Our last week with Melanie Testa has arrived and I thought I'd give her the chance to let you know of a wonderful event she has coming up. If you can get to Hampton, VA - run, do not walk, to join her at Art and Soul.... in her own words:
Melly:
For me, teaching is about interacting with students, the exchange and interplay of knowledge to such an extent that I too learn and grow from the experience. The supremely awesome thing is that students have 'beginners mind', an attitude of openness and eagerness and a lack of preconceptions. Who wouldn't feel invigorated by this? In May, I will be teaching at an event called Art and Soul. This retreat is held in Hampton Virginia, just as the weather begins to warm up and all the flowers are in bloom.
I will be teaching two classes, Inspired Journaling, every-single-day! on Sunday, May 23 which will cover visual journaling and we will explore using resists, paints and glues to create luscious pages in our journals. No need to 'worry' over your drawing skillz! I will help push and cajole those fear where they belong.
And a Soy Wax Batik class on Monday, May 24 . Soy wax, beside being very easy to use, is an ecologically safe alternative to paraffin. It is a magical medium that yields almost instantaneous results. To make it even easier on you, we will be using paint instead of my beloved dye which has proven to yield just as lovely results!So if you have the time and are near this fabulous retreat, please come and join in on the fun! I would love to have you.
I'd love to thank Melanie for taking the time to say hello to you all. As in our first introduction, she is an amazing artist and a wonderful person. Don't forget to leave a comment - especially if you've had a class with Melanie in the past. What was your favorite thing about the class?
You can leave one comment on each of the four Artist Spotlight posts about Melanie. Late Tuesday night I'll randomly choose one winner from among comments on the four posts to receive this original collaborative work. Melanie sent a lovely sheer organza printed with ginkgo leaves for me to work with. I've layered it with a peachy piece of hand-dyed cotton, printed with another set of ginkgo leaves. I also layered a few more leaves on the surface with a hint of gold foil. The 5"x7" piece is machine and hand stitched with a spray of gold beads scattered across the surface.
Wednesday morning I'll announce the winner so please be sure to check back so that you can send me your contact information.
If you can't get enough of gingko leaves head on over to Melanie's blog - where she has created a little work of art with the ginkgo fabric that I sent to her. Same deal there - comment on each of her four posts about me. I'd especially love it if you've had a class with me - tell them what you loved or learned.
