WORKSHOP: Travel & accomodation info for ART IN ASHLAND WORKSHOP: Travel & accomodation info for MANDALA PAINTING RETREAT What kind of products do you use in your artwork? I am learning to collage. How can I get started since I cannot attend workshops. I want to start an Art Journal - But HOW do I begin? Where do you get your images? How do I find some? Can you help me with my creative business? Can I post a picture from your site or post a link on my blog? Do you do custom designs? Do you accept PayPal? When is your next workshop?

WORKSHOP: Travel & accomodation info for ART IN ASHLAND FLYING IN FROM OUT OF TOWN: Airport: The Medford, Oregon Airport is 15-20 minutes from Ashland. From the airport, take I-5 South to Ashland DRIVING?: Ashland, Oregon is 5 hours drive from San Francisco, 4 hours drive from Portland and 8 hours from Seattle. (If you drive like me-hehe) Hotel Transportation Services: Some hotels offer complimentary airport shuttle service for their guests. Please inquire and make arrangements directly with your hotel. Airport Transportation: Taxi service is available for about $25-$35. Yellow Cab Shuttle Service (541) 482-3065 Metro Taxi (541) 773-6665 Valley Cab (541) 772-1818 LODGING & ACCOMODATIONS: Please note that Ashland is a major destination in the summers and lodging fills up quickly. Please reserve your rooms far in advance so you can be in the heart of town. ART IN ASHLAND will be held at the historic ASHLAND SPRINGS HOTEL in downtown Ashland. We recommend you lodge there with them. Contact 1-888-795-4545 and let them know you will be attending ART IN ASHLAND. For room share options please use the bulletin page on this site to connect with others. Since most will be coming from out of town you needn't rent a car if you stay downtown. You will be surrounded by shopping, theatres (both movie & playhouses) as well as restaurants, cafe's, nightlife and town-plaza charm. Lithis park is only two blocks away and features hiking trails, swimming and manicured parks. All downtown accomodations will ensure a fabulous time in Ashland. Alternative Downtown Lodging: Bed & Breakfast: The following organizations represent networks of inns and can provide reservation information on bed and breakfasts & private cottages in the area. Ashland B & B Clearing House 541-488-0338 Ashland B & B Reservation Network 1-800-944-0329 Other Downtown Lodging Options: Ashland Creek Inn- (Beautiful! Fills up early) (541) 482-3315 Best Western Bard's Inn - (541) 482-0049 Plaza Inn & Suites - (541) 488-8900 The Peerless Hotel (5 Blocks) 541-488-1082 Other Lodging (not downtown-requires a vehicle): The Palm Motel- Super cute, motor style with gardens. (541)482-2636 The Windmill Inn 1-800-547-4747 The Holiday Inn Express (888 465 4329) The Best Western (Ashland St) (541) 488-2330 - Also Accepts Pets! WORKSHOP: Travel & accomodation info for MANDALA PAINTING RETREAT THANK YOU for registering for ART AS A SPIRITUAL PATH! Sponsored by PAPAYA! We are so excited that you have decided to join us for this event! For more details or questions please call us (PaPaYa!) at 1-888-488-0638 xt1 You may also contact Paul's studio directly at: (949)-497-2708 for some fun info visit www.mandalas.com for other retreat pics and a gallery of Paul's work, videos and his story. There is a University Bookstore here for Art Supplies as well as a supplies available at Ace Hardware here. We will help with directions when you arrive. You may want to bring any special paints you prefer to use or special sized canvas if you have something specific in mind. Paul does supply square canvases as well as lots of paints, brushes and gold foil. You may want to bring an extra package of gold foil and adhesive with you and any personal brushes etc. At Paul's workshop he will support us to create luminous mandalas, sacred tankas or any other painting you would like to try. He will be by your side to support ideas and tricks to achieve your vision. Most people create a mandala on their first or second retreat as they can be very rewarding and come out gorgeous. But you are welcome to bring inspirational images or reference materials for the retreat. If you would like to attempt a figure or even a floral you may want to have it blown up at kinkos before you arrive in the size that you would like to paint it. Paul's methods will be easy to follow with a little preparation. On the other hand feel free to arrive with no preconceived ideas of what you would like to paint. The group alongside Paul can be very helpful with this and there will a lot of support materials available. Meals and accomodations are the repsonsibility of each participant. We will have beverages and snacks available and there is a kitchen in the Siskiyou Barn location. Please bring a sack lunch. We may be doing a couple of shared meals