Flag Instructions Now on a PDF!

Hi Everyone! Just a quick note here on the blog before I head out for Oklahoma City tomorrow. For those of you who wanted to make a flag, but didn't necessarily need the kit, I have created a step-by-step instruction PDF with how-to images that can be e-mailed to you. This is a super affordable way to take the flag class. The flag instructions with the full kit is very cool, but if you don't need the materials...here's a great way to learn all the tricks and techniques and make an awesome (and big) flag. Info on the front page of www.studioretreats.ning.com. Love you. Mean it.

North Texas Collage Conference

Ft. Worth, Texas  December 5-7, 2011
Three days of Mixed Media Heaven with a dose of inspiration thrown in for good measure.

Day One.....
In the first day of our three day Conference on all thing collage we will begin a very special piece I call "The Women-The Flag."  We will take coffee-stained fabrics and layer them together creating our version of the American flag...one that honors the women who were so important in making this country great. Teaching this class in Fort Worth is very special to me as the first flag I ever made was purchased by the Cowgirl Museum and unveiled as their commemoration on the first anniversary of Sept. 11th.



Day Two...
On the second day we will complete our flag AND make a 12x18 wall piece, based on my signature style. Using a favorite photo I will teach you everything I do to age and layer for dramatic texture that looks a hundred years old.


Day Three...
This very special project is among the favorites of my students. Using a selection of old drawers and old boxes that I will bring with me (or bring your own if you come across something cool) we will use old fabrics, papers and embellishments to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary. I love making shrines. I will show you my techniques for applying paint that looks like it's been there forever. Below are a few I have made through the years.
Also on Day Three....a short session on "An Artist's Attitude" and great advice on marketing your work.

The Conference will be held at a lovely community center in a private residential complex in the northern part of Ft. Worth. Address given when you register.

This three day very special holiday Conference is only $340. Fee due at time of claiming your space (limited to 12) with $40 materials fees (I bring just about everything you will need) due at the time of each class. Use the Paypal button below or contact me at lipstickranch@yahoo.com to pay by check or directly with a credit card. See you in Texas!

North Texas Collage Conference....$340

Art Retreat on Beautiful Florida Farm

If you have ever wanted to spend 2 days on a beautiful equestrian facility in the heart of Florida's horse country AND hang out with creative people while making very cool mixed media art....here's your shot. 

February 11-12, 2012

 
I have been hoping to book a workshop in central Florida for quite some time. And believe me....it was worth the wait. Join me as we spend two art-filled days smack-dab in the middle of one of the most beautiful horse farms in the southeast. (The last Triple Crown winner came from this farm).

In a class that is limited to 8 (and there are only 2 spaces left), we will have plenty of room to spread out both in the beautiful home where the workshop will be held and outside as we spend time together talking art and
life.

In this two-day workshop we will create several pieces of art using your favorite photographs. You will learn how to make a textured and "aged" piece of art and learn the techniques to
not "over-think." Free Form fabric at its finest! You will leave with at least 2 pieces completed and enough motivation and inspiration to last you a long, long time.

 

For all the info on this class and to grab one of the two remaining spaces....go to http://studioretreats.ning.com/page/on-the-road-20112012.  Thanks so much!


KC

The Women...The Flag...The Kit

I'm pretty darn excited to teach my flag workshop for the first time as I travel this fall. Problem is there are only 3 towns right now scheduled to have that class and up 'til now I really didn't have an answer for those of you who e-mailed me and wished it was on-line. For the foreseeable future, I will not be recording any new workshops for on-line or DVD. Then I got to thinkin'....my piece "The Women-The Flag" is probably the only piece I make that more or less has a formula to it's concept and construction, instead of a creative free-for-all. :-) With detailed and easy to read written instructions, which I knew I could do... and photos of the process...this project is a perfect candidate for a kit with a short how-to-booklet. AND...you can e-me any time you have a questions. So instead of a video....and instead of traveling to a state you don't live in for a class (which I am not opposed to)...here's the kit and the instructions.


