We’re heading again to Woodland Ridge Retreat this week, again to the very finish of April and starting of Could, again to a stunning week of a Wisconsin springtime. As I’m at the moment surrounded by summer time’s warmth and humidity (as so many people are!), it’s a pleasant reminiscence journey to a kinder and gentler season. Please come be a 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 photograph above.
For anybody who enjoys wandering woods and trails, Woodland Ridge Retreat is certainly perched on a ridge of land with wooded slopes to some ponds surrounded by fields. These fields are within the long-term strategy of being restored to the unique prairies of outdated—with a scattering of steel sculptures on the far finish of the easy-to-walk trails.The creator and proprietor of Woodland Ridge Retreat, Chris Daly, has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—straightforward to benefit from the outdoors whatever the climate.I at all times have tables set as much as stretch out my every day material collage examples (or pin them up onto the hallway pinning partitions). This specific morning was devoted to “backgrounds”—what goes behind your topic—one thing that may be fraught with extra points than it’s possible you’ll assume. Recent espresso is correct across the nook, if of us have been up late or up early working, ask a variety of nice questions, or if I simply speak for too lengthy!As probability would have it, photographs had been taken of Jackie Zydeck’s workspace on day one (above), and once more on day 4 (under). She’s far more tidy an artist than I definitely am, however it’s enjoyable to see how her collage portrait superior, and the material scrap containers grew, in the middle of the week. These helpful 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 almost messy sufficient (for my part)—however it was day 4 and folk had been already tidying up a bit to journey in a while day 5. In case you peek out the doorway (above), you may see only a small slice of the mass of cloth bolts filling the hallway outdoors of this classroom wing. A cloth store that, by the best way, can also be obtainable 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! In case you missed my first set of scholars from this class, take a look at final week’s Half 1 submit.
You should definitely click on on any of the smaller photographs to see them bigger and to scroll by way of 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 completed them with the handicap of a restrictive brace on her left arm and hand, and he or she’s left-handed! She stated one thing like figuring out with a (short-armed) Tyrannosaurus Rex, however with scissors and glue. I definitely can’t say it held her again from creating some superior work.
Peggy Spitzer
It got here to no shock to me after I came upon that Peggy Spitzer had been a science trainer for a very good a part of her life. She was very analytical together 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 informed of the best way 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—deciphering 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 aim: to make extra progress on this portrait, particularly with facial particulars (corresponding to changes to the nostril, photographs under); to get closing 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 completed all, superbly.
Jackie Zydeck
Jackie Zydeck has additionally attended a couple of of my courses, starting this impish portrait of her niece in a November 2021 class—it was time for this little woman to be checked off Jackie’s to-do listing! What I contemplate to be the toughest half, the face, was already performed, although there was some tweaking on her eyes to emphasise the super-excited expression. For the winter clothes, Jackie began recent and dressed this little woman in a comfy parka and top-of-the-line wool cap material collage interpretations I feel I’ve ever seen!
Barb Zeleznik
This portrait of Barb Zeleznik’s son having fun with a dip at a trip spot, will not be a photograph I’d ever advocate as an enterprise—the angle, not a lot worth change in his face to work with, the reflections—primarily a floating head with nothing else to outline him. Nonetheless, 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 photograph above, the similarities of poses is placing, however all collages appear to have particular targets—working with complementary colours (blue and orange), working with monochromatic colours, and for this class venture, working with African print materials. Bonnie did an amazing job bringing in a wide range of colours and daring patterns to painting a two-toned animal in a splendidly fanciful means. I appreciated how she changed the lip space with a way more attention-grabbing material sample from someday to the subsequent (proven in photographs under).
As promised in final week’s submit, right here’s a couple of closing photographs of pretty walks with my college students, by way of the springtime woods and fields behind the retreat heart.
One afternoon, I nearly stepped on a tiny turtle within the retreat’s parking space. Chris informed us he was on his strategy to one of many ponds down the hill. We gave him a elevate in that course and he a minimum of 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 by way of snow cowl. Under 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 nearly missed it! This time across the stream I used to be anticipating was an elevated mound of watercress—I didn’t notice watercress grew that giant! Wonderful, and oh so spicy.
I feel I’ll deliver alongside some watercress recipes after I return to Wisconsin in 2025—I’ll share the outcomes! 😉
