BLOG

Keep up with the latest art and adventures from Rene Shoemaker Art!

Silk painting workshops in Paris and the Dordogne: one day or one week

Will you join us?

 

Silk artist René Shoemaker invites you to join her for a silk painting workshop. There are two options - a one day workshop in Paris, France, and another in the Dordogne region of France, a 6 day silk painting workshop held in a beautiful chàteau with very kind hosts.
•Ce cours est dispensé en anglais, mais je peux également vous accompagner en français.•

Questions?

Here is the October 14th class description, and of course you can contact me directly and I will answer your questions quickly.

​Introduction to silk painting with René Shoemaker​

René Shoemaker, an American artist based in France, will guide us as we create a painted design on silk to wear or display at home. In this introductory workshop, we will discuss design options, draw, then transfer our design onto the silk, while learning about color and ways to work with the dye. We will finish by learning how to set, or "fix," the dye once the artwork is completed, so you can take it home to complete the process once the silk has cured for 24 hours.

All levels are welcome, including those who have never created art nor painted on silk before. Questions and conversation are encouraged throughout the class: about technique, your artistic background, and your creative goals. While we will use the serti (white line) resist technique of silk painting, there will be room for experimentation using other styles.

Each participant will complete a 28 cm (11") silk square that can be worn as a scarf or displayed as artwork.

Prior to the workshop, think about something you might like to paint on silk: a flower, building, landscape, group of objects, or anything else that inspires you and bring your ideas or inspiration with you.

You don't need to consider yourself an artist to participate!

Ce cours est dispensé en anglais, mais je peux également vous accompagner en français.

Discover more of René Shoemaker's art at reneshoemaker.com​

Christina was delighted with her first experience of painting on silk

Also, in June of 2027, the silk painting workshop in the Dordogne will offer a more in-depth exploration of the world of silk painting. That program is open for registration at Manor & Maker Château website.

We had so much fun during our château workshop in 2024!

À bientôt,

-René

 

​Supporting Our Friends With Small Gifts

EDS support that lasts a lifetime

Since 2023, I've shared with you a cause that I wholeheartedly support — the Annual ☆ Together We Dazzle ☆ Art Show + Benefit for the Ehlers-Danlos Society. Organized by a dear friend who has been diagnosed with EDS, this event is dear to my heart. This year I've made a brand new painting just for the event*, just completed this past Sunday, and I'd love to share it with you now:

Hendershot's Dazzles, by René Shoemaker

Exploring a new technique of painting on silk, I tested my skills as an illustrator on the interior of Hendershot's (where the art show is happening) and I'm very happy with how this experiment turned out. At 10 x 12 inches, this painting is petite yet impactful. What do you think?

The opening reception is Saturday, May 16th, 3-7 pm, at Hendershot's Cafe, 237 Prince Avenue, Athens, GA.

Working together, Christina and her stable of artists and supporters have raised over $15,000 in donations since the first Dazzle show in 2023! Learn more about the history and meaning behind this annual exhibition here .

In 2023 I wrote a blog post about the first fundraiser here , and in 2024 I described that event here , and in 2025 I shared the story here.

Hendershot's Cafe is a coffee, creativity, and music hub — and is the perfect place to share art, gather together, and support our cause. Live music will be playing during the opening reception from 4-6 pm.

Hendershot's Dazzles (detail)

If you are in Athens, prints of my new painting will be on sale to support the Ehlers-Danlos Society. (Don't you just love the way the bicycle and coffee cups — both veritable symbols of Athens — have been highlighted?)

Come see the exhibition, browse original art and prints, buy zebra art, and support the many local (and not-so-local) artists — you never know what you might want to take home and add to your collection. Let me know what you find!

Many thanks in advance, -Rene

*If interested in purchasing the original painting, Hendershot's Dazzles, with 50% of the price going to the EDS fundraiser, please contact me or Christina directly. Only prints of the new painting will be available during the exhibition.

​Together We Dazzle ​

Annual Art Show & Benefit

Hendershot's Cafe

237 Prince Avenue

Athens, Georgia 30606

Athens, GA

Opening May 16, 3-7 p.m.

On view May 16 - July 4, 2026

Being a Friend of the Aubusson Tapestry Museum

 
 

Société des Amis de la Cité de la tapisserie et de son Musée

Are you part of an association where you live? Isn't it true that you can find a group of like minded people — no matter where you are?

In February, I became a friend of the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie, Aubusson (International Tapestry Museum, Aubusson). I attended my first meeting with the Assemblée générale, or year-end report, learning of their 2025 activites and the new plans for 2026.

A tour of the new addition to the museum was the first part of the gathering.

