ISLANDWOOD ART ESCAPE 2020
When I began my artful journey seven years ago, I attended Artfest that Tracy and Teesha Moore ran for over ten years in Port Townsend. I was lucky enough to attend the last two and their format is what has influenced my own workshops, both in the ones that I attend and the ones I design for other artists. I enjoyed the camaraderie that developed between the attendees, the teachers, the Moores and their staff.
When I was approached to take a look at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island, I knew that I wanted to emulate what the Moores had created. I wanted a place for artists to gather, to learn from one another and to create a community that will support each other long after we leave the island.
I also loved that the whole purpose of IslandWood is to create environmental stewards of students from the Seattle area. Great program, great mission. I am a long time steward, having participated in the very first Earth Day in middle school (yes, that dates me). The environment is important to me and so I invited other artists to teach who also echo this mission, often using repurposed materials for their art.
FEATURED ARTIST - BRIDGET GUERZON-MILLS
The first artist I reached out to was Bridget Guerzon-Mills, my very first encaustic art teacher. She describes herself as an artist, mom and naturalist. If you do not know of Bridget’s work, you can see her work on Instagram and Facebook. You can see that she, too, has the same feeling about the environment, often marrying nature with her encaustic work. Her outdoor installations are amazing. I knew that IslandWood, its ideals and setting would be too hard for her to pass up. I am so thankful that she agreed. She doesn’t teach very often, so her students will indeed be treated to a special workshop.
“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” Pablo Picasso
Join mixed media artist Bridgette Guerzon-Mills in an exploration in allowing nature to be our guide in creating artwork in the book form that digs deep into our connection with the Earth. We will explore our environment for natural materials to act as inspiration and jumping off points for design and concept, as well as elements within the pages of our hand-bound books.
Bridgette will lead the class through a variety of mixed media techniques that draw upon elements found in her creative practice: encaustic, fabric, thread, personal photos, collage, and the addition of natural elements. We will use plaster and fabric and found natural materials to create hand-bound books and the pages within.
Along with these techniques, we will discuss the stories of the earth around us – symbolism, mythology, and folklore that will feed the work we will be creating. Art is the bridge that can reconnect us to the stories we already know and our creative practice in dialogue with nature can help us to remember this connection.
There are seven spots open in Bridget’s workshop.
Bridget with one of her outdoor installations
To learn more about IslandWood, go here. Four days on beautiful Bainbridge Island, WA with 12 amazing teachers.
Track One teachers include Carla Sonheim, Lendon Noe, Leslie West, Cori Dantini, Christina Romeo, and Tory Brokenshire.
Track Two teachers include: Bridget Guerzon-Mills, Pamela Caughey, Graceann Warn, Raymond Papka, Morgan Brig, and Shannon Weber,
