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On Journal & Sketchbook at Shake Rag Alley

Page from Jacquelyn Astorga's journal, J&S class, 2008
In this post I'm going to bang the drum like a barker outside a circus tent for a weekend workshop that Patty and I will be teaching on October 1, 2, 3. It's a three-day version of the Journal & Sketchbook class, which regular readers of this blog may recall my talking about when I co-taught it for 15 weeks in the Spring semester at Columbia College, and for one week at Interlochen Arts Academy in June.
From Meredith Grahl's journal, Interlochen 2010
Shake Rag Alley is an arts center in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, and the classes are held in log cabins and stone buildings created by tin and silver miners more than 100 years ago. It's a beautiful little arts town, that looks very like the towns in Cornwall, England. I published an interview with one of the center's directors back in May. Here are details for the class from the Shake Rag Alley website:

Friday eve, Saturday and Sunday, October 1-3
Fri 7-9pm; Sat 9am-noon & 2-5pm; Sun 9am-noon & 2-5pm
Patricia McNair Philip Hartigan

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. —Henry David Thoreau.

Mark Twain, Henri Matisse, and Sylvia Plath are among the many writers and artists who have recognized the exciting interplay between word and image, using both writing and drawing in their creative practices. This workshop, designed for writers and artists of all levels, will help you record memories, observations, imaginings, stories, etc., to use in your own artistic pursuits.

Workshop directors will present activities to help you become comfortable with visual note taking, writing, and mark making, and move you toward creating scenes, stories, and visual narratives. Whether you are an occasional diary keeper or an accomplished writer or artist, you will learn helpful strategies and exercises to keep the pen or brush moving over the page.

Maximum students: 15 Register by: September 27
Class code: 10C260 Fee: $185


If you live anywhere nearby - which means from Wisconsin down to Chicago, and even bits of Iowa - have a look at the website and at my previous blog entries about the class, and consider signing up. You don't have to have ANY previous drawing or painting experience. All you need is enthusiasm and a willingness to try out new things. I look forward to seeing some new faces there at the beginning of October.
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