Upcoming Retreats:
Portland Spring 2027
March 15-21, 2027
Harrisburg, PA 2026
July 8-15, 2026
Portland Fall 2026
Sept 14 - 20, 2026
Gubbio, Italy
Sept 28-Oct 27 2026
All registration is online ONLY!
Quicklinks:
Michelle Newby Armstrong was the visual arts teacher at Cardinal Valley Elementary school in Lexington, KY for 31 years. As an activist and artist, she combines her understanding of art and the power that it has to bring beauty and convey a message. She has collaborated with a variety of artists and organizations to celebrate art in the community. Through these efforts she has created many public works of art and has exhibited in several local galleries and hosted workshops, celebrations, and exhibitions. Michelle’s studio is located in LuigART Studios in Lexington, KY where she is fortunate to spend time with several talented artists. Her artwork is often inspired by nature with the hope that we can learn to work together to create a healthier planet.
Patrick Armstrong is known as a master craftsman in Lexington. His work has excellent attention to detail, and exemplary quality throughout. His wide range of fabrication and tool skills afford a unique approach to the problem solving that naturally occurs during a project. His work is found in some of the finest homes and businesses in Lexington, KY, Including La Belle House (former George Headley residence) and Epping's Restaurant. In addition to his contracting work, he is also part of a support network for local artists including his father Steve Armstrong, his stepmother Diane Kahlo, and his wife Michelle Armstrong. His artistic endeavors include collaboration on a number of pieces with his father, including a mechanical zoetrope that imparted motion to carved wooden dancers. His wide range of skills make him an essential part of any arts team and his passion for the visual arts makes him an outstanding art teacher.
Orly Avineri is a mixed media artist, a teacher, and an author. She was born and raised in Israel, ended up in Southern California after living in the Netherlands for nearly a decade. Now living in the beautiful Willamette Valley in Oregon she teaches workshops and retreats in intimate settings, locally, in the US, and abroad. Orly’s work’s purpose is to advance the well being of those who seek it through unique and intimate natural and man-made processes and materials. Engaging in a world that is far more expansive than her own enlivens her to no end and she hopes to invoke that feeling in others by introducing and marrying multiple media to inspire freedom of expression and a deep belief in the possibility, the power, and the beauty of change. All for the sake of a deep sense of interconnectedness to all.
www.orlyavineri.com
Instagram: @orlyavineri
Facebook: @orlyavineri
Michelle Tade Banton was a new instructor at Art & Soul (Harrisburg, 2024) but she’s been teaching over 20 years in the US, Canada, and Ireland. She’s generally taught non-traditional quilting designs and techniques, but is expanding the scope of her teaching to include other mixed media. Michelle’s style is relaxed, encouraging and hopefully a bit entertaining.
There is too much in life that we HAVE to do. Michelle hopes her classes are something you WANT to do.
Lisa Bebi, since a small child, has loved two things: looking through snapshots in her family album and painting as expression. For over three decades, the San Diego native has married these two things together, and her work has received international awards and recognition for its content, style, and color. Lisa received her BA in fine arts from SDSU, where she developed as a colorist, straddling representation with abstraction. Daughter of a journalist, Lisa always finds ways to tell the untold story she sees in snapshots. “I love the authenticity of the snapshot. It’s a single moment in time but by painting it I can extend that moment, revel in it and bring to life characters and scenarios that I fancy. Working this way gives me enormous pleasure.” She extracts the “behind, the behind” using innovative techniques and finesse. Over the course of her life she has received awards, accolades, and endorsements. She has been a longtime contributor to many international mixed-media magazines and several books; has taught in artist residencies locally and internationally; is a Golden Paints educator; and is often a local juror.
Kristine’s creative life spans over fifty years in theatre, film, television, and commercial projects, where she’s worked across nearly every corner of the craft world: armour making, millinery, metalwork, sculpting, moldmaking, upholstery, felting, weaving, mosaics, shibori dyeing, printing, leatherwork, and delightfully quirky costume creations. Her work has carried her to South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Hungary, England, Canada, and across the U.S.
Recently, she shared her Textile Origami workshop during Selvedge Magazine’s London Textile Month at the Museum of the Home. She has also been a resident artist at Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Maine and with the Thupelo Artists Residency in Cape Town.
Kristine now lives in Corvallis, Oregon with her husband and is thoroughly enjoying the adventure of teaching and inspiring others. You can explore more of her work at kristineberg.weebly.com.
