Early last summer I noticed a call for a training workshop offered by Golden Artist Color Company for artists working in acrylics who also teach workshops. As it happens, I use Golden Acrylics, love them and have been using them for at least fifteen years. And I teach workshops. So I filled out the application.

I got accepted into the training program to become a Golden Artist Educator. I was so thrilled. I think I found out that I was accepted way last August. It seemed like a long wait for the training, which was scheduled for late October.

The training happened two weeks ago, in New Orleans. I’m still a bit breathless from the experience. It was amazing, from start to finish.

I don’t want to rave too much about all the good food we were treated to with dinners every night at gourmet restaurants, a Mississippi river boat dinner and cruise, and much much more. Or the wonderful accommodations at the Hotel Mazarin, just off the French Quarter. The eighteen of us were treated like royalty.

All artists/crafters and workshop teachers, the group came from all over the United States. It was such a friendly, talented and dynamic group. Patti Brady, director of the education program for Golden Acrylics was our teacher. She is the author of Rethinking Acrylic, a wonderful teacher and a practicing and accomplished artist. Pat Pirrone, director of External Marketing at Golden was in charge of all the arrangements for food, accommodations and a myriad of details which made the entire experience so fantastic. As far as I could tell, everything ran flawlessly. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to get to know both Pat and Patti.

Lest you think it was all fun and games, here are a few photographs of the workshop part of the experience. I think we all learned as much as humanly possible in four days about the ins and outs of acrylic products. And there are a lot of them!

An array of Gels, all of which are useful for a variety of applications in painting

Gritty Gels

The whole length and one side of the workshop room was lined with tables full of supplies. The above are just a few.

We worked on making banners showing Gels, Pastes and Grits.

The tables started out nice and neat, with supplies all lined up. The first thing we did was to work on banners which are a great way to show how different products work.

It didn’t take long for the tables to start to look like this. A sign that lots of work is happening!

At work on experiments using interference and iridescent paints

Lunch break! The staff of the hotel set up a wonderful buffet in the courtyard each day, complete with tablecloths, not to mention the amazing food. All we had to do was step out of the workshop and fill up our plates.

Going through the lunch line. Notice the huge & beautiful flower arrangement in the upper right corner of the photo

A glimpse of the array of food. Doing all that painting certainly works up an appetite.

Landscape examples

We were each assigned a different type of acrylic pastes, gels & mediums as a surface treatment to our panels. They all have different effects. We each painted a landscape from a copy of the same photo. It was fascinating to see how many different effects were achieved using the different products. And also interesting how each person had their own style.

Interference and wine

Round about 4 pm, waiters arrived with snacks, soft drinks and wine (note wine on left side of photo). Did we stop working? No, we kept on until 6 pm!

Color wheels, each with a different primary color palette.

Patti Brady admiring the color wheels.

We arrived on Sunday. Worked long days, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, with Wednesday a day to explore museums and art galleries in New Orleans. When the workshop was over late Friday afternoon, we packed up the leftovers and went our separate ways. I’m sure many of us will stay in touch.

Some of the panels I made during the workshop

Back at home, in my studio, I spread out the panels of examples I made. This isn’t all of them. They’ll be put to good use when I teach my workshops.

I took and passed a test which was the last hurdle to being accepted as an official certified Golden Artist Educator. And here’s the logo to prove it!

Again, many thanks to Patti and Pat, and to Golden Artist Color Company for the wonderful opportunity.