Supplies list from PJ!

Check out this Schedule and Supplies list that is easy to print. Say hello to PJ the Sweede! 

Off the Map LIVE! February 22, 2015 Paradise Artist Retreat Special

 Sunday February 22, 2015 at 10pm EST Off the Map LIVE! will be presenting a Paradise Artist Retreat Skype Extravaganza! Host Ben Licata will be joined by an amazing collection of artists including Guy Aitchison, Chet Zar, Damon Conklin, Pepper, Dan Marshall, and Ian Mckown. Our focus for this episode will be the upcoming Paradise Artist Retreat to be held once again at the Tamaya Resort in New Mexico this March 30th through April 2nd.

We'll talk with our guests about their experiences at past Paradise Artist Retreats and how it shaped their art. Some of our guests are teaching at the Reatreat and will discuss their seminars and what they will be presenting. 

Off the Map LIVE! will also be traveling to the Retreat this year and bringing the gear with us. We'll be setting up and streaming all the seminars and discussion panels out to anywhere with an internet connection. If you can't make it out to New Mexico we'll miss you but you wont have to miss out on the experience. Get together with your artist friends and beam the whole experience right into your studio. You can get your streaming ticket by clicking right here.

"I Like to Paint Monsters" World Premier open to public at Retreat!

The I Like to Paint Monsters documentary, about the life, work and philosophies of Chet Zar, Painter of Dark, is almost complete! Be the first to enjoy this brief foray into the dark and foreboding worlds of Zar on April 1st at 4 PM. The showing will be free and open to the public. 

Directed by Mike Correll. Produced by NRG Creations in association with Happy Cloud Productions, Rebel Impulse Studios and EVR Films. Executive Producers Mischa McLachlan, Myron Walters, Cris Velasco and Felipe Da Silva. Co-Producer Erwin Tschofen. Music by Chet Zar's band "IS". 

Much gratitude to the many Kickstarter Backers and Zarmy members that have made this documentary possible! For more information about I Like to Paint Monsters, or to donate to the project, visit their webpage: http://www.iliketopaintmonsters.com 

Paradise Artist Retreat Streaming Tickets Now Available! Stream the Creative Energy into your Studio.

Can't make it to the event? Don't let that stop you from learning from these amazing artists. You can stream the event live and beam it right into your studio!

If you're in a place with a solid internet connection, you can take part in this wonderful experience.

Get together with your artist friends and up your art game together.

Paradise Artist Retreat LIVE STREAM Ticket includes

Seminars with Guy Aitchison , Jeff Gogue, Nick Baxter, Chet Zar, Hannah Aitchison, Gabe Leonard, and Tony Moore. 
Two discussion panels

Don't wait! Click here now to sign up today!!

Mike Cole at the Paradise Artist Retreat!

Mike Cole is going to be a featured artist at the next Paradise Artist Retreat. Mike will be working all week, and bringing pieces of artwork, prints, and books for sale. Check out some of these videos from Mike!

Also, here is a great video with Mike Cole's artwork!

Paradise Artist Retreat: Artist Feature Gabe Leonard

The Paradise Artist Retreat is excited to anounce Gabe Leonard will be teaching at this years event. He will be bringing a new perspective to the artist retreat and we are excited to learn form this inspiring artist.

Gabe Leonard

The Cinematic Artist. Gabe Leonard's paintings take you into a world rich with inimitable atmosphere and narrative intrigue. What tales lie behind these interesting characters? And where will their stories take them? Leonard spent his early years in the mountain state of Wyoming, sketching wildlife and selling them to his school friends for a dollar. After graduating from Columbus College, Ohio with a BA in Fine Art, he moved to Los Angeles where he first honed his skills on the ultra-competitive boardwalk of Venice Beach.His work captures rich moods by combining the free brushwork of an expressive artist combined with the lighting and framing of a seasoned Hollywood cinematographer. Drawn to rugged and romantic film noir characters, Leonard merges technically brilliant figurative painting with a finely crafted cinematic atmosphere, creating snapshot moments full of narrative possibilities.The trademark runs and drips in his work are a deliberate break from acedemic restrictions and allow him to be more expressive, free and loose. Leonard's style is deepy rooted in the European artistic tradition, drawing particularly on the work of his heroes such as Rembrandt, Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.Following a string of sell-out shows and acquisitions of his work by high profile collectors including Quentin Tarantino, Eli Broad and Charlie Sheen, Leonard has become one of the most sought-after artists in the world, collected in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Artist Website: www.gabeleonard.com

Seminar name:

How to see

Seminar focus:

Learn how to see the figure in order to create compositions that have an emotional impact on the viewer. 

