The Expressive Figure Workshop with Ardith Goodwin and Shauna Meiri

 
 Have you been eager to lean in and explore the world of expressive figurative painting in acrylic but unsure about where to begin? Ardith Goodwin and Shauna Meiri, two acrylic painters with a gift for fracturing and deconstruction, are joining forces to co-teach a 4-day workshop April 2017 in beautiful Fairhope, AL, at the Eastern Shore Art Center.

Ardith specializes in the fractured line and approach, building figures through structure, variety of marks, and the transparent use of color and contrast.

Shuana is a master teacher at the art of deconstruction and reconstruction with an eye for emotional, raw imagery that penetrates the layers. She brings a connection with the intuitive process and the mystery of what is hidden and brought to the light through the deconstructive process. 

Though we each have unique styles as we approach the canvas, we share the belief that the soul of the artist combined with the spirit of the figure can be embraced and captured through freedom of play, mastery of craft, and an openness to create from a place of authenticity. 

In this workshop we will: 

• Learn the basics of the human form and structure of the face, and how to manipulate each through the use of expressive line, marks and color.
• Work with quick sketches and loose studies, play with a variety of materials and have fun creating artwork that has more impact and expresses what is important to you.
• Explore the building up of layers through the use of mixed media to create visual interest.
• Experiment with using deconstruction as a way to create textures, shake loose from perfectionism and make room for the unexpected.
• Practice integrating new techniques and ideas into your current creative work.

It is our intention to give intensive individual attention to each student and their artistic/creative process. We will offer an immersive, welcoming class filled with practical knowledge as well as nuggets of wisdom that both of us have learned through our years (and love) of creating figures and faces.

The Juicy Tidbits:

• The cost of the 4-day workshop is $550.
• A non-refundable deposit of $250 holds your space.
• The teachers will provide some materials, students will bring their own basic supplies. A supply list will be provided upon registration.
• For an additional fee of $150 you can purchase an all paints, materials, paper, and two 24" by 30" canvases provided option.
  
  
  
  


Registration Options

Basic Rate $550.00 USD All Supplies Included $700.00 USD

Refund Policy:

• Before Feb 1st, we will refund 75%
  Before March 1st, we will refund 50%
  After March 1st there are no refunds 

So What's It Like To Attend An Ardith Goodwin Workshop?

So What's It Like? 

I get asked this question a lot about my painting workshops and I always say, well every one is a little bit different but they are all filled with a great amount of grey cell bending. 

In all honesty, my workshops are a little bit different than most in that I don't teach from a demo painting. Instead, I teach to the needs of the room, show lots of techniques about impact and fundamentals on my own canvas, and strive quite hard to teach everyone in a way where they get their needs and questions met. 

As a teacher I want everyone to learn the strategies that will help them find their own visual voice. Those strategies might be different than the ones I use and we talk a lot about that. As an artist I want them to see how to approach a canvas with pure freedom and know what their options are creatively. As a human being, I want every student to know their marks matter, that the act of creating is sacred, and that showing up and doing the work is a beautiful thing. 

Whether it be my Impact Workshop, Move the Line Abstract Workshop, or The Imaginative Figure, every workshop is chock full of mini-lessons, study practice, watch and learn, and free paints. We explore color theory, the importance of contrast, how to create a variety of marks, and most importantly, how to understand our tools and products so that we can use them to their full potential. 

Peer support is common, we encourage one another. We celebrate big hurdles and shifts, and make way for learning curves because everyone walks in the door at a different place in their artistic journey. 

My two day workshops create thinkers about your process. They build confidence and connect techniques to the fundamentals of why you paint what you paint. My four and five day workshops dive much deeper in the technical process and way deeper in the purpose behind what you paint and how you paint it. 

One of the most exciting things I hear at the close of every workshop is when are you coming back, when is your next workshop? That fills my artist's heart with love and my teacher's heart with much gratitude. It matters to me that my workshop is relevant, that I leave my students feeling confident and valued more so than when they walked in the door. My workshops help give artists the core tools they need to thrive in moving the line forward. I could ask for no more. 

If you are interested in taking a workshop with me or would like to join my mailing list to get first dibs on when workshops become available, message me at ardithgoodwin@gmail.com. 

If you have attended a workshop, I would love for you to chime in and share your experience with others who are considering spending some time slinging paint with me! 

My 2018 online and in person workshop schedule has launched! View the available courses by clicking on the image below. 

 

Buckets of Colorful Love!

Ardith

10 Tips In Maintaining Your Creative Practice

I can bet many of us adult human folk miss art class in elementary school. It was a time of creative play, using our hands to get messy, and days filled with color and line and thinking of odd and a sundry ways to express ourselves. For most of us, IT WAS FUN! 

