Arts on Main

Community Arts Center in Gloucester, Virginia

3 Day (June 28-June 30) Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel

3 Day Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel
Wednesday, June 28 – Friday, June 30
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Create your own mixed media masterpieces using those little pieces of memories too precious to throw away! Your quirky snippets, papers, jewelry, fabric, or any small odds and ends can be layered to create a charming and personal piece of art. If you want to practice without worrying about ruining a special object, extra supply packets will be available to purchase for $5 a bag so you can play with a free spirit.

You will learn how to layer paint, paper, photos, trims, fabric and more.  We will learn different types of gluing, fusing and stitching methods to build interesting layers for your pieces. We will discuss and play with mark making, color, texture and pattern, answering questions along the way. Feel free to email the instructor with any questions: [email protected]

Supply list for class:

3 stretched canvases 8×10 or smaller
Your 3 favorite colors of acrylic paint
Matte medium
2 or three paint brushes – inexpensive is fine
Container for water
Fragrance free baby wipes
Paper towels
Scissors
Large eyed tapestry needle
Photos or images
And the fun things: papers, trims, buttons, ticket stubs, fabric scraps, metal objects, shells, pebbles – whatever is in that drawer or box that you want to get out in view!

Cost of the 3 day class is $215.00 per student.

Registration deadline is Saturday, June 24 by 5pm.




 

About the Instructor 

Currently residing in Gloucester County, Virginia, Theresa Wells Stifel was raised in a military/NASA family. Frequent global moves and wide-ranging duty stations gave her a wide range of life experiences and influences that fed her creative life.

Wells Stifel learned traditional craft, painting and needle working skills from her mother, every artistic interest was encouraged. “If I expressed an interest in a medium, from oil painting to wood burning, I was sure to find it gifted the next birthday or Christmas. This enabled me to really explore a wide range of tools, subjects and colors.”

Settling in the Washington DC metro area as a young adult, Wells Stifel moved from managing a photography studio to a recruiting career that lasted almost twenty years.  The arts were always a parallel effort. Moving on from her corporate job enabled her to concentrate on family and creativity.

After a blood infection cost her husband a leg and almost his life Wells Stifel was galvanized to create a family business that enabled them to care for her family.   Stifel & Capra, a 3000 square foot locals’ art gallery and vintage business, was born.

Stifel & Capra hosted monthly art shows, art classes, artist studios and provided a “home away from home” for creatives and design aficionados.

Inspired by her resident artists, Wells Stifel continued her art practice. Alexandria’s Art League, the Arlington Art Alliance Gallery Underground, Montgomery County’s Artist & Makers Studios and Tanglewood Works, Loudon County’s D’Amore Productions, Tysons Corner’s First Stage, Falls Church, VA’s Falls Church Arts and Alexia Scott’s Studio Gallery, Gloucester’s Arts on Main and Gloucester Arts Festival all hosted shows where her works were shown and sold. She curated Vienna’s “Artist Helping Others” Shows hosted at Vienna Presbyterian Church as well as multiple shows at Falls Church Arts and Stifel & Capra.

Primarily self-taught, Wells Stifel is known for incorporating vintage ephemera and hand stitching into her work. She thrives on fashioning vintage goods and techniques into something contemporary and is fascinated with the female form and the play of color on water.   During her career Wells Stifel has been featured in the Falls Church News Press, the Fairfax Times, the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, and the Washington Post.

1 Day Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel

1 Day Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel
Saturday, July 29
12:30pm – 4:30pm

Create your own mixed media masterpieces using those little pieces of memories too precious to throw away! Your quirky snippets, papers, jewelry, fabric, or any small odds and ends can be layered to create a charming and personal piece of art. If you want to practice without worrying about ruining a special object, extra supply packets will be available to purchase for $5 a bag so you can play with a free spirit.

You will learn how to layer paint, paper, photos, trims, fabric and more.  We will learn different types of gluing, fusing and stitching methods to build interesting layers for your pieces. We will discuss and play with mark making, color, texture and pattern, answering questions along the way. Feel free to email the instructor with any questions: [email protected]

Supply list for class:

3 stretched canvases 8×10 or smaller
Your 3 favorite colors of acrylic paint
Matte medium
2 or three paint brushes – inexpensive is fine
Container for water
Fragrance free baby wipes
Paper towels
Scissors
Large eyed tapestry needle
Photos or images
And the fun things: papers, trims, buttons, ticket stubs, fabric scraps, metal objects, shells, pebbles – whatever is in that drawer or box that you want to get out in view!

