Thursday, April 3, 2008

Artfest! Day One (and a half)

Wednesday morning I woke up with a luxurious feeling . . . I was going to have my morning coffee, throw a few things the car, and then drive up to Port Townsend, Washington for my very first ArtFest ever . . . Four Hours Later, I started panicking: the car wasn't loaded. Not even close. Even though I was driving - meaning I had my entire truck available to me to fill with stuff - I was having a very hard time deciding what to take. It's like any trip - you can really get by with little more than a clean pair of unders and a toothbrush, but there's a compulsion to fill at least one suitcase with stuff, just in case . . . I ended up leaving later than planned and with more than I needed, but that means more to share, right?

Let me just say that ArtFest feels different from other multi-teacher mixed-media art retreats I've attended. I arrived just in time for the evening orientation and almost immediately, I felt really welcomed and I felt a real sense of community . . . even though I still haven't been able to touch bases with some of the blogger artists I had hoped to meet live and in person (Hi, Leah! Hi, Jen! Hi, Judy!) I have met a host of other wonderful people. Even though there are a LOT of people, the Secret Introvert feels very safe here.

Maybe it's the proximity to the ocean. Or maybe it's just Teesha and Tracy Moore's laid-back, friendly attitude. Either way, I freakin' love it!

My very first class was with Bee Shay - Shadow Boxing. I love making niches and shadow boxes, and I felt like the minimalist aesthetic of the class would be a good stretch for me. What I didn't count on was what an amazing and delightful teacher Bee was. She kept an easy, positive atmosphere in the room while sharing a lot of wonderful techniques. Here she is demonstrating:


And I definitely gave the whole minimalist thing a shot - here are three pieces that I finished today:
I used stuff from Hannah Grey's online shop in each of these: beetle wings, dried starfish, weasel bones . . .


And this one, I ended up giving to Bee because she really worked with me quite a bit on the design of it, and she loved the weasel skull so much!! And I know I'll be using this niche technique in the future . . .


I'm not staying at Fort Worden (though the food and accomodations are MUCH nicer than the last time I was here a dozen years ago). I'm staying in at a lovely little B&B called The James House. Much of the wood and hardware in the house is original - check out this doorknob and faceplate on the door to my bathroom . . . and I'm in the cheapest room! And there was a poached pear for breakfast. Yum.


I wonder what they're making for breakfast tomorrow? Did I mention that I love traveling?

5 comments:

BoneFolder said...

Very nice! The beetle wings and the feather make for a very compelling composition in that shadowbox. And the skull looks enchanting there, doesn't it?

We're always thrilled to see the unique ways in which people use our supplies!

--Mike Jennings
--Hannah Grey Curiosities & Drygoods

Leah said...

oo, love the boxes!! bee seems so sweet. hi!! :-)

gl. said...

oh, gosh: locks & keys & keyholes are my favorite things!

i'm glad you're enjoying artfest. your shrines are beautiful. have fun!

Anonymous said...

Bridget, I saw your top piece at Show & Tell, loved it and when I saw WHO had made it, I was looking around. Bridget? Is HERE? Where? Where? Where? LOVE the piece. Sorry we didn't connect in the crazy madhouse of creativity that is ArtFest!

BoneFolder said...

Hey, Bridget! You were right! I started poking around and remembered these minimalist pieces. I had even shown them to my wife.

I still love them.

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