Fast forward to our adult lives, many moons have passed and many of us find ourselves at a turning point where we desire to either re-visit the world of arts and crafts or rekindle a passion for what we once loved. Either way, the question now becomes: How do I begin and maintain a creative practice? 

Working with artistic humans and artists in real life and online, I have come across many that get excited about a new class, gather all new supplies and shiny things, and for a few weeks they thrive. Then something interesting begins to happen. Every so slightly they get busy. They get busy living, doing laundry, taking care of kids and big kids and kids camouflaged as spouses. Despite all the best intentions they stop tapping into the creative practice that brought them joy. 

Don't get me wrong, families are the core of our heart and love!  Living a beautiful life takes practice and time and attention to do well. Still, if you choose to embrace the intention of learning a new artistic skill, building a creative practice, and/or creating a living through the arts, you must find a way to commit to that practice while you live that beautiful life. You must embrace the belief that your creative needs matter too. 

There are some tips that you can consider, and if followed, the chances of committing and staying dedicated to creative growth can be achieved. They begin with a choice. 

1. Make A Commitment 
The first thing we must do when we believe that our creative needs matter is to make a choice. Make a choice to create time for ourselves. Make a choice to begin and make a choice to communicate that desire with our important humans so that they can cheer us on and respect that choice. 

2. Choose Your Path
Once you have decided to dive in, you have to narrow down your options. If you are a pure beginner, then most likely you might want to take a class or two. You might want to commit to some online learning, take a class in real life, or simply gather some books and give it a go. 

If you are more experienced, or are coming back to a creative practice you once had, you still need to narrow down your options so that you can engage them in small, building steps. 

Make an intention based on what you hope to achieve. A beginner's intention will be very different from a seasoned creative, so choose what fits your needs best. 

3. Schedule Your Time
This step is HUGE! Sometimes you dive in and simply can't keep up the pace. Consider what your path is, what your beautiful life entails, and carve out some sacred time for you to practice, explore, and learn within balance. 

If everyday is too much, make a choice to spend every other day creating. Small chunks of time are more manageable to begin with. 20-30 min windows of time can give you room for confidence and not overwhelm your already busy lifestyle. Even 15 min windows will make a difference. 

4. Get Organized
Having a space and the appropriate supplies is one of the most important factors in long term success. If you have to get supplies out and put them up every single time you create, chances are that will become tedious. Find a 'spot' where you can keep your supplies in reach and have them accessible easily. You are much more able to build a habit if there is consistency in that practice and your tools are handy.

5. Set Realistic Goals

Let's be honest, you most likely won't create a masterpiece the first week you begin. :) One of the biggest factors in not committing to a practice is our horrible tendency to expect perfection. Growth in any area takes TIME. Striving for excellence is very different than expecting perfection. 

If you begin by expecting every single thing you create to be amazing you will get disappointed quickly. Instead, flip your mindset and honor your commitment to the practice...which is amazing, and give yourself the time to learn, to study, to practice, to grow. The sheer act of creating is sacred, and for many of us, a goal of just playing can lead to a beautiful way of life.

Choose realistic goals though that are short term, and strive for bigger ones in the long term. 

6. Find A Partner

Having a friend or partner, either in your present day life or online, can be a big part of your sticking with a practice. If you can find someone to share it with you, hold you accountable based on your goals, then you will be much more engaged. Creative Partnerships can affect your practice in powerful ways. If a local partnership isn't available, reach out online. 

7. Join Groups That Match Your Goals

Finding a group that shares your interests or goals will help you plant roots in your practice. Locally, search out a group that you can participate with and network with. Be open to learn, to participate, to volunteer, and engage.

 Online, there are TONS of groups based around interests. Find one to join that has connections with what you hope to create and has members who might challenge you a bit. Learn the ins and outs about posting and sharing, what the group guidelines are, and become an active member. The more you engage, the more you will feed your own creative understanding and practice. 

8. Ask, Seek, Explore
When you take a class....ask questions. Online classes are all different. Most likely there will be students that join who are at different places in their artistic journey and you might feel intimidated. Challenge this feeling and learn from it. 

Comparing yourself to someone's skill set that has been developing over several years sets you up for failure. Instead, honor their commitment and learn from them. Ask questions, explore ideas, and give yourself time to learn. 

If your class has a format that is technically challenging, reach out to the teacher and ask for help. Classes these days cost a pretty penny. Be willing to be assertive in what you need and reach out for guidance. Most teachers I know welcome the connection and questions. 

9. Engage In Practice
Show up. Do the Work. Repeat. NOTHING will make as much of a difference than actually laying those bricks one at a time, consistently over time. Start small and build on your practice. As you grow, share with your family, broaden your networks and support groups, and devote more time. 

10. Be Gentle With Yourself

We can blame and shame with the best of them when it comes to the expectations we have of ourselves. If you dive in and get excited but get a case of the fizzles rather quickly, spend some time asking yourself why. Be HONEST. If it is a lack of understanding, ask for help. 

