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| "Where artists become better artists" |
| Copyright © 1999 * Art In The Mountains * All Rights Reserved |
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A Friendly Atmosphere Encourages Learning - by Deanna Hansen
Art In The Mountains was established in 1983 by myself and Sue Bennett
another Bend artist. In this year,Caroline Buchanen who was my watercolor
instructor in Corvallis asked me to co-ordinate workshops for her in Bend. I
enlisted Sue's help as I was still working at Central Oregon Community
College at the time. One of my jobs there was coordinating health education
programs. After coordinating Caroline's workshops for a couple of years, I
started receiving calls from out of state artists asking me to co-ordinate
summer workshops for them. There appeared to be a need for art instruction
in Central Oregon which was just beginning to be well known as a recreation
area.
Sue and I had taken an art workshop in 1971 which was sponsored by a local
art gallery owner and taught by a college professor. We were out and out
beginners and had little knowledge of watercolor let alone the needed
supplies. It was plein air in August, hot and dusty, poorly organized and the
atmosphere was not welcoming. There seemed to be a lot of competition
among the participants as to who could do the best painting for the day.
Needless to say, it was an awful experience and I didn't paint for several years
following. Consequently when Sue and I started Art In The Mountains, we
decided the atmosphere for the students had to be welcoming and friendly so
learning could occur in a relaxed manner. We did not want competition to be a
factor as that interfered with the learning process.
Early on we did trips to New Orleans, Hilton Head, South Carolina, Martha's
Vineyard, Boston, New Hampshire and Jacksonville, Oregon. We later added
Taos and Santa Fe. All of these locations were wonderful cultural and
educational experiences for our students. Carolyn Walter, Winnie Givot, Judy
Busswell, Alyce James and Lee Burr were among our early students and
some went on to become Classroom Assistants.
Our early workshops were all watercolor and it was not until later that we
branched out into pastel, acrylic, and drawing. Sue's husband retired and they
moved to Southern Oregon in the mid-ninties.. By this time we were doing
workshops at the new Bend Armory. Our original workshop location was the
old Bend Armory which was downtown approximately at the site of our new
library. We went from there to Brooks Hall at Trinity Church, to the new Armory,
to High Lakes School and Summitt High School.
One of the behind the scenes workers was a great guy by the name of Webb
Smith. I could not have put on these workshops without Webb's help in
moving supplies and helping to weekly set up the workshops. I remember the
years at the new Armory where we had to set up and tear down each
workshop as we could not leave anything in the classrooms. Webb would
arrive at my house at 5 a.m. the day of the workshop, load up his truck and my
station wagon with supplies and we would be off to the Armory to have the
classrooms set up by 8:30 a.m. when the students arrived. At the end of the
week, Carolyn and Winnie often helped load the supplies back into Webb's
truck and my station wagon. I remember driving home with the overhead
mirror tied on top of my car several times. Webb was also the guy who put the
tarps down on the classroom floors and coordinated the move into and out of
Summit High School. I will always give thanks to Webb for his help during
these years.
After doing workshops on my own for a couple of years, Pamela Lyle joined
me in co-ordinating the workshops for several years. It was my goal to
establish Art In The Moutains as a nationally recognized art workshop
company and I feel this goal was met. I really wanted Art In The Mountains to
be known as a school where several workshops were going on at once so the
students could meet other instructors and students.
Our mission statement "where artists become better artists" came about
because of my involvement with a business group called Opportunity Knocks.
This group taught business development and required their participating
members to develop a mission statement for their business. Our mission
statement seemed to be what does occur when an artist takes a workshop,
they become a better artist.
The great joy of coordinating these workshops has been meeting such
fabulous students and instructors. When my husband retired, we decided it
was time for me to retire also, so we could live part of the year in Palm
Springs, California. Since retiring from Art In The Mountains I've been teaching
in my Bend studio and for Art In The Mountains on several occasions. Debra
Prater has done a wonderful job in taking Art In The Mountains to new
locations and to maintaining the warm and friendly atmosphere which
encourages learning. I feel blessed that Deb has followed in my footsteps.
