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KELLY ALLANSON
SILVERSMITH INTENSIVE 
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES IN JEWELLERY MAKING
FOR BEGINNER TO EXPERIENCED STUDENTS
​5 Days - 5 Stunning Projects
Session 1 - Friday September 11  - Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Sorry Full
Session 2 - Friday September 18 - Tuesday September 22.  
Sorry - Full

​
​This fabulous week-long Jewellery Intensive Workshop was designed specifically to teach you essential jewellery fabrication methods and each project was chosen for its beauty and scope of techniques. 
​
​​​No other workshop or class out there comes close to matching the number of techniques you'll learn and the awesome finished pieces you'll go home with!   Perfect for all skill levels as projects will be adapted to meet individual needs.

​Tidal Earrings (or Pendant) In Sterling and/or gold-fill 

Making a statement is what these earrings are all about!  Mixed metals can be worn with anything!  

Learn the intricacies involved in making perfect sterling silver step bezels for faceted round stones.  You'll get tons of practice constructing the bezels from tubing of different sizes that fit inside each other.  This keeps the stones supported from underneath during setting.

Next, learn to work with gold-filled wire.  You'll nestle all six of your bezels between numerous strips of rolled, gold-filled wire to create a stunning radiating pattern that looks fabulous from any direction and in any shape.
​
Lastly, wires are soldered to square sterling silver bars and finished with choice of a tube jump ring and ear hooks or classic studs.  
* Heavier wire is best for pendant, thinner is best for earrings.  
​Your choice of:
Natural stones or Cubic's  & mixed metals or all sterling.  ​

Raw Edged Pendant or Earrings


​This show stopping pendant will take you through all the steps of metal processing.  You'll melt down scrap sterling silver into an ingot mold and roll it out to create a raw, rough piece with natural edges.
 
The final shape will be determined by the rolling mill.  Next, you'll construct a statement "frame" to fit. 

Then we dust the surface with real gold filings.

Once you determine the "balance" point you will make round or square tube bails for the pendant or ear wires for the earrings. ​The beautiful multi bail shown is a bit challenging but Kelly has a trick!  

Lastly, you can leave it with a subtle rich finish or patina as in the photo. 

​Tapered Collet Set Ring with Wrapped or Forged Style Band

Subtle changes in a technique can create the most stunning pieces.

We begin by taking the typical standard tube setting most often used to set stones and instead learn to slim and angle it to create an elegantly tapered bezel.  This is called a collet setting and it gives your ring a very clean and modern design element. 

You'll measure, cut and form your tapered bezel.  Next, you'll learn to finesse the shape further with the use of a collet block and tube setting punches.   

Fabricate your ring band in either style. You can texture it with the rolling mill and overlap the edges or choose to off set them.  (Looks great with or without a patina finish.)   Or you can keep the band more elegant in design and let your new collet making skills steal the show! 

​Pave Ring

This ring is all about the bling!

Spend the day honing your skills with a needle file and learn all about the intricacies of bead setting.

You  will set 5 faceted, 3mm stones into a classic sterling silver infinity band.

You will have a selection of different coloured natural faceted stones to choose from.  (Or cubic zirconias, if you prefer).

You can pair this along side another ring you own to stack or wear it proudly on its own.  Either way, once it's on your finger, you'll never want to take it of!

Sand Cast Mongram or Roman Numeral
Pendant, Ring or Bangle

​​Create a stunning monogram or roman numeral inspired piece of your choosing through the age old process of sand casting.
​This piece can be as individual as you are!  

This fun technique is a side step from the tradition of hand fabrication but it can still be a challenge.  You'll learn what works best for molds and imprinting into the sand along with the proper steps for achieving a high quality sand casting. 

​Next, we'll learn the correct steps to file and polish our pieces to a beautiful finish.

You can attach your casting to a bail for a pendant or form it onto a simple ring band.  For an additional material fee you can make it the focal of a simple but stunning  bangle* bracelet. (TBD)
(Kelly will have a number of other components available for casting if monograms and numbers aren't your thing.) Or bring your own items.
(You are welcome to bring your scrap for casting too!)
​All tools required for the workshop will be supplied along with handouts for reference.
Additional tools, metals and stones will be available for purchase before or after class each day.
​ Visit Kelly's website at www.kellyallanson.com
​Be sure to visit our FAQ page for complete registration/cancellation details.
5 Days
​Level:  Beginner to Intermediate.
*Projects will be adapted and made more challenging for those with experience.
Max 12 students 
​Dates:  
Session 1 - Friday September 11  - Tuesday, September 15, 2020 Sorry Full 
Session 2 - Friday September 18 - Tuesday September 22.  Sorry - Full
Tuition: $745.00 + 5% tax  (plus $200.00 material fee paid to instructor upon commencement)   ($300.00 deposit reserves your space or email us here if you prefer alternate payment plan)
Hours: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm daily
Location:  Nanaimo, BC   Downtown area TBA