Learning outcomes:

The student should come away with a broader way of thinking about composition and how the figure plays a role in it. They will learn how to think in terms of shapes, patterns and forms rather than detail and rendering techniques.

Materials:

drawing pad... the larger the better (16x20 - 24x36). Vine charcoal... soft, medium and hard. At least one stretched canvas or canvas board. size is up to the student, but the larger the better. 2 inch house painting brush, palette knives, pallette for acrylics or oils (disposable or paper/wax pallettes will work) burnt umber, alizarin crimson, naples yellow, titanium white, any other color the student wishes to bring or use as well

Tickets are going fast this year and we will be selling out so get your tickets while they are still available!

Paradise Artist Retreat: Artist Feature Tony Moore

The Paradise Artist Retreat will be featuring our amazing instructors in the coming weeks. We are excited to anounce that Tony Moore will be teaching at this years event. Tony will be sure to add a new dimension to to the Paradise Artist Retreat expeireince.

Tony Moore

Tony Moore is a two-time Eisner Award nominated cartoonist from Kentucky. He's most known for his work as co-creator of the hit series The Walking Dead & Fear Agent, and for his bombastic runs on such Marvel titles as Ghost Rider, Punisher, Venom, and Deadpool. 

Artist website:

One Shot: Visual Storytelling:

As a comic book illustrator, it is Tony's job to tell stories. One particular challenge that he always enjoys the most, however, is the cover. It's a single image, which at its best should encapsulate the contents of the book. In one lone image, a comic book cover should present an atmosphere and story in itself, and intrigue the viewer to ask "What's next?" Following the school of thought of classic illustrators such as NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Norman Rockwell, and scores of his predecessors in the comics industry, Moore will examine and discuss how to present dynamic and visually rich storytelling in a single static image.

Learning outcome:

Focus on storytelling. Compiling and focusing on necessary themes & events.Considering and expanding your visual vocabulary to convey themes. Presenting atmosphere as well as compelling story content. Ultimately, considering how to apply these ideas to conceptualizing and executing visually rich artwork that conveys a depth of story in a single dynamic image.

Materials:

A notebook/sketchbook, at least. Taking notes might be helpful, and attendees are welcome and encouraged to percolate ideas and develop imagery as the seminar progresses.

Tickets are going fast this year and we will be selling out so get your tickets while they are still available!

Paradise Artist Retreat *EARLY BIRD SPECIAL* Ending 11/23!

Paradise Artist Retreat is on!

Excitement for the Paradise Artist Retreat's return to the Tamaya Resort in New Mexico is building every day! From March 30-April 2nd, this truly unique event will bring together scores of artists of all skill levels for four days of inspiration, learning, and art creation led by Guy Aitchison, Jeff Gogue, Shawn Barber, Nick Baxter, Gabe Leonard, Hannah Aitchison, Chet Zar and Grant Standard. Highlights of the retreat include a series of high-powered workshops with these noted instructors, along with morning figure drawing sessions, evening panel talks, and an open studio art room where artists can work side by side on projects of their choosing. On Thursday afternoon the event opens to the public and many of the artists will have works and merchandise for sale.

Seminar and workshop topics covered throughout the weekend include a visionary art workshop with Alex and Allyson Grey. Guy plans to go into detail about translating your visions from your mind to your artistic medium, while Jeff Gogue will focus on his energetic painting technique. Heads and hands will be led by Shawn Barber, and Hannah Aitchison will lead a figure drawing session with special emphasis on understanding the design aspects of the human figure. Chet Zar will lead a group painting session, and Nick Baxter will get into detail about his holistic process, where concept, design and execution all come together into a single big picture. It's a well rounded suite of workshops intended to benefit almost any creative person who is interested in learning.

The artist pass includes entry into all seminars from all the featured teachers, as well as the morning figure drawing classes and discussion panels. Of course, many artists will have originals and prints for sale, which can be displayed by their art setup in the open studio space. The event will be open to the public on the final day, providing an opportunity to show and sell original works or other merchandise.

