Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

My heart is full of gratitude for the many people I have met through my travels and teaching.  To those of you who have been here from the beginning, and those in between.

I appreciate all of your kind words of encouragement as I follow this path as an artist and teacher.

I love this quote by John F. Kennedy ;"We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives."

As the year closes and comes to an end, I am reminded of so many of you, your art, the laughter, the retreats, classes, sale auctions and more. 

The recent journal entry of the butterfly represents change for the coming year.  There is something about the end or the beginning of a year, where I gravitate to my vintage journals.  Adding new art, thoughts, and affirmations to the old worn pages.  Hiding what is underneath and new thoughts and images begin to come forth.

I will end with this quote by William Arthur Ward; "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

Happy 2020!

Ursula

xo

"

                                         

Celebrate The spirit of the Season

Tis the season of giving...

Celebrate along with me and treat yourself to a year of creativity.  Art Walk Alchemy 2020 is offering this beautiful year long collection of artists and art.  This years theme is, "Into The Woods"

I really enjoyed creating my lesson for you, "The Time Traveler's Daughter".  A lesson in watercolor and mixed media.  

I can't wait for you to open your gift!

Follow the link below:

https://www.mysticspringstudios.com/art-walk-alchemy-2020-ursula-wollenberg

Ursula

Send a little joy this holiday season.

It is fun and heart warming to give and receive hand made greeting cards.

I recently taught a watercolor class, featuring these original works of art.  We had such a fun day of creating and sharing. Several of the students went home and immediately created more.  

We used Strathmore watercolor cards and envelopes for our creations.

For the next four weeks, I will be sharing videos on my Patreon account.  If you missed the class or would like to join in the fun, join me on Patreon and create your own.

I just posted the "Joy" Wreath watercolor card.

Find Joy in your journey.

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=24760006

Follow link or click on the red button,  under Life is Art.

Ursula xo

Gratitude

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul"  Henry Ward Beecher

I have just returned from a two day workshop in Davenport Iowa. The quad city area. The Shades of Mississippi Decorative Artists were more than welcoming.  We painted 4 projects, so they kept me on my toes for sure! Laughed, ate and painted non stop for the two day workshop.  It was such a pleasure to paint with these women and if asked, I would most certainly return.  

My husband and I drove up together and stayed at a very nice hotel, with all the amenities. Our first time in the area.  He got to visit the John Deer museum, among other local sights while I taught.  

This year has been full of new adventures and teaching venues.  This will be the last for this year, other than my two local classes coming up in November.  I will be teaching at Creava Studio and Splatter Art Studio.  I will be teaching watercolor and mixed media Holiday card designs in both.

Among teaching, I have opened up an online service, Patreon.  For as little as $5.00 a month, you can follow my insights, videos, new products, techniques and so on.  A great resource for creators and artists alike.  I would love for you to join me on this new little adventure. Treat yourself and follow the link below:

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=24760006

Until next time.

Happy Painting!

Ursula xo

Art by Ursula Wollenberg: Woodland Dreams

Art by Ursula Wollenberg: Woodland Dreams: I am so pleased and excited to announce that I will be an instructor for Art Walk Alchemy 2020. A collaborate on line class with talented a...

Woodland Dreams

I am so pleased and excited to announce that I will be an instructor for Art Walk Alchemy 2020.
A collaborate on line class with talented artists and beautiful art projects.  Early bird pricing is available and we would love for you to join us.

My project is a fun watercolor, titled:  "The Time Traveler's Daughter."  A watercolor and mixed media project. I did get a little carried away with my color palette!  This can also be painted in fluid acrylics if preferred.

Here is a little peek at my project.

For more information and to sign up, please follow the link below.

https://www.mysticspringstudios.com/art-walk-alchemy-2020-ursula-wollenberg

Ursula
xo

Meet Me Where the Sky Touches The Sea

Wild and Free by The Sea.  

Picture yourself in this painted piece, on the beach, with paints in hand, the salted air , wind blowing  your hair and the sound of waves lapping up on the shore.

Join me, Christa Thomas and Marie-laure deluge-carlson for a week in the beautiful Outer Banks, North Carolina.  

September 15-21, 2019

We will be working in a variety of mediums, painting, mermaids, florals, sunsets,  figures and more.

Taking our easels right down to the beach and up on our dune deck to capture the beauty this area has to offer.

You never know when you will see or have these beautiful, wild creatures stop by for a visit.

Join us and the wild horses;  let your creative spirit soar on the beaches of the Outer Banks, NC.

For more information and registration, visit:  

http://christathomasstudios.com/category 9/Art-Retreats.htm

Or leave your information in the comments.

A few spots left!

We would love for you to join us at our beach house!