DAVID MICHAEL SLONIM  
Painting: Experimenting, Risk Taking & Growth Tailored For All Painting Styles
Monday, September 28 -Friday, October 2, 2020
Nanaimo, BC


​Would you like to paint better than you ever have before?
                              PAINT YOUR STYLE
In this workshop you can paint your way  --  Abstract. Realism. Impressionism. Surrealism. Still life. Landscape. 

This workshop is open to anyone in any medium* who wants to take their work deeper, further, faster.

​David will share his 30+ years of extensive study and knowledge; distilled for you and served up with the encouragement to fearlessly take risks.
​                       YOUR GROWTH IS THE PRIORITY
Your growth as an artist will accelerate as we study great artists and unlock the universal secrets of image structure.
Join us and learn how the ABSTRACT STRUCTURE is what makes a painting a good painting, regardless of style or genre.
David will demonstrate how the master's paintings throughout art history were built on an abstract structure even when the finished painting was representational.​
At a primal level, it's this abstract image structure that moves us-- through the use of line, shape, space, value, color, and texture.
                              ​IMAGE STRUCTURE TOPICS
LINE STRUCTURE:
​Beautiful art has beautiful bones supporting the whole.
VALUE STRUCTURE:
Paintings that move us distribute light and dark to convey feeling.
COLOR STRUCTURE:
Great paintings, like great music, are a tension resolved by harmony.
​
​​Mastery of the abstract visual language is the key to captivating your viewers and is accomplished through the skillful use of the universal  principles of design, composition and visual communication.
​
       Just some of the many topics we'll cover:  
  •   How to create image structure 
  •   How to design a color structure
  •   How to improve any painting instantly
  •   How to critique any style of painting
  •   The 3 subjects in every good painting
  •   How to find a gallery
  •   How to tell your story to the right audience
  •   Website mistakes to avoid
​​There will be power point presentations, demos, exercises, and games to isolate the key principles, discussions and demonstrations.  There'll be individual painting time at your easels with personalized one-on-one instruction, encouragement, critique  and  feedback. 

Each day will end with a group critique and recap of what we covered that day. Workshop content has been carefully designed to help you reach your personal goals.
​David's demos are not step-by-step "how to paint a finished painting".  Instead, he demonstrates a mindset, an attitude of exploration, and risk-taking to help you become the best version of yourself as an artist.

You'll paint lots during this workshop as that's the best way to good paintings.  It will be inspiring and fun, with an upbeat atmosphere and you'll go home ready to create your best work yet! ​

​Everyone will receive printed handouts on the workshop content so you'll have a permanent record of everything covered.  We'll steal from the masters, laugh a lot and eat a little chocolate. Because chocolate. 

"Come, be encouraged and inspired in a fun, upbeat atmosphere and go home ready to create your best work yet."  - David

Sorry - No pastels in this workshop. ​ ​​
David has been a professional painter for over thirty years and is represented by numerous galleries:  THE HAMPTONS | Quogue Gallery, BOSTON | Newbury Fine Arts,  JACKSON HOLE & SCOTTSDALE | Altamira Fine Art,   
​See more of David's work at: www.davidmichaelslonim.com  &
www.davidslonimpresents.com
​Be sure to visit our FAQ page for complete registration/cancellation details.
Monday, September 28-Friday, October 2, 2020
5 Days 
Level:  Intermediate to advanced  (Must be familiar with your tools and materials and able to paint independently)
​​Sturdy floor easel required.  (See registration form) 
Medium:  Acrylic, watercolor, gouache, collage, or oils. ​ *SORRY NO PASTELS  (David will paint in oil) ​
​***Note:  This is a SOLVENT FREE workshop.  Supply list will specify alternatives.
Hours:  10 - 5:30 daily - Friday 9 - 3​
Tuition:  $845.00 + 5% tax  $300.00 reserves your space or email us here if you prefer alternate payment plan
Location:  Cedar Hall, 2388 Cedar Road, Cedar, BC (15 minutes south of downtown Nanaimo)
​Click here for map

GREG HARGREAVES

ABSTRACTING THE LANDSCAPE:  NATURE RE-IMAGINED
Monday October 5 - Friday, October 9, 2020
Nanaimo, BC
​​Join us for this fun, paint-filled week and learn Greg’s unique approach to intuitive landscape painting. 