Cost of class is $95 per student.

Registration deadline is Thursday, July 27th by 5pm.



About the Instructor 

Currently residing in Gloucester County, Virginia, Theresa Wells Stifel was raised in a military/NASA family. Frequent global moves and wide-ranging duty stations gave her a wide range of life experiences and influences that fed her creative life.

Wells Stifel learned traditional craft, painting and needle working skills from her mother, every artistic interest was encouraged. “If I expressed an interest in a medium, from oil painting to wood burning, I was sure to find it gifted the next birthday or Christmas. This enabled me to really explore a wide range of tools, subjects and colors.”

Settling in the Washington DC metro area as a young adult, Wells Stifel moved from managing a photography studio to a recruiting career that lasted almost twenty years.  The arts were always a parallel effort. Moving on from her corporate job enabled her to concentrate on family and creativity.

After a blood infection cost her husband a leg and almost his life Wells Stifel was galvanized to create a family business that enabled them to care for her family.   Stifel & Capra, a 3000 square foot locals’ art gallery and vintage business, was born.

Stifel & Capra hosted monthly art shows, art classes, artist studios and provided a “home away from home” for creatives and design aficionados.

Inspired by her resident artists, Wells Stifel continued her art practice. Alexandria’s Art League, the Arlington Art Alliance Gallery Underground, Montgomery County’s Artist & Makers Studios and Tanglewood Works, Loudon County’s D’Amore Productions, Tysons Corner’s First Stage, Falls Church, VA’s Falls Church Arts and Alexia Scott’s Studio Gallery, Gloucester’s Arts on Main and Gloucester Arts Festival all hosted shows where her works were shown and sold. She curated Vienna’s “Artist Helping Others” Shows hosted at Vienna Presbyterian Church as well as multiple shows at Falls Church Arts and Stifel & Capra.

Primarily self-taught, Wells Stifel is known for incorporating vintage ephemera and hand stitching into her work. She thrives on fashioning vintage goods and techniques into something contemporary and is fascinated with the female form and the play of color on water.   During her career Wells Stifel has been featured in the Falls Church News Press, the Fairfax Times, the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, and the Washington Post.

VMFA Encaustic Painting & Mixed Media Lab by Karen Eide

VMFA Encaustic Painting & Mixed Media Lab by Karen Eide
Saturday, March 25
10:00am – 3:00pm
*Age: High School and Adult

   

Arts on Main is excited to partner with the VMFA to host an Encaustic Painting & Mixed Media Lab taught by professional artist, Karen Eide. Encaustic painting is an ancient process that dates back to 5th century BC. Pigmented beeswax is heated on a griddle and applied to rigid panels with brushes. The results yield luminous, richly layered work that has its own unique character. Students will learn classic encaustic painting techniques and explore how to combine them with contemporary processes, such as surface embellishment, image transfer, incising, collaging, and creating marks and images with oil paint, pastels, markers, and inks. It is an ideal complement or stand-alone process for oil painters, printmakers, collagists, sculptors, watercolorists, and other artists. So that students can continue their exploration of this versatile medium on their own, this lab provides information on supply sources, setting up a studio for encaustic work, safety guidelines, framing, and exhibition considerations. This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is funded, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund.

Most material and tools are provided: encaustic paint, and medium, griddles, heat gun, scraping tools, collage materials. Below are required by student and optional.

Required:

– 4-8 pieces of mat board per student not to exceed 12” in any direction. It’s helpful to think in commonly found frame sizes should you wish to frame ie: 5 x 7”, 8 x 10, 8 x 8”, 10 x 10” etc. Other suitable substrates/panels/painting boards include hardwood plywood, wooden cradled panels, encaustic board. Email me if you have questions.
– 1/8 roll absorbent paper towels – ie: Bounty®

Optional:
– Apron (wax can get messy)
– Reference materials, sketchbooks and/or previous work you want to continue to experiment with or embelish with encaustic such as monotypes, etchings, drawings, photos, watercolors, stencils etc. No acrylics except acrylic inks.
– Collage material: dried and flattened botanicals, nature drawings photos or inkjet print outs, specialty papers, fabric, buttons, found objects, ephemera, magazines, clip art, lace, buttons, paper doilies, cocktail napkins, coffee filters, dried leaves, thread, faux gold or silver leaf, etc. Let your imagination be your guide! art or copy free clipart in color or B & W. Email with questions!
– Dip pen and ink, oil sticks or oil pastels, water color, sharpies, pencil, transfer paper
– Scraping tools like palette knives, single edge razor blades, small plexiglass pieces, spatulas, pottery tools, dental tools, incising tools, nails.
– Ink jet or laser printed images-your illustrations, photos, or copyright free images. Print on parchment, mulberry, rice paper or other pourous paper. Copier paper is fine too.

