Dreamscapes

Andrea Matus deMeng
Thursday May 2 and Friday May 3

You see things; and you say, “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?” –George Bernard Shaw.

Dreamscapes: Rich scenes or landscapes that captivate the imagination with the strangeness and mystery that is characteristic of a dream.

This two-day workshop focuses on imaginative investigations in paint and collage. We’ll be transforming everyday images into something surreal and strange through a combination of collage, image transfers and paint, bringing all of these elements together and creating expressive dreamlike mixed media artworks.

A strong emphasis on creative compositions, advanced mark making, and explorations into a variety of paint techniques will have you taking your artistry to the next level. We’ll spend our time balanced between working intuitively and deliberately. We’ll play without obsessing about a specific outcome, allowing us the freedom to leave our inner critic behind. Bring your assortment of imagery and that box of ephemera that you’ve been collecting forever and we will incorporate them into your canvas, elevating them from the ordinary to the extraordinary, because “life is but a dream…”

Supply List:

  • Cradled Board (wood art panel), or unstretched primed canvas – you decide what size you would like to work, but remember we have two glorious days of class so I would recommend something 16”X20 or larger.
  • Paper, ephemera and collage items, think about faces, shapes, patterns, textures and symbols and bring your favourites (Flowers, butterflies, wings, numbers, words, cool geometric patterns…anything you love, tissue paper, old sewing patterns, lace, handmade papers, old letters, text from an old book….you get the idea) Sections of beautiful giftwrap or wallpapers make great additions. Make sure you have a good variety of scale…some small images, some oversized (use the photocopier’s enlarge feature) **NO inkjet prints please, photocopy or laser only.
  • Paint – Golden Acrylics fluid or heavy body (white, black, and any blue, red, and yellow, plus a couple more of your favourites) Some of my paint favorites: Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, and Quinacridone Crimson, Pthalo Blue, Van Dyke Brown, Green Gold, Pyrrole Red, Pthalo Turquoise
  • Paintbrushes– bring just a few in different sizes (make sure you have at least one larger (about 2” cheap brush from hardware store) and one better quality detail brush) plus a few more.
  • Palette & Water Container
  • Paper towel & baby wipes
  • Golden Matte medium –16 oz. (when you shake the bottle it should sound like it has the consistency of syrup, not mayonnaise)
  • Golden Soft Gel Gloss – 4 oz. (this one comes in a jar and does have a consistency like mayonnaise)
  • Scissors
  • Your usual marking making tools (pencils, markers, etc.)

Optional:

  • Stencils
  • Molding paste
  • Heat gun