No matter what level of abstraction you prefer, recognizable subject matter or pure abstraction,  this workshop has been designed to help you find your way.

​Greg will share with you the fundamental foundations of all his paintings, his four key pillars of success: Composition, Colour, Texture and Stroke.  
With an emphasis on FUN, your goal will be to make each painting different and or more satisfying than the previous one. 

​With just a few key elements to remember and no "recipes" to follow, you just need to stay open to play and to delight in the randomness of nature and your imagination. 
​

You’ll use unconventional painting tools and will begin to view each of them as an opportunity. ​

It is exhilarating to let go of control and learn to respond to your mark making, letting the paint lead the way.
Through experimentation you will become aware of the mark and learn how to utilize it in translating the landscape.  

​We’ll play with opposites; warm & cool, thick & thin, textured & smooth,  light & dark, neutrals & brights and many more.

​
​While always looking to nature as our inspiration,  we’ll be making it all up in this workshop.   No reference images needed! 

We won't be looking to the old masters, or hitting the books but will instead begin to flex our intuition muscle, learn to trust our feelings and allow them to guide our decisions.

​Greg will present inspiring demonstrations along with a few invaluable step-by-step power-point presentations of his process from beginning through completion.

You will see his finished paintings and the stages each one of them went through.  Such a great learning tool!

Throughout the week, you’ll be given a few assignments to help keep you focused along with tons of painting time.  There'll be  lots of one-on-one time with Greg along with a constructive critique or two sprinkled in.
Greg holds nothing back and with his guidance and your hands-on practice you’ll learn how to incorporate all four of Greg's key pillars of success into your own work too!
Visit Greg's Etsy shop:  HargreavesArt
​By the end of the week, you will have discovered the delight in painting and experienced the true joy of creating. 

​As Greg likes to put it:   Painting for the sheer fun of it!  
​Be sure to visit our FAQ page for complete registration/cancellation details.
5 Days   
Medium:  Acrylic 
​Level: All Levels 
Max: 20
​Dates: Monday October 5 - Friday, October 9, 2020
Tuition:  $626.00 + 5 % gst.
Hours: 10:00 - 5:00 Monday - Thursday  & 9:00 - 3:00 Friday
Location:  Nanaimo, BC    TBA

MICHAEL SHEMCHUK
ABSTRACTION BY DESIGN ​
Wednesday October 21 - Sunday October 25, 2020
​​VICTORIA, BC (Saanich Fairgrounds)  



​Join us as San Francisco artist Michael Shemchuk guides you through his unique process of constructing eye catching contemporary abstract paintings.  
​
You will paint tons in this workshop!  It is fast paced with loads of techniques.  Shem has shared something new and exciting at each consecutive workshop!
​Working in the mediums of paint, paper, graphite and clear varnish you'll create mixed media art works on 7 wood panels of different dimensions while utilizing a variety of different approaches.
​
The guiding principle we'll use throughout the week is Abstraction by Design.  This principle and the techniques learned will enable the artist to engage in their collage, paint and design skills simultaneously. 

​Our focus will be on texture, color selection, color mixing, surface manipulation, deconstruction, placement, and visual balance.  It can often be as much about what we remove as what we choose to keep.
​The 3 different sized formats we'll work on, offer a challenge to one’s approach both visually and spatially.  We begin by limiting our color choices and manipulating textures and backgrounds.  Next, we move into placement, markings, visual balance and additional color selections.   All the while, you'll be applying and manipulating traditional mediums in unconventional ways. 

Formats:
3- 16”x16” Wood panels (triptych) the challenge is to have each panel work together so they can hang as a suite or individually.

2- 9”x 72”x 3”D. Totems:  Favorited by artist's and buyers alike!  These ever popular elongated wood panels will provide a segmented surface of color & texture. (See below for more details regarding pricing.)  Hung vertically or horizontally the challenge is to successfully design linearly now.   
​
2- 24”x48” Wood panels: lastly we go BIG! These two panels together total 48 x 48!  This size of painting will present another whole new set of challenges.  We'll approach this work as a colour-collage painting, a type of patchworked surface with collage & markings.  Again, our goal is for these two panels to hang together successfully individually or as one 48" x 48 " piece.
Over the course of our five days together, we'll glue, sand, scrape, remove and rebuild layers of paint and paper to create richly textured and complex surfaces.   Once the techniques are learned, we’ll then begin to place even more focus and emphasis on designing, refining and simplifying.

You’ll build your design skills thru the use of structure, color mixing, layout and balance creating a surface of both formal and asymmetrical arrangement along with a richness of depth.  Restraint with cohesion is paramount and what may look deceptively simple is in fact the most challenging aspect. 

