Almanac

Throughout the week of Paint Grand Traverse, Crooked Tree Arts Center's Annual Plein Air Festival, we offer FREE artist demos right at the art center for those who want to learn more about technique and the art of plein air painting straight from our nationally known artists.

PGT Artist, David Orrin Smith, will have a demo on Wednesday, June 18, from 10am-12pm. All demos will be at Crooked Tree Arts Center of Traverse City.

For more information, please visit www.paintgrandtraverse.com

National Alliance on Mental Illness offers support groups for families and individuals living with a mental health challenge. Groups are confidential, free and no registration is required.

Email info@namigt.org or call 231-944-8448 for more information.

Date: Wednesday, June 18, and Thursday, June 19, 2025
Time: 12:30 pm–3:30 pm
Registration Deadline: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Location: Glen Arbor Arts Center Classroom
Ages: 6-12

Have you ever wondered how to harness the vibrant hues of nature to create beautiful, sustainable art? Eco-printing is a fascinating technique that allows you to do just that. By using plants from your local environment, you can transform leaves, flowers, and other botanical materials into natural dyes that infuse fabric with stunning colors and patterns.

Shibori: elevate your eco-printed creations with shibori, a traditional Japanese dyeing technique.

During this workshop, you’ll learn the following:

Plant Materials*, Preparing Fabric, Eco-Printing Techniques, Shibori Techniques, Combining Eco-Printing and Shibori.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a deep understanding of eco-printing and shibori, and you’ll be able to create your own stunning, one-of-a-kind fabric art. Join us on this creative journey and experience the joy of transforming nature’s beauty into wearable art. Students will leave with a dyed cotton tote bag.

*All plant materials are sourced responsibly.

Discover new skills to grow to healthier plants and higher yields at the Great Lakes Incubator Farm’s Soil Testing & Analysis Workshop! Learn about how labs test your sample, how to pull your soil sample, choosing the right lab, and how to interpret the results to improve your garden or farm’s productivity.

We'll use sight, sound and situational awareness to get the most out of a bird walk. We'll move through forest, riparian zone and out to Bridge Lake to maximize the number and kind of birds we may see / hear. We'll give tips on equipment, apps and photography. Pro tip: download the Merlin app (free) with the "US: Midwest" Bird Pack on a phone before the class. We'll learn how to adjust binoculars for your vision. Please let us know if you need binoculars, and let us know if you have any accessibility issues. The path is flat (0.3 miles one-way) and wood-chipped. Ticks are not usually abundant at this location, but hats, long sleeves and pants tucked into socks are recommended.

Dr. Newport is a retired life-science teacher and is on the board of our local Grand Traverse Audubon Club.

Registration Fee: $20

Throughout the week of Paint Grand Traverse, Crooked Tree Arts Center's Annual Plein Air Festival, we offer FREE artist demos right at the art center for those who want to learn more about technique and the art of plein air painting straight from our nationally known artists.

PGT Artist, Giselle Harrington, will have a demo on Thursday, June 19, from 10am-12pm. All demos will be at Crooked Tree Arts Center of Traverse City.

For more informartion, please visit www.paintgrandtraverse.com

Let's take a colorful adventure from books to brushes!! We'll meet at the library, then take a short walk across the parking lot to visit the local paint store and discover how paint is made. After our behind-the-scenes tour, we'll head back to the library to create our very own Summer Reading posters using bright colors and big imaginations! This might get messy so dress accordingly.

Date: Wednesday, June 18, and Thursday, June 19, 2025
Time: 12:30 pm–3:30 pm
Registration Deadline: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Location: Glen Arbor Arts Center Classroom
Ages: 6-12

Have you ever wondered how to harness the vibrant hues of nature to create beautiful, sustainable art? Eco-printing is a fascinating technique that allows you to do just that. By using plants from your local environment, you can transform leaves, flowers, and other botanical materials into natural dyes that infuse fabric with stunning colors and patterns.

Shibori: elevate your eco-printed creations with shibori, a traditional Japanese dyeing technique.

During this workshop, you’ll learn the following:

Plant Materials*, Preparing Fabric, Eco-Printing Techniques, Shibori Techniques, Combining Eco-Printing and Shibori.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a deep understanding of eco-printing and shibori, and you’ll be able to create your own stunning, one-of-a-kind fabric art. Join us on this creative journey and experience the joy of transforming nature’s beauty into wearable art. Students will leave with a dyed cotton tote bag.

*All plant materials are sourced responsibly.

Throughout the week of Paint Grand Traverse, Crooked Tree Arts Center's Annual Plein Air Festival, we offer FREE artist demos right at the art center for those who want to learn more about technique and the art of plein air painting straight from our nationally known artists.

PGT Awards Juror, Kimball Geisler, will have a demo on Thursday, June 19, from 5:30-7:30pm. All demos will be at Crooked Tree Arts Center of Traverse City.

For more information, please visit www.paintgrandtraverse.com

PALETTE KNIFE PAINTING:
Lily Pond

JUNE 21, 2025
SATURDAY
10am - 3pm

REGISTER BY: June 17

CLASS FEE: $125, or $112.50 for members​

FORMAT: in-person

Expressing nature through palette knife painting can be an exhilarating experience. In this
workshop, you will gain knowledge of the palette knife techniques using heavy-bodied acrylics. We
will start by creating a deep, smooth, and moody underpainting on an 18" x 24" canvas using a
large brush and feathering method. This will serve as an ideal contrast to the bold lily pads and
surface waters that we will paint using the palette knife. Finally, we will add the finishing touches of
thick impasto flowers. As your painting will still be wet, bringing a box for safe transportation is
recommended.

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SUPPLY LIST

A variety of Acrylic Paints - I use Golden acrylics: White, Payne’s Grey, Cad Yellow, Med, Cerulean Blue, Magenta, Ultramarine Blue, Black, Quinacridone Gold, light purple.
Various Acrylic Brushes; be sure to have a 1” flat.
18”x 24” Canvas
Palette paper
Spray bottle