*Printouts on tissue paper are wonderful: cut  a piece of 8.5 x 11 tissue paper and tack down to printer paper with a repositional glue stick – run a thin line at top and bottom.

 *** Do not bring glitter, powdered pigments, seed beads, or solvents to class, pretty please!

If you have any questions you may email [email protected]

Cost is $75 per student.

Registration deadline is Monday, March 20.




About the Instructor

Karen Eide is a full-time professional artist and earned her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University.

3 Day (March 29-March 31) Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel

3 Day Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel
Wednesday, March 29 – Friday, March 31
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

 

Create your own mixed media masterpieces using those little pieces of memories too precious to throw away! Your quirky snippets, papers, jewelry, fabric, or any small odds and ends can be layered to create a charming and personal piece of art. If you want to practice without worrying about ruining a special object, extra supply packets will be available to purchase for $5 a bag so you can play with a free spirit.

You will learn how to layer paint, paper, photos, trims, fabric and more.  We will learn different types of gluing, fusing and stitching methods to build interesting layers for your pieces. We will discuss and play with mark making, color, texture and pattern, answering questions along the way. Feel free to email the instructor with any questions: [email protected]

Supply list for class:

3 stretched canvases 8×10 or smaller
Your 3 favorite colors of acrylic paint
Matte medium
2 or three paint brushes – inexpensive is fine
Container for water
Fragrance free baby wipes
Paper towels
Scissors
Large eyed tapestry needle
Photos or images
And the fun things: papers, trims, buttons, ticket stubs, fabric scraps, metal objects, shells, pebbles – whatever is in that drawer or box that you want to get out in view!

Cost of the 3 day class is $215.00 per student.

Registration deadline is Saturday, March 25 by 5pm.




 

About the Instructor 

Currently residing in Gloucester County, Virginia, Theresa Wells Stifel was raised in a military/NASA family. Frequent global moves and wide-ranging duty stations gave her a wide range of life experiences and influences that fed her creative life.

Wells Stifel learned traditional craft, painting and needle working skills from her mother, every artistic interest was encouraged. “If I expressed an interest in a medium, from oil painting to wood burning, I was sure to find it gifted the next birthday or Christmas. This enabled me to really explore a wide range of tools, subjects and colors.”

Settling in the Washington DC metro area as a young adult, Wells Stifel moved from managing a photography studio to a recruiting career that lasted almost twenty years.  The arts were always a parallel effort. Moving on from her corporate job enabled her to concentrate on family and creativity.

After a blood infection cost her husband a leg and almost his life Wells Stifel was galvanized to create a family business that enabled them to care for her family.   Stifel & Capra, a 3000 square foot locals’ art gallery and vintage business, was born.

Stifel & Capra hosted monthly art shows, art classes, artist studios and provided a “home away from home” for creatives and design aficionados.

Inspired by her resident artists, Wells Stifel continued her art practice. Alexandria’s Art League, the Arlington Art Alliance Gallery Underground, Montgomery County’s Artist & Makers Studios and Tanglewood Works, Loudon County’s D’Amore Productions, Tysons Corner’s First Stage, Falls Church, VA’s Falls Church Arts and Alexia Scott’s Studio Gallery, Gloucester’s Arts on Main and Gloucester Arts Festival all hosted shows where her works were shown and sold. She curated Vienna’s “Artist Helping Others” Shows hosted at Vienna Presbyterian Church as well as multiple shows at Falls Church Arts and Stifel & Capra.

Primarily self-taught, Wells Stifel is known for incorporating vintage ephemera and hand stitching into her work. She thrives on fashioning vintage goods and techniques into something contemporary and is fascinated with the female form and the play of color on water.   During her career Wells Stifel has been featured in the Falls Church News Press, the Fairfax Times, the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, and the Washington Post.

