‘Not necessity but coincidence is full of enchantment.’ Milan Kundera
Last October Els van Lieshout came to Artisa for an artist retreat. She inspired and moved other participants with her work and her way of working. We are happy that she is coming now to Artisa to facilitate a visual working week.
This week we will work with collage. Collage has many possibilities for play and experiment. And it is a technique that almost every artist has used, even if it was sometimes only for a preliminary study, such as Rembrandt.
We practice the art of watching: at the Academy of Visual Arts Els was fascinated by the subject Optical grammar, she did the VTS (visual thinking strategies) course and experienced that looking is essential for creating art.
We practice playing and experimenting: we use the most diverse material that we find by chance and we let go of being result-oriented.
We practice working with composition: this can also be with natural materials and photography.
If you like paper and are already working creatively, if you want to take it a step further in your development, if you want to get new ideas then collage is a wonderful technique to practice. I can no longer throw away even a tiniest scrap of paper…
Before breakfast there is the possibility to participate in a yoga and meditation session, as well as at the end of the day.
Every morning after breakfast we start with a workshop of inspiration, information, explanation and/or an exercise. Then everyone goes to work for themselves, which can also be in your own discipline, in which you translate the exercise into your own work. Of course you can also work with other techniques. At the end of the afternoon we discuss everyone’s work/experiment together.
The goal is not to make perfect works; the goal is to loosen up in your creative work, become more free, experiment with collage, and most importantly, take home inspiration and ideas that you are eager to elaborate further.
• learn to play and let go of a preconceived plan
• learn to look from different perspectives
• create conditions for innovation in your work
• applying new working methods
• increase insight into the composition of your visual work and use of color
• personal coaching in your art work
• further developing of your own style
07.30 – 08.15 : Yoga and meditation (optional)
08.30 – 09.30 : Breakfast
09.45 to ±11.00 : Workshop to inspire, inform, explain and/or do an exercise. Every day a different theme
11.00 – 13.00 : Working independently. Els is available for help/questions etc.
13.15 – 14.00 : Lunch
14.00 – 15.00 : Free time for rest, walking, swimming etc.
15.00 – 17.00 : Working independently.
17.00 – 17.45 : Yoga and meditation (optional)
18.00 – 19.00 : Discuss everyone’s work / experiment together
19.30 – 21.00 Dinner
Evening : Free time / film / discussion /
Els van Lieshout went to the Royal Academy of Art The Hague at the age of 37. She chose Graphic Design and after 3 years she discovered that unique work was more appealing than reproducible designs. She was especially drawn to collage techniques.
She makes her collages with magazine fragments, remnants of old posters, and self-painted paper, but she can actually work with every scrap. She always combines this with drawing and painting. In her work she is inspired by large cities, buildings and street scenes. She loves nature but finds the city endlessly interesting as a subject. She wants to capture its dynamics in her work. Finding material by chance is really a starting point of her work. She has experienced that in this way she can continue to play and remain inspired.
We will take care of:
– Panels (to be able to work on), pots, cloths
– Easels (if desired)
– Glue
– extra magazines
– various paper, various other materials (inks, composition pots), cardboard carriers
You bring:
– Magazines that inspire in terms of photos and colours
– Any other paper material
– Paint and brushes (acrylic, poster paint or watercolour)
– Drawing material (pencils, markers, chalk, charcoal)
– Sketchbook
– Dummy(ies)
Data : 13 May – 20 May 2022
Location : La Terra Saggia, Le Marche, Italy
Fee : € 1100,- incl. program, accommodation, food, breaks, snacks and Artisa facilities
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