The flag is a large piece approx 32"x50"... the size of a flag! The first one of these I ever made is in the permanent collection of the Cowgirl Museum in Ft. Worth. Instead of 50 stars I have 50 images of amazing western women. The kit will come with these 50 women or a version without so you can select and do your own. This version will have the transfer paper to print your own images. I make and sell about 20 of these a year for customers and they retail for $500-$600 dollars. In this kit you will have everything you need to make your flag, including great instructions and a "hotline" to me.  Ok...so it's my personal e-mail address...but still...

The Flag Kit Complete Version includes:

32x50 canvas main-piece

An assortment of new and vintage cream fabrics for collaged stripes on flag

Plenty of coffee-stained red ticking for stripes

Coffeestained blue ticking for behind the images

60 images (so you have a choice) of a western and pioneer women from all walks of life (some known and some unknown). These images are already transferred onto canvas for you.

Coffee stained heavier canvas to use for quotes on your flag if you decide to do that.

Everything you need to make this amazing piece yourself and the step-by-step instructions.  Cost: $155
($120 if you don't want my printed images, but want to do your own). The instructions cover that, as well.


To purchase your kit visit the front page at www.studioretreats.ning.com. And to celebrate the launching of The Flag as Kit....all the other kits that I offer will be buy one get one free through August 30th. Sweet deal. Sweet flag. Make it. Hang it. Salute your skill!

The Flag! Finally.

Right after 9/11 flags were everywhere and artists all over the country were doing their take on Old Glory. I thought about it for a couple of days, but then decided...."nah...I'm just not gonna go there." Everyone was doing something with the flag and I just didn't want to do what everyone was doing. Problem was in those couple of days I had gotten an idea...an idea that just wouldn't let me go...and it involved a flag. I had asked myself what would I do if I did a flag tribute that would honor the flag, but honor the spirit of the women that were the heart of my work...and where I could stay true to my signature style.  I remember imagining 50 women for the 50 stars and wondering if I could do it in a way where the images wouldn't be too small. Only way to do that was to make the flag pretty good size. "Nah...I'm just not gonna go there."  Or so I thought.

But the next thing I knew I was on Ebay trying to track down red ticking and figuring out how to get a whole bunch of pictures on one piece of transfer paper. I cleared off the one big table I had in my studio at the time and started to go there. When I saw the flag begin to come to life, I knew this was going to be a special piece. I called my friends at The Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum in Ft. Worth and told them what I was making and asked them if they wanted first shot at it when it was done. To make a long story short...I finished it in 3 days, sent them the not-exactly-crisp pic you see here and the first"The Women-The Flag" found a home in the permanent collection of the museum in September 2002. It was unveiled at a special ceremony they had on the one year anniversary of that fateful fall day and as far as I know it hangs there today. I have made a few since then and they hang in collections all over the country.

But...I have never taught a class on making the flag....until now.

So take a peek at the class info on my workshop site.  There are several versions of the flag that you can do. At the moment the Flag Workshop is only being offered here in Colorado, but you might be able to twist my arm to have it on the road too. The class is very limited in size as each person needs a 6' table to themselves for this very cool project.


You will also see info on a version of Collage Camp  where I will show you how to hand-tint your photo transfers.

To order a flag custom made for you....visit the Flag section at www.lipstickranch.com.

Thanks for checking this out gang.  Love ya. Mean it.

Colorado Collage Conference

Hey there Friends.....Colorado Collage Conference begins this Friday here in Longmont, Colorado. Skies are bright blue, temps around 80 and snow still shows on the mountaintops on the west side of town.  A last minute cancellation has opened up one spot. So if you were thinking about coming to all or part of this sure-to-be-amazing conference and saw that it had filled up....here's your chance! E-me at lipstickranch@yahoo.com and we can talk particulars.

