Did they land Gelli Side Up?

Yes, of course!  The Gelli It Up! playshop at the College of the Rockies, Creston, this past weekend was beyond fun.  With three different kinds of paint, nine enthusiastic participants (two of them working with fabric rather than paper) and WAY too many techniques, it was bedlam!

From striking abstracts

Doesn't  Linda's print make you think of searchlights over a city?!

to luscious realism,

Verona's tulip heaven.

the prints were one-after-the-other stunning.  Jackie's first print of the weekend was stellar...just look at these gorgeous colours!

Yummy texture, too.

They made and printed with fun foam plates, 

Fun foam by Linda

texture plates

I recognize Eileen's hand-cut stamp in the middle, but there was so much sharing going on, I'm not sure this is her print!

and blue jean templates.

Nor am I sure who created this.

They printed on magazine photos

Judy's lace print over an abstracted teapot photo from a magazine.

and even on funny money.

The new fashion in colourful Canadian bills?

They layered 

Love how the violet paper Jennifer used underneath peeks through for additional colour.

and textured

Those repeated circles really do it for me.

and had the occasional happy accident!

Eileen was so keen that she went home at the end of the Saturday's class with one of her prints and over-stitched it to incredibly beautiful result...isn't this a corker?

Busy as bees, they watched,

Photo thanks to Eileen

and then worked

Jennifer (back to us), Shelly and Verona

and worked

A contemplative Christine

and worked.

Linda adds colour

It's a wonder they hadn't collapsed by Sunday afternoon, yet they still looked ready for more!

Back row:  Verona, Eileen, Judy, Linda, Shelly, Jackie
Front Row:  Jennifer, Christine, Anne

Today's Helpful Hint: When 'choosing' participants for a playshop, make sure they're as playful as these!   It was so much fun to be with this Gelli-crazed group that I hope we can do an encore next year.  Thank you all for joining me at the college Summer Series!

Connecting...

with people is one of my favourite things to do, and the Saturday playshop in Cranbrook was no exception. At Creative Display and Design at the College of the Rockies there were 9 newbies to meet and a student with whom to reconnect.

Prior to the start of the three-hour period, I re-designed my 'booth' so it more closely resembled a dog's breakfast.

 Would you like closer look?  It doesn't get any better!

We spent some time working on right brain/left brain exercises including a Mind Mapping exercise centred around their chosen product.  The colouring was obviously a favourite - see how intent they are?

After a intense discussion about what constitutes good design and eye catching displays, the participants took some time to list all the things that were wrong with the display - well over twenty items without even thinking hard.  What worries me is that they enjoyed it so much!

I could tell from the exercise and the stupendous list that they thoroughly 'got' the principles, and you can bet that those retailers and marketeers will have fabulous displays when they put their own together.  Can't beat that for focus!  And the best part?  I've some new friends in Cranbrook and environs.  

Workshops, and

more workshops.  It's what I love to do, and I'm getting a good number of opportunities these days to do just that.  We're near to finishing this year's Colour Boot Camp and the students are groaning with the amount of (luscious, mouth-watering, colourful, delicious) work involved.  Today we did an exercise that had them excited with possibilities.  Who would have thought that creating a harmony of discordant colour would enthuse the troops?  I'll be posting some photos after our last class on April 25 so you can see why.

I'm also doing a workshop for the local Farmers' Market here in Creston at the College of the Rockies.  This workshop is designed to address the challenges of creating a display that captures attention in a market setting.

Creative Display Design and Marketing
Saturday, April 21, 2012   9 am to noon
College of the Rockies, Creston Campus

Slated for April 21 from 9 am to noon, we'll discuss display principals, design standards, common display errors and even a bit of 'boothmanship' to make your sales days more profitable.  You'll find out what works, why it does, and what can turn your potential customers away from your area quicker than a wink.

If you're considering marketing your work at any market this year, you may want to consider this inexpensive ($10.00 per person) workshop and get a head start on the competition.  Call 250-428-5332 or email creston@cotr.bc.ca to register. How could you lose?