Art In The Mountains was established in 1983 by myself and Sue Bennett
another Bend artist. In this year,Caroline Buchanen who was my watercolor
instructor in Corvallis asked me to co-ordinate workshops for her in Bend. I
enlisted Sue's help as I was still working at Central Oregon Community
College at the time. One of my jobs there was coordinating health education
programs. After coordinating Caroline's workshops for a couple of years, I
started receiving calls from out of state artists asking me to co-ordinate
summer workshops for them. There appeared to be a need for art instruction
in Central Oregon which was just beginning to be well known as a recreation
area.
Sue and I had taken an art workshop in 1971 which was sponsored by a local
art gallery owner and taught by a college professor. We were out and out
beginners and had little knowledge of watercolor let alone the needed
supplies. It was plein air in August, hot and dusty, poorly organized and the
atmosphere was not welcoming. There seemed to be a lot of competition
among the participants as to who could do the best painting for the day.
Needless to say, it was an awful experience and I didn't paint for several years
following. Consequently when Sue and I started Art In The Mountains, we
decided the atmosphere for the students had to be welcoming and friendly so
learning could occur in a relaxed manner. We did not want competition to be a
factor as that interfered with the learning process.
Early on we did trips to New Orleans, Hilton Head, South Carolina, Martha's
Vineyard, Boston, New Hampshire and Jacksonville, Oregon. We later added
Taos and Santa Fe. All of these locations were wonderful cultural and
educational experiences for our students. Carolyn Walter, Winnie Givot, Judy
Busswell, Alyce James and Lee Burr were among our early students and
some went on to become Classroom Assistants.
Our early workshops were all watercolor and it was not until later that we
branched out into pastel, acrylic, and drawing. Sue's husband retired and they
moved to Southern Oregon in the mid-ninties.. By this time we were doing
workshops at the new Bend Armory. Our original workshop location was the
old Bend Armory which was downtown approximately at the site of our new
library. We went from there to Brooks Hall at Trinity Church, to the new Armory,
to High Lakes School and Summitt High School.
One of the behind the scenes workers was a great guy by the name of Webb
Smith. I could not have put on these workshops without Webb's help in
moving supplies and helping to weekly set up the workshops. I remember the
years at the new Armory where we had to set up and tear down each
workshop as we could not leave anything in the classrooms. Webb would
arrive at my house at 5 a.m. the day of the workshop, load up his truck and my
station wagon with supplies and we would be off to the Armory to have the
classrooms set up by 8:30 a.m. when the students arrived. At the end of the
week, Carolyn and Winnie often helped load the supplies back into Webb's
truck and my station wagon. I remember driving home with the overhead
mirror tied on top of my car several times. Webb was also the guy who put the
tarps down on the classroom floors and coordinated the move into and out of
Summit High School. I will always give thanks to Webb for his help during
these years.
After doing workshops on my own for a couple of years, Pamela Lyle joined
me in co-ordinating the workshops for several years. It was my goal to
establish Art In The Moutains as a nationally recognized art workshop
company and I feel this goal was met. I really wanted Art In The Mountains to
be known as a school where several workshops were going on at once so the
students could meet other instructors and students.
Our mission statement "where artists become better artists" came about
because of my involvement with a business group called Opportunity Knocks.
This group taught business development and required their participating
members to develop a mission statement for their business. Our mission
statement seemed to be what does occur when an artist takes a workshop,
they become a better artist.
The great joy of coordinating these workshops has been meeting such
fabulous students and instructors. When my husband retired, we decided it
was time for me to retire also, so we could live part of the year in Palm
Springs, California. Since retiring from Art In The Mountains I've been teaching
in my Bend studio and for Art In The Mountains on several occasions. Debra
Prater has done a wonderful job in taking Art In The Mountains to new
locations and to maintaining the warm and friendly atmosphere which
encourages learning. I feel blessed that Deb has followed in my footsteps.
Maintaining Company Integrity - by Debra Prater
In the year 2000, I began working for Dee as a bookkeeper, secretary and graphic artist designing ads, brochures and the website.
She quickly became one of my mentors and a loving second mom. Dee allowed me to express my creativity, never belittling me,
but aiding me to grow and become a better person and workshop coordinator. I found it very important to listen and take to heart
her counsel.
