Go Behind the Scenes with Jodi Ohl at the Filming of her latest DVD's

Throughout the week of taping my DVD's, the film crew were like little mouses, sneaking around with the cameras and asking me oddball questions..lol   Here's a quick little promo videos with a couple of the out-takes. Everyone had a great sense of humor and lots of fun during filming :)

To view all of the products and options available from F&W Media,  please click 

HERE.

Part 2 of the Big News: This is Really Happening! Behind The Scenes of Making My DVDS!

The last few months have  been a whirlwind for sure with all sorts of cool projects going on,  fun trips, awesome classes with super fun students,  and just incredible memories made doing work I hardly consider a job.  This week I'm super EXCITED to share even more news (with a few more announcements to come..what the what!!!!).  

Last May, some of you may recall that I traveled to the Cincinnati film studios of F&W Media (parent company of Cloth Paper Scissors,  Artists Magazine, North Light Books,  Artists and Makers, to name a few),  to spend 4 days filming for upcoming DVDs of mine they are producing. Well....the time has come and the 4 new DVD's  are ready for Pre-order (they  will be shipping starting October 2nd). The digital downloads are available now!!!   This is one of those pinch me moments that I can hardly believe is happening!

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the behind the scenes photos of my work table and set up as well as meet a couple of the wonder women behind the scenes filming (sorry I didn't get pics of the guys that made it all happen, too)!  One thing is for sure, there's so much hard work and effort that goes into producing videos,  each and every person plays a vital rol in making it all happen!

My producer,  Amy Jones.  She did an awesome job putting all the details of my creative vision  for the projects into an actual product that we are delivering to you!    Not to mention she is a lot of fun and has a great personality. I felt welcome and valued as soon as I arrived on set!   I was scared as could be, not knowing what to expect and I know the first day I was not as comfortable with the whole process as I could have been but it didn't take long for my nerves to settle with all the support and help the crew lent me!

 Wowza...do you see that big camera facing down on the set?  They had 4 of those around the room...and 3-4 camera/film operators at any one time working on the set along with myself and the producer. It was quite the arty party!!!  :)

The projects range from watercolors on Yupo,  acrylic painting, collage, and ink paintings. Just tons of techniques and information jam packed into the DVDs that will be soon available.   The fact that I had the opportunity to do this is just beyond words.  I know I'm blessed for sure and I am excited to bring to you this new avenue of creative education at an extremely affordable price!   There have been tons of requests in the past from students of mine to have downloadable products or dvds and I just didn't have a way to create that type of product...well that's an issue of the past.  Now you can  enjoy the classes/projects anytime, anywhere!

Here's Christine, another one of the camera woman and a photographer along with Amy, our producer.  I hope you can tell how much fun we all had from their contagious smiles!  :))

 More samples I brought for the shoot...we 'prettied' up the set with a fun selection of my art over the course of the week. I brought a ton of stuff!  I seem to do that where ever I go.  Packing lightly is just not something I'm very good at!! :))

Preparing to work on a new project for the film...there's a lot of stop and starting during the course of the day but it is definitely a FULL day of work for each of the DVD's we created and then months of editing and polishing it all up for the  the final project(s).

So other than noticing for sure how dang chunky I look, I'm really proud of everything we created at F&W Media!!  I hope that you take a second to check out the DVD's or Downloads and buy one or two for yourself!   These would make great stocking stuffers for the holidays, too...just sayin!!! :))

Here are the pictures for the DVD's and if you click on them they will take you right to the store to purchase them!

Collage Characters

Expressive Watercolor on Yupo:  Painting Flowers

Graffiti Grunge Art

Tandem Techniques 15 Mixed Media Techniques for Canvas and Art Journals

My last words of wisdom for this post is simply to be brave in your quest to achieve your dreams.  You never know what can happen if you simply try.  Now go out and make some beautiful art or run that marathon you've been wanting to do!  You got this!

Ohhh...one more thing,  if you haven't had a chance to stop by my last blog post-I'm having a giveaway. Entries taken through 9/30!  

