The poet Rainer Maria Rilke claimed, “Our hands much touch the earth as if for the first time.” Whether you’re an experienced artist or a neophyte, this is what we’ll be doing in our days together at Wintergreen. Our hands will touch the land, we’ll make drawings, do rubbings, take photographs, find objects that will become part of a number of large collages and uncover, in metaphorical terms, the bones beneath our feet.
The goal will be to discover what it means to be at home on our planet, to create artwork that speaks to the particulars of this time and place. You’ll end up with finished pieces, but you’ll also carry home images and ideas that will enrich your artistic practices. We’ll work hard, and we’ll have fun and surprise ourselves with new ways of seeing and creating in this supportive, inspiring place.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Thursday
Once everyone arrives and has a chance to settle in, we will take a hike in the late afternoon to begin to explore the Wintergreen landscape. We will then continue our conversations with fellow artists, and the instructor, Tom O’Flanagan, over a delicious gourmet dinner. You will have an opportunity to talk about your dreams and goals for the weekend, and your connections with land and the environment.
Friday and Saturday
After breakfast each morning, we will take a walk on the land, cameras and pencils and charcoal in hand, collecting ideas and images to use throughout the weekend. Materials will be provided; however, if you have supplies that you would like to bring to supplement the provided materials, feel free to do so. We will be working with black charcoal, pencil, graphite crayons, various papers, and cameras.
Afternoon sessions will involve playing with the images and ideas, assembling pieces into larger works, and exploring ways that the captured segments of the land interact with each other.
Sunday
You will have a chance to complete your collages (either created individually or with other artists), share your work, and celebrate and reflect on your learning. The workshop closes after lunch.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
TOM O’FLANAGAN believes that teaching is not a job but a calling. He has been a member of the faculty in visual art departments across the country, most recently at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, where he established the Bachelor of Fine Arts Programme in 2005. His work is included in many public and private collections and has been exhibited extensively in group and solo exhibitions. In one of his catalogue statements, he says that he hopes to create art for an age “in which sorrow and joy have embraced.”
COST & REGISTRATION
This event is limited to ten participants.
Pricing + HST includes workshop instruction, art materials, facilities, accommodation (3 nights), and meals (9), beginning with dinner on Thursday and ending with lunch on Sunday.
OFFSITE
Workshop instruction, art materials, facilities, and meals, but no overnight accommodation – $500
WINTERGREEN STUDIOS*
Tenting/Camper in the Camping Meadow – $550
Hobbit House (private remote woodland cabin with small double bed) – $650 SOLD OUT
Parthenon (private remote woodland cabin with double futon) – $650 SOLD OUT
Family Room (room in the Lodge with 1 double bed and 2 twin beds; ground level) – $775 private; $650 shared
North Room or Garden Room (private rooms in the Lodge with 1 double bed; ground level) – $775 SOLD OUT
Sauna View Room or Green Roof Room (private rooms in the Lodge with 1 twin bed; upper level with stair access only) – $750 SOLD OUT
Maple Room or Courtyard Room (rooms in the Lodge with 2 twin beds; ground level) – $750 private; $650 shared
*If your preferred accommodation choice is no longer available when you register, please email us to be put on the waiting list for a shared or private room.