DEVELOPING AN ART SERIES WITH ROBERTA WAGNER
DEVELOPING AN ART SERIES WITH ROBERTA WAGNER
April 24-26, 2026
Port Orchard, WA
Join Gig Harbor artist, Roberta Wagner in a three-day mixed media workshop that will focus on developing a series of small collages.
“Most of my work is inspired by land and skyscapes both real and imagined,” says Wagner. “The tidelands of Puget Sound, the fields of Minnesota, and the plains of the Dakotas often find a place in my work. I want my work to feel otherworldly, transcendent, universal—reminding the viewer of some time or place in their own life.”
Wagner currently works primarily with ink, watercolor, pigments, encaustic, and acrylic on handmade Asian papers, silk, and cotton. She also embellishes works with handmade porcelain trinkets and beads, as well as machine and hand stitch.
She loves assembling small pieces with multiple textures that lead to a moment of quiet contemplation.
She will share her daily practice with tips on how to develop smalerl collages into a series of work.
The objectives of this class —
Work in a series to create small mixed-media collage pieces
Create a mixture of collage papers and fabrics
Create 5-7 small collaged mixed media pieces
Learn how to display the pieces a variety of ways.
Each day we will meet in the Bellissima Art Studio at 9:30 a.m. and end the day around 4:30 p.m. Lunch will be served each day with one dinner Saturday after class.
Itinerary
Day 1, April 24. We will meet for introductions and Roberta will go over the workshop schedule. This morning she will share several of her series for inspiration.
After lunch, Roberta will demonstrate techniques for creating collage papers and fabrics and how to treat various papers (washi, Chinese, rice, brown, old book pages) with acrylic/ink, machine stitch, asemic writing, encaustic. Students will start making their papers.
Day 2, April 25. Roberta will demonstrate acrylic and ink on fabric before you continue making papers and work with your own fabric. There will be lots of sharing of ideas today. Roberta will also show her sample stitch book.
This evening dinner will be served after class.
Day 3, April 26. We will continue on completing the assemblages and Roberta will talk about beads, rust and other ideas for what could be added as focal points.
After lunch, Roberta will address various ways of displaying your work. The goal will be to have at least one collage framed and ready to hang.
Around 3:00, we will clean up and have our Show ‘N Tell. Class will be over around 4:30 p.m.
This Art Escape includes
Three days instruction by Roberta Wagner
Three lunches, one dinner
Some Art Supplies
Private Facebook Page
New art tribe
The cost of this workshop is $800. A non-refundable $400 deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $400 is due April 15, 2026.
Port Orchard is the site for the workshop. The location is 9 miles north of Gig Harbor, WA which is listed as one of the most desirable cities in the US to visit (or live). It is located south of Seattle, across the Narrows Bridge on Hwy 16.
The Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter stops in Gig Harbor and in Port Orchard.
There are many AirBNBs and B&Bs in the area. A list of accommodations will be provided if requested.
We will provide
India ink
Acrylic paint
Encaustic medium
Potatoes for stamping
Torn book pages
Cheesecloth
Matte Medium
Gesso
Sewing Machine
Iron
Paper Towels
Water containers
One 8” x 10” cradled board
One 8”x 10” mat with a 4” x 6” opening
Linen Tape
Sandpaper
Artist Supply List
1/4 to 1/2 yard of organza silk (Roberta buys hers from Dharma Trading)
1/4 yard lightweight cotton
1/4 yard of heaving weight cotton or canvas
Variety of sewing needles
Small Rusty pieces
Beads
Flat shells
Small bottle of ‘art glitter’ glue or Lineco Natural PH Adhesive
Scissors - paper, fabric and embroidery
Small spray bottle
Bellissima Art Studio, Port Orchard, WA
Roberta Wagner has been making art for more than 40 years in many different mediums. She is an artist and author intricately weaving threads of nature, spirituality, and personal narratives into her mixed-media artworks.
I hope my work feels like a sanctuary, nurturing your spirit, and connecting you to beauty and the bounty around us.
She is the author of Come Walk with Me: Exploring Why Art Matters. In this 168-page book with 98 images published in 2021, Wagner shines a light on how a creative practice enhances intuition and serves in times of personal challenge.
Born in New Ulm, Minnesota, Wagner lived in New York City, Washington D.C., and California before calling Gig Harbor, Washington home for the past 24 years.
Kathie Vezzani who is hosting the workshop, also is an artist who paints, rusts and waxes. She organizes trips for other artists and in a former life was a caterer. She has over three decades of experience organizing trips for foodies and artists.