Instructors
Nina Bagley
Nina has been a professional jewelry designer since 1987, a mixed media artist for as long as she can remember (thinking here of a little clay mushroom “ensemble” that was created in perhaps the third grade, for starters), and has been teaching mixed media/jewelry workshops, both in the United States and worldwide, since 2000. Her artwork is featured in many books and magazines, and has been sold in multiple boutiques and museum shops across the world. Ever changing jewelry designs can be found in her etsy shop. Nina’s blog of six years provides a wonderful outlet for writing and sharing with readers all the intricate beauties of the natural world that surrounds her in the mountains of western north Carolina.
Jill K. Berry
Jill is a mixed-media artist, teacher, and mom in the Rocky Mountains who makes story-telling structures. Her work involves social issues, maps, symbols, houses, housewives, and the mystique of charisma. Her artwork can be seen in Letter Arts Review, Somerset Studio, Cloth, Paper Scissors, numerous books and publications. Her handmade books are in the collections of the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Denver Public Library, and private collections. She has taught at three universities and retreats both nationally and in Italy. She feels that art is essential and accessible to everybody!
Her first book, “Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Map Making” was published in November 2011.
- Visit Jill’s website, Design Blog and Personal Geographies Blog
Flora Bowley
Flora Bowley is an internationally celebrated painter, teacher, author, and inspirationalist. Her vibrant paintings can be found in numerous galleries, in public spaces, on album covers, and on a variety of unique products made in collaboration with Papaya Art. Flora combines eighteen years of professional painting experience with her background as a yoga instructor, massage therapist and lifelong joy seeker to infuse her teaching and painting style with a deep connection to body, mind, and spirit. By honoring intuition and celebrating the present moment, Flora encourages her students to overcome fear and welcome joyful spontaneous expression back into the creative process. Her transformational approach to painting (and living) and has inspired thousands of people to “let go, be bold and unfold” as they step fearlessly into the creative process. Flora’s first book, “Brave Intuitive Painting” will be released by Quarry Books in May, 2012. Flora splits her time between painting, teaching, and traveling to colorful locations around the world and living among a community of artists in Portland, OR.
- View Flora’s art on her website or at her new site, Brave, Intuitive You
Michael deMeng
Michael deMeng is an assemblage artist from Missoula, MT who exhibits throughout the United States. As an educator, he has been actively involved with VSA Montana, providing art education and encouraging participation in the arts to people with disabilities. Through these activities, as well as his artwork, deMeng fosters community awareness, and offers creative methods to explore the human experience.
In his art, he addresses issues of transformation. Discarded materials find new and unexpected uses in his work; they are reassembled and conjoined with unlikely components, a form of rebirth from the ashes into new life and new meaning.
These assemblages are metaphors for the evolutions and revolutions of existence: from life to death to rebirth, from new to old to renewed, from construction to destruction to reconstruction. These forms are examinations of the world in perpetual flux, where meaning and function are ever-changing.
Daniel Essig
Daniel Essig got into bookbinding while studying photography at the University of South Illinois at Carbondale. One of his first books was an altered book, printed in Greek, with bindery that was completely self-taught. Rather than mounting his photography on gallery walls, he decided to place them in boxes or books so the viewer had to actively explore the art, rather than passively wandering past. At that time, he met Al Buck, who was making wooden-covered Coptic books. This binding was first used around the fourth century, in Ethiopia or North Africa, or perhaps this is just the area where the books were best preserved. Unlike most hand-bound books, Coptic books open completely flat. Images on the pages were wholly visible without struggling with the binding.
Dolph Smith helped push Daniel beyond the simple Ethiopian book, with his sculptural books that hung paper from wooden structures. Daniel’s bridge books using the same Coptic binding with exaggerated elements were developed under that influence.
After completing his degree at Carbondale, his mentor Frances Lloyd Swedlund encouraged Daniel to attend the Penland School of Crafts, where he concentrated exclusively on Ethiopian Coptic books.
- Visit Daniel’s website
Katie Kendrick
Katie Kendrick lives along the banks of the Tahuya River in western Washington, surrounded by the Tahuya State Forest. The peaceful beauty of the nature that surrounds her is a constant source of creative inspiration and nourishment for her soul. She finds art making to be one of the most powerful ways to connect with her innermost essence while at the same time discovering her authentic voice. She appreciates the aspect of “beginner mind” that the act of painting invites, and the constant discoveries inherent in experimental and intuitive creative expression. Katie recently authored her first book with North Light Press entitled Layered Impressions; A Poetic Approach to Mixed-Media Painting, due to be released in January of 2012.
Keith Lo Bue
Keith Lo Bue is a jeweler, sculptor and teacher whose work is featured in many major collections, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and the Museum of Arts & Design in New York. His work has been exhibited all around the US and in Germany, Australia, New Zealand, France, Ireland and England.
