The Isle Muse Studio Newsletter
Note: name change - formerly Manzanita Muse Studio
 Date: September 15, 2006 by Dianne Bersea
Hollyhock workshop begins today!!
Newsletter Archives: Did you miss our last newsletters? See them here: March 05..., May 0 5..., July 05..., September 05,..., January 06..., May 06


studio class creations
The studio was a busy place this summer with lots of students, visitors and art seekers. Several small groups booked a couple of days for private classes. Here Jackie, Peggy and Barbara enter into the spirit of watercolor magic.
Suzan explains Whaletown Commons Project
WHALETOWN
COMMONS
PROJECT.
I did this painting
"Fern Meadow" for
a raffle to support
the Project.
It raised $1100
towards the
purchase of the
property for
community
walking trails and
a possible cultural centre. To contribute or for more information go to: http://whaletowncommons.blogspot.com

Squirrel Cove Whimsy detail
Top o' the Chart! Dianne's light-hearted Squirrel Cove Whimsy (detail above) is a winner in the Nanaimo Rotary Calendar competition! Along with the work of 12 other accomplished west coast artists, Squirrel Cove Whimsy will appear on the Calendar. To buy a copy visit http://www.rotarycalendar.org.
NEW GALLERY!! Jodi and I now have work at the Pier Street Gallery in Campbell River, BC. In addition to original artwork, the Gallery will also have framed prints. Drop in or visit needlenart.com.

Are you enjoying our newsletters? Is there something you'd like us to talk about? More images of work in progress? More about our process? Let us know. We'd like to hear from you.

How to contact us.
jodi@islemuse.com
dianne@islemuse.com

Note: Our studio name is changing to reflect our web domain name. Slowly we will become Isle Muse Studio at islemuse.com.
wood sculpture in progress by Jodi Forster
Dianne at work
Hello to all our visitors and friends! We have really fallen behind on our newsletter this summer. We've been very busy at the studio creating art, doing classes and selling paintings! Fortunately, our friend Janet has agreed to handle our website and we've been working together on this page, so you'll find a few innovations, with more to come when Janet is fully up to speed
Jodi Forster Watercolor
Here are some of the things that have had our attention. For Jodi: carving a new mask and painting with watercolors. See carving-in-progress image to upper left, and to immediate left
watercolor titled "Come Fly with Me". Jodi says "I'm really excited about painting again, discovering watercolor, just playing".


Jodi is also working with hide to create a new series of masks - the 13 stages of a women's life, The Circle of Life. Here Jodi is beginning to cast mask in hide from a mold previously cast from a carved mask. The process continues!! (See photo to left)

The four paintings below are from my series called Transformations. They are now on their way to their new home in Texas. A wonderful art fan has added them to her collection and will exhibit them on her ranch.
"Come Fly with Me", watercolor by Jodi Forster
hide masks in progress by Jodi Forster
Energy Transformation, acrylic by Dianne Bersea
Sacred Grove, mixed media by Dianne Bersea
Wolf Bat, mixed media by Dianne Bersea Lotus Unfolding, mixed media by Dianne Bersea
pencil rendering print with watercolor
These three prints are now happily on display in a Vancouver home. I have wanted for some time to make digital prints from black and white artwork and then re-introduce free-form watercolor. It's my compromise in the ongoing debate about what is a limited edition print. To my mind it is impossible to call a digital print limited in the traditional print making sense. So this gives me a way to make very limited editions on watercolor paper that are limited by their individual originality.
INTERNATIONAL PLEIN AIR PAINTING DAY with three of the Firesign Four, myself, portrait artist Perri Sparks and Nanci Cook. Nanci's decision to create Firesign Studio and B&B has brought us together as a community of artists. We also teach workshops at Nanci's studio, paint together and we're planning some shows together in the new year. I love it!! It's great to have a supportive group of art buddies. Oh, but it was a RAINY day though.
Rainy Day Painters
detail, T'ai Li Lodge Whimsy
Whimsical aerial views of our fabulous west coast are still on the go. This is a detail of a recently commissioned aerial view of T'ai Li Lodge, a beautiful cabin and tenting resort with gourmet catered breakfasts, workshop facilities and kayaking adventures. To see the full image click on WHIMSICAL in the menu bar on the upper left of this page.
studio class