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Creative Arts
in Personal Enrichment
Make Your Own Stamp
with Jessica Muise
Discover a fun and easy way to add your creative touch to cards, wrapping paper, fabric, and other DIY projects! Make and use rubber stamps and special ink to create unique patterns and designs on all sorts of materials. Design and fabricate your own soft rubber stamp and use it to print on a variety of new and recycled materials. Emphasis is placed on tool safety and showing you tips and tricks to start carving and printing at home. Leave with basic tools, materials, and at least one custom-made block stamp (snowflake, heart or shamrock) to take home and reuse. Students are welcome to bring with them paper or fabric projects to test the stamp created in class.
Jessica Muise, a multidisciplinary artist and educator has been teaching and making art throughout New England for the last 15 years. She is passionate about using the arts as tools for social change and serves as a consultant to artists, nonprofit organizations, and coalitions for social change.
Gelli Plate Printmaking
with Karalyn Thayer
Learn to use gelli printing plates! We will cover a variety of layering techniques in this entertaining printmaking session, incorporating found materials to add texture. Have fun experimenting and creating art that can be displayed on its own, or used in other crafts or collages. All materials provided.
Karalyn Thayer has a BFA from the ME College of Art with a background in teaching web and graphic design. She creates her art with the use of mixed-media illustrations and loves experimenting with at-home printmaking.
Paper Marbling
with Gayle Fitzpatrick
Make ornamental papers using this time-honored art form. These papers may be used for a variety of projects, including handmade books, scrapbooking, cards, boxes, picture frames and more. Learn about the tools and techniques that will enable you to develop this craft and its potential for future projects. All materials provided.
Gayle Fitzpatrick has taught in public and private schools, colleges and adult and community programs for 30+ years. She is a practicing artist, producing and showing paper, print, and painted pieces.
Scrap Cards
with Faith Garnett
Looking to find a use for all the paper scraps you have left-over from other projects? Create your own unique cards from scraps! Explore making three different cards: a fractured card, a pieced star card, and a striped card. Sentiments will be provided for all occasions and no two cards will be alike! Create three cards to take home. All materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own paper scraps. Registration closes at noon on 2/10.
Faith Garnett began teaching card making in 2009. She sells her original greeting cards online.
Postcrossing: An International Postcard Exchange
with Julie Bolton
Send and receive postcards from all over the world! The idea is simple: for every postcard you send, you will receive one back from a random postcrosser from somewhere in the world. All you need is a postcard, a stamp, and a pen! Postcrossing brings many people together, making the world a smaller and happier place, one postcard at a time. There are countless reports of new friendships made, new languages learned, and numerous cultural facts about other countries that people learned through their exchanges in the project. Join Julie as she walks you through setting up your free postcrossing account, address your postcards and decorate them how you'd like. What a unique and fun way to meet people from all walks of life! Please bring your smartphone or tablet and a pen.
Julie Bolton is a former teacher, website designer, and product manager for a software company. She joined Postcrossing in 2023 when she moved to Maine from Ohio and wants to share her love of international postcrossing with more Mainers. She attended her first postcrossing meetup in Biddeford in the summer of 2024 and met others from Maine and Massachusetts who love connecting around this fun hobby. She is active on the Board of Directors of Saco Main Street and loves calling Maine her new home!
Portrait and Pet Photography - Live Online
with Steve McGrath
Everything you need to know to take professional-quality portraits! Learn how to work with all different types of subjects, from individuals and groups to children and pets. Understand the nuances of lighting and posing, how to shoot in studio or on location, and how to master the gear you will need to create inspiring work!
Steve McGrath is a professional freelance photographer and teacher with 25 years of experience. His love of the great outdoors led him to his true passion—nature photography. Steve was an active member of the Gateway Camera Club for many years and has won many ribbons and awards at fairs and competitions through the group and on his own. Many of his images have been published in school textbooks.
Beginner Collage
with Sara Ottomano
Explore fundamental collage techniques to create your own artwork! Create your own collection of collage papers with a focus on using two main techniques to add color and patterns: stamping and crayon rubbings. Then, put those papers to use making collages to display or share with others. Play creative collage games to generate ideas and then create a collage that celebrates what brings us joy. Leave the course with a collection of papers for future projects as well as a few small collages. All materials provided. Please wear appropriate clothing to work with paint.
Sara Ottomano has more than 10 years of experience teaching art classes. She enjoys encouraging others to play with materials, explore sustainable artmaking practices, and create stories together.
Wire Wrapped Sea Glass Jewelry
with Jessica Muise
Twist, wrap, and loop your way to a necklace or set of earrings using design elements drawn from the sea. Combine found materials with metal and learn easy wire-wrapped loop techniques to create your own unique jewelry. Bring your own sea glass or choose from instructor's collection. Leave with a completed piece reflecting your creative design and resources to continue making similar jewelry at home. Registration closes at noon on 2/24.
Jessica Muise, a multidisciplinary artist and educator has been teaching and making art throughout New England for the last 15 years. She is passionate about using the arts as tools for social change and serves as a consultant to artists, nonprofit organizations, and coalitions for social change.
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