The Tamaya resort is a tranquil, picturesque location just north of Albuquerque- the perfect setting for artists to get away, hit reset, and return home with a fresh perspective as well as a few new technical tricks. If you are a creative person, the Paradise Artist Retreat is truly a unique, humbling and empowering event that you should experience at least once. Tickets are available now at our online store, and you can save $150 by signing up before January 31 to get the Early Bird rate. We are also offering a studio special where you can get four tickets at a discounted rate and bring the whole shop. We hope to see you there!

Paradise Artist Retreat tickets are on sale!

Thats right, the lineup for the next Paradise Artist Retreat is finalized, and tickets are on sale as we speak. Rooms at the Tamaya Resort can be secured online, and the early bird prices for the artist and studio 4 packs will save you some bucks. There is a great chance the event will sell out, and it will be the last year in New Mexico so dont miss out. 

Save the date!

Amazing Art Retreat, thanks!

The Paradise Artist Retreat was amazing. We cant thank everyone enough. We will leave the wrap ups and reviews to others while we work on the next event, the Worldwide Tattoo Conference in Boston June 4-5th. Here are a few images. We hope to see everyone again next year! 

Painting by Juan Salgado

Alex Grey and Chet Zar exchange books

Damon Conklin Painting

Jen Schichi's Landscape Painting Class. 

PAR open to the public Thursday 4-8PM

If you can,please Download the PDF file, print, and post up

Featured Artist: Gabe Leonard

We are very excited to announce Gabe Leonard will be attending the Paradise Artist Retreat. Leonard is known for his cinematic themed series of paintings and unqiue style which uses drips and runs in a very deliberate way. The outcome is a very free flowing and emotional piece of art work, quoted as being a mix of "Tarantino meets Johnny Cash".

You can view more of Leonards works of art on his website www.GabeLeonard.com.







Gabe shows his unique approach to paintings via a number of time lapse videos as well. We featured one of our favorites and you can see all of his video content  HERE.


 

Featured Artist Craig Driscoll

Craig Driscoll will be travelling from California to participate in this years Paradise Artist Retreat in Tamaya, New Mexico. This is his first time making an impact at one of our Paradise events.




Craig owns and tattoos out of five two in San Diego, you can see more of his work on his website: www.craigdriscoll.com.

Driscoll's work often has bold colors with strong movement, and a love for star wars. There is still time to get tickets to this year's event, for more info click here.

 

Featured Artist: Ian McKown

Ian McKown will be painting at this years Paradise Artist Retreat. Ian has been focusing on still life oil paintings since 2007, and just released his first book "Light and Shadow: Monochromatic and Value Based Approaches in Oil, Charcoal and Ink".


 
Ian is no stranger to helping artists grow with numerous guides in magazines, time lapses such as above and teaching live classes. Ian will be taking classes and working on personal projects during the event. There are only three more weeks until Inspiration, Learning and Art Creation. There is still time to sign up for the event, for tickets click HERE.




Here are a few of Ian's recent works, you can view more on his website: www.IanRobertMcKown.com




Make the jump for more on Ian's Book and this years Paradise Artist Retreat.
 

Featured Artist: Juan Salgado

Juan Salgado is an accomplished artist from Puerto Rico. He has been highlighted in many magazines for different mediums such as graffiti, tattooing and painting. This is a great opportunity to watch this amazing artist at work. Juan primarily operates out from his studio Color Conspiracy in San Juan along with his team. You can click their shop logo to see more of Juan and his teams work.



Juan focuses on light forms and creating very vibrant pieces of art. Recently participating in the Miami Art Basel, where he created this amazing Buddha mural.


There is still time to sign up for this years Paradise Artist Retreat, click here to get your tickets now!


 

Featured Artist: Damon Conklin

Damon Conklin of Super-Genius tattoo will be attending this years Paradise Artist Retreat. Damon has been balancing between tattooing and painting for some time (even rumor of a future book). Damon does a great job of envoking emotion with his paintings, mostly focusing on joyful things. Damon talked a bit about his painting and upcoming book during our webcast on 2/24.

If you'd like to catch the interview with Damon you can see the full episode here.
You can see more of Damon's work at his website:www.seattle-tattoo.com
 

Featured Artist: James Kern

This year has an amazing teaching staff, but also a number of great artists in attendence. Through out the next two weeks we'll be looking at some of these featured artists and their works.

First up is James Kern of No Hope No Fear in Oregon. James is internationally known for tattooing, and specifically his skill with cover-ups which were the focus of his book "Advanced cover-ups for tattooists”.  James will painting along with everyone else, here are some of his previous paintings.

