Reflections on Robert Burridge's Mentor Workshop

This past year was a pivotal turning point in my art career as I decided, for the very first time since teaching myself to paint 11 years ago, that I would invest in myself and take a couple of in person workshops to help me better prepare my body of work for gallery submissions and to broaden my knowledge base for the students I teach art to at St. Paul's.  With this decision came excitement and then trepidation as I set some really specific guidelines as to what type of workshop I was willing to attend, especially in light of being on a tight budget. Along with the budget, I was seeking out an experience which would give me the freedom to work on my own body of work,  rather than learning a specific technique or style from a specific artist. I also wanted to apply all the fine art concepts I would learn to the lessons I use for my 3rd - 8th graders and.... I really needed him/her to have a reputation for having a big heart. I prayed about it, let it go, and payed attention to the buzz and goings on in my art world. Thankfully...there was a great deal of buzz around The Mentor Workshop from Robert Burridge, which just so happened to meet the needs I had for a professional workshop experience...and, everything I have ever heard about him was that he had a HUGE heart, that coupled with the workshop I have booked in October and... I was sold. 

Unlike the workshops that he teaches as he travels, the mentor workshop is offered in his studio at his home, in a small group (we had 7), and over the course of several days. 

I had shipped my supplies out to California, walked in the first day after flying at length, and felt at ease as I began to set up and met the fellow artists that would share this journey with me. 

The mess was joyous, the energy exciting, and at the same time, my spirit felt right at home amongst the drips and runs and marks of color along the walls and floors. 

Bob's Figure Studies

Over the course of the next 4 days we talked and talked and questioned and talked. We slung paint, lots of it, played with glazes, talked about master artists, watched Bob paint demos and work on his own body of work, and ate some of the finest food ever  prepared by his lovely wife Kate and assistant Debra.

 Between painting sessions, which started for some, at 7 am, we enjoyed the sounds of chickens laying eggs, horses asking for carrots, and a couple of times of day watched ever so gently as the deer came up to eat and take in all the excitement between the studio and house. The setting was idillic for an art retreat, and I soaked it all in. 

Throughout the painting process I was open to trying new ideas and techniques within the scope of my own style. Because I was flying, I chose to paint on paper and opted for the 25 3/4" by 40" 260lb. Arches cold press which worked out beautifully. I was able to have full sheets, two 18" by 24" sheets, or two 12" by 40" sheets along with my smaller studies on paper.

 One of the things I found extremely valuable was understanding the importance of the four C's before each painting begins. That intention made a world of difference in my focus and completion of each piece. It will be a concept I share with my students as well, which I believe will give them a much stronger foundation in their focus. Below are some of my pieces with intention, title and/or insight. 

Figure Study with Acrylic Washing

Figure Study with Acrylic Washing Technique

Figure Sketches

Complimentary Color Quick Paints

Complimentary Color Quick Paints

Complimentary Color Quick Paints and Ink washes

Color Palette Study 12" by 12"

Acrylic Washing Technique

Texture Study 18" by 24" with glazing and Rembrandt Lighting Study

Mark Making, Glazing, and Subtlety Practice

Diebenkorn Inspired piece after studying his planes of color

"Headed For Change" 40" by 26" 

"The Tourists" 18" by 24" 

"Marks of Time and Place" 18" by 24" 

"Blue Lemons" 18" by 24" (deliciously odd texture)

"I Am An Artist" 40" by 26" (test of black gesso vs. tar paper

"Pogo Sticks and Love" 13" by 40" acrylic on paper (sold)

As the workshop came to a close, we all celebrated our finished pieces and reflected back on the experience a bit. It was worth every penny for me in the first 30 minutes.  Not simply because of all the joy that was found there, but the professional goals I set to move my career forward were met in spades. I felt confident leaving, sure of where my style lands, sure of my talent, better equipped to teach my young ones, and sure that investing in my career was a sound decision. On the heart side, mine was full to the brim with gratitude for Bob, Kate, and Debra holding that space for us and opening up their home. What a testament it was to living the life of a creative, being willing to share their knowledge, and give credence to the artists walking in their footsteps. 

Many of you have asked me about my experience and I am eager to share more specifics if you wish to message me: ardithgoodwin@gmail.com. But first, if you haven't already, head over to Bob's website, www.robertburridge.com and sign up for his Artsy Farsty Newsletter and Bob Blasts. They are chock full of his vast buckets of knowledge, techniques, product reviews, book suggestions, and some of the best music options for painting I have found. You can also find their 2015 Mentor Workshop details there, and as I understand, spots fill up quickly. 