We will have five days of art workshops, marketing seminars, including a class on Saturday with  The Incomparable Sarah Fishburn!

Sarah is an internationally known artist who describes her work as Mixed-Media Narrative. Recognized for unexpected yet elegant combinations of bright colors, photographic images, spray paint, transparencies, and words, her work has been featured in numerous art magazines as well as in a shelf-full of books, including True Colors, Alphabetica and Transparent Art. Sarah collaborated with fellow artist, Angela Cartwright, to produce In This House and its sequel In This Garden, two books showcasing altered art imagery, and packed with collage techniques and explorations. Fishburn and Cartwright also co-publish (several times a year) Pasticcio, a lavish art zine featuring gorgeous artwork, technical articles, tips, treats, and even art history.

Colorado Collage Conference Five Art and Info packed days that could change your creative life forever. Join Sarah Fishburn and I at the very cool Old Firehouse Art Center in downtown Longmont. Located at 667 4th Avenue...All my favorite eateries are within a block or two. :-)

The small number that the conference is being limited to will allow some one-on-one time with each other. We will be available to answer your personal questions and encourage you directly. I don't know about you...but I like that!

Bring your Significant Compadre and he/she will find that we are surrounded by opportunities to go shopping, golfing, fishing, hiking, visit art galleries, check out Boulder...in other words we can keep them busy while you're at the Conference.

Conference Schedule

Day One....
Opening Presentation..."Hold My Horse My Hair's On Fire!"
My Story. Funny...empowering...full of hope. Storytelling that will make a difference.
then...
Free Form Collage
Learn my techniques for taking your thinking cap off and developing and loving the improvisational skills needed to have your work take on a new and fun "edge." You will use your favorite photo (or one of mine) to create in a whole new way and at a whole new pace.

All of my art instruction classes are perfect for the beginner. No previous sewing skills needed...and you will get plenty of one-on-one with me.

If you have 45 seconds check this out! Should get you excited! http://blip.tv/file/1994328

Day Two...

Sarah Fishburn....Techniques and Transparencies...
A fast-paced and exciting workshop where Sarah will show us her signature style in a sample book that you can take home and incorporate these great techniques into your work.

 

Day Two will end with a group dinner with Sarah and I at one of my favorite restaurants for a great chance for us to talk and laugh and share and question.




Day Three.....
Fabric Collage Book
In this full day workshop we will create a multi-page mixed media book from scratch. Using coffee-stained canvas, new and vintage fabrics, papers and textured collages you will make a book to hold in your hands and tell a story from your heart.

With images of family, a beloved pet, your favorite flowers...whatever....let me show you how I make the books that I love. Here's a cover of one of my favorites.....

And then letting the images speak to us....we will learn to listen. From this will come our journaling, letters or quotes.

Day Four....Finish up our Fabric books in the morning and after lunch...
Day Three....
Works on Paper...Sewing Paper instead of Fabric. What a concept!

I'll show you the papers that will take being coffee-stained, how to iron them, burn them, print on them and sew them together. Mounted on painted canvas it is a whole new approach to paper collage.  And we will create an additional piece of fabric art where I will show you how to hand tint your photo transfers!


Day Five
It's time for finding your Marketing Mindset. We will learn about developing a signature style, selling wholesale, consignment, galleries vs. shops, PR, licensing and making your presence felt on the internet with a stand-out blog. In this session I will work with you on making your blog writing or any writing....fun, inspirational and memorable. Let me show you my concepts, techniques and attitudes for writing words that people want to follow and for developing an attitude of resilience.

We will wrap up our five day Collage Conference with a couple of hours of Q&A and exchanging thoughts and dreams. I will present the end to "My" story that I began Day One in "Hold My Horse My Hair's On Fire" leaving you with thoughts to embolden, empower and energize you to new levels of creative zest.



Registration info is at www.studioretreats.ning.com. One spot left! First come...first coming!



