Well, it is up on me (us). We are headed for Jim Thorpe, PA for a fantastic week in the mountains being taught by top illustrators in the country. It is my hope to find a voice for my illustration, give it the ability to tell a story.
The Carbon County Cultural Project's Storytelling Workshop in Words and Pictures is a week long event for figurative artists interested in storytelling, taking place in Jim Thorpe, PA on June 22 - 26, 2009. Attending artists will find themselves in a 19th century town nestled in among mountains that have served as inspiration for works ranging from the writing and illustrations of Audubon to contemporary graphic novels. Surrounded by landscape thick with legacy, artists will have the opportunity to work with legendary painters and illustrators through a series of visual storytelling exercises.
Joining forces to teach this intense weeklong workshop will include Marshall Arisman, Anthony Freda, John Mattos and resident artist Victor Stabin. Together, these accomplished artists and educators represent over a hundred and thirty years of image making experience and are prepared to share their unique insights into visual storytelling with you.
Writing about visual work is often a key to its success. Jim Thorpe, formerly known as Mauch Chunk, provides a setting rich with historic and visual inspirations. Artists will make observations of the town in the form of a written travel journal. This personal journal will provide the foundation for pictorial concepts. The inherently personal act of writing will inform the picture making, enabling artists to get closer to developing a more personal approach.
The Assignment
Artists will arrive in Jim Thorpe and immediately begin the process of documenting, in words and pictures, their experiences of the people they meet, the landscape and their areas of personal interest. Drawing on location and writing journals (interviews, impressions, etc.), individual work will be discussed and become the basis of visual essays. These essays will be series of drawings, paintings, graphic novels, comic books or children's books, accompanied by text.
The daily schedule will consist of group discussions, guest speakers, visual presentations and critiques in the mornings while afternoons will be devoted to workshops. Students should bring any art materials that they would like to work with.