James Kern is no stranger to live painting, check out over 4 hours of coverage of the Visionary Tattoo Event at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors last year. 

James was also a guest panelist on our Skype Show on 2/24 which also featured Alex & Allyson Grey, Michele Wortman, Guy Aitchison, Chet Zar, Steve Peace and Damon Conklin.  You can see the full episode here.

Paradise Artist Retreat Skype Extravaganza!

The Paradise Artist Retreat is comign right up, and Michele Wortman suggested we do one of the TattooNOWTV webcasts skyping in with some of the PAR artists. Well, that was a great idea so after some arranging many amazing artists took their time to answer some questions from the chat room! The stellar lineup included Alex & Allyson Grey, Guy Aitchison, Michele Wortman, James Kern, Damon Conklin, Chet Zar, and Steve Peace! Recorded from the TattooNOWTV.com broadcast on Sunday February 24th .

Thanks Alberta Bound Tattoo & Arts Festivals!

— LATEST NEWS & EVENTS —

Alberta Bound Tattoo & Arts Festival returns to Edmonton.

We have new adjusted booth layouts and prices on our website at www.edmontontattoos.com
Add three incredible seminars to your booth purchase for only $300.00
Many artists have said they miss the smaller hotel shows from our first two years in Calgary and we have found the perfect venue at The Marriott Hotel at The River Cree Resort and Casino.
Three challenges, three different days, a trophy, $1000.00 cash and a prize pack from Eikon Device to each winner.

Special offer from TattooNow and Alberta Bound

Two for one booth offer.  Book a space at The Paradise Artist Retreat and recieve a one artist space at the Edmonton show at no additional charge.  This offer good this week only and limited to the first six inquiries.
All inquiries please email steve at steve@calgarytattoos.com
Join amazing artists such as Guy Aitchison, Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Nick Baxter, Jeff Gogue, Shawn Barber and Hannah Aitchison for four days of painting, learning and inspiration.
Special hotel rates extended for this week only.

Paradise Artist Retreat
The Paradise Artist Retreat will be held March 25-28th at the amazing Tamaya Resort in New Mexico. While many painters toil away alone in their basement, this art retreat is an opportunity for artists to create alongside over a hundred other artists in an beautiful environment! Through the course of four days artists of all skill levels, from first time beginners to seasoned accomplished professional artists, will participate in numerous workshops, seminars, discussion panels, critiques, and art creation. While the event is supported by the tattoo community with the large portion of the attending artists tattooing for a living and traveling in, this event is free of tattooing, and open to artists of nearly any medium. Artist passes are moving and rooms are being reserved so make your plans and secure your spot.
Each attending artist will have a 5x5 space to set up and create and sell art. Last year the art rooms were the busiest from midnight to 3am, so we made sure the room will be open to create 24 hours a day to accomadate all the night owls! Not only will every artist be in a seminar or workshop with the headlining artists but there wil also be figure drawing workshops, a critique, a still life workshop, and entry into the opening party with an hour and a half of drinks on the house! The opportunity to be able to learn and create alongside so many artists, including some of the industry's leaders, is truly exceptional. Don't take it from us, go to the site to read the reviews!

The Tamaya Resort in Santa Anna Pueblo New Mexico is a perfect match for this event. Meaning "A quiet, special place", the Tamaya is on a Pueblo. Voted “Best in the World” by Conde Nast Traveler in 2010 and one of the top in the United States and Canada by Travel + Leisure magazine, this unique resort reflects an attention to detail unlike any you’ve ever experienced. The venue is very family friendly, in fact the many activities open to children and families throughout the week were recently raved about in Forbes magazine of all places. Check out this slideshow of the Tamaya resort. The food at the resort is delecious, and everyone in the room block will receive 15% off their meals and beverages as well as 10% off the Spa! In the past four years, the Paradise events have sold out the resort ahead of time and the room block rate and deals are only good until January 30th so make your plans sooner rather than later!


 

Schedule updated, new Visionary art events added

The Paradise Artist Retreat Schedule has been posted, and after looking through it, we know that every artist who attends is going to have an amazing time. We have also added two new events. Artists are invited to join noted visionary art masters Alex and Allyson Grey for an in-depth critique of your art portfolio. Gather together your favorite art of all mediums which represents your vision the best, and see what they have to say about tapping into your strengths and taking your work to the next level. $150 for 45 minutes of detailed feedback. Availability is strictly limited!

