Saturday workshops in conjunction with Stacked

In conjunction with our current exhibition, Stacked, Portrait Society is hosting four Saturday workshops. While out and about holiday shopping, come to the gallery and enjoy a talk or informal activity, cookies and wine.

All of these events are FREE. They begin at 2 p.m. and are open to the public. Children are welcome.

Here is the line up:

Saturday, December 2: Gallery Manager Tony Nickalls will hold court at Portrait Society from noon to 5 p.m. At 2 p.m. come hear Tony talk about his favorite clay and 2D objects in the exhibition.

Saturday, December 9: Enjoy a free workshop with painter Pat Hidson. She will set up a table with art supplies and guide participants through a collage and drawing demonstration. Each participant will leave with a work.

She says: “If you are coming to the workshop you might want to bring paper memorabilia that you would like to include in your collage. Also wrappings from various items, anything with color, texture or pattern that you like. This can include scraps of wrapping paper, or the envelopes letters or cards came in, or packages from loved ones. The main thing is that it has meaning for you. For supplies I will bring wax crayons, pencil crayons, and some felt pens. Also a few tubes of acrylic paint and a few brushes. I also have a few tubes of glitter glue.”

Stacks of Pat Hidson collages are included in the current exhibition.

Saturday, December 16: Todd Mrozinski, who has an eight foot painting of a bonfire in the current exhibition as well as two clay ‘stacks’ of wood, and his partner Renee Bebeau, who made miniature clay Monet haystacks, will guide participants in a free air-dry clay workshop at 2 p.m. The clay will be provided. Adults and kids can join Milwaukee’s hardest working art couple in free-form communal clay play with an emphasis on producing stacked compositions of shapes and objects.

Saturday, December 30: Joeann Daley, a Dominican Sister, earned an MFA in printmaking in 1981 in Florence, Italy. While she still considers herself a printmaker, she has transferred her skills to a new medium. In 2010, while attending a meeting, Joeann realized she had nothing on which to take notes. She picked up a pen and her used styrofoam coffee cup. Realizing that the incised mark of a pen on syrofoam felt similar to etching, Joeann began making increasingly elaborate pen patterns on a variety of recycled styrofoam cups. These jewel like objects appear precious and valuable until one discovers their humble material origin.

Joeann will discuss her work and life at 2 p.m. December 30 and host a stacking competition of her various sized cups. Prizes will be awarded.

For additional information on PSG’s December workshops, e-mail portraitsocietygallery@gmail.com.