More Than 40 Days - But Who's Counting Anyway?

We are finally getting a few days of Spring, tucked in between later than usual-even for Wisconsin- days of snow. I've just returned from walking the dog by the harbor and climbing the rocks along Lake Michigan. It feels like winter has been hanging around for a really really long time this year. 

I've just finished up with my 40 Days series of collage works. A series that began as a step back from the larger works I had been focussing on, to allow myself the opportunity to slow down, sit at the table in a contemplative manner, and work on a more intimate scale. Each day I listed one piece from the series on Instagram and titled them each in order, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc. but in the midst of it all, I had to stop and prepare for a workshop, and then there was Easter, and family, and a bridal shower for my stepdaughter, and I found that it was not possible to keep up with posting every single day. 

I confess it caused me more than a little stress at first, thinking I had set myself up to fail. But then I remembered, these works weren't ever about making a new collage every day. They were about reflecting on the spiritual meaning of the number 40.

40 Days...40 years... The number 40 typically represents a period of testing, trial, or probation. It may be quite literal, 40 days can mean just that- 40 days. But back in the day, the term 40 years was also an expression that meant "a really really long time". Kind of like when we say "it took forever to find a parking spot", but you know, probably something much more trying than having to lug all your groceries half a mile to the car. 

Having had my fair share of ups and downs over the past few years, and even considering the current political climate here in the great US of A, I can relate to that feeling that something difficult is never going to end. But the thing about these testing periods, is the purpose is never just to inflict pain. On the contrary, it is during such a time as this, that we are able to look deep within and see exactly what it is that we are made of. And exactly where it is that we need to place our hope. 

40 Days Series

To Celebrate the completion of the 40 Days Series, I am offering 25% offeverything listed in my shop, including all 40 works from the series.

40 collage works representing 40 days of exploration of the spiritual significance of the number 40, generally a reference to a period of testing, trial, or probation. An accompanying verse, poem, or quote is posted with each work to help direct my thoughts as I create, ponder, and reflect.

Be sure to use the following coupon code at checkout for your 25% off discount: 40DAYS
Click here to see all listed works.

Outside the US? No problem - please reply to this email or contact me at crystalneubauer@yahoo.com to make payment and shipping arrangements. 

 

Upcoming Workshop and Event Schedule and News

Through May 1st - The Art Of The Eye, Creative Space opening in Kenosha, WI was a huge success and one of my works received an award!

Mon-Tue April 23-24- Open Studio/Mini Residency with Supplies Available; Racine, WI

Sat/Sun June 2-3 - Boxing Encaustic Workshop - Only 1 seat left! - Racine, WI

Mon-Sun July 23-29 - EncaustiCamp - Seattle, Washington

September - workshop and Open Studio, Dates and info to come

Mon-Wed Oct. 1-3 - Wax, Paper, Scissors - Sedona, AZ

Thursday October 4 - Featured Artist, Xanadu Gallery - Scottsdale, AZ

November (tentative month) - Guest Artist Karen Sako, Cold Wax Workshop - Racine, WI (info to come)

February 21-24, 2019 -  Return to Way Art Yonder, Save The Date info to come - Jamul, CA

New Listings On The Workshop Schedule for April and June

OPEN STUDIO/mini residency

Monday and Tuesday April 23-24th, 2018

Racine, WI

Join me in my studio for a two day mini residency. I will have some supplies available for community use, including encaustic wax and tools, you bring your own project to work on and will have your own table to spread out and make art. No formal workshop instruction, but I will be working alongside you on my own projects and am open to questions and conversation. 

Choose one or both day options. 

For questions specific to the setup you need or any tools you would like access to, please email me at crystalneubauer@yahoo.com

Select Dates

Monday Only $60.00 USD Tuesday Only $60.00 USD Monday & Tuesday $120.00 USD

Boxing Encaustic -  1 Seat Left!

June 2-3rd

Racine, WI 

This is a very special opportunity to take a workshop in my studio in a small group setting. Limited to 6 participants

With room to spread out, participants in this class will focus on the creating collage with encuastic wax on cradled panels with the introduction to incorporating assemblage elements into your work. Whether you choose to use salvaged wood or other materials to frame your artwork, add an assemblage element as a focal point, or create an assemblage mostly with salvaged materials with encaustic or collage as an accent, this workshop will help you make design decisions, become familiar with attaching large objects, building or enhancing frameworks, and of course teach you the the basics of encaustic and collage. 

Some assemblage and collage materials will be available for students to use. 