Also added to the schedule will be the opening of the Paradise Artist Retreat to the public Thursday at 4PM! We can't think of a better way to end the retreat but by having art fans come check out what has been going on. There will be plenty of art and merchandise available from many of the amazing artists attending. But wait, there's more! Alex and Allyson Grey will be hosting a visionary meet and greet and book signing for their new book Net of Being, as will Chet Zar for his new book Black Magick.

Excitement for the Paradise Artist Retreat's return to the Tamaya Resort in New Mexico is building every day!

Excitement for the Paradise Artist Retreat's return to the Tamaya Resort in New Mexico is building every day! From March 25-28, this truly unique event will bring together scores of artists of all skill levels for four days of inspiration, learning, and art creation led by Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Guy Aitchison, Jeff Gogue, Shawn Barber, Nick Baxter, Hannah Aitchison, and Chet Zar. Highlights of the retreat include a series of high-powered workshops with these noted instructors, along with morning figure drawing sessions, evening panel talks, and an open studio art room where artists can work side by side on projects of their choosing.

Seminar and workshop topics covered throughout the weekend include a visionary art workshop with Alex and Allyson Grey. Guy plans to go into detail about creating convincing texture effects on canvas or skin, while Jeff Gogue will focus on his energetic painting technique. Heads and hands will be led by Shawn Barber, and Hannah Aitchison will lead a figure drawing session with special emphasis on understanding the design aspects of the human figure. Chet Zar will lead a group painting session, and Nick Baxter will get into detail about his holistic process, where concept, design and execution all come together into a single big picture. It's a well rounded suite of workshops intended to benefit almost any creative person who is interested in learning.

The artist pass includes entry into all seminars from all the featured teachers, as well as the morning figure drawing classes and discussion panels. Of course, many artists will have originals and prints for sale, which can be displayed by their art setup in the open studio space. The event will be open to the public on the final day, providing an opportunity to show and sell original works or other merchandise.

The Tamaya resort is a tranquil, picturesque location just north of Albuquerque- the perfect setting for artists to get away, hit reset, and return home with a fresh perspective as well as a few new technical tricks. If you are a creative person, the Paradise Artist Retreat is truly a unique, humbling and empowering event that you should experience at least once.

Paradise Artist Retreat Interview 2.-Chet Zar

Paradise Artist Retreat's teachers this year are Alex and Allison Grey, Guy Aitchison, Shawn Barber, Nick Baxter, Hannah Aitchison, Jeff Gogue, and Chet Zar. Leading up the event on March 25rd we'll be releasing highlights of each teacher.

Our second interview focuses on teacher Chet Zar.

Chet is from California and originally got his fame in the special effects industry. In the last 12 years Chet has made a name for himself in the fine arts world. You can find much more information about Chet on his personal website www.ChetZar.com

This year's paradise artist retreat in Tamya New Mexico is introducing a new format and artist line up. Can you give some details on your past experiences with the PAR.
Chet Zar:I love the Paradise Artist Retreat because it is so intimate and so focused on art education. You get to know people. It's less about business and more about sharing knowledge than most of the conventions I attend.

You've been participating actively with the tattoo community for some time now. Can you give us some insight on how that came to be?
CZ:Tattoo artist Jon Lane invited me to participate in the first annual Visionary Tattoo Expo in 2009. I thought I would give it a shot but when I got there I realized I had a pretty big fan base in the tattoo scene, something I was not at all aware of. It just kind of grew from there.

You recently attempted your first tattoo at this years Paradise Tattoo Gathering, have you done any since?
CZ: No, I haven't since. I was all hot to start messing around right after the event, while the experience was still fresh in my mind but ended up severely pinching a nerve within a day of getting home and that knocked me out of commission for about 6 weeks. Then I had to take some work to make up for the lack of income. That coupled with the holiday rush on orders from my website has kept me from really diving in. I'm not sweating it, though. When the time is right, it will happen.

"I like to Paint Monsters" is a new documentary coming out about you, do you have any details you'd like to share about that?
CZ:Well, we start shooting in January. I have no idea what will happen but filmmaker Mike Correll and I both have a similar attitude about it- to be open minded enough to let it develop on it's own. It's kind of exciting but also kind of weird to be the center of attention in that way. I hope he focuses more on the art than me. I'm actually pretty boring.

This year has a fantastic line up with a variety of different painting styles, are you excited for any of the other teachers classes?
CZ:All of them. I am always excited to learn from great artists in any field and these are some of the best.