depending on the interest and in that case we would just pool together to have a couple of meals at the barn as a group. When you arrive we will supply you with a list of local restaurants and grocery stores so that your food choices will be joyful. If you are flying in from out of town you are welcome to stay either downtown or at any of the Ashland St. Hotels and we will provide daily transportation for those who do not wish to rent a car. We will ride-share and carpool in the mornings, lunch time and evenings. FLYING IN FROM OUT OF TOWN: Airport: The Medford, Oregon Airport is 15-20 minutes from Ashland. From the airport, take I-5 South to Ashland DRIVING?: Ashland, Oregon is 5 hours drive from San Francisco, 4 hours drive from Portland and 8 hours from Seattle. (If you drive like me-hehe) Hotel Transportation Services: Some hotels offer complimentary airport shuttle service for their guests. Please inquire and make arrangements directly with your hotel. Airport Transportation: Taxi service is available for about $25-$35. Yellow Cab Shuttle Service (541) 482-3065 Metro Taxi (541) 773-6665 Valley Cab (541) 772-1818 LODGING & ACCOMODATIONS: Please note that Ashland is a major destination in the summers and lodging fills up quickly. Please reserve your rooms far in advance so you can be in the heart of town if you desire. Lodging varies greatly here though and you can find rates for every budget. ART AS A SPIRITUAL PATH- PAINTING RETREAT will be held at the historic OLD SISKIYOU BARN on private acreage outside of Ashland. It's about 15 minutes from downtown Ashland. The property is lush and natural and we will have access to beautiful grounds with ponds and private open spaces. If you are driving please arrive only the days of the retreat as this is private property and residential. You needn't rent a car if you stay downtown. You will be surrounded by shopping, theatres (both movie & playhouses) as well as restaurants, cafe's, nightlife and town-plaza charm. Lithis park is only two blocks away and features hiking trails, swimming and manicured parks. All downtown accomodations will ensure a fabulous time in Ashland. Transportation to and from OLD SISKIYOU BARN on retreat days. We will be offering a "shuttle" service for folks who would like to ride share there each day. We will have a central pick up location downtown and also from the Ashland St. exit hotels- listed below. Our fave! ASHLAND SPRINGS HOTEL in downtown Ashland. Contact 1-888-795-4545 Alternative Downtown Lodging: Bed & Breakfast: The following organizations represent networks of inns and can provide reservation information on bed and breakfasts & private cottages in the area. Ashland B & B Clearing House 541-488-0338 Ashland B & B Reservation Network 1-800-944-0329 Other Downtown Lodging Options: Ashland Creek Inn- (Beautiful! Fills up early) (541) 482-3315 Best Western Bard's Inn - (541) 482-0049 Plaza Inn & Suites - (541) 488-8900 The Peerless Hotel (5 Blocks) 541-488-1082 Other Lodging (not downtown): The Palm Motel- Super cute, motor style with gardens. (541)482-2636 The Windmill Inn 1-800-547-4747 (Ashland St.) The Holiday Inn Express (888 465 4329) (Ashland St.) The Best Western (Ashland St) (541) 488-2330 - Also Accepts Pets! HOTSPRINGS LODGING: The Ashland Inn is right outside the hotsprings and just minutes from downtown. 800-482-7128 HOTSPRINGS CAMPING: The local hotsprings does have camping available and is located just minutes north of downtown Ashland. This is not charming diggs but it's cool that it is right at the hotsprings and it's cheap. (Can be a trippy scene FYI.) LITHIA SPRINGS What kind of products do you use in your artwork? Here's a basic list of items that I keep on hand most of the time: I apply them in no particlar order and in many different applications. I like to do things by trial and error. SO far this is my aresenal. White Gesso Black Ink Golden soft gel gloss medium Lots of Quinacridone (specialty deep pigments in the red and magenta family) colors! Danielle Smith Acrylics & Watercolors Dr. Phil Martins Magenta & Red Bombay Inks Uniball Black Pens The white Japanese Signo from Uniball (in my online store) A set of varied pencils Black Charcoal Spray Varnish (to seal in inks and pens so they don't smear) Bins and Bins of paper clutter goodness Stickles pinlining glitter Fabric Paints (for pinlining and designs) Canvas boards Fabriano Paper or good thick watercolor paper Water soluble crayons Rubber Cement I am learning to collage. How can I get started since I cannot attend workshops. I know it doesn't feel this way but you actually have an advantage when you learn all by yourself. You will develop techniques and skills that you wouldn't learn if you follow someone elses advice. You will actually progress quickly as well. Working alone keeps your artwork fresh and