Artist Renee Mak

"Let go of your sadness, give up the fight, follow your madness and take flight... take flight." ~lyric by Seal, musician~ ~all artwork by artist Renee Mak... doodles over prints of original mixed media collage~

Even though it's already August, my brightly colored  garden is still in full bloom!   The flowers just keep coming and coming... as do the bright colors. This time I've added pages from a vintage book and allowed some of the doodled flower shapes to show in the final piece. It measures 20" x 20" and can be viewed at Fuss It Up! Designs in Valley Junction. I've also completed 4 little mixed media flower canvases which is being made into a fun tutorial! Happy painting... xoxo

This week has been a busy one... with three classes including one fabulous 5 hour mixed media painting workshop! In most of my classes I do a live demo to help those total visual learners.  This workshop is no exception and these details are just parts of a new 36" x 36" painting I started. I'm finishing it either today or tomorrow and am so excited to see how it turns out! Of course the biggest perk of teaching is the budding artists  I get to meet and create with.  This course is being shared with the lovely Miss Lynn of "When Depressed, Apply Wet Paint" . Her work is fabulous and I hope she'll share her finished  piece on her blog or allow me to share it on mine! I'm also linking up today with the lovely and talented ladies over at Paint Party Friday ! Check out the link and discover talent you never knew existed!!! I'll be painting today... hope you'll do the same. Have a fabulous Fr...

_________New Class Listings..._________ Here are some of the classes I'm currently teaching and where! Classes Now Offered at Fuss It Up! Designs Art Studio Mixed Media Collage Painting! Learn how to create a fabulous Mixed Media Collage painting  using acrylic paint and recycled items like used  gift wrap, bubble wrap, and even a Starbucks coffee sleeve!   This workshop includes all of the materials, easy  step-by-step instructions and each student will leave  with a finished piece of artwork ready to hang on the wall!  Middle school through adult students are welcome.  (Price includes cost of materials). Taught by artist Renee Mak at   Fuss It Up! Designs Art Studio 222 1/2 5th Street  West Des Moines, Iowa  50265 Thursday 6:00 - 8:00pm March 1st  OR Saturday 10:30 - 12:30 pm March 10, 2012  Grab a friend and register now! Credit card or PayPal accepted! Class Date Thurs. March 1, 2012 $40.00 USD Sat. Marc...

   Flora Bowley! As part of celebrating my birthday all month long,  I signed up for an amazing painting adventure with artist  Flora Bowley !  Her new studio!  I'm so excited for class to begin  because I really love her work and also love learning new things about myself and painting!   Her eCourse is called "Bloom True" and it's about being  brave with art, exploring intuitive painting and  having tons of fun in the process! Here's the video introduction to the class... Flora Bowley Paints Online (2012) from Diggable Monkey on Vimeo . She travels all over teaching her fabulous style... her blog  often showcases the people she meets  and the beautiful places she goes. Book by Flora Bowley, 2012 Like many of my favorite artists, she has just finished  a book, pictured above, that I'm sure will be a great asset to my art library!  It's called  "Brave...

Last night I had the opportunity to teach my  Trash to Treasure Mixed Media Collage class to some FABULOUS students! And while I didn't get many pictures, (because I'm still trying to figure out my new camera!!!) the pictures I got are great! A full class of mixed media "newbies" quickly understood the easy step by step process and when I asked them if they might create more at home, I got a unanimous "YES"! I was very excited to have a Starbucks fan in the crowd... she even brought her own Starbucks coffee sleeve to use in her piece!!! And several of the students brought really fabulous items to share, including Japanese wrapping paper and real scrabble tiles! Here's the sample I started for the class but have yet to finish... Class sample There will be a cute little house sitting in the valley under the star... with a Starbucks roof to top it off... I've posted the finished piece here ! Future c...

What an amazing and fun workshop! Finished Piece Here is my finished piece from week four of Doodles Unleashed by Traci Bautista. Flower detail From start to finish this workshop was so much fun  and I learned new techniques that I'll use often. Collaged doodle detail Like adding doodles with gel medium and then painting over them. Marker word detail And using transparent markers for a "watermark" effect... see the word create above in blue? Fluorescent doodle detail Using fluorescent paint and markers was also new to me... but I really like how bright it made things! Flower detail This detailed shot of a flower is from the lower right hand  corner of the finished piece... I love how all the different layers show thru, don't you! Face close up Overall I have to say that taking this workshop was the best way  to begin my new year!   Traci's techniques and teaching style has both taught and inspired me in...

"Trash to Treasure Mixed Media Class" Here are some of the classes I'm currently teaching and where! Classes offered through West Des Moines Community Education:   LEARNwest Winter/Spring Catalog 2012 Trash to Treasure~ Mixed Media Canvas! Wednesday February 1, 2012 7:00-9:00pm Create a fabulous mixed media collage painting using acrylic  paint and recycled items like used gift wrap, bubble wrap,  and even a used coffee cup! This workshop includes  all the materials, easy step-by-step instructions, and you will leave with a finished piece of artwork ready to hang on the wall!  NEW!    Vintage Photo Pendant Necklace   Wednesday February 8, 2012 7:00-9:00pm Do you love the look of old photos and all things vintage?  Now you can learn how to turn vintage photos into fabulous pendant necklaces in this  easy to understand, step-by-step workshop...