Dayna J. Collins – Page 13

Wabi-Sabi Painting With Cold Wax

Serena Barton has a new book out, Wabi-Sabi Painting With Cold Wax, and not only is it a fantastic and beautiful book, but I’m happy to share that I am one of 12 guest artists.

I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re interested in learning more about oil and cold wax, or if you want to get started in this medium, Serena’s book offers lots of techniques, detailed instructions, and beautiful color photographs.

The art I chose to be included in the book is Seeking Refuge, a piece I created for my 2013 Beneath the Surface show at Guardino Gallery. The piece sold during the show, but it remains one of my favorites.

Studio Shuffle

Last fall, my good friend Tory and I were invited to join a newly forming studio group at the Willamette Heritage Center. We were thrilled to be part of what became The Art Studios at Mission Mill. We leased Studio F and had great fun making it our own.

What I discovered over these past nine months is that I can’t work in a small space and when I’m painting, for the most part, I need solitude. So when two studios opened up in June, Tory and I both put our names in, hoping that one of us would get one of the two studios. Bingo. Tory’s name was drawn for Studio B.

Tory moved her stuff out and I helped her paint her new space (a mere 10 steps from Studio F). I purchased a new work table and a funky chair, then spent an afternoon rearranging Studio F to function as my axillary painting studio.

I ordered signage for my two doors and installed it this week.

Our next Open Studio is Thursday, July 9, 2015, from 5-7 pm. If you ‘re around, please stop by and see our new studios.

Tapestry: Collaging the Seasons

I recently had the pleasure to meet and take a class from Roxanne Evans Stout, an artist from Klamath Falls, and the curator of the blog, River Garden Studio. The class was held at The Art Department in downtown Salem. I hadn’t taken a class in a long time and since it was on the heels of my show opening at Guardino Gallery, I was primed and ready to let Roxanne take the reigns so I could just play.

After staring down the white, I jumped in.

Roxanne did demos and provided lots of materials for us to play and experiment with.

Of course, I brought some of my own personal treasures to use on my pages . . . .

We worked on four pieces at a time, front and back, meaning we created eight pieces of art during the day-long workshop. Not all of my pages are finished, but here is what I got completed during the day.

And now I can’t wait to see where I takes these pages for the next layer.

EVOKE: The Opening Reception

My show opened Thursday night at Guardino Gallery in NE Portland. It was a hot night, but that didn’t keep people away. There was a steady stream of friends and art lovers. No need for words, I’ll just share a series of photos from the evening.

Scattered By the Wind: Teaching at Hillcrest

Last September, my Scattered By the Wind Prayer Flag Project came to a close. The project was sponsored by Salem Art Association through their Project Space program. If interested, you can read about the 2014 summer project by clicking here.

One of the outcomes of my project was that we raised over $2,000 by selling flags, and that money, along with grant money obtained by Salem Art Association, allowed me to buy supplies and go into Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility to guide the incarcerated young men in creating a series of prayer flags. I invited my good friend Tory Brokenshire to join me in weekly visits to Hillcrest.

Because cameras and phones are not allowed inside the secure facility, we had to rely on a corrections officer to snap a few photos of the sessions. Also, without permission and authorizations, we weren’t able to take photos of any of the guys.

Tory and I did two session per week for eight weeks and the guys created 82 flags!

Here are a few close ups of flags…..

In the middle of our residency at Hillcrest, Salem Art Association held their Young Artists Showcase and they asked that some of the flags created by the Hillcrest boys be featured. It was exciting to have so many flags on display at the Bush Barn Gallery.

Last Thursday, Tory and I went into the facility’s canteen and hung the 82 flags. Again, our photos are limited due to not having phones or cameras inside (we were tempted to smuggle in a phone as we felt a bit naked without one!).

On Thursday evening, the community, family, friends, along with the guys, were invited to view the flags.

A nice spread of food was prepared by the manager of the canteen and a group of boys to celebrate the show. A few parents showed up and several groups of guys came through. One young man, who came every week to make a flag, had his mother and grandparents attend. He was so excited to share his flags, including the pink poodle he created. When he created that flag, under the theme of things found in nature (what!?!?), he said, “I can’t wait to give this flag to my grandma.”

PS The Oregon Youth Authority had a professional photographer attend the reception and he shot some amazing photos of the flags and the guys. If I’m able to obtain a few of those photos, I’ll post them here.

Road Trip! Teaching in San Diego

I was invited by the San Diego Book Arts to teach my plaster and acrylic class, Layers of Memory. It seemed so long ago that we scheduled a date, signed the contract, and made arrangements for travel. And before I knew it, I was packing four large suitcases with art supplies, handouts, and 34 pre-painted and plastered cradled boards.

I was also invited to give an artist talk on the Friday night before the class began. I gulped big and said yes. The art talk was held at the La Jolla Athenaeum, a beautiful facility.

I arrived early to get everything set up, and thank heavens my husband was along to take care of the technical side of getting the laptop connected to the projector.

A small group attended my talk, but I think it went well.