Roxanne Evans Stout is a mixed media artist who lives and creates in the Pacific Northwest. She teaches art workshops throughout the United States and has had her work shown and been published nationally. Roxanne is constantly inspired by natural history, and the mountains and the river lands that surround her home...
this inspiration has always been an integral part of her art. Roxanne has taught workshops and retreats throughout the United States and abroad. She aslo teaches fabulous on line workshop, please see her website to find out more!
Roxanne has two best selling books available on Amazon:
Storytelling with Collage, and Dancing on Raindrops
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01CGZE7JG/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=27ace9ca-b05d-4afb-ad47-624374543d89&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdr&ccs_id=afa283d9-afd0-4c6d-8441-4183ab3542ef
https://www.roxanneevansstout.com/
https://www.instagram.com/roxanneevansstout/
Growing up in Miami, Florida she acquired her great love of all things Ocean, textures, and Art Nouveau. Classical training in Oil painting and Acrylics. Technical courses in Pottery, Basketry, stained Glass and Bead Embroidery. She owned a Bead Shop for 18years and went on to become a National Bead Embroidery Instructor. She was published in Bead and Button and Bead Style Magazines. Her great love of all things art and textures has evolved into her greater love of Mixed Media. She currently teaches her art at Betty’s Creative Studio in Hernando, Florida where she lives.
Tonya Gray had been creating and selling her artwork for 30 years, first as a ceramics artist, then as a painter. She sells at art shows around the country and is at Portland Saturday Market most weekends (Market member for 15 years). Her work is quiet, thoughtful and fun, and often brings a smile.
Tonya Gray <tonyagrayartworks@gmail.com>
Art transformed my life. I loved sketching in high school, but as an adult, the challenges of juggling motherhood and teaching overseas meant art took a back seat.
Then my life came to a screeching halt. I suffered a traumatic back injury followed by a burnout-induced complete mental, emotional, and physical breakdown. I found myself completely unable to function, broken by chronic fatigue, short-term memory loss, comprehension and speech struggles, and never-ending physical pain.
During the months and years that followed, as I tried to find hope and joy, I felt drawn to art once again. Painting my thoughts and emotions became a way for my mind to process and heal. As I shared my paintings with others, I realized my art was a way to bring encouragement and hope to people who needed it.
My paintings are often inspired by the landscapes of the places I’ve called home: my childhood in eastern Oregon, my years overseas in SE Asia, and now Vancouver, Washington.
I’ve combined my experience as an educator with my passion for art, teaching workshops that are intentionally designed to welcome both beginning and experienced artists. I would love to connect with you.
Instagram • Facebook • Linktree
https://www.instagram.com/coiya.j.art/
https://www.facebook.com/coiyajart\
https://linktr.ee/coiyajart
Pamela Sue Johnson is a self-taught mixed-media artist known for her expressive, layered work and her engaging teaching style. With a passion for helping others access their own creativity, Pamela designs and leads creative experiences that inspire, empower, and encourage joyful self-expression.
Pamela has been a core instructor with the Art & Soul community since 2022 and has taught at events throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond for the last decade. She has also worked as a guest teaching artist in local schools and has served as an artist-in-residence in Southern Nevada, near the desert landscapes of her childhood.
Pamela is the creator of Art Zine, a publication dedicated to creative inspiration and the intuitive artist’s journey. Based in a rural forest community near Vancouver, Washington, she now spends part of the winter season snowbirding in the deserts of Nevada.
Learn more about Pamela here:
Website: https://www.pamelasuejohnson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamelasuejohnson11/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelasuejohnson/
Chris is a soulful Creative whose work lives at the intersection of wild and inner landscapes. Chris blends introspection with expression through mixed media exploration, and crafts spaces where others can awaken their inner spark to remember who they are beneath the noise. She explores creative processes that weave their stories into her life’s journey; for her, art and life are inextricably intertwined, creating meaning together.
Chris is passionate about empowering women as she helps them find their inner light through creativity as a vehicle to expansion, empowerment, strength, and love, so they may come home to their authentic selves. Chris has taught thousands of students across the world, helping reconnect them to their creative core, finding their true voice.
Chris has been an Artist in Residence in Orquevaux, France, October 2023, and is honoured to have her work in the Denis Diderot Gallery (France). Her work has been part of the 2024 and 2025 Artist Almanac and she is also a regular contributor to Somerset Studio, the world’s premier mixed media magazine.
