Racing into Summer

Workshop with Shanna Wheelock

Introduction to Encaustic Painting

 

 

Encaustic, meaning "to burn in" is a method of painting with a mixture of beeswax, tree resin, and pigment that dates back thousands of years. Medium is applied in a molten liquid state to prepared substrate, painted in layers and heat-fused. This one day introductory workshop is perfect for beginners who want to learn the basics. We’ll cover history, safety, materials, tools, equipment, substrate preparation, color application, layering, fusing, scraping and buffing, mark-making, etching, transfers, and pigment sticks. No previous art experience necessary. Materials are provided. All you need to bring is lunch/snacks/drink and an apron or paint shirt.

 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $185 (includes materials)

Pre-registration is required.

Book your spot now. Limited space available.

$35 non-refundable materials fee due at time of registration

To register or for more info, email me at:

shanna@shannawheelock.com

 

Click here to find a Downloadable PDF file on my website under "Upcoming Events and News"

 

 

 

Jeff Griffiths was the first 10k runner to cross the line at the Bay of Fundy International Marathon.

 

 

Our friend Joe Phelan ran the 10k and placed 4th in his age category. Congrats, Joe!



This young man from San Diego got the crowd roaring when he crossed the finish line after running 26 miles in the Bay of Fundy International Marathon.  He was the first marathoner to greet the crowd but since he was an "early start runner" he didn't qualify in an official way. I am not sure how long it actually took him, but I was impressed!

 

I've been enjoying picking small bouquets of wildflowers for my mini vases.

 

 

 A portion of my pottery display at the Bay of Fundy Marathon EXPO.

 

 

The Lubec Arts Alive mural has a new home on the wall of Lubec Landmarks.

 

Lubec Arts Alive 2013

Saturday, July 6th

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the

Lubec Elementary School Community Playground

 

Kids - come make your own teleidoscopes!

Under 10 requires parent or guardian.

FREE and all materials will be supplied!

 

This year, LAA is working on an interactive sculpture for the kids. The six-foot tall revolving teleidoscope sculpture will be installed on the playground. The completion of the project will occur in stages, starting on July 6th and ending later this summer. During the initial installation, we invite kids to show up and learn how to make their own teleidoscopes which are similar to kaleidoscopes but rather than utilize baubles inserted into the tube, the fractalized images are made by reflections of the surroundings such as nature or people! Very nifty!

 

 

John McMurray in his studio helping out Lubec Arts Alive with this summer's project. The two axles shown here will allow the tall sculptures to rotate.

Photo by Karen Burke.

 

Someone caught me working at something other than the wheel! Jean Bookman and I are cutting a sona tube to length for the revolving teleidoscope sculpture that will be installed at the community playground at Lubec Elementary School.

Photo by Karen Burke.

 

 

John McMurray, Jean Bookman, and Karen Burke test the teleidoscopes that will be inserted into the taller six-foot revolving towers. Thanks, Nate Rosenbrooks, for doing the  research and prototype for us. 

 

The Lubec Market is up and running! Come on down on Saturdays from 9-12 to get your fill of great homegrown veggies, baked goods, meats, music, and of course....pottery!

 

 

 Live music is always a bonus at the Lubec Market. On opening day we enjoyed the soulful strumming of Bradley Trafton and Fred Pierce. Thanks, Fred, for organizing the music again this year! Cobscook Bay Music

 

 

Delicious radishes from Three Dog Farm at the Lubec Market.

 

 

Found in our front field.

 

 

I have not been able to keep up with blogging the past few weeks and because of that all kinds of great things have accumulated that I want to tell you about! First of all, the Lubec Market had a very successful season opener on June 15th! It was great to return to my 100 square foot space nestled between Claire's baked goodies and Herbminders of Maine. Tide Mill Farm and Three Dog Farm were there with all kinds of fresh garden goodies and Olde Sow Farm and Garden Side Dairy yummy cheeses and other dairy. Loring returned with his handmade birdhouses and me with my pottery. Fred Pierce is at it again bringing live music to our little but lively market. Opening day we were serenaded by the soulful guitar strummings of Fred and his accomplice Bradley Trafton.