The results are simply beautiful!​

Shemchuk is represented by several fine art galleries and shows his work internationally.  His mixed media abstractions combine the use of color, line, textures and composition that result in a pictorially designed space that is layered with both visual meaning and an undeniable intentionality. 
 See more of his work at  www.mshem.com
​Be sure to visit our FAQ page for complete registration/cancellation details.
Level:  ALL   
​Dates: Wednesday October 21 - Sunday October 25, 2020
Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 10 - 5:30  Sunday 9 - 3
Studio painting hours available until 8PM Wed - Sat
​Medium:  Acrylic house paint / water based paints & medium
Flying in?  Email us here for info on shipping panels home.
​Material fee $180.00 for 2 custom Totem cradled wood panels.  Approx.  9" Wide x 72" Long x 3"Deep  
(Totems fee due upon commencement)
Tuition:  $995.00 + 5% tax  ($300.00 deposit reserves your space or email us here if you prefer alternate payment plan
Location: Saanich Fairgrounds, 1528 Stelly's Cross Road, Victoria, BC. Click here for map

ROBERT BURRIDGE      
LOOSEN UP WATERMEDIA WORKSHOP
IT'S LIKE 4 YEARS OF ART SCHOOL!
​Monday, October 26 - Friday October 30, 2020
Victoria, BC



​This flagship Burridge workshop offers an amazing variety of painting subjects for everyone!  Designed for the professional painter who is stuck in a style as well as for the novice who wants to conquer their fear and dive right in.
​Burridge's popular "Loosen Up" workshops nurture individual success and personal enrichment with a big emphasis on daily painting projects at your own pace.  It is stress-free, but be warned; you could end up with too much enthusiasm for painting.


​​Starting each day with multiple small "warm-up painting exercises" and building up to larger-format paintings, Burridge's positive approach towards the act of painting will inspire you to loosen up, have more fun and paint more!
​
Expect an intense, concentrated and lively workshop where you will create many works of art using spontaneity for maximum effect.
This workshop has become a must for artists who want the confidence and permission to paint the way they have always wanted to paint. 

​Students will take home numerous handouts of useful and need-to-know information. Burridge's newest color combination technique is also demonstrated. A positive attitude is a must!
We’ll paint ethereal landscapes, trees, chickens, florals, fruit and more! This workshop will be a blast!  For a sneak peek of what you're in for,  click on the video links below.
​Be sure to visit our FAQ page for complete registration/cancellation details.
5 Days  
Medium:  Acrylic 
​Level: All Levels 
​Dates: Monday, October 26 - Friday October 30, 2020
Tuition: $825.00 +  5% tax  $300.00 reserves your space  or email ushere  if you prefer alternate payment plan.
Hours: 10:00 - 5:00 daily &  Friday  9 - 3
Extended studio hours: paint til 7 PM Monday - Thursday
Location: Saanich Fairgrounds, 1528 Stelly's Cross Road, Victoria, BC. Click here for map


​TESSA PEARSON      
SCREEN PRINTED WATER BASED MONOPRINTS
Perfect for landscapes, floral's, abstraction....whatever you decide.
Friday, November 6 - Sunday, November 8, 2020
Location: Nanaimo, BC

We are thrilled to bring to you UK artist Tessa Pearson for this fun, fast paced workshop!
​
Unique painted monotypes are created by painting directly onto the unmasked open mesh of a silkscreen, covering the whole area before pulling the paint through the mesh using a blade. This is then repeated to build up layers of colour.
​
​The textures and mark making are spontaneous and unrepeatable which leads to an exciting and original painting every time. 
Tessa will introduce you to this exciting technique with an initial discussion of the process,  examples from her own works and other contemporary printmakers.

She will then demonstrate the open screen technique and over the course of our workshop you will explore techniques of layering, mark making and colour mixing,   We will use stencils, collage and other water soluble media. You'll begin by making multiple small experimental pieces, working towards a series of larger finished prints.  ​The luminosity of the finished work is amazing!
​There is much to cover in our three days so we have limited the attendance to only 8 artists in order to provide lots of one-on-one time with Tessa and plenty of hands-on practice.
​Be sure to visit our FAQ page for complete registration/cancellation details.
3 Days   
Medium:  Acrylic 
​Level: All Levels 
Max:  8 ONLY
​Dates: Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8, 2020
Tuition: $995.00 + gst.  Includes use of screen, squeegee and most supplies!. 
Hours: 10:00 - 5:00 daily 
Location:  Nanaimo, BC    TBA
Never Stop Learning!​