June 21, 2016

Random Arts Workshops this Week

Workshops at Random Arts, 481 Louisiana Avenue in Saluda NC - sign up NOW before they're all full:

  • Tuesday, June 21, 2006 -  ZenDoodle from 10 AM to noon 
  • Thursday, June 23, 2006 - Gouache Resist from 10 AM to noon $30 (4 spaces available) - Beginners and children with parents welcome 
  • Friday, June 24, 2006 - Printmaking in Water Media with Helen Shafer Garcia 
  • Saturday, June 25, 2006 -  Color Pencil Journaling with Helen Shafer Garcia 
  • Sunday, June 26, 2006 -  Featured Adornments with Helen Shafer Garcia 

Helen Shafer Garcia returns to Random Arts 
for 3 NEW Workshops 

Helen Shafer Garcia  is as an artist, illustrator, arts instructor and gardener. As her bio states, Helen's paintings are an emotionally drawn encounter with paint, color and texture that invokes the spirit for a intriguing visual journey. Some of the images recount visuals from Mexico, New Zealand and other lands intertwining legends, flora, fauna and icons. She's currently working with watercolor, pastel and mixed media creating contemporary images on paper along with a series of Icon folklore triptychs with wood, watermedia and found object construction.





"NEW" PRINTMAKING 'Know How' with Helen Shafer Garcia - Experimental Watermedia approaches will be explored with watercolor and acrylic with a focus on composition, negative painting, and textures. Build up layers with translucent hues and simple printmaking techniques. Metaphors and messages can play a thoughtful role in your works with added bits of collage and text. Be prepared to loosen up and experiment with different resists and textures to build up the surfaces, paint translucent layers, and create extraordinary shapes. 10 am till 4pm $125. ($10 kit fee payable at time of class).



Colored Pencil "Mixed up" Mixed Media Journaling - (All levels of experience welcome) Colored pencils are such good therapy. Pressing down pure color on smooth paper leads to endless good vibes. Participants combine watercolors, water-soluble pens, and colored pencils while learning clever user-friendly ways to draw. These drawing methods will ease those ever so present inhibitions about drawing lines and shapes. Learn how to blend beautiful color layers and create dark and light mixtures. You'll be prompted to create small poems that will be collaged in a clever way throughout the works. $5.00 kit fee includes: Tombow pens, Chartpak pens, gesso, paper text for collage 10am till 4pm $125.




Featured Adornments with Helen Shafer Garcia - (All Levels of Experience Welcome) Pick up a brush and immerse into your creativity with watercolor, color pencils, water-soluble pens to create an enriched, "hair with an attitude" portrait. Adornments, ribbons and jewels are all this girl needs. Drawing doesn't have to be something just "artists" do. Learn simple ways to see the shapes and lines of the face. We'll work on a special crinkly textured rice paper that will accept paint beautifully. Paint and ink will flow into the crevices of this paper giving the painting a wonderful aged look. We'll use pens to make marks and paint with watercolor, letting the colors blend & fuse together naturally. We'll also add translucent and iridescent layers to create a rich jewel tone surface. Dive into detail with colored pencils, ink lines, & adornments to embellish the shapes. Limit 12 students $5.00 supply fee includes: White gouache, metallic paints, white ink, acrylic soft gel and varnish. 10 am til 4pm $125.


Coming soon to Random Arts Wearables:  lightweight, packable, comfy, artsy and asymmetrical tunics Available in S. M. L. XL $56. (shipping via Priority Mail to U.S. $6.95) 






June 17, 2016

Front Street Arts and Crafts Show this Weekend in Dillsboro NC

June 18, 2016 in Dillsboro NC - Front Street Arts and Crafts Show   Enjoy over 40 booths  displaying the hand-made craftsmanship of some of the best artists from around the region, along with live family entertainment and festival food. 

There will also be a silent auction to benefit the Lighthouse Baptist Church Missionary Fund. Event hours are 10 AM to 4 PM.


Live Entertainment Schedule:


 11 AM - 12 PM and 12:15 PM - 1 PM:   Twelfth Fret - Husband and wife team acoustic duo with Craig Neidlinger on guitar and Kim Neidlinger on upright bass. The duo performs original music as well as classic pop and rock from Elton John, America, John Prine, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Eagles and more.

 1:30 - 2:15 PM:  J. Creek Cloggers - A high energy dance team out of Haywood County will be "Dancin in the Street". Enjoy old time mountain tradition clogging, audience participation square dancing and broom dances. Members will demonstrate different styles of dances including buck dancing, flat foot and clogging. The Team director is Kim Ross.