If it is a choice you made to disengage, be honest about that and seek out the root of why. Are you afraid of success? Do you truly believe you matter?  Is this something a friend did but really wasn't what your heart longed for? As those conversations take place, and if you make a choice to begin again, do so with grace for yourself. Seek out progress, not perfection. 

I am a firm believer that when humans choose to engage and devote to some type of creative practice their lives become more content and meaningful. This world desperately needs Creatives to continue to spread unique ideas, beauty, and products that show the best of us. If you are one who has chosen to embrace that way of life, bravo! There is help out there so that you can thrive! 

Do you have some tips for helping others stay committed to a creative practice? My list is not all encompassing. Share your ideas here so we can all learn from each other! 

Happy Creating! 
Ardith

Mobile Abstract Workshop

Great news y'all! Move the Line, my abstract workshop focusing on dynamic movement, transparent layers, and fundamentals is coming to Mobile, Al. August 1st and 2nd at the Alabama Contemporary Arts Center! 

This workshop will be a 2 day version of my more in depth 4 day workshop, and will give students an exciting experience to dive into loose, fluid, and dynamic acrylic abstract paintings. Because of the nature of this workshop, it will be perfect for the beginner to the advanced student, as long as you are willing to step outside your comfort zone and play while you paint. 

Some of the concepts we will cover are:

How to prep your substrate to add depth and texture before you paint

Mark making and line work using graphite, charcoal, and acrylic sticks 

Hand painting your own paper for collage elements

Fundamentals such as composition, contrast and value, and mixing colors

How to incorporate mixed media such as watercolors, fluid acrylics, and heavy body acrylics into your paintings 

What the difference between painting on paper to canvas is and how to do both creatively

and MORE!

Two day workshop registration is $275

Message me at ardithgoodwin@gmail.com if you have questions! 

As of today, there are 8 spots left! Come join us. 

I See I Imagine I Create 52 Creativity Curriculum Round 2

52 weeks ago I started a journey with 60 fellow Creatives that would change the course of my life, and many of theirs. It was an online experience that brought together artists from several disciplines, different countries, and humans with vast differences and belief systems. We shared one common goal: to learn to move through this world more creatively. This week our time together comes to a close but this I know, like I am breathing, the year mattered. It mattered so much that many of them are ready for Round 2, and that is exciting. 

I See, I Imagine, I Create 52 is a part weekly, online self-study class that gives students the understanding, tools, creative behaviors, and questioning strategies to learn to see the world with creative lenses and use that insight to serve them creatively. It helps writers alter their points of view, it helps photographers see a different perspective, and it helps painters/artists find their own, creative voice. In its simplest form, it helps humans slow down and appreciate this incredible place we call home. 

With a 300+ page manual filled with weekly challenges and a weekly meeting time in our secret classroom, the community aspect was key in helping Creatives thrive because accountability and connection is really important. It is also integral that the study span over time, because the consistency and time frame is what creates the long term impact to alter behaviors. 

My students grew in how they saw colors, lines, patterns, connections, and surfaces. Their grey cells were bent in regards to considering big ideas such a deconstruction and reconstruction, big to small concepts, worn, weathered, multiples, and the weird. They considered the elements of character traits from the personal to the imaginative, and how birds could be messengers even wearing high heels. :) 

Not only did they learn to see and notice the nuances of a deeply creative world, they learned how to apply those concepts to the creative products they were working on. We wrestled with personal and technical frameworks, moving from the literal to the figurative, and how thinking outside the space around the room where the box lives was more exciting than just thinking outside the box. 

Come July 3rd we start Year 2 of our online study with a few major changes, which are really exciting. 

Rather than 52 straight weeks of study, we are breaking down our challenges into 6, 5 week study modules with a two week break in between each one. There will also be two, 3-week bonus modules between the first half of the year and the second half. This course is packed with information (did I say it comes with a 300+ page manual :) , and one thing we found was the need to slow down a bit and give ourselves more time to savor what we learned. 

There will be 10 video components with this study, two for each 5 week module. I am also offering an opportunity to enroll in the *Advanced Option to meet with me twice per module, in one hour, small group video sessions. 

Our secret classroom will remain, which is a safe, trusting environment to share our steps, thoughts, ideas, and personal journey throughout the year. Most weeks we will meet bi-weekly through a thread chat to discuss the challenge and how we are processing it. We will also have a few student guides from year one who facilitate some discussions as well. Although designed as a self-study course, I invest a great deal of time through our weekly chats teaching and following the engagement during the challenges. It makes for an in depth discussion most weeks!

Every human is creative, the key is remembering how to remain creative and grow that creativity over time. I Create 52 is a course developed to actually teach CREATIVE BEHAVIORS that help your creativity grow and evolve. If you are longing to learn concrete strategies and practices to help you grow creatively, The I Create 52 curriculum might just be for you! 