Can you give us an idea on what your class will be focusing on?
CZ: I'm still figuring it out but it's going to be my best yet. When you are in a line up like that you have to bring your best to the table. But I always try to anyway.

Can you give us a bit of information on what it is like to paint at Paradise Artist Retreat? 
CZ: It's super fun and relaxed. It's almost like a painting vacation for me!

To reserve your place at this years Paradise Artist Retreat in the beautiful Tamya Resort click HERE.
If you would like more information about Chet and his work you can visit his website: www.ChetZar.com

Happy New Years!

We would like to thank everyone who is purchasing tickets to the Paradise Artist Retreat! The excitement for this years art retreat has been building ever since we confirmed Alex and Allyson Grey, Guy Aitchison, Hannah Aitchison, Jeff Gogue, Chet Zar, Nick Baxter, and Shawn Barber as the lead teachers. The early bird tickets will save you some dough for the next week or two, and make sure you reserve your room at the amazing Tamaya Resort. This event is open to painters of all skill levels. 

Check out this recent interview with Alex and Allyson Grey at Vice.com. 

Hannah Aitchison video released

Check it out! Hannah will be teaching some anatomy and figure drawing at the next Paradise Artist Retreat, fun fun fun! 

Paradise Artist Retreat Interview 1. - Nick Baxter

Paradise Artist Retreat will be lead this year by Alex and Allison Grey, Guy Aitchison, Shawn Barber, Nick Baxter, Hannah Aitchison, Jeff Gogue, and Chet Zar. Leading up the event on March 25rd we'll be releasing highlights of each teacher.

Our first interview will be focusing on Nick Baxter. I got to ask Nick a couple of questions about his career, evolution of the tattoo community and what his class will focus on.

You come from a very transitional period in tattooing--the television bubble wasn't yet where it is now, and educational materials were scarce. What was it like during your time and how has the landscape changed?

Nick Baxter: In hindsight, I really did get started at a very pivotal period (1999-2000), not realizing until recently how advantageous the timing was. The tattoo world was more manageable back then, none of the extreme trendiness, or glitz and glamour of the television bubble, as you called it.  

But as we now know, the industry was poised to explode with lots of new opportunity. If you had artistic knowledge and could combine that with tattooing skill, you were virtually guaranteed success and notoriety. You just had to work hard, take the bits and pieces of information you could get from conversations with mentors and industry veterans, and make the best of it.  I stayed focused and hungry, and was fortunate enough to make a good impression with my work on a lot of folks. Once the huge wave of popularity hit, that opened the door for the teaching, sharing, and educational products like my painting book.

Things are much different now, more complicated it seems.  Because despite the advantage of having so much learning material, there is a huge influx of new tattooers all competing within an era of increasing economic insecurity, and this adds a whole new set of challenges. It’s like learning got easier, while establishing oneself got more difficult.  I’m excited to see where the newfound emphasis on artistic learning will take tattooing as a whole, though. It can only bring good things in the long run, as far as I’m concerned.

I've enjoyed watching how different mediums of art are starting to influence one another. Are you excited to be featured alongside such artists as Chet Zar and Alex Grey?

NB: Yeah, needless to say I’m really excited to see what happens with 2 artists of their talent and skill mixing with the tattoo art world.  It’s a great trend, I hope it continues and that more fine artists take notice of all the incredible creativity and artistic vision in the tattoo community these days.  I think art-minded tattooers have the potential to revitalize and breathe fresh air into the sometimes stale and usually stuffy fine art establishment, and artists like Chet and Alex are ambassadors of sorts to that world.

Can you give us an idea of what your class will be focusing on?

NB: My class will focus on realism in oil painting--how to create next-level illusions and effects through techniques such as layering and glazing.  I’ll cover basic use of materials and give some philosophical background to the indirect (or layered) painting approach.  I’m prepared to tailor the class to whatever best suits the participants, and for any willing volunteers, I’ll demonstrate glazing techniques on their actual paintings, to show them firsthand how to take them to the next level.

Can you give us a bit of information on what it’s like to paint at Paradise Artist Retreat?

NB: First of all, it’s relaxing! It’s just a bunch of friendly people in a large room, talking, joking, focusing, and making art in a serene environment. No pressure, no attitudes.  It’s always inspiring to be surrounded by other dedicated artists, it helps me push myself to keep working and creating. One of my goals has been sharing what I know, giving knowledge back to the tattoo world that’s given me so much over the years. Through PAR I’ve achieved that goal, and it’s brought me a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment, because I know it’s appreciated by the other artists at the event.