1 Day Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel

1 Day Heirloom Collage & Mixed Media Exploration with Theresa Wells Stifel
Saturday, February 25
12:30pm – 4:30pm

 

Create your own mixed media masterpieces using those little pieces of memories too precious to throw away! Your quirky snippets, papers, jewelry, fabric, or any small odds and ends can be layered to create a charming and personal piece of art. If you want to practice without worrying about ruining a special object, extra supply packets will be available to purchase for $5 a bag so you can play with a free spirit.

You will learn how to layer paint, paper, photos, trims, fabric and more.  We will learn different types of gluing, fusing and stitching methods to build interesting layers for your pieces. We will discuss and play with mark making, color, texture and pattern, answering questions along the way. Feel free to email the instructor with any questions: [email protected]

Supply list for class:

3 stretched canvases 8×10 or smaller
Your 3 favorite colors of acrylic paint
Matte medium
2 or three paint brushes – inexpensive is fine
Container for water
Fragrance free baby wipes
Paper towels
Scissors
Large eyed tapestry needle
Photos or images
And the fun things: papers, trims, buttons, ticket stubs, fabric scraps, metal objects, shells, pebbles – whatever is in that drawer or box that you want to get out in view!

Cost of class is $95 per student.

Registration deadline is Thursday, February 23 by 5pm.




About the Instructor 

Currently residing in Gloucester County, Virginia, Theresa Wells Stifel was raised in a military/NASA family. Frequent global moves and wide-ranging duty stations gave her a wide range of life experiences and influences that fed her creative life.

Wells Stifel learned traditional craft, painting and needle working skills from her mother, every artistic interest was encouraged. “If I expressed an interest in a medium, from oil painting to wood burning, I was sure to find it gifted the next birthday or Christmas. This enabled me to really explore a wide range of tools, subjects and colors.”

Settling in the Washington DC metro area as a young adult, Wells Stifel moved from managing a photography studio to a recruiting career that lasted almost twenty years.  The arts were always a parallel effort. Moving on from her corporate job enabled her to concentrate on family and creativity.

After a blood infection cost her husband a leg and almost his life Wells Stifel was galvanized to create a family business that enabled them to care for her family.   Stifel & Capra, a 3000 square foot locals’ art gallery and vintage business, was born.

Stifel & Capra hosted monthly art shows, art classes, artist studios and provided a “home away from home” for creatives and design aficionados.

Inspired by her resident artists, Wells Stifel continued her art practice. Alexandria’s Art League, the Arlington Art Alliance Gallery Underground, Montgomery County’s Artist & Makers Studios and Tanglewood Works, Loudon County’s D’Amore Productions, Tysons Corner’s First Stage, Falls Church, VA’s Falls Church Arts and Alexia Scott’s Studio Gallery, Gloucester’s Arts on Main and Gloucester Arts Festival all hosted shows where her works were shown and sold. She curated Vienna’s “Artist Helping Others” Shows hosted at Vienna Presbyterian Church as well as multiple shows at Falls Church Arts and Stifel & Capra.

Primarily self-taught, Wells Stifel is known for incorporating vintage ephemera and hand stitching into her work. She thrives on fashioning vintage goods and techniques into something contemporary and is fascinated with the female form and the play of color on water.   During her career Wells Stifel has been featured in the Falls Church News Press, the Fairfax Times, the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, and the Washington Post.

Scrapbooking for Teens with Ronda Bowden (3 Class Series)

Scrapbooking for Teens with Ronda Bowden (3 Class Series)
Ages 11-14
Tuesday, January 17th
Tuesday, January 24th
Tuesday, January 31st
3:30pm-4:45pm

Are you between the ages of 11 and 14 and need a journal/scrapbook to keep track of deadlines, lists, dreams, ideas, doodles, or just a place to brain dump?  If so, this journal/scrapbooking class is perfect for you.  How your journal looks and what goes in it is entirely up to you! We will get a journal started that you can expand upon throughout the year.  Collect and bring images you like about topics you like, and we will make a useful tool that is also a snapshot of your life right now.

We will use hand lettering and collage to embellish your journal.  In addition to your images bring your favorite gel pens, markers and colored pencils.  In searching for images, consider take-out menus, wrapping paper, greeting cards, comics, candy wrappers and calendars.

All materials other than personal images will be provided for students.

Registration deadline: Tuesday, January 10 @ 5pm

Cost per student for the 3-class series is $60.