Stay tuned for more big news coming!!

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If you are in the neighborhood, join us for the opening reception for my new featured artist show, "Land of the Whimsical and Odd".  October 1st from 630-830. The show will be up through the end of October at Artful Living Group in Carolina Beach.  

Experimental Art: When You Explore...You Become Brave With Each New Step You Take

When I first posed the idea of creating this class to a couple of people that I work with in a parallel sort of way,  they were unsure of it's appeal because of how different it is and how dark it can be compared to my other work. 

Sometimes darkness equates with not so nice things like death, macabre, destruction.

But there are ways to put light into darkness and to come full circle from the different to the enlightening.  

In some ways, that's what we accomplished this week in my first full length live version of my class Grunge, Ink (which has been for almost a year an online class of mine).  I've done demonstrations first with high school students and then with a small group of artists, but this was my first time teaching it on location with a group of adventurous artists.  

The venue for so much inspiration?  The Art More Place in Melbourne, Florida.  As you'll see from some of these pictures, the place is HUGE. It's colorful. It's inspiring! It's a electric!

I'ts magical.  First because of the space, but secondly and most importantly because of the people at the helm who are fostering all of this creativity,  Sherri Otcenasek and her 'gift daughter'  Jane. Then those people at the helm keep multiplying as more and more artists meander their way through for residencies and for classes, all of which attributes to the magic that abounds through the air as soon as you walk through the doors.

Some of the questions I heard from students about to take the class or who were taking the class but still unsure if they were going to like the process...

But do I have to use this?  Is there anything else besides Yupo.  I don't want to use black.   Can I use ....can I do...

The answer I had to say at least for this instance was to just trust me.

Trust that I'm going to lead you down a path of discovery.

It's going to be experimental.  You are going to either love it or hate it.  My goal in either of those cases is to guide you into a experimental zone of creativity.  To open up your mind and help you explore what is possible.  Be open to what can happen when you simply EXPLORE.

 When you explore....you become brave with each new step you take.

You also enter a world of discovery when you step out of your comfort zone.

When you are not tied to the outcome, you leave room for break through moments.

 The more you experiment, the greater chance for success that you have.

I'm so glad my students chose to trust me and to enjoy a day...a weekend of play and experimental processes!

The room was overfilling with joy and many aha moments.

Let's try this with that....

Why not???

How about I do this? 

Can I????

Wow! Look at this??

Is this not cool?

Pieces, papers, artwork, paint,  tools...oh my...everywhere!

I started off with like 200 hundred sheets of paper and every sheet was either used or sold at the end for additional practice at home.

That's a lot of art!!!!!

Here's some of the students and a piece or two that they chose to exhibit from their 'collection'.

I love the diversity of each and everyone's work!!

I love the fact that every student took a chance on their self and did something that may have been way out of their comfort zone or so unlike what they normally do.

It's not easy to be immersed into something new with a room full of friends we haven't met yet.

Despite any initial hesitation,   we all saw that inspiration from each other fed into our own work and that led to some pretty fantastic moments throughout the entire weekend.

I also saw many students work with each other as is the case in all classes.  You didn't have to look far if you needed encouragement or advice, or even to use something someone else had brought along.  Artists are so giving and kind.  

I think the hardest part is being kind with ourselves.  

We are our own worst critic.

We need to get out of our own way to soar to new heights. 

Everyone around us is cheering us on...just look.  You can find the support system you need to do whatever it is you want to do...just look!

I'm so grateful this entire group took the plunge and joined in our workshops this weekend!  Having never taught in Florida before, I was entering into uncharted territories myself and was even rather nervous about it!!

I'm always nervous before teaching...especially when I'm teaching something I haven't taught (in person) or in a new place.  

If I let my fear of doing something new...trying something new,  going someplace new,  experimenting with new ideas...well I would have missed out on a great opportunity to work with 

fantastic artists such as all these women and more that I'm featuring today.    

The bigger picture...I'd miss out on really so many things that my career has blossomed into.

The list is endless.