To reserver your place at this years Paradise Artist Retreat in the beautiful Tamya Resort click HERE.
If you would like more information about Nick and his work you can visit his website: www.NickBaxter.com
 

Paradise Artist Retreat Tickets are moving!

Excitement is building for the retreat, as not only are Guy Aitchison and Michelle Wortman returning and co-producing and Jeff Gogue coming out for the first time, but Alex and Allyson Grey are joining us this year. They will be teaching a seminar, leading a figure drawing class, and participating on a discussion panel! Hannah Aitchison will also be coming out for the first time to teach an anatomy class and we are happy to have Shawn Barbar, Chet Zar and Nick Baxter all returning as featured teachers. Needless to say such a lineup is enough to make any event producer work extra hard to make sure everyone has a great time!

At this rate the early bird ticket specials will be over before you know it, so save the dates and get your tickets early! Artist tickets receive a $150 savings and if you buy a studio 4-pack each ticket gets a $200 savings! These tickets wont last too long, so get on them quick!

Well, we will be posting regular news, and leave you with this video of Chet Zar doing a recent painting. talk soon!

Paradise Artist Retreat Tickets are on Sale!

Paradise Artist Retreat Ticket

Last minute signups!

Artists are gearing up for the Paradise Artist Retreat which opens February 20-23! Now is the time to register for the seminars you want to make sure you get into. This week of learning and inspiration will rejuvinate the most stagnant of ruts, or push an inspired teacher even further, so if you can finalize those plans and come on out! 

Jen Schichi's Sacred tattoo workshop added to seminar list!

The Art Retreat is a month away! We just added a last minute seminar, check out Jen Schichi's Sacred tattoo workshop description below!

Many tattoo artists have had an experience with a client during a tattoo session that is “special, different”, more than just the procedure. If you crave a fresh perspective and inspiration for your tattoo career Sacred Tattooing is a great place to begin. Sacred Tattooing is continuing education for artists who would like to explore and develop the transformational, spiritual and healing power of this ancient art.

Snowboard Party Was a Huge Success!

Last week some of our staff headed out to Keystone, Colorado for our snowboard party and seminars. The trip was also prep for the Paradise Tattoo Gathering we're holding next year September 13-16, 2012. The ride, and resort is amazing, and we're really excited to share it with all of you!

Stefano Alcantara started the event with a full day seminar about photo realistic tattooing, where his students had the opportunity to work on their live canvases while he taught! The room was filled with great energy and tattooers enthusiastic about learning more and improving their skill. As always, it was a truly inspiring day.

The next days we filled with snowboarding fun with Durb Morrison of Hell City, as well as a marketing seminar care of our very own Gabe Ripley and TattooNOW. Chuck from Prick was also hanging out covering the event, so stay tuned for a piece on the party in an upcoming issue of Prick Magazine.

Durb put together this great video for us that captured the event really well. Check it out!

Next up is the Paradise Artist Retreat in New Mexico, February 20-23. As always there's an amazing list of seminar teachers including Chet Zar, Shawn Barber, Chris Dingwell, Nick Baxter, and many more. Check out the full list of seminars, and buy your passes today! Also, book your hotel rooms before January 30 with the code G-TATT to get 15% off your food and beverage for you entire stay!

Chet Zar Teaching three seminars at the Art Retreat

We are very excited to have Chet Zar teaching three seminars at this years Paradise Artist Retreat. One seminar, the business of art, is included with the artist pass. Sculpture, using photoshop to prep your paintings, and of course, his popular oil painting workshop are also scheduled. If you are an artist and looking for some inspiration, the Paradise Artist Retreat is it! 

2 Photorealism colored pencil workshops.

Chris Lowe is doing to small realism colored pencil seminars. He did his seminar at Off the Map Tattoo a few weeks ago, and it was amazing to see his students render out some great work! Each class size is limited to 6 and spans two days, so dont snooze and register today!

Artists are registering for seminars and booking rooms!

Shawn Barber's Portrait Oil Painting from Reference Workshop sells out every time.

Thanks to all the artists who are buying their artist passes, registering for seminars, and booking their rooms. The Paradise events have sold out the resorts every time so far, so don't snooze too long. rooms in our room block receive 15% off all food and beverage and entry into the opening party with open bar. We just got back from a very exciting planning trip at the Tamaya, and the resort is truely amazing. 

