Workshops Archive
Judy Kaber
Exploring Art Through Poetry at Local Color Gallery
In honor of April’s National Poetry Month, Judy Kaber teams up with Belfast’s Local Color Gallery to present a two-part workshop on ekphrastic poetry, followed by a poetry reading in the gallery where the final poems will be read and displayed next to their inspirational art work. Judy Kaber is an experienced teacher and writer as well as former poet laureate in Belfast. She holds a MEd in teaching Language Arts from the University of Maine and is a Maine Writing Project fellow. She has published in numerous journals including Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, Atlanta Review, Off the Coast, and The Cafe Review. Contest credits include the Maine Postmark Poetry Contest in 2009, the Larry Kramer Memorial Chapbook Contest in 2011, second place in the 2016 Muriel Craft Bailey Contest judged by Marge Piercy, and the Maine Poets Society Prize Contest in 2021 and 2023. She is the author of three chapbooks, most recently “A Pandemic Alphabet.”
The workshops are designed to meet the needs of all levels of writers. During the first meeting, we will examine ekphrastic poems by other poets (e.g. Anne Sexton, Robert Hass, William Carlos Williams, W.H. Auden, Derek Mahon, UA Fanthorpe, Janine Pommy Vega, John Stone) and discuss the various approaches used to write about a work of art.
Handouts will be provided to aid participants as they take notes and photographs of work in the gallery. Between the first and second sessions, participants will work on writing a draft of their poem. In the second session, we will share poems with the intent of providing a useful critique. Final drafts of the poems will then be hung on the gallery wall along with the artwork that inspired them and will be read aloud at a reception on Sunday, April 21.
Details:
Session 1: Sunday, April 7, 1-3 pm
Session 2: Sunday, April 14 , 1-3 pm
Reading: Sunday, April 21, 2-3 pm
Cost: $40 (covers all sessions) – Registration required by Friday, April 5.
Register via email at jkaber1948@ gmail.com
Limit: 12 participants
Payment may be made by mailing a check to Judy at 37 Oak Hill Rd., Belfast 04915 or may be paid on the day of the first session.
Local Color Gallery is located at 135 High Street, Belfast; localcolorgallerymaine.org; 207-218-1249.
Variation on a Theme by Robert Frost after “Winged Leaf” by MF Morison
Whose woods are these, whose trees, whose leaves fallen to ground, weathered and
brittle, backs bare, breaking? A sweep of easy wind carries the rust of what we’ve done, saws
ripping, skidders moaning over darkened earth. My car stalls, key clicks in the ignition. I stop in
this place without cigarette, flask, without company or intent. Leaves on desolate ground spread
their wings, mistake the taste of winter for rebirth. There’s a bridge up ahead that leads back to
my easy life, but I’m stuck in the dark and deep, a withered bouquet of loneliness on the seat
beside me. Whose earth is this, the color of soot, of rotten plums? Hope still clings to me like
smoke, like bells I can shake to wake—who? The man who owns the woods? I stare at his
woodlot, young trees fallen, dirt nudged into muddy ruts, hard as an ax and chain. I am stuck,
hauling all the fallen rubble in my head, unable to nudge the world awake, only knowing I have
miles and miles to go to see again wings on leaves spread to the sun, to hear them rustle, sigh,
lift.
Judy Kraber
Karen Olson
Using photography as a tool for mindful connection
Photography is a wonderful tool for connecting mindfully in nature. Learning to shoot in manual mode allows you to be fully artistic in your process. It enables us to see in a completely different way. Focusing in through the viewfinder, adjusting light and darkness according to our mood and the aesthetic of the scene, helps us to make new connections in our brain. We learn to see things from different perspectives. It encourages us to narrow our focus and our thoughts.
In this class, you will discover a beneficial mindset when approaching photography. An overview of types of cameras and lenses will be discussed. You will discover that shooting in manual mode is not rocket science and why you would want to do so. A short slide show will describe the various effects of using depth of field and methods for creating ethereal imagery.
The class will engage in practice using still life photography in the gallery and intimate landscapes in field if weather permits.
Printing digitally on oriental papers
Photo transfers and alternative coatings for handmade paper
Printing on fine art paper yields a particularly delicate and beautiful image. It has a quality that mimics the experience we have when connecting with nature. This is especially so with translucent Japanese and Korean papers. Experimenting with these unique materials gives an ethereal look to images and makes the artwork sing.
In this class we will discuss and view a wide variety of fine art Japanese and Korean papers and how they are made. An understanding of gsm, weight, translucency, and texture will be utilized. Students will learn how prepare digital files and the steps necessary to print digitally on uncoated fine art paper.
A photo transfer process using handmade paper will be demonstrated. Resources for purchasing materials will be provided. Students may provide an image they would like to print in class.
Introduction to papermaking in a home studio
Hand papermaking is a process that can support many other mediums or be a work of art on its own. The process is an enjoyable and restorative way to connect with nature. Papermaking can be a simple or complex as you would like to make it. Truly a medium with endless possibilities!
Students can expect to learn the fundamentals of papermaking in a home setting. You will gain an understanding of the tools required and the materials necessary to make a variety of papers. Readily available materials such as recycled packaging and locally sourced plant fibers as well more specialized fibers will be explored. The method you will learn is accessible and adaptable for the home studio.
A $15 materials fee is included in the price of the workshop.
Techniques and methods for creating paper sculpture
When we work sculpturally, we gain a profound understanding of how perspective can transform and shift in response to the interplay of light and the angle from which we observe our creations. This powerful fact serves as a metaphor for the intricacies and ever-changing nature of life itself. By skillfully manipulating various elements and incorporating them into a multi-dimensional layered sculpture, we are able to effectively convey the intricate and multifaceted layers that constitute our unique life experiences.
In this class, students will learn a variety of methods to strengthen and sculpt paper. Ancient oriental practices will be discussed and demonstrated as well as innovative techniques with natural materials. A variety of alternatives for armature will be shown. A collection of mixed papers and fibers will be available for you to
create your own artwork in class. Please feel free to bring you own prints, elements, or artworks you would like to incorporate in your sculpture. A $15 materials fee is included in the price of the workshop.