The 5-day workshops grew from 19, to 21 and then jumped to 32 per year after I became company owner. What was I thinking? I
don't know, but at the time we were using the Summit High School with 22,000 square feet and 5 classrooms. It was nice running
multiple workshops at the same time, as students and instructors were able to get to know one another on lunch breaks. Our
instructors would take turns each day of the week to present a 20 minute demo of their work, which everyone was invited to. My
daughters, Valerie and Jess, provided a beautiful and delicious lunch each day and we had all the necessities of life; the best
instructors, great students, fresh popcorn, snacks, beverages and plenty of art supplies at hand. It was fantastic!
However, the difficulty with workshops is not having sinks or enough of them. So, we went from the traditional milk jugs on
students' desks, to a rolling cart with 7 gallon water containers with spouts. Then, there was the overhead mirror, which we all still
feel the crick in our necks from, but it was the legs that stuck out and nearly tripped our instructors that made me cringe. So we
began floating the mirrors from the ceiling overhead. That worked great!!! And we were able to adjust them for each instructor's
needs and painting degree. We used the public Schools all summer which was much nicer than moving in and out of the armory
every week. But somehow, over the years, we accumulated a lot of material goods and our art supply inventory kept growing. It
literally took 4 days to move into the school. We really appreciate our classroom assistants, Web Smith, and all the move-in and
out crew for their support!
The hard, cement floors and the cut back in public school hours was the deciding factor that made me realize that I needed move
my Bend workshops to a new location. I wanted the students to have at least 30 hours of education per week, and to simplify the
amount of work I was doing so that I didn't kill over. So after negotiating a deal with the Phoenix Inn Suites, I moved the location to
the hotel in the historic downtown Bend. The location has been a success, allowing students to discover the area by foot during
lunch and after class. Also, having the workshops at the same facility as your lodging is a real blessing in case you forget
something, or need a power nap!
The hotel allows us to keep our supplies stored in the classroom, while we have a break in schedule, which is really super. We
replaced mirrors, which flip demonstrations, with LCD flat screen monitors which have brilliant color and brightness, and they are
visible from the far end of the classroom for paint-along sessions. Using our overhead camera's we are able to zoom in and out of
the instructors work, allowing students to see up close the tiniest brush strokes. The Phoenix Inn has allowed our tables to be
added to their inventory, now providing a six foot table space for each student. The hotel has also improved lighting, sound-proofed
the doors, and added overhead audio. For our 2008 workshops our instructors will be using lapel mics with the ceiling speakers to
make it easier for the students to hear. Our outdoor instructors will use a small speaker.
We've cut our workshops back to 20 per year to simplify and make coordinating more enjoyable, having one or two workshops at
the same time. Each class is limited to 18, 20 and sometimes 22 to make sure that the instructor can spend individual time with
each student, each day.
In 2008 we are celebrating our 25 years in Bend and going to fun places like Puerto Rico, Hawaii, San Francisco, Santa Barbara
and Taos.
Our mission is still the same, providing a warm, friendly atmosphere where students can learn to become better artists. We hope
that you will be able to join us!
In the year 2000, I began working for Dee as a bookkeeper, secretary and graphic artist designing ads, brochures and the website.
She quickly became one of my mentors and a loving second mom. Dee allowed me to express my creativity, never belittling me,
but aiding me to grow and become a better person and workshop coordinator. I found it very important to listen and take to heart
her counsel.
The 5-day workshops grew from 19, to 21 and then jumped to 32 per year after I became company owner. What was I thinking? I
don't know, but at the time we were using the Summit High School with 22,000 square feet and 5 classrooms. It was nice running
multiple workshops at the same time, as students and instructors were able to get to know one another on lunch breaks. Our
instructors would take turns each day of the week to present a 20 minute demo of their work, which everyone was invited to. My
daughters, Valerie and Jess, provided a beautiful and delicious lunch each day and we had all the necessities of life; the best
instructors, great students, fresh popcorn, snacks, beverages and plenty of art supplies at hand. It was fantastic!
