Gilded Leaves (Otis, OR)

Do leaves hold stories? Learn a new art form with this beautiful ancient style/contemporary method of gilding natural deciduous leaves onto canvas support. By embedding the leaves with gesso on canvas, undercoating with renaissance red paint, and carefully laying gold metallic gold leaf onto the canvas, it becomes a beautiful work of art. Add richness and depth with layers of transparent acrylic wash and liquid glaze. You will leave the workshop with finished artwork. Leaves for embedding can be gathered at Sitka, or you can bring leaves that hold your story.

Location/Venue: Sitka Center for Art and Ecology
Original website page: https://tinyurl.com/ybo8hxkj
Cost/Fee: $105
Material/Studio fee: $20

Instructor: After a lifetime of making art, Karen Tanner says she views her art as her voice: “I begin with layering washes, showing the visual passage of time by building depth and texture. The layering and subtracting of paint uncovers my message. Recently I’ve been exploring inner life symbols. I often work with metal leaf. They represent the dueling of the spiritual/material worlds.” Retiring from a career teaching fine and graphic arts, Tanner explored her professional art life and its direction. She emerged from this period of self reflection a more authentic, more purposeful and ultimately more influential artist.