Experiencing Autumn through art

The Platte Valley Arts Council is giving Valley residents the opportunity to take the colors of Autumn and make something creative.

The council is bringing Wyoming artist Georgia Rowswell to the Valley Oct. 18 and 19 for a paper making workshop and talk.

“What we are trying to do is provide people in the Valley with creative opportunities, so they aren’t just looking at beautiful pieces of art, but they are actually making them,” said Platte Valley Arts Council member Pam Kraft.

Rowswell will hold a free discussion 6 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Platte Valley Community Center. She will talk about art in general and show some of her pieces. She will then lead a six-hour paper making workshop between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Encampment School art room. Enrollment is $40.00 per person, and $35 for Platte Valley Arts Council members. The workshop is available to high school students and older.

“It’s just a great opportunity for people to come out and learn something new,” Kraft said.

Rowswell said she enjoys instructing these workshops, and has an educational day planned.

“We are going to be experimenting with pulp. Found fibers making things out of okra, leaves, natural materials,” she said.

The workshop will give all enrolled the opportunity to find natural materials, and use them to make paper. Rowswell said she hopes the project will inspire people to be more involved in the arts.

“I’m a studio artist but I use workshops as a way to expose people to the wonders of art,” she said.

The paper making workshop is suitable for individuals at all skill levels in art, according to Rowswell’s website, and the hands-on process ties in with historical methods of making paper, culture and science.

To enroll in the paper making workshop, or if you have questions, call Kraft at 307-760-8241, or email her at [email protected]. Information about the workshop and Rowswell is also available atartfulhand.org.