Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday!

Today is small business Saturday! If you would like to learn how to make your own miniature gargoyle and cathedral, you will enjoy my class "Guardian Gargoyles." I'm so pleased to be joining a line up of very talented artists in an amazing year long art journey presented by Mystic Springs Studio, called Artwalk Alchemy 2019.  Right now you can purchase the class at the early bird rate of $99.  Cyber Monday is right around the corner as well, so stay tuned for more information and another great tuition offer! 

Please use this link to visit the registration page: https://bit.ly/2AfP61j 

Thank you for supporting independent artists, and I hope to see you in class!

Online Class - Artwalk Alchemy 2019

I'm excited to announce I'm participating in a new, year long online art class: Artwalk Alchemy 2019!  The class is presented by Mystic Spring Studios.  A total of twenty-four amazing artists will be teaching varied techniques, and there will be something for everyone.  The theme for the class is totems and talismans, and I love the idea. It conjures up things powerful, magical, and personal.  

If you want to join a friendly, art centered community and learn tons of techniques, Artwalk Alchemy 2019 is the place for you.  View the video, then click on the button below for more information and to register. Be sure to note that I sent you there, and I hope to see you in class! I will post more information and sneak peeks in the coming weeks.

Art Walk Alchemy 2019 from Mystic Spring Studios on Vimeo.

Back in the Mix!

I've been away for quite a while. You see, we had this little ol' storm in Houston about this time last year called "Harvey." A harmless sounding name for a wicked storm. I, along with thousands of others, had flooding from the torrential rain that Harvey decided to drop down upon us.

We were semi lucky as we were able to return home at the end of January, 2018. I personally know many people who still have not. For several months I had no time or desire to make art. It wasn't until February that I finally decided to get back into the mix.

I have some new pieces to add to my site and news regarding upcoming classes which I'll be teaching. I hope to see some of you there and will post more news when available.

We are just now entering the busy storm season and the threat always looms large until the end of November. I'm going to keep making art and stay alert, but it is my intention never to stay away from creating for such a long stretch of time again.

Getting Ready for Class!

Hand washed spanish moss; doll arms.
Mixed media assemblage utilizes some
strange supplies!



I've been busy getting the optional kits ready for my Artful Gathering class, "Of Spent and Aged Things." In the process, I've washed and dried spanish moss, soaked pinecones, twigs and sweetgum pods in vinegar water, baked them in the oven, and poured multiple pairs of doll arms. Assemblage art utilizes all types of materials as art supplies, and I'm constantly learning about ways to prepare different items to make them suitable for use. I'm thrilled to be able to share this class, and excited that it will be presented by Artful Gathering - a respected, quality online learning venue. The class information is as follows:

S1-123 Of Spent and Aged Things: Reclaiming the Abandoned 

Penny McDonald

Session One: June 6 – July 17 

Tuition $110

Do you collect things? The strange, the discarded, the old? Have you ever wondered how you could use these wonderful items in your artwork? Do you dream of moving beyond the flat canvas and into the third dimension? Join me in “Of Spent and Aged Things: Reclaiming the Abandoned” this summer on Artful Gathering.

You will learn to use epoxy clay, texture, textiles and paint to meld numerous disparate found objects into one unique, darkly whimsical work of art: your own nature inspired cage doll.

This class is suitable for all levels of students from the beginner to the experienced. I will take you on a mixed media assemblage journey; guiding you step by step through the process - from finding “found objects,” to demonstrating tools and construction methods, to texturing and painting techniques.

I’m so excited to share the transformational process and experience of mixed media assemblage with you. Come with me and create something you may have never before dreamed possible! 

Optional Add-Ons: 

Kit: Yes. Kit will be offered directly through your instructor while supplies last. 

DVD version available at close of workshop, at student value price, for students only.

A Long Weekend in the Country

I just got back home from a nice, long weekend in the country - east Texas to be exact. We try to get away as often as possible to escape from the Houston noise and traffic. This past weekend was a rarity - one of the beautiful, not yet scalding hot types. We were lucky to see nature at her finest.  

Red Spotted Purple butterfly.

This beauty stopped by and stayed to visit for a while. We also did the obligatory wildflower viewing. Everything is blooming early this year, and plants that don't normally bloom at the same time are doing so. While it's beautiful to look at, it's  concerning to me as well. Everything from Bluebonnets, Clover, Queen Anne's Lace, Thistles, Dewberries, Paintbrushes, Blanket Flowers . . . the list goes on. However, I never saw the Dogwood bloom this season. I felt the loss and hope they will return next year. 

Bluebonnets in bloom.

Thistle in bloom.

While this post may not be strictly art related, nature is a recurring theme in my work. I feel the most relaxed there; at peace just being still. This is one reason (among several) that I am so excited to be teaching in the summer session of the Artful Gathering online retreat in June. I have created a class in which students will be making nature inspired cage dolls using mixed media assemblage methods.

Registration for the class opens on May 1, and you can find more information here. I hope you will join me and the other instructors for a wonderful retreat experience. No matter what, try to get out and enjoy nature any time you are able!

Welcome to my home workshop!

 Welcome to my workshop. This is where I make my mixed media assemblage art; where I spend my free time making messes, mistakes, discoveries, and ultimately – art. I love​ my workshop because here I’m free to ask not “Why?” but “Why not?”

Outside my home workshop. Welcome to Houston!

Mural in progress.

Why not pick up discarded items others no longer want? Why not mix them with other pieces, clay, paint and imagination to come up with something completely different? Why not utilize all of my skills instead of limiting myself to just one or two? Why make a rocket powered hippo with wheels? Well, why not?