Mental Blocks	9:00 - 4:30 Tuesday August 11th
	Andrea Matus deMeng	$145

Student Level: All
Type of Workshop: Project and Process
Prerequisite: None

“Everything we care about lies somewhere in the middle, where pattern and randomness interlace” –James Gleick

In this project based workshop we are going to take control of chaos, magically weaving together fragments of photos, symbols, and words to create a mosaic of mixed media blocks. Each small rectangle an artistic story of its own…an individual tidbit of information, but where this journey becomes interesting is when the small pieces are puzzled together. Students will bring together a variety of images and ideas from a variety of sources and harmonize them. The chaos…suddenly meaningful. Randomness…suddenly full of purpose.

Some of the specific skills we’ll be tackling in this workshop include:
-paint techniques, choosing colors, mixing colors, and combining paint with collage objects.
-collage techniques
-combining elements from discordant sources and creating a unified composition
-related several small collages into a larger cohesive narrative
-exercises to overcome “mental blocks”
-creative juxtapositions to jumpstart creativity

Instructor will provide for use during class:
Paper towel
Metallic paint
Portfolio Brand Pastels
Other mark making tools

Supply List:
6 Wood Blocks measuring 3”X4” (if the hardware store won’t do it for you then cradled wood panels about 2” thick that are 3”X4” work great) –can’t find the exact size, no problem you can work on squares, or a different sized block that is similar dimensions (eg. 3”X5” or 2.5”X4” – you get the idea)
Paper, ephemera and collage items: think about specific shapes or symbols that you like and bring them
Photos, faces, any kind of imagery you find exciting. Thin magazine paper does not collage very well…if you love some of those images photocopy them onto glossy photo paper
Tissue papers, old pattern paper, fancy wrapping paper…we’re looking for a variety of color, pattern and texture
Paint: Golden Acrylics fluid or heavy body (white, black, any blue, red, and yellow, plus a couple more of your favorites)
Paint Palette (a paper plate will suffice)
Paintbrushes: bring just a few in different sizes, and one fine detail brush
Water Container
Golden Matte Medium (medium bottle) –should sound syrupy when you shake it
Golden Heavy Gel (small container)
Small palette knife
Scissors
E6000 Adhesive

Optional: (I’ll have all of these items for sharing…so just bring it if you have it or want your own)
Portfolio Pastels and/or Caran d’Ache
Black dimensional fabric paint (in the bottle with a fine tip)
White dimensional fabric paint (in the bottle with a fine tip)
Extra Fine Sharpie
White Gel Pen
Stencils

If you'd like to place an advance order for supplies & tools for pick up at the on-site store when you arrive at AU, contact: The Occasional Artist - Email your order to: theoccasionalartist@cox.net or call 623-847-2215

Questions? Email Andrea at amatusart@gmail.com
Website: andreamatus.com