2:15 - 3:15 PM: Betty Brown - Specializing in singing Appalachian Stories, Betty Brown writes and records original "story" songs about faith, family and growing up in Appalachia. Her songs include such titles as Abiding in the Vine, My Appalachia and Smoky Mountain Memories.

3:15 - 3:45 PM:  Kim Schuler - Raised in a family of multi-generational musicians, Kim Schuler was singing before she could walk and eventually earned her degree in music from Western Carolina University. Her specialty is "vintage" music, songs her audiences love to dance to and have fun with and which date from the 30s to the 90s.


 

June 9, 2016

Tryon NC Annual Blue Ridge Barbeque and Music Festival includes Incredible Art and Crafts Show - The Foothills Crafts Fair

June 10 - 11, 2016    Annual Blue Ridge Barbeque and Music Festival   The Blue Ridge Barbecue Festival is one of the area's biggest annual events with fantastic Barbecue, phenomenal music and incredible arts and crafts

The Blue Ridge BBQ Festival, started in 1994 has a list of winners who are a Who's Who in the BBQ Contest World.  The Tryon BBQ was won last year by Rebecca and Walt Moulton of Rocky Top Barbeque, continuing the tradition of winners and making them a two time winner.  The first contest was won by Beaver Caster, followed by the likes of Oink, Cackle and Moo, BS PitMeisters, Cool Smoke, ButtRub.com, and Two Old men and a Grill.

photos courtesy Blue Ridge BBQ and Music Festival
Consistently one of the finest music events of the summer, the Blue Ridge Barbecue & Music Festival delivers phenomenal lineups on two stages in a gorgeous venue for a low $8 admission fee. The 2016 lineup of entertainers is available on the website HERE 

The Foothills Crafts Fair is a juried crafts show that has enjoyed a reputation for the range and quality of items for sale. With nothing manufactured or imported, this show is proud to offer our festival-goers a best of the best shopping experience. Get a complete list of this year's artists HERE.

Enjoy the classic car show.  On Saturday, June 11, as many as 200 Classic Cars will arrive at the Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival in Tryon, NC, to take part in the 6th annual Classic Car Show. Cars will fill the soccer field at Harmon Field and thousands of Festival guests will have the opportunity to examine the beautifully restored and maintained cars and trucks and reminisce about automotive days gone by. Owners will be hoping for the glory of winning prizes and trophies and enjoying the opportunity to show off their proud possessions.

This Festival is held at at Harmon Field in Tryon NC. The event is hosted by by the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce and all proceeds benefit the Chamber’s operating budget and help fund the Carolina Foothills Chamber Foundation

June 8, 2016

Face Jug Workshops at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

June 24, 2016 two sessions: 1:00-3:00 PM and 5:30-7:30 PM at The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, 159 Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock NCFace Jug Workshops with Michael Ball.

In “Decorate a Face Jug,” participants will explore the elements of traditional face jugs. Then, participants will customize a blank jug (formed by Michael) with features such as broken plate teeth and glaring eyes. Jugs will then be fired and glazed back at Michael’s studio, and returned to the museum for participants to take home. 

The tradition of face jugs dates back well over a hundred years, when potters began adding snakes, and devilish facial features to jugs used to store liquor. These are thought to have served as a deterrent to household children who might otherwise be tempted to sample the jug contents. Earlier face jugs were used as grave markers for African descendants. These were created with frightening features to scare the devil away from a grave.

Today, face jugs are a rich part of Southern Appalachian and Piedmont tradition. Michael Ball lives and works in Western North Carolina, home to rich traditions in the making of pottery. Many potters including Mike, are still hand digging their clay and wood firing in groundhog kilns, just as potters did in the 19th century. Mike learned his trade both from Kim Ellington and Charlie Lisk who in turn learned directly from local master Burlon Craig, the last potter experienced in the earliest traditions of the region. 

Mike's face jugs are expressive, each one unique in its facial features and fanciful flair. Following local tradition, he incorporates beautiful glass drips and uses broken plates for teeth. Mike also creates an assortment of utilitarian ware. This workshop is a special chance to work closely with a well-known, master potter and to craft your own personal face jug. 

Registration for these workshops will close this upcoming Monday, June 13th! Please call 828.295.9099 to reserve your spot  THIS WEEK!