Books featuring Lo Bue’s work include One of a Kind: American Art Jewelry Today (Abrams), 1000 Rings (Lark), The Art & Craft of Collage (US/UK), Found Object Art (Schiffer), and Metalsmith, American Craft and Ornament magazines, plus the Virtual Gallery of Contemporary Jewellery CD-ROM (UK). His workshops have been presented to enthusiastic reviews at Haystack, Penland and scores of other art and craft institutions across North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Lo Bue lives and works in Sydney, Australia.
- Visit Keith’s website
Melissa Manley
Melissa Manley lives and works in southeastern North Carolina a few miles from Wrightsville beach. She received her BA in studio arts from University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Years later she went back to gradate school in Metals at East Carolina University. While there Melissa was fortunate to study with enameling master Linda Darty and the godfather of found object Robert Ebendorf. She earned her MFA in Metal Design at East Carolina University in 2006. Melissa now teaches metals and jewelry at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington in addition to teaching workshops around the country in collage, book altering, watercolor and jewelry making for the past 7 years. Her work has appeared in Somerset Studio magazine, Belle Armoire magazine, Crafting Personal Shrines by Carol Owen, The Fine Art of Enameling by Linda Darty, Making Connections by Susan Lenart Kazmer, 500 Enameled Objects by Lark books, and Collage Lab by Bee Shay. Melissa winds down from the dizzy pace of making a living with her art by kayaking and beachcombing with her partner, kayak instructor Robert Smith, and her teenage daughter Meredith.
Andrea Matus
Andrea is a mixed media artist from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her creative career began at the University of Waterloo and led her to the world of graphic design and teaching Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers. Art like life, does not always evolve in a straight line and after disappearing into the world of computer “geekdom”, Andrea has returned to her creative roots and taken up the pencil and paintbrush once again. Captivated by the human face, with all of its phenomenal subtlety and uniqueness, Andrea’s work most often portrays an emotional narrative of the human condition. Much of her current work involves the fusion of digital and traditional mediums to uncover new and engaging methods for expression in illustration and dimensional mixed media collage and assemblage.
Misty Mawn
Misty Mawn is a down to earth mixed media artist living amongst the Blue Ridge mountains of rural Virginia. She has had a strong passion to create art ever since she can remember, a passion that continues to bless her life with purposeful work and fulfilling adventures. When not in the studio she can be found amusing (rather being amused) by her two ever growing children, cooking up come creative concoction in the kitchen, or strolling the back trails with camera in hand. She studied studio art at Moravian College, started a pottery business, and has since retired from clay to focus on painting and teaching mixed media art.
- Visit Misty’s blog.
Quinn McDonald
Quinn McDonald wanted to be an obedient, dutiful wife and patient mother, but she was born at the wrong time. She became a writer—in ad agencies, in corporations, at a newspaper. Traveled all over the world. Took notes. There was always that restlessness, that raised eyebrow that wouldn’t behave. Then one day, during a performance review, her boss said, “You are different, and seem to enjoy it.” It was not a compliment. The clock on Quinn’s job security ticked to an end.
From that day on, Quinn listened to her intuition, quit looking for meaning in life and began making meaning. She opened QuinnCreative and went back to school and became a certified creativity coach.
Quinn is the author of Raw Art Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art. She also writes the “Business of Art” column forSomerset Studio magazine and “The Raw Edge” coaching column for Art Quilt Studio. She is a regular contributor to Create Mixed Media, F+W Media’s art blog and Jenny Doh’s Good Coach website. When she’s not in the studio, Quinn rides her motorcycle in the amazing landscape of the Sonoran desert.
- Visit Quinn’s website
Richard Salley
Richard has recently retired from teaching in public schools to devote more time to his art and teaching workshops around the country. He considers himself not so much a jeweler but rather a ‘maker of wearable art’. His interests include digital art, mixed media collage/assemblage, sculpture and jewelry.
Richard’s work has been featured in Belle Armoire Jewelry, Art Jewelry and Jewelry Artist magazines. Other published work can be seen in Susan Lenart-Kazmer’s book Making Connections, Steel Wire Jewelry by Brenda Schweder, Steampunk Style Jewelry by Jean Campbell and Metal Style by Karen Dougherty.
Richard and his wife, Jane, reside in Santa Fe , New Mexico.
Will Salley
Will’s life long love of photography and alternative process began at age 5 when he was introduced to the magic of the pinhole camera. In 1998 he graduated from the Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Photography. He has been teaching for the past 12 years in various capacities. He shared his love for photography for 8 years with high school students, taught individuals and workshops covering all aspects of Apple computers including Aperture and Photoshop, and managed the Photography and Graphic Design Labs for the State University of New York at New Paltz. While in New Paltz, Will re-established an alternative process lab by teaching workshops on Van Dyke Brown, Salt, Gun Bichromate and Albumen printing. Will is most inspired by the tactile experience of hand coating 19th century photographic emulsions combined with the control of the 21st century by creating beautiful digital negative.