Love you. Mean it.

Blogging in the Sheaves

Join me on a new journey on my new blog The Trinity and The Trailer Park.

Sedona On My Mind

I have always loved the Southwest. Georgia O'Keeffe said it best when she said "The sky is different, the wind is different, the stars are different."  Of course the next words out of her mouth were "I better not say anything else, because people might get interested and I don't want them interested." Too late, Georgia! Of course she was talking about her beloved New Mexico, a place I called home for 5 years, but lately the pull inside is to Sedona, Arizona. Now granted, we are happily settled in Colorado right now, but given the chance to visit the red rocks of this rockin' little art town again...I happily said yes.

I was just there in February, but I am planning another trip, handsome husband in tow, in November. Just look at where the town sits in this photo. Houses and trails are right up against these beautiful red rocks. I was so happy and stress free there. I met the most amazing women while I was there and we will be holding both of these workshops in big, wonderful private studios with these kindred spirits.


Is it November yet! If you are in Sedona (or Scottsdale...I'll be teaching there too) or nearby (or know someone who is) please check out the workshop details and join me in this very special place. If you read the previous blog you saw that I am not going to be teaching art after 2011. Given that this class is in November...it could very well be my last one. 

Love you. Mean it.

Series Finale

Ok...so there are season finales....and there are series finales. Season finales always leave you hanging, anxious for the the start up of next season. Gasp! What will they do next??? Series finales are always a little more sad, as in "Oh no, I loved that show!" But they are also sort of exciting. You get to see all your favorite characters one last time in a way that hopefully fills in all the blanks and makes you happy that you didn't miss the finale...unless of course you have TIVO in which case you never miss anything.

For the past two years (actually 2 years almost to the day) I have been involved in a series called"KC Spills Her Guts and Teaches all Things Collage." We've had several seasons in this production. The season of on-line classes, the season of workshops in a little Victorian bungalow, the season of workshops in the way-too-big-and-way-too-expensive gallery on Main Street and the season where KC takes her cast of characters (aka women of the west) on the road. What an adventure it has been. If the name wasn't already taken I would call it Survivor.

It has been an amazing 2 years filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I would not trade either for the world. The highs lifted me up to the mountaintops of new friendships and lives changed  and the lows did the most wondrous of things....drove me to my knees. Both make sure you are never the same again and for that I thank all of you and the God I love. With that lack of sameness comes change....and the series finale.

A week from today I pile my car full of fabrics and fabulous finds and hit the road again. This little tour of Texas will begin the last few months of my teaching art in an in-person workshop setting. For every season turn, turn. I have some great classes scheduled for this year and I am so excited about them all...in a way that you can only be when they are each so precious because the end is in sight.

As much as I would love to DO everything...God is calling me to GIVE everything. I will continue to make my art, adding new themes and dimensions to a gift He entrusted to me 11 years ago,  but you will see some new things replace my time on the road (or here in Colorado) teaching.  So stay tuned for the new series debuting soon. One I like to call KC Swims Upstream. I will be blogging about the details very soon.

So if you have been meaning to take a class with me these past two years, whether on-line, here in Colorado or at a town near you....it's sorta now or never. 2011 is the time. There are so many of you who have been talking with me about attending a workshop and I hope you will.  Workshops on the road in Texas, Northern California (including the Bay Area) Utah, and Collage Conferences here in Colorado are all posted on Studio Retreats. I will be going back to Arizona, teaching in the Phoenix area and in Sedona in November..and Ocala Florida in the fall too. Those will be posted soon.

Two years ago you all were amazing in letting everyone know that I was beginning to teach art....and I would be so grateful if you let your friends and blog followers know that the series finale is at hand...and TIVO won't work on this show. :-)

Love you. Mean it.

Look Through the Book

Ok....then. You have been asking if I was ever going to sell the kit to the Three Dimensional Book Box project shown on the Altered Book video...and the answer is yes. For a limited time I am offering the supplies needed to make an art piece using a vintage book like the one shown here.