Next month I head to my second workshop for the year in Raleigh with the also HUGE hearted Jeanne Bessette. I am looking forward to taking what I have experienced here, applying it over the next two months, and heading into that with rockets fired. Can't wait, :)

To Love Even One Giveaway

There are times in an artist's life where giving back means more than any monetary price a painting could garner. I am not talking about a donation, although those can be impactful, I am talking about a choice to gift a piece of original artwork simply for the sake of having a love fest for the day....which is exactly what happened. 

My world has been spinning in such great directions lately and that makes me deeply thankful. I was taught, and choose to life my life putting that thanks into action. As I woke the other day, I felt a nudge to show my gratitude in some way and as I did, I began to paint...and ponder...and pray. While the brushstrokes danced across the page I realized I wasn't trying to find the perfect idea, it was being created as part of the process...right in front of me, and I knew I was meant to gift it. 

The lines swirled, the paint was fluid, and I clearly saw the image of two figures, one large, one small. Now, if you know me, you know I have this thing about love. It is the force of why I paint, what I paint, and who I paint for. When I tap into this, I tap into the belief that it will change us, one person at a time, one act at a time. This painting resonated that...To Love Even One....

As the painting came close to fruition, I gave a lot of thought to how to gift it. What I landed on, and am beyond grateful I did, was to ask in my FB stream for folks to simply comment on my post how they would creatively love at least one person in their path in a 24 hour time frame. The words began to flow from folks sharing their heart, their hopes, their choices to send light into the world. I could not have asked for a more powerful response. 

Here are a few: 

whisper kind words - Lanie


I do believe so. So often in this world, there is a sense that we are just taking up space and taking up too much of it, at that. We try to make ourselves small - we slump, we hold our magnificence in and when someone positively acknowledges our existence, it can be life-changing. Just that one "little" act of kindness. - Paulissa


I always hug like I mean it....a big solid squeeze:) - Felicia

I'm a oncology nurse. Finding the courage and taking a moment to ask a patient in pain if they would like me to pray is my way of loving those in my path even if it's only for a 12 hour shift. I've only been turned down once. - Jane

You can view the entire post on FB HERE

The time came to pick a winner so I used the random number generator and chose #43. Lisa Tynes won! 

When I looked over the list of almost 50 friends who shared their hearts with me I decided that I wouldn't leave them empty handed. I have been painting like mad the past few months working toward a goal to land a few galleries out of my geographical area. After 11 years, it is time, I have grown artistically and I am excited about the doors opening in my art career. Because of this, there are many pieces I have that I painted several years ago, prints I have held onto, sketches etc. They are markers of my journey, practices, baby steps filled with hope and love.

I am going to be gifting some of these over the next few months...and those who posted with me, they will be gifted first, as my way of saying thank you, keep up the loving. 

(If you were in on the original post, message me your address please at ardithgoodwin@gmail.com) 

Artists are powerful forces in this world. We can choose to use our gifts for many different reasons. I choose love, not only to be my anchor, but to let all other traits such as creativity, hope, courage etc. come from that. 

Take A Walk Along the Coast by Ardith Goodwin

Paper and I have this thing. There is something visceral and palliative that I feel in my bones when I manipulate and work with paper, especially when the marks flow and dance across it. Over the past 11 years I have come to adore, love, hold sacred the use of paper in the art process. It is my one substrate that I would choose above all else. 

Because of this, I have wanted to take my process and embrace that love on a much larger scale. When using watercolors or fluid acrylics, this is a challenge because the idea of...how will I display it stays in the head. Regardless of that, my heart longed to create a body of work on paper with a few pieces up to 4 feet by 4 feet...so I did. 

Here is one of them: 

TAKE A WALK ALONG THE COAST 

I began by working with marks and then flooding in colors I loved, that reminded me of living along the coast. I let the paint flow like the salt and fresh water flows through our veins here...with reckless abandon. 

I kept adding to that, thinking about our beautiful waters, the plant life we adore, the endless summers. 

I sat back and took in all in, giving it time to percolate. 

I enjoyed my favorite soda...and its packaging.

I quickly realized I wear this palette all the time which is why I feel so connected to it. 

Working this large was a challenge. I stood up, I sat, I laid it flat and sideways and upside down. 

I listened to my love of the place I call home, found its spirit within my marks...

and saw my love come to fruition. There is no other place like the coast, especially the southern Gulf Coast. 

"Take A Walk Along the Coast" 4 feet by 4 feet water media on paper

Detail Image: Can you relate to these colors and marks? 

