The Language of Memory: Mixed Media Using Personal Objects

THE LANGUAGE OF MEMORY
A Mixed-Media Workshop on Integrating Personal Artifacts into Layered Imagery

August 21, 2026  |  11-4  |  $180

In this 5-hour workshop, we’ll transform treasured objects and collected materials into a layered composition through painting, texture, and guided explorations of composition.

We all keep certain mementos: the stub of a favorite pencil, love letters, a foreign coin, a marble from a childhood memory box, a single eyeglass lens. These artifacts act as signposts and quiet evidence of our lives, reminding us that our experiences, however ordinary or private, add something to the collective human experience.

Working with watercolor and Flashe paints, we’ll begin by building a visual world for your chosen objects to inhabit. Through guided explorations of color, composition, and material relationships, you’ll discover ways to integrate these elements into a cohesive artwork that honors the memory while allowing something new to emerge.

Additional materials such as fabric, papers, string, buttons, and other textural elements can be incorporated to create depth and visual unity. Bring materials that feel visually or personally resonant to you. Because the focus is on integrating objects into the surface itself, please choose low-profile items (1/4 inch or less is best).

This process is as much about intuition as it is about technique. Your greatest resource is your willingness to explore.