The kit comes with a heavy duty 17"x17" wide-side "box" made especially for this kit by my handy husband, Logan. This great box is the base for all you will do in this workshop. I have included a selection of new and vintage fabrics and cool, textured papers. The papers and fabrics have been coffeestained for you. The kit also provides a vintage book cover, transfer paper, quote canvas, wooden slats to raise the book, small bits of paper for collages, clumpies and/or drapery scrim to fill in the raised book. Available with or without the Collage Camp and Altered Books DVDs.

Check out this kit and the other fun supply packages on the Main Page of Collage Camp. Info on a very special price for anyone purchasing all the KC Kits can be found just below the info on this kit at Collage Camp








Have fun!

KC
www.collagecamp.ning.com
www.lipstickranch.com

Take The Paper Route

Coffee-stained handmade papers, burnt edges, textures, wax on paper....yummy. For the first time my paper collage workshop is available on DVD. I take rich, textured papers, dip them in coffee, dry them, iron them, sew them....in other words treat them like fabric. As a matter of fact, I think I mistakenly refer to them as fabric more than once in the video. :-)

This is the very fun project on the workshop...abstract painting...with paper!

The possibilities are endless. Create abstracts, add images...go to town.

You can print an image on paper and add to your collage.

All you need to get going.

The workshop DVD comes in a handmade paper pouch with a layered paper collage and gypsy image on the front. An assortment of already coffee-stained papers gives you the ability to get right to work.

 I show you a really different way to make a fabric collage piece....out of paper!

Get your DVD and coffee-stained papers on the front page at Collage Camp. Working with these papers is such a delicious experience I feel just fine in saying...."Bon Appetite!

Workshops 2011

Happy New Year!

I am thrilled to be into 2011....the year of many planned changes and fun, fun stuff. I start this year finally healthy again after many months of a debilitating shoulder injury that impacted the last part of my year in a big way. But ready to go now!

As you're planning which workshops and retreats you will attend this year, please take a peek at all that will be happening at my space in Colorado and in my travels.

Clark Mansion in Taylor, TX...April 2011

I will be visiting Southern Cal, Northern Cal, Arizona, Texas and Florida! My teaching space in Colorado will be host to several Conferences and a special duo-teaching weekend with me and Lesley Riley in May. Colorado Collage Conference with Jenny Doh and Sarah Fishburn is in January and June, and the special faith based Conference, Imagination Congregation with Rebecca Ersfeld and Paulette Insall will take place in 4 days in March and June.  Plus lots of great 1 and 2 day art and marketing classes in my studio. Wow!

Register for any of these events in the next 3 days and you will receive a $100 gift card to my Lipstick Ranch site. Good on any piece of art or on-line classes and DVD's.

Private Class
Book a special 3-day One-on-One Workshop with KC in her studio at a time that works for you and cover the subjects and techniques that you want to cover.  Contact me for details.

Creative Counseling....Individual 90 minute sessions with KC either in-person, over the phone or via SKYPE....$150
These private sessions can be a one-time thing or on-going. We can discuss life, art, marketing, relationships...anything you want. Life coaching with KC.

Can't do any traveling, but wanna play? Workshops are available on-line at Collage Camp. DVD's can be purchased there too.

I got ya covered!
 




Hope to see you in 2011!

All Tied Up

When I was ten years old I was picked on a lot for some reason. Oh wait...I remember. I was skinny, wore glasses and cried at the drop of a hat. A bully's dream target. On a really cold winter day I was hitting the tether ball with a friend at recess. Actually I should say I was trying to hit the tether ball. Physical coordination and I were not on speaking terms.
 

A couple of tough guys who were in the fifth grade decided they wanted the tether ball and my girlfriend told them they couldn't have it.....

Go to www.trailerparktrinity.blogspot.com to read the rest of this story. xxoo