Hope to see you in February! 

Basic Metalworking and Jewelry making at the Art Retreat!

Lauren Tobey's Beginning small metals & jewelry the last class added!

The last class has been added to the Paradise Artist Retreat seminar list.  Lauren Tobey's Beginning small metals & jewelry is perfect for artists with little or no previous small metals experience, this hands-on class will teach surface texturing techniques including stamping, hammering, cutting, and forming metal. Limit to 10

Learn more and register for this workshop before it sells out!

Registration is open, rooms and tickets are going

We just got back from our planning trip to the Tamaya, and really cant rave about the venue enough. Well, here's the latest press release, it says it all!

The Paradise Artist Retreat will be held February 20-23rd at the amazing Tamaya Resort in New Mexico. While many painters toil away alone in their basement, this art retreat is an opportunity for artists to create alongside over a hundred other artists in an beautiful environment! Through the course of four days artists of all skill levels, from first time beginners to seasoned accomplished professional artists, will participate in numerous workshops, seminars, discussion panels, critiques, and art creation. While the event is supported by the tattoo community with the large portion of the attending artists tattooing for a living and traveling in, this event is free of tattooing, and open to artists of nearly any medium. Artist passes are moving, rooms are being reserved, and many of the seminars are on their way to selling out, so register for seminars, book your rooms,  and buy your tickets soon to save your spot!

Each attending artist will have a 5x5 space to set up and create and sell art. Last year the art rooms were the busiest from midnight to 3am, so we made sure the room will be open to create 24 hours a day to accomadate all the night owls! There are many learning activities that are included with the artist pass, including a live portrait painting workshop with Shawn Barber, business for artists by Chet Zar, figure drawing workshops, a critique, a still life workshop, and entry into the opening party with an hour and a half of drinks on the house! Other workshop and seminar teachers include Nick Baxter, Cory Norris, Damon Conklin, Chris Dingwell, Paul Abbott, Tom Strom, Chris Lowe, Teresa Sharpe, Adrian Dominic, Dan and Tim Plumley, and Ian McKown. Topics include oil painting, character creation, acrilyics, achieving effects with pastels, realistic colored pencils, the holistic proccess of art creation, painting on a budget, heads and hands, photoshop, and more! The opportunity to be able to learn and create alongside so many artists, including some of the industry's leaders, is truly exceptional. Don't take it from us, go to the site to read the reviews! 

The Tamaya Resort in Santa Anna Pueblo New Mexico is a perfect match for this event. Meaning "A quiet, special place", the Tamaya is on a Pueblo. Voted “Best in the World” by Conde Nast Traveler in 2010 and one of the top in the United States and Canada by Travel + Leisure magazine, this unique resort reflects an attention to detail unlike any you’ve ever experienced. The venue is very family friendly, in fact the many activities open to children and families throughout the week were recently raved about in Forbes magazine of all places. Check out this slideshow of the Tamaya resort. The food at the resort is delecious, and everyone in the room block will receive 15% off their meals and beverages as well as 10% off the Spa! In the past four years, the Paradise events have sold out the resort ahead of time and the room block  rate and deals are only good until January 20th so make your plans sooner rather than later!

For press photos or an interview for your website or publication, please call Gabe at (413) 585-9134 or email us.

Booking Information

• Call (888) 421-1442 or (402) 592-6464 for international callers. 
• Reference G-TATT for the group rate.
• Take a vacation, room rate good for 3 days before and after the event!

Paradise Artist Retreat Event list is up!

The Paradise Artist Retreat schedule of events has been updated. Seminar registration is next! 

More Paradise Artist Retreat Seminar teachers confirmed

Nick Baxter, Shawn Barber, Chet Zar, Chris Dingwell, Cory Norris, Tom Strom, Tommy Lee Wendtner, Teresa Sharpe, Dan and Tim Plumy, and Paul Abbott have all been confirmed to teach and paint at the next Paradise Artist Retreat. Details about seminars included with the artist pass and those with extra costs will be up this week!

Confirmed Paradise Artist Retreat Teachers

February 20-23 2011 Confirmed teachers

Nick Baxter, Shawn Barber, and Chris Dingwell have been confirmed to teach and paint at the next Paradise Artist Retreat. We have more seminars and workshops to be confirmed as the event nears.