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Busy Day at Retreat

Posted in Workshop/Retreat, tagged Chickens in the Road, folk art, Pioneers and Primitives Retreat, Sassafras Farm, Shenandoah Valley Artist, Virginia Artist on October 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Suzanne demonstrating how to “burn” sugar for the cake

Fabulous Folk Art Paintings

Our youngest painter working on her cow

Items to add to Potpourri

The first day of the Pioneers & Primitives Retreat at Sassafras Farm was CRAZY busy. (Learn more about Suzanne and the farm here.) The participants milked the cow, cut corn from cobs to make corn cob jelly, made the jelly, made lard from fatback, made taper candles, made butter, painted a “masterpiece” and learned how to make homemade vanilla flavoring.

Oh yeah, they also collected items for their homemade potpourri, learned to “burn” sugar for a cake they will make tomorrow and learned to clip chickens wings.

WOW! When did they breathe???!!! A very busy, busy day! Wait till you see what we do today.

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Another Primitives & Pioneers Retreat

Posted in Workshop/Retreat, tagged Chickens in the Road, Primitives & Pioneers Retreat, Retreat, Virginia Artist on October 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Photo by Suzanne McMinn

There is one more Primitives & Pioneers Retreat coming up. This is the last one this year. Sign up today and join us on Saturday-Sunday, October 11-12, 2014 at Sassafras Farm and learn old-fashioned cooking, canning, art, and craft techniques. No experience is necessary.

Check out more photos from last month’s retreat here on “Chickens in the Road” Blog.

Painted Buckets from the Retreat

Learn more about the Retreat and how to register here. Or contact kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com for more information. This is a really fun weekend with LOTS of great take-home items including a painted bucket, canvas painting, loaf of bread, corncob jelly, burnt sugar cake, taper candles, and more! You don’t want to miss it!

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Embroidery as Art

Posted in Art Class, Embroidery, Workshop/Retreat, tagged embroidery, The Studio, The Studio for Learning, The Studio-A Place for Learning on September 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Sandra Charles Sample

Kit provided for class

Practice piece for stitches we are learning

Art comes in all forms. This week I began a piece of embroidery in a class that I am taking at The Studio. I love the possibilities of working with thread and muslin. You can make any design that you can imagine.

We worked on learning different stitches as well as started a small little sampler where we are practicing the stitches we learned. Sandra Charles, our instructor, is a wonderful fiber artist and has so much patience helping us get it right.

This is the her sample of the piece we are doing for class. Hopefully I will have mine to share after we finish our last class next Monday. We’ll see.

And don’t forget that we have so many creative classes at The Studio. It’s not just painting! Check out the calendar here on our website for the most up-to-date information on upcoming classes.

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One More Look at the Retreat

Posted in Workshop/Retreat, tagged Primitives & Pioneers Retreat, Sassafras Farm on September 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Maia made an appearance in her tutu

Another view of all the painted buckets

Here is one more look at images from the Pioneers & Primitives Retreat this past weekend at Sassafras Farm in West Virginia. Maia spent some time with us.

There are lots of great photos that attendees have been posting. Take a look here to see many, many more. And in case you want to join in on all the fun we will be offering this same Retreat once more this year on Oct 11-12. There are just a couple of spaces left so register right away.

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P & P Retreat Day 2

Posted in Workshop/Retreat, tagged Painted bucket on September 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The second day at the Pioneers & Primitives Retreat at Sassafras Farm (home of Chickens in the Road’s Suzanne McMinn) was just as busy as the first. The attendees made bread, Burnt Sugar cake, trimmed goat hooves, clipped chicken wings, completed their potpourri and painted a bucket! Busy, busy day.

Great job everyone!!!

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Pioneers & Primitives Day 1

Posted in daily painter, Serendipity, Workshop/Retreat on September 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Day 1 of the Pioneers & Primitives Retreat was a great success. We made candles, pick supplies for homemade potpourri, made corn cob jelly, milked the cow and painted a lovely folk art painting. What could be better than that? Oh, I know…Day 2! Stay tuned…..