Detail Image: the flowers...the foliage...the love of color

This painting turned out to be one of those pieces that came straight from the heart and gave me buckets of joy. The larger scale offered me the freedom to let my marks flow in a much more loose, fluid way and I realized that was reflective of how the coast makes me feel as well...calm, relaxed, joyful, full of life. I still have yet to figure out how these works will be displayed, but that issue doesn't cause me stress, it will come. I stayed true to my calling, painted what I love on what I love, and am quite in love with the outcome. An artist can hope for no more than that. 

You can view my entire new body of work on my website HERE

After I posted this painting on Google+ a super awesome gentleman had a few questions for me about this piece. The one that I have never been asked before:   WHAT DOES IT FEEL TO PAINT LIKE THIS? Here is what I said to him after thanking him for the nudge: 

"Well, I immediately plug into a great deal freedom. There are marks on the paper that I begin with...Asemic marks which are a type of language without semantic meaning. I am basically having a conversation with the paper and my creative spirit..and that is portrayed by lines, dashes, swirls...etc. From there I get a sense of play, almost childlike, as I dance across the page with a bit of balance and a little of intent. With every layer, with every mark I paint with joy. I connect with the nature around me, I listen, I slow down, totally at peace. I also paint realism, you might have seen that on my website, but these, they grab my heart strings and say "Let's Play and Let's Express What Matters."   You are the first person to ask me how it feels, it was nice to be able to share that." 

AHHHHHH...love it when I get to engage with art lovers in the world.  

The Journal Speaks About Beauty

(The Journal Speaks Series is a new body of work that I am incredibly proud to be working on. My love of art journaling came full circle as I took the page elements and converted them to large scale paintings on canvases, showcasing my love of message, marks, and passion for color. This piece is #4 in that series and you can view the other pieces HERE)

I have written of beauty a great deal over the past few years as it fascinates me. The concept seems simple, yet I believe it is one of the most complex and powerful forces that we experience. Conceptually, we, as a human race, love to be pretty. We have come to believe, either through conditioning, experience, or ideology, that we must look a certain way to be accepted, to be valued, to be loved. No matter where one looks, the struggle to understand and contain beauty fuels just about everything we do. As these thoughts stewed in my soup of little grey cells over the past month I realized there would be no way to capture my entire struggle with beauty. So, I let it rest. 

This piece is the center painting as I began to layer collage elements over the surface.

What happened next was one of those moments in an artist's life that came straight from being plugged in and willing to listen...not to myself, but the canvas. Many times the page holds a message. The preliminary marks of a piece hold its truth if only the artist slows down long enough to hear it. As I let it rest, the message I was to learn became clear...that of transparency. 

More collage piece, more marked pieces and the beginnings of background color.

You can see in the background, behind dear turtle here, that the piece is becoming more complex. 

I make marks to create. Many of those marks are Asemic, meaning that they lack semantics, but are nonetheless a powerful form of how I communicate through my artwork. The collage pieces I started with were full of that type of marking, random, energetic, and a bit disconnected. As I began to add color, and line, and more marks, my heart felt the tug of needing to leave many of the marks visible. I struggled with that because I didn't want to box myself in marrying the first layers of a painting. Still, I listened and the lesson of transparency kept resonating, so I actually boxed the layers in to contain certain ones....happy compromise.  

Beauty can at first seem opaque in many circumstances but in reality, it is the reflection of our heart that creates authentic beauty. This is why a child can view a rainbow...or a flower....or an insect and fall in love with it. They are too young to understand why, but that force comes from the heart. It connects the eyes with objects that make the heart sing....which is where beauty is created, and we know this at an instinctive level. The layers of my painting where beginning to show me that they were the point. 

Complexity of spirit, of courage, of kindness, of love, of believing in all things and striving to take that inner power and share it outwardly was what my page was needing me to grasp. As soon as I got that, I knew exactly what I would paint. The female figure here is transparent. She isn't bound by layers of makeup, or creams, or false pretenses. She is quintessentially standing in her own essence. At first glance the DNA in our own brains my look and register...weird, odd, unattractive, etc. Only when we look past the opaque into the transparent and see who the figure is do we understand that inwardly she is beautiful. She is a metaphor for what we must strive for, she is an example of beauty in its most honest form.

Up Close detail  with light shining through the canvas.

Detail image showing scale, it is 3 feet by 4 feet

Final Image

"If We Peeled The Layers" 3 feet by 4 feet mixed media on canvas

Outdoor studio where I painted this piece. 

As this series evolves I am beginning to understand that the journey is one filled with lessons for my own heart. Things I need to embrace and dance with a while, and if they resonate with you, then we are on a similar path. This piece is a marker for me, to be kinder and gentler with my own constructs of what it means to be beautiful, and to share those with a world that needs more transparency....more seeing within and less looking at the package.