For those of you who missed this weekend of workshops at Art More Place,  great news--I will be back next year!!!  I am super excited about returning!  We are still working out dates and possible classes but whatever we do,  I hope you decide to join in on the fun. As you can see from the pictures, its a wonderful venue in so many ways and on so many levels!!!!

My next class for Grunge Ink (Live) will be at Random Arts in Saluda, NC where I kick off a weekend of workshops with this class at the end of September.  Random Arts is another little magical place nestled in the mountains of North Carolina that I love love love so much.  It's a smaller venue so be sure to sign up soon, the class is limited to 12 students. 

**I'm also planning on a couple more in person classes in 2016 for this workshop as it is just really fantastic and 'needs' to be shared! lol!!!   

If an in person class is not in the cards right now for you,  I do teach a version of this class online over at Icreateflix.com.  Click here for more information.

EVEN if you have taken the class online,    I recommend taking the class (and vice versus) in person.  It's kinda like buying a cd from a favorite musician and then going to a concert...or like I said, vice versus.  There are benefits to both options that are just as energizing and educational.

More happy smiling students and new friends!

I love all the colors everyone chose for their work!

I love the marks they made and awesome texture discovered!!

So back to the questions I had from many of the students before we began....

When you ask why,  I respond with why not?

Can I?   I say,  it's worth a shot,   I don't always know an outcome when I venture into an 'experiment'. I don't always like what I do, but I always learn something new.

And there are times when I venture into something I new...I fall in love in ways I never thought were possible!   That's the moment you feel most alive!

We communicate with others through our art.  It's hard to say what you don't know, until you just say it while following your instinct.  That's how you get passed the unknown fear. You do it so many times until it becomes second nature and more about your vision, than your idea if that makes sense.

Here's Sherri, the Owner of Art More Place   she is the magic behind this amazing venue!

The more knowledge we gain through experiments and unbridled learning,   we become more confidant.

Knowledge breeds confidence.

Don't be afraid to learn.

Thank you for trusting your experience this weekend in me...and thank you to all of you who have trusted in me in the past to teach you not only about art, but hopefully a little bit about yourself.

***Looks like a missed a few peeps in their 'exhibit' shots'.....sooooo sorry!!!!!*** But here we are all together!!!

Grunge Ink Melbourne, class of 2015

See you next year or sooner!

Keep experimenting.

Keep being brave.

Keep believing in yourself!!!

Keep arting!!

:))

Until we meet again!

Jodi

Is There A Right Answer?

It was recently asked of me by a business coach,  am I an Artist who Teaches, or a Teacher who is an Artist?  My first response was that I am an Artist who Teaches but then as the discussion dug down deeper about what I do and why I do what I do...the question surfaced again,  "So I ask you again, are you an Artist who Teaches or a Teacher who is an Artist? Because you do realize all we have talked about for the last hour is about your teaching!"   I never really thought about it in those terms before and I'm not sure that there is any one right answer, but I do know that I thoroughly enjoy teaching art to my students who after several years of doing this --are all scattered throughout the world.  Some, I'm lucky enough to have met in person but even those who I connect with online are are ones that I'm blessed to have in my life. I'm lucky all the way around, whichever way you look at it and whoever it is I am, or whoever it is that I've become. I enjoy both creating art, and teaching about it.

I love seeing my students smiles when they are having fun and in their element. Or hearing about a breakthrough when they create something they didn't think they could do when first walking through the door.   I enjoy  them quietly (or not so quietly!!! )  share stories and getting to know one another as the day(s) progress during a workshop and retreat.

I feel compelled to share my own stories so that the students feel that we are connected in ways that they hadn't ever realized so that they know that they can do this or that too!   It isn't that hard once you roll up your sleeves and dig in.  You took the first step by showing up, now allow your muse to appear on the canvas. She may not be pretty at first but as you work through that awkward stage, you will come out on the other side to something amazing!  There are always many breakthroughs, some easier than others to work past but they are all, they are ALL....worth it!