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Yard Art-Totems

Posted in Workshop/Retreat, tagged The Studio-A Place for Learning, Yard Art, Yard Totem on September 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »

We made a different kind of art at The Studio last night. Yard Art! This is the second workshop we have had making Yard Totems from various pieces of glass and pottery. What fun! This is a great way to let your creativity flow.

Each month at The Studio-A Place for Learning (Click here for calendar of events) we are going to feature a different “Pinterest Pick” class.

To see some of the Totems from the first session click here.

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Learn at Sassafras Farm

Posted in Workshop/Retreat, tagged Chickens in the Road, Primitives & Pioneers Retreat, Suzanne McMinn on August 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

“Chickens in the Road”
photo by Suzanne McMinn

It’s time to register now to go learn at the Chickens in the Road Farm! I will be teaching again with my friend Suzanne McMinn at Sassafras Farm in West Virginia in September and October. Here is the info that Suzanne just posted on her blog: Chickens in the Road

Primitives & Pioneers Retreat — Canning, Cooking, Arts and Crafts!
September 13 – September 14, 2014 OR October 11 – October 12, 2014

This retreat will span two days, offered in both September and October, taking you from the kitchen, to the woods, and to the art easel with workshops including “Oh, Pioneer”–including corn cob jelly, hand-dipped tapers, homemade potpourri, rustic breads, fresh lard, and burnt sugar cake, along with “Let’s Paint Primitive”–an awesome art experience in which you’ll be led step-by-step to create two works of art, one on canvas and one on a old-fashioned bucket. (No prior experience required!) Three meals per day are included along with all your supplies, materials, and take-home projects. All workshops and activities will take place at Sassafras Farm in Roane County, West Virginia. Click here for information on registration.

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Sketching Supplies

Posted in daily painter, Tips for Better Painting, Workshop/Retreat, tagged sketchbook, sketching on July 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Sketching seminar (Read more here) was a great reminder that I need to slow down and take more notes and look at shapes and colors. Sometimes I get tied up in the day-to-day of trying to make a living and forget just how much fun the work of making art can be.

At the seminar we were given a sketch book and watercolor pencils along with a water brush and view finder that we could use to help us narrow down a composition.

Getting into the habit of carrying a sketchbook is something that many artists do in order to record things they see that they may want to paint at a later time. I think having a camera with you everywhere you go (cell phone) has made the sketchbook a tool that artists have stopped using. It’s a shame.

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Celebrating Wilderness Through Art!

Posted in Plein Air, Tips for Better Painting, Travel, Workshop/Retreat, tagged Betty Gatewood, Big Meadows, Celebrating Wilderness Through Art, Phyllis Northup, Shenandoah National Park, sketching on July 13, 2014| 2 Comments »

Phyllis Northup (right) explains sketching techniques

Betty Gatewood, Park Ranger, explains the schedule

Hiking to our Sketch Location

Participants in Big Meadows

Quick sketches done by seminar participants

Big Meadow-Shenandoah National Park

The “Celebrating Wilderness Through Art” Seminar that I attended yesterday was delightful!

The group of about 25 met at Byrd Visitor Center (milepost 51) and were warmly welcomed by the staff of Shenandoah National Park as well as by our seminar leaders Betty Gatewood and Phyllis Northup.

We were given an overview of the Wilderness Act which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The seminar was offered as part of that celebration.

The focus of the day was on the “How and Why of Journaling Nature”. The leaders did an excellent job in such a short time to focus on seeing and sketching as well as recording what we see, feel, hear and smell as we view nature.

We spent time sketching out in the middle of Big Meadows, recording colors and sights.

Hiking to the location to sketch gave us the opportunity to see small bits of nature that we sometime forget to slow down and take in.

Sketching is a wonderful way to slow down and see!

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