Currently Chris is working on writing a book and finishing up her oracle deck while teaching in-person, on-line and in her studio.
instagram https://www.instagram.com/christinekarpiak/
you tube https://www.youtube.com/@chriskarpiak/videos
Art is our universal language. From pre-historic bison scratched onto a cave wall, to the fervent expression of religious faith brushed onto a chapel ceiling; humans have been driven to leave a legacy of their hopes and dreams etched in stone, wrought in metal or wood, woven in cloth or painted on paper and canvas. It is a unique characteristic of human nature to create visual form that goes beyond function into abstract thought. No culture, past or present, has failed to leave this expression of their existence and humanity. The message can be patently obvious as an epic battle immortalized in a Medieval tapestry or as enigmatic as a legion of stone heads staring out to sea on a long deserted island. It can be as realistic as a photograph or as abstract as swathes of color. Art can be used to invoke spirits or exorcize demons. I am driven to speak with my hands, to translate my visions into a form that bridges all language barriers. My visions come from my perception of the world around me, dreams and faint remembrances of lifetimes lost in the past. I am a storyteller at heart and my quilts are my stories.
I was born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula in central California, a beautiful area that served as an inspiration to set me onto a creative path for life. From a very early age I showed a keen interest in art, starting with drawing and painting and exploring different mediums for my self-expression. In the early 70's, I turned my attention to fiber and fabrics with a focus on quilting and embroidery. For the last 40 years or so, fiber and quilting has been my primary focus and passion.
In 1991, we moved to the Pacific Northwest. I began teaching fiber and quilting classes in 1999. Over the years, my work has won awards at local, regional and national shows and the recognition has served me well in promoting myself as a teacher. In 2006 I received a nomination for the ‘Teacher of the Year’ by Professional Quilter Magazine another teacher ultimately won the top award but to be nominated was an honor itself. Some of my quilts have appeared in the pages of books and the cover of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine; and I have written articles for various magazines and currently design quilt patterns. This year, I became a fabric designer for Northcott Fabrics and my first line came out in May of 2018.
In addition to art and quilting, I have a passion for gourmet cooking, books (the only place I can get into worse trouble than a fabric store), films and music.
Carol is a life-long quilter with a passion for sharing what she’s learned by teaching both art and traditional quilting. She makes quilts that tell a story, reflect emotions and connect with the viewer on a personal level. Her love of texture and fiber is the driving force of her work, and she enjoys helping others find their creative voice through fabric and thread.
Her work has been displayed in numerous art venues including the American Quilters Society (AQS) Paducah, Sacred Threads in Indianapolis, Mancuso in Philadelphia, Middletown Arts Center in Middletown, Ohio, and the Aullwood Center in Dayton, Ohio.
Carol is a member of the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists of Cincinnati, Ohio (CQAFA) and has served on the Board in numerous capacities, including as president. She says the opportunity to work with like-minded artists has been invaluable.
Blue Dot Jewelry began when Caitlin discovered precious metal clay. For her, silver clay was an answer to the question of how to create lasting jewelry that captures and pays homage to the ethereal details of the natural world.
Caitlin considers herself fortunate to have grown up surrounded by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. In 2006 she moved to New York City, where she worked for several years in journalism and design. Blue Dot Jewelry — so named for our blue marble home and all the tiny wonder it holds — began on the kitchen counter of her Brooklyn studio. After a fulfilling decade of making jewelry full time in the Hudson Valley, she moved back to Portland, where she lives with her husband and two kids.
With over two decades of hands-on experience, and 14 years as sole proprietor of Macon Mud Pottery Studio in Macon, GA., I have established a career as a multidisciplinary maker, although my primary medium is clay. Trained initially in architecture, I transitioned into art to pursue a “simpler life”. What could be more simple that mud? Whether in the studio or the classroom, I am process driven. For as long as I can remember, I have been a “maker”, and the process of creating is more important to me than the medium.
Artistic Philosophy: As both a maker and educator, I am driven by the belief that each step of the creative journey offers an opportunity for discovery. My architectural background informs a disciplined approach to structure and composition, while my love of traditional craft techniques keeps the work grounded. Whether shaping clay, carving linoleum, forging metal, or building three-dimensional forms, I try to foster an environment where experimentation and skill‐building go hand in hand.
For inquiries about workshops, commissions, or collaborations, please contact:
Kathy Murphy maconmud@gmail.com maconmud.com IG:@maconmudpottery
Robin O’Neil is a textile artist and educator whose intuitive, freeform quilts burst with color, texture, and movement. With a background in philosophy and special education, she began quilting in 1973 and later abandoned templates to embrace spontaneity. Her large-scale works are tactile celebrations of creativity, joy, and wonder. O’Neil has taught nationally, completed a residency at Château d’Orquevaux, and been featured on PBS and at QuiltCon. Her quilts invite connection through bold expression and fearless improvisation.