All encaustic medium and supplies, adhesives, power tools, hardware, etc. are included. Other supplies and mediums will be available in the studio.

Students should bring:

Cradled panels - you choose size up to 24" on any one side

personal collection of found papers and ephemera

assemblage materials, found objects, interesting bits of salvaged wood, bits, bobbles, fragments, knick-knacks, etc. 
Anything else you may want to experiment with or include in your finished artwork

Dream Killers vs Dream Catchers

There are certain people you encounter in life who listen to you share the desires of your heart, mirror back to you those dreams, and encourage you to pursue the thing you most want to do. And then there are those who will, for one reason or another, speak words of discouragement to your dreams, giving you bits of their own "wisdom" which feels like someone just rained all over your beautiful parade of creativity. They cause you to doubt your sanity for being so audacious as to think you could ever achieve beyond what you are currently capable of doing. I call the former Dream Catchers. Your heart is safe with them. The latter are more like Dream Killers, and it isn't always easy to know the difference until it is too late. Looking back over the last few decades, building my career as an artist, I have encountered both dream catchers and dream killers, maybe you have too.

This week the official announcement was released, I am the excited and proud recipient of the Racine Art Museum Artists Fellowship, one of four awarded this honor every other year. When I first moved to Wisconsin, the call had gone out for the 2016 RAM Fellowship and in my enthusiasm I applied without hesitation. You may remember me sharing about the nicest rejection letter I ever received, in which the director had enthused how much they loved my work and that I had been a strong contender. Hands down, I thought, I would apply again the next time around. 

Over the course of the past two years, I encountered a few of those dream killers, who shared with me the impossibility of someone like me ever receiving this award, I simply wasn't qualified. I have encountered this kind of talk before and usually don't give it much merit, but I have to admit, this time it got to me. It very nearly kept me from even trying. Fortunately I encountered more Dream Catchers, two of which gave me a pep talk outside my studio door and then a friendly nudge the day before the application was due. 

Well I already shared the outcome with you, if not for those Dream Catchers, I wouldn't be writing about this today. But it gave me pause to think, how often am I the one who dismisses my own dreams before I even try? As a visual artist, it is easy to become isolated in our own studios and even our own head space. I am grateful I have a community of like minded artists and dreamers to check in with and encourage me to keep going.

This brings me back to what I believe is one of the biggest benefits to taking an art workshop, connecting with those like minded dreamers and getting encouragement to stretch beyond our comfort zones. Just over a week from today, I get to play host and student when artist Michael Shemchuk teaches in my Racine studio. Coming all the way from California, Michael will be sharing his unique abstract collage painting technique, with an emphasis on composition and design. We will be working on creating a triptych over the course of that one weekend. There is just one seat available if you have been thinking of registering, now is the time!

Many of you had inquired about whether I might be teaching another workshop in my studio and I am excited to offer you the opportunity to participate in a semi-private workshop created first for members of the Patreons and Peers group, with the remaining four seats now available to you. The class is scheduled in my studio on June 2nd and 3rd -read on for details and registration information. 

Boxing Encaustic - A Semi-Private Workshop Opportunity
June 2 & 3
Racine, Wisconsin
$300 

This is a very special opportunity to take a workshop in my studio in a small group setting. Limited to 6 participants, this class will focus on the creating collage with encuastic wax on cradled panels with the introduction to incorporating assemblage elements into your work. 

The class was created for members of my Patreons and Peers group first and the remaining seats are now open to my newsletter and blog readers for a limited time. It is not currently listed on my workshop page or being advertised to the general public. Your early bird opportunity to grab one of the remaining four seats!

To register click here. The supply list is small and will be emailed to you, but mainly includes bringing your own collection of collage material and found objects. 

A good beginning is half the work

Here we are, already heading into the second week of February and just like clockwork, every single year, I find myself wondering how the month of January flew by so fast. 2018 is 1/12th over! I've barely had a chance to catch my breath from the busy holiday season to even think about all those New Year's Resolutions. I mean, it's already February, why even bother now?

Is it even worth it to begin something new if we have gotten off to a later start than everyone else seems to have? Sound familiar?

In one form or another, this self-defeating belief creeps into our thinking and keeps us stuck in old behavior patterns, preventing us from stepping out of an established routine to try something new. I didn't take the traditional pathway to becoming an established career artist, no degree or MFA or any formal training, it wasn't in the cards for me. But where would I be now if I hadn't decided to let go of the security of the known career path when I was approaching my forties, to start experimenting with mixed media and collage?