 

This past weekend Lubec and Campobello Island hosted the first ever Bay of Fundy International Marathon. Chris and I were honored to attend to pre-race reception where Roosevelt's Cottage served a most delicious spread. It was heartening to realize just how many hand and hearts had to work together to make this unique event happen, from political dignitaries to town officials and the many volunteers who gave their time. It was such an honor to be a part of the process by making the awards and such a thrill to meet the runners as they registered at the EXPO the day before the race. It was interesting to me how uncompetitive the runners seemed.  For most, it was about accomplishing a great feat for their own personal fulfillment. As runners crossed the finish-line I felt my own excitement build and from me burst quite a few hoots and hollers, sharing in their joy of making it to the finish. The two weeks leading up to the race I felt like I had my  own mini marathon going on. I was at the wheel and carving and glazing for days on end and with Chris' help we got six bisque and glaze firings accomplished with some gorgeous results. Vending two days in a row at two different locations on about three hours of sleep a night was not optimal, but the energy of the marathon kept us going.

 

I was glad to have yesterday to decompress, enjoy brunch with a friend, and time with Chris where we weren't trying to meet a deadline. Today I got back into the studio but with this humid heat things are slow-going. The next three weeks will be pedal to the metal so to say as I prepare for the MDI Directions show in Bar Harbor July 26-28. This will be my first time selling in Bar Harbor with the Maine Crafts Guild and I am very excited to be spending three days there with about eighty awesome artisans. I showed with the guild last fall in Augusta where I was juried into the organization. My booth needed some tweaking and I have made a lot of changes that I am looking forward to debuting. It's a wild vending schedule for me this year with nearly every weekend scheduled until October. August and November will test my stamina for sure.

 

Lubec Arts Alive is busy working behind the scenes. We are very excited to be creating a sculpture for the kids and while gather main artwork will happen in stages, we invite the kids to join us on July 6th at the school community playground to learn how to create their own super nifty teleidoscopes. I posted the info for that above. Any questions, just give me a holler.

 

Other than pottery and Lubec Arts Alive, I am preparing to teach an encaustics workshop on July 17th here in Lubec. I have to plan for supplies in advance, so if you are planning on attending, get in touch with me ASAP. I can't wait to share this medium with others - which is perfect not only for painterly types, but for those who are looking for something new to try with their photography or as a surface treatment for their sculpture. Click here for workshop info.

 

I am sitting in my favorite chair enjoying a refreshing breeze as it filters through the half-shaded window. The humidity is astounding today and a far-cry from the super cool we felt just a week ago. The heavy greying sky is foretelling of a doozy of a thunder boomer. The cats are sprawled out on the floor searching for some ground level relief and the crows are going about their usual business of cawing loudly and tending their nests. I bet the marathoners sure are glad they aren't running today!

 



 

 

 

 

Catch Cobscook Pottery at one of these locations this summer!

 

 

Maine Crafts Guild at MDI Directions 2013 

July 26-28

Mount Desert High School, Mount Desert Maine

Click here for more info

 

Maine Crafts Guild at Bar Harbor 2013

August 14-16

Atlantic Oceanside Hotel and Conference Center

Click here for more info

 

Lubec Market

Downtown Lubec

Saturdays beginning June 15th

9am-12pm

Last summer the market was a huge hit! Lots of great fresh produce, cheeses, baked goods, crafts, and live music!

I'll be here most Saturdays unless it's pouring rain or I am out of town  for another show.

 

Cobscook Pottery

North Lubec Road, Lubec, Maine

(just down the road from Artworks of Maine and McFadden's Market)

OPEN most days in the summer. Look for the OPEN flag (and sign!)

I am potting most days in the summer, so if you show up to shop, be warned that I will most likely be clay-covered and wheel-dizzied!

We're tucked away off the beaten path. If traveling from a distance, feel free to call or email first to be sure that we are open. To send an email, use this contact form.

 

Also.... find Cobscook Pottery at these Maine locations

Ironbound Gallery, Camden

Center for Maine Craft, West Gardiner

Northern Tides, Lubec

Red Sleigh, Perry

The Commons, Eastport

 

 

Summer Schedule Kicking In

Spark Plug at Low Tide

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

We are never at a loss for foggy mornings in Lubec.

 

 

Mark your calendar for these Summer Events!

Cobscook Pottery will be selling on location!

 

 

 

Bay of Fundy Marathon EXPO

Saturday, June 22, Noon-7pm

Lubec School Gymnasium

I made the awards for the marathon - eighteen handcarved top-placement awards, and eighty-four handcarved medallions. I'll be at the EXPO with my Herring Collectors Series pottery.

 

Bay of Fundy Marathon Race Day Celebration

Sunday, June 23, 9-?

