I think everyone woman knows and appreciate a night away with
just the girls. Luckily for me, I've got a great group of girlfriends found in the
North Iowa Bloggers, and we got together last week when Kelly of
Kelly Gau Studio did a special
Mixed Media Art Class at the
West Fork Wharf in Sheffield, Iowa.
I've traveled up to Kelly's studio in Albert Lea, Minnesota a few times. It is such a fun and artistic space. I have been up there with both friends and family and have come home with different Mixed Media creations for our home and with gifts for both family and friends. And while it is nice to get away up there, I couldn't resist the chance to put on one of her
cute aprons less than 20 miles from home! It was so nice for Kelly to travel down south with all of her supplies and papers to do her
show on the road and for the West Fork Wharf to open up on one of their closed nights to let a group of ladies come in to eat, drink and create!
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Kelly of Kelly Gau Studio giving instructions
for creating Mixed Media Art |
So what is
Mixed Media Art? Mixed Media Art is using a variety of materials to create a piece of art. Kelly walks people through making their own individual canvases using paint, paper, ink, oil pastels, mod podge, etc. Just like other painting or art classes you may have heard about or went to, she has two templates for the participants to choose from as a base. Each month, she has two new templates. In February the templates were birds or a tractor. I of course chose a tractor! Then after you've chose your base theme, you pick out pieces of craft and scrapbook paper that you like and think would go well for your canvas. You also pick out a background paint color to paint your canvas (
you also have the option of not painting the canvas and leaving it white, which I have done in the past.) Then you start layering by mod podging, and putting torn pieces of paper on your canvas. After you've mod podged everything on the canvas you can use water based oil pastels to outline your picture, or pencil, or ink. I also love using the oil pastels to add shading and depth to my art pieces. The final touch is adding a verse or a quote to your canvas.
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My finished creation for our farm office
"Behind every Good Man is a Great Tractor:
And a smart wife who bought it for him." |
Having a
Girls Night Out with
Kelly Gau Studio was so much fun! I can't wait till the next time I get to create with Kelly. This summer I am planning on bringing the kids up to her studio for one of her children's create sessions! Have you ever participated in a
Mixed Media Art class before? Remember to
Comment for a Cause!