Student Testimonies - 

"My goal for this class was to learn to live a creative live in the broadest possible sense. I wrote, painted, collaged, and grew a whole new set of eyes, with the loving support of Ardith and her community of fellow creatives." Amy Diebaren

"This class has been a joy: a safe, supportive, and encouraging space. By learning the foundations of creative thinking, I have discovered the freedom to see, think, and create differently and courageously. Through this class, I have found my voice as a creative." Liz Dotterer

"I see I imagine I create' has had a substantial impact on my 

capacity and manner to process 'external' subjects stimuli 

into my creative process. It's been like tasting and enjoying a 

different piece of chocolate each week, and deciding to 

do something beyond gluttony with it. On a different 

dimension I have experimented it as an individual and

collective act of creative weaving, which has been deeply 

rewarding to me. Cecilia Luvecce Rouvrais.

This is the most amazing course. I have learned more than I could have imagined……about everything to do with creativity and particularly about ways of seeing the world with new eyes. Ardith is a generous, knowledgeable and wise teacher. I “met” so many nice people….the group part of this really worked for me. I am still digesting the lessons….the pace is brisk….so much in one year. My confidence has soared and my abilities have improved. Five star in every way….and awesome value for money.Fiona Knox


Class Details and Registration - 

We will meet Sunday evenings at 4 pm central (chosen so that international students can join us) for our weekly discussions in our classroom on Facebook. (class runs 45 min) We will will meet most Thursday evenings at 4 pm for our Mid-Week discussions. 

You will receive the challenges each week in Word and PDF form. Your Ebook will total more than 300 pages at the end of the year! 

You will receive 10 video components during the year long study, two each five week module.

You will have access to our Secret Creative Community on FB. 

If you have questions as to whether this class is the right fit for you message me at ardithgoodwin@gmail.com with questions! 

THIS CLASS IS FULL FOR 2016!

 

Upcoming Workshops

This past April I had the privilege of teaching my IMPACT! workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Hardesty Arts Center and it was wonderful! For four days, 11 of us dove into the study of what makes paintings have visual impact, which techniques can help artists alter their work to reach the viewer, and why this is important for visual artists. 

We painted, we sketched, we studied, and we worked as a team to give feedback and insight to one another which helped make the week deeply satisfying to so many. 

After a solo show the second week of June in Mobile at The Mobile Arts Council, I head to Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey and Traverse City Michigan to teach two, two day IMPACT! workshops and am so excited for that week to come. In July, I have just added a new abstract workshop, Move the Line, to Tulsa as well. Within 24 hours it is almost full and I only have two spaces left in it! 

https://apm.activecommunities.com/crookedtreearts/Activity_Search/b-ardith-goodwin-impact/429

July also brings an abstract workshop to Mobile, Al. Details to come about that venue and date. 

August I will be headed to Seattle for my abstract workshop, Move the Line at the Miller School of Art, and that workshop is FULL. If you would like to get on the waiting list let me know through email!  The following week I head to Portland to teach the Imaginative Figure workshop for three days. 

In October we are working out the details to bring the Imaginative Figure Workshop to the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Va. and I will be adding a couple of new venues along the East Coast which is exciting as all get out! 

The end of May brings a close to my teaching career with young ones at St. Paul's, but it opens the doors for me to travel in the coming years to teach and work with practicing artists full time. Along with painting, I cannot imagine a more rewarding way to serve and live. 

If you are interested in registering for any of these workshops EMAIL ME AT ARDITHGOODWIN@GMAIL.COM to confirm that there are spaces left. If the workshop is not full, I will invoice you through Paypal privately. 

You can read about the workshop details HERE

I Am Teaching On 21 Secrets Again!

My experience with the 21 Secrets Art Journaling project of the past couple of years has been amazing. When Connie Solera and Hali Karla contacted me to teach again I was thrilled, but more so because the theme of this series would be Tools and Techniques. 

Fundamentals are really important to me, They help artists now how to bend the rules to serve them when they are painting or creating in a journal, on paper, or on canvas. The focus of tools and techniques is a huge deal for art journalers and I am excited to be part of that. My focus is to show how Contrast and Value and The Journey of Lights and Darks helps figures come forward and others recede. 

If you are seeking to increase your skill set as a journaler or painter, this series of lessons would be a great option for you. 

21 Secrets is a series of art journal lessons from 21 teachers. It comes with a huge 150+ page Ebook, over 25 hours of videos to watch and download, and a connected group on FB to join in and learn from one another. I am honored to be a part of this group of 21 amazing teachers. 

The earlybird rate that is on sale today is $98 and the project launches April 1!  Click the LINK below to sign up! If you have questions, message me! 

REGISTER HERE

Looking forward to slinging some paint together! 

Ardith