Downtown Lubec

(I'll be with the Lubec Market folks across from the library)

 

Maine Crafts Guild at MDI Directions 2013 

July 26-28

Mount Desert High School, Mount Desert Maine

Click here for more info

 

Maine Crafts Guild at Bar Harbor 2013

August 14-16

Atlantic Oceanside Hotel and Conference Center

Click here for more info

 

Lubec Market

Downtown Lubec

Saturdays beginning June 15th

9am-12pm

Last summer the market was a huge hit! Lots of great fresh produce, cheeses, baked goods, crafts, and live music!

I'll be here most Saturdays unless it's pouring rain or I am out of town  for another show.

 

Cobscook Pottery

North Lubec Road, Lubec, Maine

(just down the road from Artworks of Maine and McFadden's Market)

OPEN most days in the summer. Look for the OPEN flag (and sign!)

I am potting most days in the summer, so if you show up to shop, be warned that I will most likely be clay-covered and wheel-dizzied!

We're tucked away off the beaten path. If traveling from a distance, feel free to call or email first to be sure that we are open. To send an email, use this contact form.

 

Also.... find Cobscook Pottery at these Maine locations

Ironbound Gallery, Camden

Center for Maine Craft, West Gardiner

Northern Tides, Lubec

Red Sleigh, Perry

The Commons, Eastport

 

 

 Guardian

Ceramic, Shanna Wheelock, 2013

Mowry Beach, Lubec, Maine

 

 

Exposed: Series 3, #6

Encaustic, Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 

Factory C, Lubec, Maine

Digital Photo, Shanna Wheelock. 2013

 

 

 from the series:

Between the Silence

Ceramic, found objects

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 

 

The calm before the storm. That's what today is. I've never been one to shun a good storm, and we certainly  have had plenty of that in the literal sense the past few weeks, but I am talking about the whirlwind of summer that is about to begin. Yesterday and today I am sighing a huge breath of release as several deadlines hit me all at once and now that each of those projects has come to closure, I am enjoying a couple days with my family before kicking it into high gear at the wheel. Wednesday marks the first big production day for summer pottery and this summer's schedule will prove to be the most rigorous that I have taken on, ever. Just running the shop and stocking a few Maine galleries is a full-time job, but packing wares to hit the road adds a whole other dimension. As hectic as it gets, I love it. I love it all.

 

This past weekend I packed up the car and drove about 260 miles to Kennebunk where I presented my semester's work at Heartwood College of Art. I am now in my 7th semester in the low residency/part-time MFA (Master of Fine Arts) program. Three more semesters to go and I will have those three capital letter positioned finely on my list of curriculum vitae doings. As I head into the final three semesters and the onset of my thesis work, I will be honing my personal philosophies and a body of work that represents where I am at this point in my life as an artist. I am looking forward to the couple months this summer without school work to give my noggin some recharge time, but I know that in between pots and love-peace mantras, I will be mentally formalizing my ideas.

 

That's the thing about artists...whether visual, musical, poetic...artists are ALWAYS thinking. We have these OPEN 24 HOURS kinds of brains that seriously never stop. We even dream our art. I'll admit it, even when you are having a conversation with me, my mind is juggling our conversation with ideas. When I take a walk, you know, that relaxing space of time when I am communing with nature....my mind is creating compositions and wondering what little nugget of found debris on the side of the road might be a springboard for a new piece. I guess we can use that cliché (in reference to being an artist) it is "not a job, it is a lifestyle."

 

I was relieved to finally finish up the four months of Bay of Fundy Marathon awards work. It is no big surprise, I underestimated my time for the project. Every award, including the eighty-four medallions, is handcarved. I am pleased with how they turned out and am excited about the marathon placers being able to accept an award that was made with love and care, and that these pieces will travel all over the world. I am thankful to the marathon committee who selected me to create the awards for this first year event, and that I was able to inject my own artistic voice by offering my Herring Collectors Series design. Marathon week is coming up quick and I have lots of work to prepare before the EXPO on the 22nd. Lubec has not seen such a mass of people in our little town since Chris and I have lived here. What a fabulous vision Katherine Cassidy had for our  little town. She should be so proud to see her idea come to fruition. Lubec will never be the same!

 

And speaking of our little fishing village, things in general are coming to life. Summer Keys begins in a couple weeks, the farmer's market, lots of live concerts, restaurants are open and serving eclectic and delicious meals, new shops are opening. When we first moved here it was a ghost town. Now, Lubec is found in all kids of travel destination magazines and national newspaper articles, including June's issue of Down East Magazine. It's amazing to be living here to see this transition, the revitalization of a town that was, only ten years ago, desolate and depressed. The people here are strong. They have endured a lot of hardships, but somehow like the phoenix they have risen up out of the flames.