Mixed Media Design & Play
Come join me in getting our hands joyfully dirty…
My first stand-alone online class - Botanical Gelli - is coming in spring 2024!
The in-person class is perfect for beginning, returning and advanced students alike, with only four students, and tons of individual attention.
10AM - 4PM in my San Rafael garden studio. $395 includes all materials
SUNDAY JUNE 2 SOLD OUT
SATURDAY JUNE 8 ONE SPOT LEFT
Click below if you want to be added to the wait list or
notified first when new dates open up.
e mail confirmation from me AND payment from you secures your spot:
VENMO @Rachel-Davis-351
There’s nothing like making art in person with fellow creatives who get as jazzed as you do over the way wild paint marks look on random collage scraps.
The six hour class is held in my San Rafael garden studio. We work on 22 x 30 inch Arches oil paper “play-scapes”, using materials foraged from my stash of papers, books, stencils, stamps, hand made scraps, as well as papers created in class.
You’ll learn about layering, creating textures, and scraping through to reveal history. Design principles will be woven throughout the day, opening your eyes to new ways of seeing, appreciating and creating.
In the morning, it’s all about creative adventure and experimentation. No pressure to worry about overall design or composition on the “play-scapes”, or making them work as paintings. You’ll watch me play alongside you and think out loud about what’s fun and what isn’t. “What if I tried this?” “How about that?” "Do I like it?" If so, dig in with more. If not, paint or collage over it or try the opposite.
In the afternoon we break out different sized mats to find compositions in the play-scapes. It’s incredible how much there is to learn from this part of the class - from everyone’s work.
We cap off the day mounting the found compositions on different sized cradled panels and have an impromptu show on the back fence.
“Such a wonder-filled day. Thank you Rachel. You made it easy and fun to be playing and learning!”
- V
“Oh so much JOY! I do believe in magic, thanks to this workshop with you Rachel. This art practice was good for my soul.”
- G
“What a blast sharing the day with you and three amazing artists, I loved the play, exploration and collaboration. You always asked the right question to help me move forward. The best part was letting go of trying to create a composition and just staying in the play stage to the very end and then looking at smaller parts of the painting and realizing that I had several completed paintings. Nothing extra needed to be done. Total play!!! Thank you so much!!!!"
- M
COVID PROTOCOLS: We follow Marin County guidelines. Currently, masks are used at peoples discretion.
COST: $395 includes all mixed media materials plus your panels. No need to bring anything but your lunch and a willingness to play and learn.
Class fee is non-refundable but can be transferred to another student or refunded if filled from the waitlist.
“The workshop was terrific! I was thrilled with so many choices of materials, the layout and the instruction. I felt comfortable exploring on my own, asking questions and getting feedback. Also, the length of time seemed perfect. Working in a group is so helpful. As you helped each of the others, I took in so much.“
- C
ABOUT RACHEL
Roughly six years ago, while taking a class called “Ignite Your Wild Creativity”, I was struggling with a painting I was starting to like. Truth be told, I was paralyzed, full of self-critique and fear of “ruining” it. As I went on and on about how this or that next move might help or hurt things, the teacher grabbed my brush and planted a huge black mark across my panel. “There - now you have something to react to.”
Wow. What a difference six years makes. I’m not paralyzed any more, I make my own bold moves, and most importantly, when the persistent inner critic makes an appearance, I know how to show it to the back seat and keep driving where I want to go.
I’d love to help you discover what I have -- joy and freedom in a sustainable creative practice.
In addition to being a mixed media artist, I’ve been studying Japanese flower arranging for twenty-plus years, and as a licensed psychologist (until my retirement at the end of 2022) I coached artists for longer than that, helping them get out of their own heads and back to creating. I’ve been on faculty at medical schools on both coasts, teaching, mentoring students and running groups. It’s my great pleasure to bring those skills to my artist life and help unleash creativity in others.