description

Old anonymous group photographs have always been a favorite form of ephemera, and remind me of a quote from Francis Bacon: “A crowd is not company, and faces are but a gallery of pictures”. By using photos of large groups of people, we are going to explore diverse themes of anonymity and individuality – plus, we will learn countless ideas for creating a rich layered surface, as well as how to work with positive and negative visual images. All of these ideas will translate to your other mixed media work in collage, paintings, assemblages, and art journals. The day will provide plenty of time for digging deep and exploring your art process – plus add a lot of specific ideas and methods to your arsenal. A small intimate class size will allow for a lot of cross-pollinating and meaningful connections in an encouraging positive environment. Begin your search for old photos of large groups of anonymous people....(fun examples are everywhere!).....from circus clowns, to yearbook athletes, to rotary club members, to splashy chorus girls or family reunions. Bring the whole gang to Artfest, for a creative illuminating day in the studio! For Seekers and Adventurers; all skill levels are welcome.

A Face in the Crowd

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bio

class photo 1

class photo 2

class photo 3

class photo 4

       supply list

• Important: Bring a post card of your hometown, city, state or locale.
• 8 oz. Jar of white gesso (if available, “student grade” gesso is very inexpensive and will be fine for this workshop)
• Your favorite mark-making tools (gel pens, Sharpies, colored pencils, etc) Please include a china marker/grease pencil OR a soft graphite pencil or conte crayon
• Bring 4 – 6 inexpensive bristle brushes, various sizes. Be sure to include a small detail brush for gluing small college elements.
• 8 oz. Jar of acrylic matte medium, for adhering paper collage elements
• Small Jar of acrylic gel medium for adhering heavier collage elements
• A pack of index cards, any size
• A couple of sheets of colored tissue paper, or dress patterns
• Masking tape
• X-acto knife or scissors
• 1 sheet of sandpaper, any grit
• Bring a selection of inexpensive acrylic paints in a range of colors. Be sure to include black and at least one metallic. 10 – 12 paints will be fine.
• If possible, bring a set of water-soluble oil pastels (Portfolio brand are very inexpensive and can be found at Staples)
• Palette for paints Water container for brushes
  
  
• **I will be bringing large paper to work on. Optional: You can also bring your art journal or a spiral-bound sketchbook (9 X 12) to work in.
  
  
• For collage: The hunt for collage materials begins NOW! Your assignment is to find old group photos, preferably showing people standing in rows. These can usually be found in old yearbooks, thrift shops, used book stores, or any of your usual places for unearthing ephemera. Bring the original photo along, PLUS make a file of xerox toner copy prints on text-weight paper. (ink jet prints on heavy stock are difficult for collage, so avoid those) Find several standing figures in the overall group, and enlarge those to a height of 8”. (figure should be 8” tall, from top to bottom) Make a grouping of 6 copy prints of EACH figure, so you will have a lot to pick from and/or share with the other artists.
  
  
• More about collage: Bring a selection of tags, all sizes. Be sure to include small jewelry tags. Also bring a selection of small labels or key tags that can be used to label the figures in the composition. Also, bring a small selection of fabric swatches, string, colored fibers, buttons or other embellishments that can be glued to a surface. (nothing too dimensional)
  
  
• Bring along a file of words, cut out of magazines, ads, junk mail, maps, posters, old newspapers etc. You may prefer generating your own words, using a word processor. Or, bring along a favorite set of alphabet stamps or stencils to imprint your artwork. (bring ink pads)
  
  
• Other than the samples shown here, my mixed media collage of “A Face In The Crowd” (17” X 42”) appears on my website. Www.LKPerrella.com

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Lynne Perrella is a mixed media artist, author, designer and workshop instructor. She is the author or four books on mixed media; the latest is “Art-Making / Collections & Obsessions” published by Rockport/Quarry. She teaches creativity workshops throughout the United States, and abroad. Her interests include collage, assemblage, art journals, and one-of-a-kind books. For more information, please visit www.LKPerrella.com