WHIMSEY WITH A SIDE OF LOVE
WHIMSEY WITH A SIDE OF LOVE WITH TIFFANY OWNBEY
Feb. 28-March 8, 2026
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
If you love paper, ephemera and tying the past to the present, you will love Tiffany Ownbey’s whimsical creations. A North Carolina artist who lives in a family-built cabin in the woods, Tiffany combines her love of papier-mâché with ephemera that she has collected since she was a young girl. Her work has been shown around the United States and in Japan.
Tiffany with some of her creations
She has taught one Bellissima Art Escape and we have asked her to teach again with a magical collaboration with Mojiganga Master, Hermes Arroyo in San Miguel de Allende. We knew that when we met Tiffany and saw her work, that she and Hermes are simpatico. We can’t wait to see what everyone creates!
Hermes Arroyo, is a mojiganga master who espouses the “old ways” of having his studio in his home where he and his various family members create the colorful, unique and often, humorous giant mojiganga puppets that parade through the jardin and at various venus for weddings, anniversaries and special events.
Hermes has one of the greatest smiles and his love of his craft emanates from his designs. We love taking groups to his studio and when we were last there, he offered to teach a class on how to make a small mojiganga. What a perfect complement to Tiffany’s work!
Itinerary
In this workshop, you will create your own special mixed media sculptures, one (or two!) with Tiffany and one with Hermes.
Day 1, Saturday Feb. 28
Everyone arrives and we will have a reception with botanas and drinks at 7:00 p.m. in the main courtyard.
Day 2, Sunday March 1
Have breakfast before meeting in the studio at 9:30 a.m. Tiffany and Kathie will go over the schedule for the week. We will begin to design our sculptures, breaking for a quick walking tour before having lunch nearby. We will return to the studio and continue forming our molds. Class will be over at 5:00 and you will have time to relax before we meet for dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Day 3, Monday March 2
Breakfast and then it is a full day in the studio as we continue working. Lunch will be provided on site by Ana Elena. Class will be over at 4:30 and then we will meet for dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Day 4, Tuesday March 3
Breakfast at CDLN and then we will walk to Hermes’s studio where we will make our forms. Lunch will be at Pegasus and then you will have the afternoon free. Ana Elena will give a cooking class this evening.
Day 5, Wednesday March 4
Breakfast and then meet in the studio to continue working. Lunch will be provided by Ana Elena and this afternoon we will return to Hermes’s studio where we will finish painting and adding special bling to our creations. We will walk to the jardin and then have dinner.
Day 6, Thursday March 5
Breakfast, then meet in the studio at 9:30 to continue working with Tiffany. Lunch will be provided by Ana Elena. Return to the studio and work until 4:30. Dinner will be on your own this evening.
Day 7, Friday March 6
Breakfast and then a full day in the studio with a break for lunch at the Library. Dinner will be provided.
Day 8, Saturday March 7
Breakfast and then meet in the studio at 9:00 a.m. We will add our final details to our sculptures, then we will clean up and have our Show “N Tell. The rest of the afternoon is free and lunch is on your own. We will meet in the lobby at 6:30 to walk to our final farewell dinner together.
Day 9, Sunday March 8
The trip is over and you are free to leave anytime this day.
Some of the creations made by the artists in Tiffany’s class in the Bellissima Art Studio.
This Escape Includes
8 nights at Casa de la Noche
Classes with Tiffany Ownbey
Class with Hermes Arroyo
Welcome reception and fiesta
All breakfasts,six lunches and 5 dinners (one lunch and one dinner on your own)
Visit to markets
Cooking Demonstration with Chef Ana Elena Martinez
Free time to explore
A farewell dinner
Price: $4500, limited to 12 people based on double occupancy, limited single rooms are available for an additional $700.
A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. The balance is due Dec. 1, 2025.
Price does not include airfare to/from Mexico, alcohol, and travel insurance (mandatory).
Accommodations: Casa de la Noche
CDLN is a boutique bed and breakfast located minutes from the center of SMA. Rooms will be assigned to you and transportation is included and coordinated by CDLN. See the video with a surprise guest at the end!
Airport:(BJX) Del Bajio Airport, Leon/Guanajuato which is 1 hour and 15 minutes from SMA. Or Queretaro (QRO).
We will provide
Liquid starch
Matte Varnish
Non-stick cooking spray
Wire
Wooden dowels
Wire cutters
Supply List for Artists
Scissors
Apron
Paint brushes for varnish
Sharpie fine point pens
Sewing patterns
Various old papers - stamps, green stamps, etc.
Old doll bodies and feet and bowls to use for molds
Box cutter knife
Tiffany Ownbey of Rutherfordton, NC is a mixed media artist whose work plays on the combination of the past and the present, nature and consumerism, and reuse and beauty.
Tiffany Ownbey and Kathie Vezzani holding their creations in the Bellissima Art Studio in Port Orchard, WA
From an early age, Ownbey adopted her parents’ appreciation for flea markets and antique stores, transforming the magical quality and history of vintage objects and materials into new stories. Her work focuses on the experience of familiarity for the viewer, each reused element an opportunity for discovery and igniting memory.
Ownbey studied art at Savannah College of Art and Design, Penland School of Crafts, and Western Carolina University. She has exhibited throughout the United States and in Japan and is currently living in a 100 year-old family-built log cabin surrounded by her sweet furry creatures, both domestic and unexpected.
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.