The faulty thinking of "why bother now" can be even more amplified when we have started strong down a particular path and gotten sidetracked by life somewhere along the way. Then the "why even bother now" messages get reinforced with the good ol' "I had my shot and blew it". 

"It's too late..." is a roadblock of a self-protective thinking pattern gone-awry, making us weary of starting something new when we have grown accustomed to the way things are. We come up with rational and reasonable sounding excuses not to try, but the bottom line so often comes down to fear of the unknown, or what author of The War Of Art, Steven Pressfield, calls "resistance". 

After much experience with these mental obstacles, I now recognize that when it comes to stepping out of my comfort zone to achieve something I've only dreamed of doing, taking the first step is the hardest. I don't always know exactly how to begin, so I don't even try. 

That's why I firmly believe that half the value of taking an art workshop isn't only about learning a new technique, but in finding the freedom to let yourself try. 

In my Wax, Paper, Scissors workshop experimenting and trying something new is the name of the game. And because I know that a common obstacle to trying a new technique is the expense of purchasing supplies and tools you have never used before and don't even know if you'll like, I've decided to include nearly everything you need in my February class. This is one of the biggest benefits of taking a workshop in the artist's studio - I don't have to be selective about what I bring for you to use, because we are in my personal workspace. Everything I use is right there. 

Won't you join me in giving yourself permission to try?

Why Not Wisconsin?

"It is so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas." ~Paul Cezanne (Kenosha, Wisconsin North Pier Lighthouse, photo featured in USA today by Phil Koch) Hello friends, I am getting set to head to the studio for the first time all month. Short of running in for an hour to pack supplies and returning to dump supplies and pack more supplies before running back out the door, I have not had the opportunity to just spend time creating for what seems like an eternity.  There are a few projects on the work table that I need to spend time finishing up, and I'll start shooting video footage for my new ecourse this month (yes, finally!) but it is also time for me to get out a few blank canvases and start a new body of work. There are times that facing that blank canvas is a thrill and times where it really is a dreaded task. After such a long time away, it is sometimes hard to get back in the proverbial saddle again and let the creativity flow.  Reflecting on the workshop I just wrapped up in California and looking forward to the latest addition to my schedule at the Sedona Arts Center in October, I realized that many people choose which workshop to register for based on the location where I'll be teaching. I get it, It is fun to travel and explore new regions of the country, especially those that are known for their scenic landscapes and surroundings, but it made me wonder, why not Wisconsin? I grabbed the image above from a recent post on USA Today's Facebook page taken by a local landscape photographer, Phil Koch. The image is literally what I consider to be my back yard. Okay, my actual back yard is a parking lot of the townhouse we live in, but it is a half a block to Harbor park where this image was taken and where we walk daily. Lake Michigan offers a never ending display of splendor and photographers from the world over have captured it's many moods on any given day. One of the hotels that I recommend to people traveling to take a workshop at my own studio is right there at the other end of that pier- the Wyndham Garden Harborside. A 15 minute drive down Sheridan road, my studio is located in Racine, Wisconsin and my drive there offers me great stretches of Lake Michigan views. So often on my way to work, I cannot resist stopping at one of the roadside parking lots and walking the beach looking for driftwood and sea glass. Granted, my February workshop might be a few months shy of the perfect beach combing weather, but did you know that Racine is also the home of the Racine Art Museum, which offers a world renowned collection of contemporary craft - the largest collection in North America?  Free Ice Skating at Monument Square just a short drive from the studio, outstanding local galleries to explore in Kenosha, and plenty of great restaurants and cute shops in each location, there is plenty to do when class isn't in session- oh, and there is always the cheese castle or one of the many Racine Kringle bakeries, to get a taste of that true Wisconsin flavor - after all, we are America's dairyland! Nestled a mere 30-45 minutes away from Milwaukee, and just over an hour to Chicago, the studio is perfectly situated for a stop during an extended vacation. Take a workshop and then leave yourself plenty of time to explore these two great cities.  Next up is my Wax, Paper, Scissors workshop and if I haven't managed to convince you based on the studio and great location alone, I'm currently offering to supply your art panels when you enroll, two 18" x 18" panels will be waiting for you, along with all the supplies and tools the fee already covers; encaustic and cold wax, adhesive, watercolor paper, and other supplies and tools you'll need. All you need to bring is your own collection of ephemera and found papers to make your projects more personal! Two months from today, I will be welcoming mixed media artist, Michael Shemchuk as a guest artist/instructor in my studio and chances are, the weather will be warming up enough to explore the beaches, as if having the opportunity to explore collage with this abstract master isn't enough! Check out the description below and sign up soon, the class is nearly full!