Discovering Your Voice through Skies - with Amanda Houston

Join us for a very special Three-Day Workshop with Amanda Houston where you discover your artistic voice through the process of painting skies with pastels.

Join award-winning artist Amanda Houston for Discovering Your Voice through Skies - Pastels 
Demonstration:  February 29th,  6:30 - 8:30 pm 
Three-Day Workshop: March 1, 2, and 3rd, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
$495

REGISTER AMANDA HOUSTON

If you cannot attend the workshop, register for Demonstration Only.
Available in person and on line.

REGISTER DEMONSTRATION ONLY

​Amanda will demonstrate a variety of different techniques working with pastels on a variety of different surfaces so you can explore new possibilities in your own work. We will focus on simplifying our subject matter in 4-5 values, refining shapes, harmonizing the color palette, how to paint “the glow,” and strengthening how to lead the viewer through your painting. 

​This workshop goes beyond the “how-to” steps of creating radiant sky paintings from photographs. It will explore the intuitive, creative process while covering the foundation of good design and composition. We will focus on a series of small-scale color sketches called the “sketching mindset” in the mornings and have you work on your own pieces in the afternoons. While I will share how I approach skies, this workshop will allow you to explore your own marking-making and undergo a more profound self-discovery to define your unique painting style. Learn what habits hold you back so your true voice can come out.

You will learn to analyze your own mark-making and work on a series of small paintings, exploring variations on a theme and learning how an artist’s creative spirit comes out. This workshop is a unique balance of left and right-brained exercises that prepare you to paint with composition authority and creative curiosity. Be prepared to walk away with at least 8-12 pieces from the workshop.

Special Note: Amanda will demonstrate and teach with pastels. If you want to work in a different medium, you can, but it will be more challenging as she will not demonstrate technique in other mediums. In particular, The 15-minute painting exercises will be harder for a beginner oil or acrylic painter to mix and paint within that time limit. 
Supply List

​About Amanda

Growing up on three continents, Amanda is inspired by much of the world. She now lives on 30 breathtaking acres in Cornelius, O.R., capturing the beauty of the landscapes surrounding her.  
As a child living in Africa and Saudi Arabia, she remembers watching her mother paint oil landscapes as a hobby. Both her parents were educators and encouraged her to follow her creative passion. Amanda was educated in New England and holds a B.S. in Apparel Design & Merchandising (honors) from the University of Vermont and a graduate degree in Textile Design (summa cum laude) from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She was L.L. Bean’s first apparel designer in the 80s, Nike’s first Apparel Innovation Director in the 90s, and then helped launch Nike’s first e-commerce business (www.Niketown.com) during the dot-com boom.   
After 20 years of corporate America, traveling, designing, and merchandising sports apparel for big global brands, she found she was creating less and managing more. In 2004, she took the leap, embraced motherhood, and allowed the artist in her to finally come out. Amanda has been painting and refining her craft ever since and has been sharing her knowledge as an instructor since 2016.
She lives in the Willamette Valley wine country of Oregon in an old historic hunting lodge west of Portland on 30 glorious acres overlooking vineyards and rolling cultivated with her black lab. As a retired Nike Triathlete and now having finished raising her two adult sons, when she isn’t painting, she loves to spend her past time riding her bikes, doing yoga, swimming, cooking, gardening, and traveling.   She splits her time between Cornelius, Oregon, and the San Juan Islands and squeezes painting time in whenever possible. She is a Master’s Circle Member of IAPS (International Assoc. of Pastel Societies) and a Signature and board member of the N.W. Pastel Society and American Women Artists, where she participates in museum shows each year. She also participates in national shows as a member of the American Impressionist Society and Pastel Society of America. She is published by Editions Limited and is seen nationwide in hospitals and hotels. She is represented by Giacobbe Fritz Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA, Cole Gallery in Edmonds, WA, American Art Company in Tacoma, WA, Clearwater Gallery in Sisters, OR; and Attic Gallery in Camas, WA. She outfits two winery tasting rooms in the Willamette Valley, Penner Ash Wine Cellars, and Coleen Clemens Vineyards.
Www.AmandaHouston.com

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