We’re heading again to Woodland Ridge Retreat this week, again to the very finish of April and starting of Could, again to a beautiful week of a Wisconsin springtime. As I’m at present surrounded by summer season’s warmth and humidity (as so many people are!), it’s a pleasant reminiscence journey to a kinder and gentler season. Please come be part of me as we gaze upon some cool collages created by the second grouping of my stellar college students from this 2024 material collage class. Final week I featured six of the 12 college students within the workshop. This week I introduce you to the opposite six ladies with whom I spent an exquisite week creating wonderful work—corresponding to Barb Zeleznik, in picture above.
For anybody who enjoys wandering woods and trails, Woodland Ridge Retreat is certainly perched on a ridge of land with wooded slopes to a couple ponds surrounded by fields. These fields are within the long-term technique of being restored to the unique prairies of outdated—with a scattering of steel sculptures on the far finish of the easy-to-walk trails.The creator and proprietor of Woodland Ridge Retreat, Chris Daly, has arrange the artwork house with each indoor and outside gentle sources—simple to benefit from the outdoors whatever the climate.I all the time have tables set as much as stretch out my each day material collage examples (or pin them up onto the hallway pinning partitions). This explicit morning was devoted to “backgrounds”—what goes behind your topic—one thing that may be fraught with extra points than chances are you’ll suppose. Contemporary espresso is true across the nook, if of us have been up late or up early working, ask lots of nice questions, or if I simply discuss for too lengthy!As likelihood would have it, images had been taken of Jackie Zydeck’s workspace on day one (above), and once more on day 4 (beneath). She’s rather more tidy an artist than I actually am, nevertheless it’s enjoyable to see how her collage portrait superior, and the material scrap containers grew, in the midst of the week. These useful containers as soon as held salad greens from the grocery retailer and are repurposed for organizing assortments of materials for collage!
Pals Virginia Dambach and Peggy Spitzer posed for me amid their material stashes—once more, not practically messy sufficient (for my part)—nevertheless it was day 4 and people had been already tidying up a bit to journey in a while day 5. For those who peek out the doorway (above), you possibly can see only a small slice of the mass of material bolts filling the hallway outdoors of this classroom wing. A material store that, by the way in which, can also be accessible on-line.
Now, drumroll (for a second time, please), meet my second set of six college students and their fantastical, superior, marvelous fabric-filled collages from this yr’s Woodland Ridge Retreat! For those who missed my first set of scholars from this class, try final week’s Half 1 put up.
You should definitely click on on any of the smaller images to see them bigger and to scroll via the gallery.
Virginia Dambach
Virginia Damback was not simply wonderful within the progress she made on TWO portraits—her glamorous granddaughter and lovable pup—however that she achieved them with the handicap of a restrictive brace on her left arm and hand, and she or he’s left-handed! She stated one thing like figuring out with a (short-armed) Tyrannosaurus Rex, however with scissors and glue. I actually can’t say it held her again from creating some superior work.
Peggy Spitzer
It got here to no shock to me once I discovered that Peggy Spitzer had been a science instructor for a very good a part of her life. She was very analytical along with her method to collage and actually quizzed me on the method—I hoped I’d go the take a look at! However from the examples she instructed of the way in which she taught her college students, they had been fortunate to have had her affect of their formative college years. Kudos to Peggy—for her previous work, and in her current work—decoding her cute granddaughter into material artwork.
Nancy Bonkowski
Nancy Bonkowski started this elegant portrait of her mom in final yr’s on-line portrait class. She arrived at Woodland Ridge Retreat this yr with a 3-part objective: to make extra progress on this portrait, particularly with facial particulars (corresponding to changes to the nostril, images beneath); to get ultimate thumbs up on her cat portrait, begun in a Could 2022 class; and to get a material palette within the works for the sunshine and darkish values of a brand new household pet portrait. She achieved all, superbly.
Jackie Zydeck
Jackie Zydeck has additionally attended just a few of my lessons, starting this impish portrait of her niece in a November 2021 class—it was time for this little lady to be checked off Jackie’s to-do checklist! What I think about to be the toughest half, the face, was already completed, although there was some tweaking on her eyes to emphasise the super-excited expression. For the winter clothes, Jackie began contemporary and dressed this little lady in a comfortable parka and probably the greatest wool cap material collage interpretations I believe I’ve ever seen!
Barb Zeleznik
This portrait of Barb Zeleznik’s son having fun with a dip at a trip spot, is just not a photograph I’d ever advocate as an endeavor—the angle, not a lot worth change in his face to work with, the reflections—basically a floating head with nothing else to outline him. Nevertheless, for our pre-class on-line teaching, Barb had already drawn a really good design to work from, so why not give it a strive? I’m so glad she did, the result’s gobsmacking.
Bonnie Anderson
Bonnie Anderson introduced alongside two prior collages to share with us. Seeing all of them collectively within the picture above, the similarities of poses is hanging, however all collages appear to have particular objectives—working with complementary colours (blue and orange), working with monochromatic colours, and for this class venture, working with African print materials. Bonnie did an ideal job bringing in quite a lot of colours and daring patterns to painting a two-toned animal in a splendidly fanciful method. I favored how she changed the lip space with a way more fascinating material sample from at some point to the subsequent (proven in images beneath).
As promised in final week’s put up, right here’s just a few closing images of pretty walks with my college students, via the springtime woods and fields behind the retreat heart.
One afternoon, I virtually stepped on a tiny turtle within the retreat’s parking space. Chris instructed us he was on his approach to one of many ponds down the hill. We gave him a carry in that course and he no less than made it safely to his vacation spot.
Each journey I make to Woodland Ridge, I must stroll out to the watercress stream—a inexperienced band within the panorama, even when winding via snow cowl. Beneath left, is a photograph from my final go to to see in it in November 2022. This yr in Could, I led my path mates to the placement and virtually missed it! This time across the stream I used to be anticipating was an elevated mound of watercress—I didn’t understand watercress grew that giant! Wonderful, and oh so spicy.
I believe I’ll carry alongside some watercress recipes once I return to Wisconsin in 2025—I’ll share the outcomes! 😉