Brenda Schweder
Brenda Schweder has good-naturedly embraced many labels in her lifetime, from A Little Bit Steampunk to a Little Bit Tree Hugger to The Little Red-Haired Girl (back when A Charlie Brown Christmas still captured the attention of all good little boys and girls). Her latest monikers are Bend-it Like Brenda and Iron woMan (thanks to her friends Jill and Jill, for helping her realize her left arm is now growing larger than her right) due to her most unfeminine passion for creating jewelry with steel wire (grrrrr!).
In addition to Steel Wire Jewelry (Lark Beading & Jewelry), Schweder is the author of Junk to Jewelry: A step-by-step guide to using found objects in jewelry you can actually wear and Vintage Redux: Remake classic and collectible jewelry (Kalmbach Publishing Company).
Schweder’s designs and fashion jewelry forecasts have been published over 100 times in books and magazines, including: 30 Minute Earrings, 30 Minute Necklaces, 30 Minute Rings, 30 Minute Bracelets, Chains, Chains, Chains, Art Jewelry magazine, BeadStyle magazine, Bead&Button magazine, BUST magazine, Vintage Style Jewelry magazine, Make it Mine magazine, Wirework 2010 magazine, Wirework, Step by Step Wire, Steampunk Style Jewelry, Crystal Chic, and many other compilations, pamphlets, and books.
Schweder has been featured in both online workshops and a podcast with Alison Lee of Craftcast.com, and beside Katie Hacker, the host of Beads, Baubles & Jewels (PBS) where she shares steel wire jewelry how-to projects.
A nationally-recognized teacher and jewelry designer, Schweder has taught at The Bead&Button Show, BeadFest, Mount Mary College, The Racine Art Museum, Jewelry Tools’ Tucson Venue, The Madison Art Glass & Bead Show, The Creative Connection, The Ranch Center for Arts and Crafts (Seattle) and to bead societies nationwide and in Toronto, Canada.
Schweder has designed for Swarovski and is a CREATE YOUR STYLE with SWAROVSKI Elements Ambassador.
An advocate for the DIY jewelry segment, Schweder served at President and Past President (2009-2011) of the Loose Bead Society of Greater Milwaukee and remains an active member and leader.
- Visit Brenda’s website and blog, or catch her on Facebook, Twitter and Etsy
- Email Brenda at b@brendaschweder.com
Mary Beth Shaw
Mary Beth Shaw works in Mixed Media because she loves to play with art supplies; she jokes that Mixed Media is for artists who can’t make up their mind. Her processes utilize pastel, ink, marker, acrylics, tar and wax layered with various collage and texture materials; she welcomes so-called “mistakes” because they lead to wonderful opportunities and discoveries. She is author of Flavor for Mixed Media published by North Light and is also a Columnist for Somerset Studios. Living in Wildwood, MO with her husband and 3 cats, Mary Beth is passionate about every moment of life.
- Visit Mary Beth’s blog
- Stencil Girl Products
- Latest Book: Flavor for Mixed Media
Julie Snidle
Once a corporate training administrator, Julie Snidle works as a mixed-media artist specializing in encaustic work. With a degree in Elementary Education she has taught art professionally in the classroom, juried artwork for art fairs and also taught workshops in the greater St. Louis area. Largely self taught in a variety of mixed media techniques, Julie has studied encaustics intensively for nearly 10 years, including specialized training with R+F Paints. Her art appears in “Printmaking and Mixed Media” by Dorit Elisha and “Flavor for Mixed Media” by Mary Beth Shaw.
Julie exhibits at the 4th Wall Gallery in Ste. Genevieve, MO and is also active in local charities. A native of Minneapolis, Julie resides in Festus, MO, with her husband, Will.
- Visit Julie’s website
Beryl Taylor
Beryl Taylor arrived in the USA in 2002 from England, having graduated in City and Guilds Creative Embroidery. Whilst in Britain she had spent many years exhibiting her work with a textile group called “Threadmill”. She has taught many workshops in mixed media collage. Since arriving in the USA, Beryl has continued to teach workshops, has had her work published in many national and international magazines and has continued to exhibit her work both in the USA and throughout the world. Beryl is also a published author ( “Mixed Media Explorations” ) and DVD / television instructor.
Michelle Ward
Michelle Ward enjoys getting messy with paint and paper in her home studio in New Jersey. She runs her own rubber stamp business, is a regular contributor to Somerset Studio, and has been published in several books on mixed media. Michelle says she enjoys teaching process workshops because that is where everyone learns valuable lessons , planned and unplanned, including the teacher.