dorrit, Brydon, Linda, Dominique, Betty, Sherry
Middle:  Jean, Marrika, Glenda
Front:  Kerry, Sally, Billie, Judy, Cathy
Lazing on the floor:  Yours truly
Photo by Alice Saltiel-Marshall

It could not have been a better weekend, topped off by fabulous meals from Bill Marshall, and the occasional glass of wine to celebrate.  Many thanks to you all - you are an AMAZING group!