Alicia Forestall-Boehm

 I recently attended a Silkscreen and Encaustic workshop with artist Jeff Hirst at the LaGrange Art League.   This has been my summer of workshops.   Earlier this year I attended an Encaustic and Wax Resist workshop given by artist Kim Bernard and I plan on taking Linda Womack’s on-line workshop Surface Design with Pastels, Inks and Mixed Media , later this fall.   Jeff’s workshop explored the unique process of screen printing oil paint and pigment sticks into and onto encaustic surfaces.   It was my hope that by learning this innovative technique, I could print on the encaustic-coated fibers used in my 3D sculptures adding an additional level of interest to their textural surfaces.   This workshop was funded in entirety through a Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) Grant.   Many thanks to the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and to the following panelists who approved my grant application: Barry Tinsley, Pau...

The Infinite Benefits of Taking an Art Workshop My top three reasons for taking an art workshop #1 - The Instructor Each instructor brings their unique vision and expertise to the experience. They can help you look at things in a whole new way, help you to see things that would have previously gone unnoticed and learn new techniques that you can bring into your own studio and adapt to your own work. #2 – Your Fellow Attendees Working in close proximity of other artists can really be a beneficial component to the way you learn. Seeing what everyone else is doing and allowing them to see what you are creating can be wonderfully inspiring. The resulting interaction can really be valuable to your art-making process. #3 – The Workshop Topic I am a firm believer that learning something new, no matter how inconsequential it may be, is always a good thing! When considering an art workshop, you never know what you will end up taking back to your studio. A new technique...

                                         On March 23 rd and 24 th , the Chicago Cultural Center hosted the 9 th annual Creative Chicago Expo.   This event featured workshops, vendor information and resources for creatives in all disciplines.   I attended the workshops “Build a Strong Online Presence” given by Jennifer Rapp Peterson of Indiemade and “Maximizing the Potential of Your Website in Cyberspace” given by Brad Lichtenstein of Creative Capital. Ms. Peterson’s advice begins with the need to define your goals. Why do you want to be online and what do you want to communicate?   She urged everyone to not only discover yourself, the who, what, where, how and why of your personality and the personality of your art, but to also identify your audience and speak to the...