current. There are loads of books on Amazon but the best thing is to just get out some glue and scissors and paints and just experiment. I have never to this day read a mixed media book and I have only taken two mixed media art workshops in my life. And there is a lot I need to learn. But little by little it will all come together... I want to start an Art Journal - But HOW do I begin? There is an excellent article by TEESHA MOOREwhere she generously offers her approach to Art Journaling. I love this article and it is a great resource. Every artist has a very different way of art journaling. So don't worry about going the wrong way with it. You simply can't. Have your supplies on hand and play with them often. There are also countless Books on the market and hundreds of workshops and retreats throughout the country. I will add a links page soon for more information. I am unable to answer detailed emails about my creative process at this time. I very much enjoy the process of sharing but explaining this via email is difficult and time consuming. I will do my best to offer a supportive links page soon as well as my hand on workshops & manuals. Where do you get your images? How do I find some? I do use a lot of magazine clipping sin my journals. But I cannot reproduce them in any form. I only use them for personal use and some online show and tell. You cannot reproduce anything with images from magazines or current material. For reproduction purposes I use primarily Public Domain Images. (Search Google for definition) And images that are classical in nature or date pre- 1923. Also as a general rule I try to alter everything I do use even when it's public domain. Sometimes it looks seemless as if it's a simple cut and paste but often it is a lengthy composite image through photoshop. Other times it is what it is. I also do my hand work and integrate it into the designs. The balance between found imagery and original work can be a precarious design balance for me. Be careful that you always find the original image and not an altered representation. For then you are into copyrighted territory and you may not use it in your own work. I find inspiration and imagery in many places. A few examples are : Antique stores, junk stores, estate sales, online vendors, flea markets, vintage bookstores, international & local street markets. Finding material is half the battle and takes time and effort. I keep a huge collection of old and new scraps in my studio. Just get a bin and keep your eyes peeled. There really aren't very many shortcuts. Some things I look for: Old photos Advertisments fabric wallpaper documents albums sketchbooks patterns maps old magazines -be careful with © though lithographs studies diagrams classical artwork historical pieces There is inspiration in all the nooks and crannies of the world. Your interpretation is your value. It's what makes your artwork you. Look closely and you will see yourself in unexpected metaphors. Can you help me with my creative business? I completely understand how intense getting started can be and how simple things can suddenly mystify us all. (I never knew an envelope could be such a process of discovery!) I have tried to respond to many emails about how I got started with PaPaYa!. Unfortunately I can no longer take the time to answer your heartfelt emails. But please know that I respect and UNDERSTAND what it's like to go through the fist stages. Can I post a picture from your site or post a link on my blog? Goodness yes! Feel free to just do what you like on your blogs. You don't need my permission for post or link related items. If you have a project however that involves something commercial, for print, or for any other non-Blog or web-link related needs please contact me before using any artwork from either of the websites as they are under copyright. (inspirationengine@yahoo.com) Do you do custom designs? Unfortunately I no longer have enough available time to accept custom design work or collaborations. And honestly custom design work isn't really my cup of tea anyways. I like the freedom of doing it for myself and for PaPaYa! To me that freedom is priceless. Do you accept PayPal? I'm sorry but we cannot accept PayPal orders. If you prefer to order via phone call 888-488-0638 When is your next workshop? The workshops are sparse because I primarily focus on the creative and business aspects of PaPaYa! I do enjoy giving workshops but only feel between one and three a year is what I ideally want (and can) offer. That keeps me really fresh when the mood strikes and also makes for good times! Also I teach as a hobby more than anything else and I never want to pressure myself to make it a career. That would take all the fun out of it for me. For updated info on what I have scheduled see the workshop links to the left.