Roxanne Padgett has been creating “stuff” and making “messes” since she was 4 or 5 years old using whatever materials she could find. She does the same thing today, but now it is called mixed media art “I enjoy experiencing the creative process with others and I believe that everyone is creative and not just a special few. My personal motto is “Fear No Color”.
Roxanne teaches a variety art classes for adults throughout the Bay Area and at art retreats around the country. In addition, Roxanne is the Creative Director at the Museum of Children’s Art . Roxanne’s art work has been featured in a variety of publications such as, Somerset studio, Sew Somerset, Stuffed and Green Craft. Roxanne is also the author of “Acrylics techniques in Mixed Media” Layer, Scribble, Stencil, Stamp published by North Light Books.
padgettroxanne3@gmail.com
Jesse Reno is a self-taught mixed media painter. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil, and painting and exhibiting his works since 2000.
Jesse has amassed over 3000 paintings in the last 12 years, and has exhibited his work extensively across the US and Canada as well as France and Mexico. Jesse's work has been covered in various art publications including Juxtapoz, Artnews, Artension, dpi and Somerset Studio just to name a few. One of his largest works can be seen in Winnipeg, Canada where he was commissioned by the Province of Manitoba to create a 25 x 40 ft mural as a reminder to the cultural importance of the Native American people in the region.
ROBIN SANFORD ROBERTS is an artist and theatrical scenic designer working in models and mixed media. She has designed scenery for multiple theatres including the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego Repertory, Denver Center Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage and Broadway.
She holds a degree in Architecture from LSU and a MFA in Scenic Design from UCSD. She also studied at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts, Fontainebleau and at Sir John Cass School of Art, London Polytechnic. Robin teaches and designs scenery for the Department of theatre at University of San Diego as well as art classes at Art on 30th and The Athenaeum in San Diego.
Her teaching style embraces the student wherever they are-working to support and encourage each person’s individuality and personal style. She brings joy and enthusiasm to classes and truly embraces the creativity of each person.
“I have an obsession with old books and other ephemera. The fragments and bits of pieces come together to make a new piece. I enjoy working with pieces from the past that have a history of a previous life. I am inspired to create new work from placing the old elements into a new format.”
Student feedback:
Donna A:
The course was well organized with a perfect balance of art history and studio time. Her demonstrations were all well prepared and relevant to the lesson of the day. The course was filled- and she managed to give everyone personal guidance, and she fostered a sense of community within the group. I learned new techniques and was moved out of my comfort zone to try new things. Pretty amazing. Not only that even though the studio time was serious- we all had fun.
Carolyn O: Robin was super
knowledgable, articulate, engaged, and dedicated to making every minute count sharing her individual techniques.
I'm a mixed media artist. I draw inspiration from nature, my surroundings & traveling. Colors, textures & shapes have healed my soul when I've been in dark places. I love to teach & share these practices with students throughout the world.
Mel Sawyer is a Portland origami & paper artist who specializes in origami lamps. This past fall, she was one of the featured artists in Portland Open Studios, and has also her work at OrigamiUSA exhibitions & at various papercraft shows.
Each of her works is created with, at minimum, 30 sheets of paper, and some are made from thousands of sheets and take upwards of 4 months to complete. She's inspired by the ways that light can cast unexpected patterns through paper, and how her work combines mathematical geometry with visual arts for a truly unique medium
Collage is a wonderful way to wake up the sleeping artist within. Collages are unique individual expressions, just like the artists are. I am exploring a range of subjects without a political agenda, welcoming the technical challenge of making realistic renderings from recycled materials. I enjoy making something attractive from discards, appropriating images and putting them together in intriguing ways. Like any artist, I am especially thrilled when my work calls to a viewer to come closer and spend some time engaged in the piece. While my pictorial collages are best viewed from a distance, a close up inspection can reveal a very different piece of art.
"My goal as an artist is to let my work bring joy to the viewer."
Rio is an environmental artist that has been working with the earth to garner colors and pigments as well as found objects to create abstract works in sculpture and textiles. For over 20 years she has created, exhibited, and performed locally and nationally. By 2013 she began teaching her processes and techniques to adults and children across the nation. In 2023, she published an inspirational memoir, 'Spirituality of Rust - A Sacred Language of Iron Though Art'. Always learning and exploring new ways to manifest with this earth is her passion. Connecting with community and sharing is her mission.