Ursula xo

Join us for a wonderful art retreat on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

Party In The Heartland

I just returned from a fun filled week attending the last Decorative Painters Society convention in Wichita, Kansas.  The last of it's kind, that is.  It is not the end, but the beginning of something new.  

It is hard to see, but, over 100 hundred dogs are drawn and painted on The Keeper of the Plains statue..  It will be our addition to a local park where it will be displayed year round.  I stopped by to add one of my own.

This was my first time teaching at the convention and I throughly enjoyed the experience.  Both classes were full of great students, ready to learn something new.  Their eagerness and affirmations filled my heart with joy.  

We are never too old to learn or explore.  Here is one of the dear ladies in my class.  She is 85 years old and drove 70 miles by herself to attend the convention.  And a very talented artist at that!  Don't you just love it!

It was a pleasure to meet friends I haven't seen in a long time and those I know on line, but have never met in person.

In addition to painting classes, I had the opportunity to do a demo in the DecoArt booth one afternoon.   It was fun to see all the other vendors as well.

It is good to be home again.  But, I will have great memories of time shared with everyone and a big thanks to the Decorative Painting Society staff for making this all possible.

Can't wait to see what is next!

Ursula

xo

May Day Celebration Floral

May your days be beautiful like the buds of May 1.

On this first day of May, I thought I would do a short mixed media tutorial.  Showing the steps used in creating a fun floral.  

Gathering up my supplies.  A metal stencil, and 8 x 10 canvas board, texture paste, matte medium and vintage music papers.  I also added a little crackle medium here and there, but very little crackling appeared.  Some showed up more during the last stages of the painting.

The board is gessoed with DecoArt Chalky Gesso, Beige.  Forming a suede-like finish on the canvas.

Tearing my papers and apply them to the Beige background.  Following with texture paste, a palette knife and a metal stencil.

Drawing the design onto the canvas and begin painting and adding in shadows with darkest tints of color.  Mixing Cadmium Red and Ultramarine Blue.

                                                                           Add Whites and Greens to the floral areas.

Building color as you proceed.  Loosely apply background and foreground areas.  At this point, I just let go and had fun without any expectations of the out come.

                                                  Building up more contrast and highlights with a palette knife.

I added a little fallen flower to the left bottom to balance things out a bit.  Later, went back in and darkened the shadow underneath.

Love how all the textures worked together with the acrylic paints.  Even some of the crackling showed up at the end.  

Happy May Day and happy painting!

Ursula xo

Spring Is in the Air?

After a very long winter, it looks as though spring is on the horizon.  

After being in Florida for most of February, it has been quite the transition coming back home to cold weather, storms and high winds.  But, enough about the weather!

We had a wonderful time on Santa Rosa Island, in Navarre Florida.  Right on the beach and enjoying the sun and all the area has to offer.  Connecting with nature, friends and family.  A yearly event that I treasure and will look forward to going back to each year.  This was our second year in Navarre and it now feels like home.  The highlight of my trip was meeting and bonding with this little guy!

A few new things have come to pass since being home.  I am finally settled back into my studio.  I have created a "Flower Girl" class in my Etsy Shop.  WildwoodDesignsArt

The cost of this on line class is $15 and there is also a bonus video.  Simple to join and you will be directed to a private FaceBook page to view the videos, post work, and connect with other artists in the group.  www.Etsy.com 

What have you been doing while we wait for spring to arrive?

Ursula

xo

It's only the beginning.

A fresh start, a clean slate, the start of a new journey.

"And suddenly you just know it's time to start something new and trust the magic of new 

beginnings."

The possibilities and excitement of a new year filed with hope, resolutions and change.  I didn't make any resolutions this year, but I am looking forward to growth and change in my art career.

 Dedicating myself to learning new techniques and moving away from my comfort zone.  As I write this, I remember when I first retired and decided to create art on a daily basis.  Buying my first journal and creating something (no matter how small) in it each day.  As the year progressed, so did my art.  Baby steps to new beginnings and trusting myself in the process.

  Before I painted this watercolor, I painted the same still-life in acrylics on canvas. As the process began, it took on a direction of its own.  At one point, I was ready to just walk away and begin something new.  It didn't have the fluid quality that I was working towards.  Maybe because I kept looking at the acrylic painting instead of the still-life itself.  I felt it to be too tight and over worked.

There is always that stage in a painting where it can go either way, proceed or fail.  As I kept layering my colors, I had to trust myself and the process and move on from my frustration.  Deciding to add an oil overlay and taking it to another direction.

                           In the end, I was satisfied with the outcome and the finished piece.

Trust the magic of new beginnings and be brave enough to listen to your own heart.  There is something incredibly hopeful about a fresh start!

Wishing you a very happy new beginning!

Ursula xo