Admittedly, I don't know all the rules or even all the answers but I will share with you practices and techniques I've come to favor and employ in my own work-the why behind what I do, what I use, and how I do it is shared and broken down so that you feel empowered to create from whatever stage in the journey you are on. There is something for everyone to learn, every day, and every time.

I teach you how to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes because Lord knows I make enough myself but I don't give up. Even when I give up, I don't give up if that makes sense. I figure out how to move past a slip up and turn it into a "Holy cow, I can't believe this worked or look at what this turned into now!".  Some of my best discoveries have come from mistakes or some of my best paintings were ones that I renovated the second or third time around.

Honestly, it is hard to master anything in one day or a several hours but I strive to give you the tools that you need when you walk out  of the classroom (or finish an online workshop) to lay the foundation to mastery, and the knowledge to realize that mastery is hardly ever found because we ALL continue to grow and evolve the more and more we do something.     I hope I give you, the student,  confidence to know that you are more than capable of greatness.   That is a secret sauce that goes into what I do when I teach.

I hope that when I teach you, you see that even seemingly simply design has many layers of love and time put into it. That good things don't just happen immediately but they do happen with more work, more love, more details, and more time put into them.  I hope that when I ask you to find that place that makes you happy when you create, you dig deep and find somewhere you can build on as you compose your own mini masterpiece that makes you smile while you immerse yourself in the process.

Going back to the original question, am I an Artist who Teaches, or a Teacher is an Artist--I think the answer is clear. I am a Teacher who at the core of her being,  couldn't do what she does without being an artist first and foremost.  They are all connected. I hope I can connect with you if you are ready to be one of my students now or in the future. Either way, we are connected and not that different from one another, I've seen and heard it many times over.   I know this above all, I enjoy what I do immensely and I have passion for who I've become and can't wait to share it with anyone who is willing to participate, listen, and create with me-or on the flip side, collect and cherish the art I've brought into this world.

That's the mark I've made so far in this journey.   The calling, the purpose after the main purpose which is to be a mother to my boys.  It's all connected in many ways. :)  I hope you find a calling or purpose that fills your heart with passion.



(All the above pictures feature classes I'll be teaching at Create in Dallas Texas in about 2 weeks!!!)

Waterflowing Selfie,  Mini City,  Glazed and Not so Confused, Angelic Inspirations,  and Ornamental--can be purchased through the Create Texas Website. Stop by HERE to find more information. PLUS I will also be vending at the artist faire that Friday evening. 

Dates for the event are September 17th-21st , 2014.

There are many opportunities to learn and enjoy yourself in one of my many classes over the next few months both in person and online! I'm going to feature some of those events/classes over the next few days so stay tuned!!!    My newest online class is being released,  September 12th.  We are offering a pre-sale price on this workshop  "Grunge Ink" through the opening so don't miss out on the opportunity to explore contemporary abstracts on a unique surface!

Stop here for more details and to register :)  

Twinks On Yupo with- Jodi Ohl Beginner Workshop by Jodi Ohl - iCreateFlix.com

Just a quickie post to let you know I'm running a super special on one of my online classes. We are expanding our audience by offering this fun filled water media class over at Icreateflix.com.   Officially the class opens on 8/1/14. When you pre-register, we are offering a 15.00 discount off the regular price.  You will have extended access of this class over at Icreateflix which is HUGE.!   Work at you own pace, 24/7!

Did I mention the fact that the folks over at Colourarte are offering the first students to sign up for Twinks on Yupo  a 90 day coupon that can be used multiple times for supply purchases on their webstore?  Order from their extensive catalog of over 200 Twinkling H20 colors!!



*This class features contemporary watercolor painting using Twinkling H20s on Yupo paper.



What are you waiting for?   Join us today and save!



*After 8/1 the price for the class will be 60.00

23  videos and over 4 hours of content!



*This is a re-release of my class so if you've already taken Twinks On Yupo this is the same content as offered on Colourarte.  Please note, the special offer is only for the class on icreateflix.com :)



Twinks On Yupo with- Jodi Ohl Beginner Workshop by Jodi Ohl - iCreateFlix.com





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