Saturday morning arrived and I made my way to Miramar College in the Mira Mesa area of San Diego, where we had a nice, spacious room on the second floor with plenty of room to spread out.

After a quick introduction to the class and the first of several demos, the ladies were off and running, getting their boards ready for plaster.

Before lunch on Saturday, plaster had been applied, and by afternoon, they were sanding and applying layers of acrylic paint, adding texture, drawing, and making marks. It was a hive of happy activity.

On Sunday, after a review of processes from the day before, and a few demos of new techniques, the ladies were once again off and running, making the most of every minute they had available to them.

At the end of the workshop, after everyone had cleaned up their supplies, we had a walkabout, where everyone could take photos; then everyone shared about the work they created.

Here is a sampling of the fantastic work created by these talented, creative, generous women:

Thank you, San Diego Book Arts! It was so much fun and very energizing.

Visual Journaling: Making a Mess

Late last summer, II was invited to participate in a pilot project between the Salem Art Association and Salem Hospital Cancer Institute. I did a session on creating art dolls last December, and this month I offered three sessions of visual journaling.

I provided all the materials for the ladies to make a simple journal and each week they jumped in fearlessly. Many of the women were undergoing chemo and they shared that for the hour and a half they forgot about their treatment and just had fun.

Their pages were beautiful, some completed, most just backgrounds waiting for words and images to be added.

And many vowed to continue working on their journals at home. One woman confided she planned to add pockets and was going to insert the messages she received from friends as she went through chemo.

One of the participants wrote me the sweetest note after the last class and with her permission I’ll share it here as it sums up so beautifully what the experience was like for her:

My observation was that this offering certainly has a healing place in the lives of – well anyone who needs healing. It is in the process – not necessarily the art and certainly not the finished product, but the individual elements in combination – side by side with people sharing a bit of their life even through illness and disease.

It has purpose, and I suppose gives us permission to ‘let go, and treat ourselves’ as the time flew by without a thought other than what color to use, where to put it.

The open format you offered covered many art forms and medium – a great introduction, or experience for all levels to both find comfort and step out of that familiar place.

I have begun a journal project at home using felt, and fine paper. It feels more like I am in control – so I can introduce – at a slower pace – all of the delicious things that I tried to put onto one page…

Talking About Art

I was invited by photographer Joel Zak, to be interviewed on his Talking About Art show on radio station KMUZ. It happened today. I was a bit nervous, but not too much. I arrived at the studio right on time, but managed to go to the wrong door.

Joel set me straight.

I got settled into the sound booth. Is it called that?

And monkeyed around with the headphones.

Until they were just so (and my hair wasn’t too messed up!).

Phil was the sound engineer (I really don’t know the appropriate lingo for any of this), but he was more like the Wizard behind the curtain, only he was sitting right there in the room with us.

At 9:00 am, the iconic sign went on.

Joel made some art announcements for about five minutes.

And then it was my turn.

I must admit, it was kind of fun.

Here is a LINK to the interview.

Once you listen to the interview, you might be curious about the two pieces of art I mentioned. So I’ll go ahead and share them with you and do a little promotion for my upcoming show at Guardino Gallery in June. Here is the large 36×48 inch piece that represents transformation. The title is Singed By Fire and Light.

This next one I mention as being one of my favorites. It is 10×10 inches and is titled The Glow of Expectation.

Joel does his show, Talking About Art, the second and fourth Fridays of every month; his commentary and interviews are a great addition to the Salem art scene.

Curious About Oil and Cold Wax?

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be teaching my Plaster, Oil, and Cold Wax: Abstracted Play class in August. It will be held at the wonderful studio of Stacey Mattraw, Arcangelo Productions, located in a hip, diverse, funky area of North Portland.

The class will be held Friday-Sunday, August 14-16, 10 am-5 pm every day.

The first day we’ll be painting our boards and applying plaster and by Friday afternoon we’ll be learning oil and cold wax techniques (I provide you with a pre plastered board so we don’t waste a minute of our precious time.)

On Saturday morning, we’ll sand our plastered boards.

And quickly seal them with acrylic paint.

By Saturday afternoon, we’ll be applying layers and layers of luminous, buttery, oil and cold wax.

I’ll be sharing lots of techniques throughout the weekend on how to add interesting texture, add text, scrape back, and so much more.

As an added special bonus, on Thursday evening, 5-6:30 pm, we’ll meet at Arcangelo Productions for a pre-workshop gathering hosted by Stacey. We’ll have snacks and drinks and get to know each other in advance of the class beginning on Friday morning. We have also scheduled a field trip to Collage, a delightful, and full-to-the-brim art supply store on NE Alberta, where Maria is offering a 10% discount on all purchases.

The cost of the three-day class (with some supplies included) is $375. A $100 deposit holds your space, with the balance due on July 14, 2015. If you are interested, please contact me: dayna@alleyartstudio.com and I’ll e-mail detailed information about what supplies are included, what you need to bring, and my refund policy. Also, if you’re coming from out of town, I can send you information on places to stay in the surrounding area.