However, the difficulty with workshops is not having sinks or enough of them. So, we went from the traditional milk jugs on
students' desks, to a rolling cart with 7 gallon water containers with spouts. Then, there was the overhead mirror, which we all still
feel the crick in our necks from, but it was the legs that stuck out and nearly tripped our instructors that made me cringe. So we
began floating the mirrors from the ceiling overhead. That worked great!!! And we were able to adjust them for each instructor's
needs and painting degree. We used the public Schools all summer which was much nicer than moving in and out of the armory
every week. But somehow, over the years, we accumulated a lot of material goods and our art supply inventory kept growing. It
literally took 4 days to move into the school. We really appreciate our classroom assistants, Web Smith, and all the move-in and
out crew for their support!
The hard, cement floors and the cut back in public school hours was the deciding factor that made me realize that I needed move
my Bend workshops to a new location. I wanted the students to have at least 30 hours of education per week, and to simplify the
amount of work I was doing so that I didn't kill over. So after negotiating a deal with the Phoenix Inn Suites, I moved the location to
the hotel in the historic downtown Bend. The location has been a success, allowing students to discover the area by foot during
lunch and after class. Also, having the workshops at the same facility as your lodging is a real blessing in case you forget
something, or need a power nap!
The hotel allows us to keep our supplies stored in the classroom, while we have a break in schedule, which is really super. We
replaced mirrors, which flip demonstrations, with LCD flat screen monitors which have brilliant color and brightness, and they are
visible from the far end of the classroom for paint-along sessions. Using our overhead camera's we are able to zoom in and out of
the instructors work, allowing students to see up close the tiniest brush strokes. The Phoenix Inn has allowed our tables to be
added to their inventory, now providing a six foot table space for each student. The hotel has also improved lighting, sound-proofed
the doors, and added overhead audio. For our 2008 workshops our instructors will be using lapel mics with the ceiling speakers to
make it easier for the students to hear. Our outdoor instructors will use a small speaker.
We've cut our workshops back to 20 per year to simplify and make coordinating more enjoyable, having one or two workshops at
the same time. Each class is limited to 18, 20 and sometimes 22 to make sure that the instructor can spend individual time with
each student, each day.
In 2008 we are celebrating our 25 years in Bend and going to fun places like Puerto Rico, Hawaii, San Francisco, Santa Barbara
and Taos.
Our mission is still the same, providing a warm, friendly atmosphere where students can learn to become better artists. We hope
that you will be able to join us!
| The one day workshop that Dee coordinated in Bend, Oregon was such a big hit that more and more teachers requested Dee to coordinate for them. One day grew to two-days, and by the year 2000 Dee was coordinating 19 five-day workshops for internationally recognized art instructors. When Debra Prater joined Art In The Mountains she took to heart the wisdom and guidance that Dee lovingly bestowed, maintaining the traditions and the quality of the company. Even though Dee has retired from AITM, her counsel is still an asset today. This year, we dedicate our workshops to Deanna Hansen, for establishing a fine company that reaches out to artists from all over the world, encouraging them to "become better artists". Join us in Celebrating 25 Years and Honoring Deanna Hansen. Celebration Weekend Schedule There is no cost for 2008 students to attend Saturday, June 28 "How to Think Creatively" Conni Gordon - Celebrity Artist and Motivational Speaker 9a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 28 "Paint-a-Picture-in-Minutes" Conni Gordon - Celebrity Artist and Motivational Speaker 2p.m. to 4p.m. Saturday, June 28 Plein Air Painting Paint with fellow artists using our schedule and directions Saturday, June 28 Open Studio Finish your paintings with the advise of local instructors Saturday, June 28 Gallery Hop Exclusive invitation into Bend's art galleries and local studio's Saturday, June 28 Celebration Dinner Honoring Deanna Hansen and a few other guests Sunday, June 29 "Oops & Ahas" Conni Gordon - Celebrity Artist and Motivational Speaker 9a.m. to 11a.m. Sunday, June 29 "Paint-Along with Conni" Conni Gordon - Celebrity Artist and Motivational Speaker 2p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday, June 29 Farewell Celebration When you register for a class you will have the opportunity to reserve space in the program above. We will also send you a flyer, providing additional information and an opportunity to join. |
| Be Free to Be Creative Our warm, caring environment encourages you to have fun experimenting without the fear of competition. The instruction you receive is a combination of informative lectures, slides, demonstrations and individual assistance. We Help You Prepare Biographies, artwork, class outlines, material lists and travel information is provided on our website and by mail to help you prepare for a truly wonderful experience. |