I enjoyed the tour and the architecture, and came away with some new favorite art!

Although I admire the historic tapestries, I must admit that modern and contemporary works are my preferred styles.

Here is one by Jean Arp made in 1961:

Jean Arp, Nombril, 1961

 

The new wing, built for temporary exhibitions, held some of my favorite pieces. The architecture itself spoke well for the collection I was about to discover.

I do admire the technique of tapestry; did you know that when the color of a design changes, each colored yarn must be intertwined by hand?

Henri Laurens, Ruban, 1936

Created for the regional public library in Limoges, the tapestry below is monumental. It celebrates three literary figures with texts woven in Arabic and French, in rich blue and gold.

Rachid Koraïchi, 1998, Hommage à René Char, Michel Butor et Mohammed Dib (detail)

Tapestry is an extraordinarily labor-intensive craft, requiring a lot of skill, patience, and talent. On large tapestries, multiple weavers are weaving side-by-side; carefully coordinating their work and their wefts. This tradition has been created here for at least 600 years and Aubusson tapestry is proudly listed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list.

Oliver Nottellet, La Rivière au bord de l’eau, 2010

This wall-sized tapestry above — based on an original painting made with Indian ink and watercolor — has been a favorite of mine since I arrived in La Creuse.

Oliver Nottellet, La Rivière au bord de l’eau, 2010 (detail)

Oliver Nottellet, La Rivière au bord de l’eau, 2010 (detail)

The photos above are linked to related web sites if you'd like to see more.

I'd love to know — do you have a favorite tapestry style, modern or historic? Or one very favorite tapestry? Hit reply and let me know!

 

A time of travel, then reflection | Un temps pour voyager, puis pour réfléchir

What does reflection mean to you?

After a whirlwind tour to New York City and then Georgia, we returned home to France on January 2nd, and this is what we saw:

It was so quiet, and perfectly beautiful.

After the long drive from Paris, as we entered our neighborhood the snow drifted down on us as a welcoming blanket. In Athens, Georgia, it does not snow often, so I appreciate the special quiet and elegant beauty that comes along with the snowfall that I experience here.

It was so pretty.

***

2025 was a fruitful year for me, and I hope it was for you, too.

So many lessons learned, so many accomplishments, so much work, and so many rewards.

***

My word for 2026 is “Reflect”!

What's yours? Can you sum up your goals and intentions for the upcoming year?

Reflect, to me, means….

  • contemplation

  • paying attention

  • taking time every day to review my gifts

  • think about / plan for the future with an eye on the past

  • taking stock of my accomplishments

  • seeing what I can do to help others in this world.

I often say that I move forward like a locomotive, not slowing down, running into the future full speed ahead.

I want to slow down a little bit.

***

As a visual reminder of reflection and contemplation and beauty, this image is shared with you here. Use this link to download the photograph--would you like to have a copy for yourself, to use as a desktop "'wallpaper'" perhaps?

Êtang de la Valette (photo: René Shoemaker)

***

Best wishes to you for 2026,

-René

Keeping an eye on the future while respecting the past. (photo: Christina Chirouze Montenegro)

​En français | In French :

Un temps pour voyager, puis pour réfléchir

Reflet comme des nuages dans un étang

>Que signifie pour vous la réflexion ?

Bonne année, mon amie !

Après un voyage éclair à New York puis en Géorgie, nous sommes rentrés chez nous en France le 2 janvier, et voici ce que nous avons vu :

C'etati si calme et d'une beauté parfait. (photo: René Shoemaker)

Après un long trajet en voiture depuis Paris, alors que nous arrivions dans notre quartier, la neige tombait sur nous comme une couverture accueillante. À Athens, en Géorgie, il ne neige pas beaucoup, j'apprécie donc particulièrement le calme et la beauté élégante qui accompagnent les chutes de neige que je vois ici.

C'était tellement joli.

***

2025 a été une année fructueuse pour moi, et j'espère qu'elle l'a été pour vous aussi.

Tant de leçons apprises, tant de réalisations, tant de travail et tant de récompenses.

​

Mon mot pour 2026 est « Réfléchir » !

Et vous ? Pouvez-vous résumer vos objectifs et vos intentions pour l'année à venir ?

Pour moi, réfléchir signifie...

contempler,

prêter attention,

prendre le temps chaque jour de passer en revue mes talents,

penser à l'avenir et le planifier en gardant à l'esprit le passé,

faire le bilan de mes réalisations,

voir ce que je peux faire pour aider les autres dans ce monde.

Je dis souvent que j'avance comme une locomotive, sans ralentir, fonçant à toute vitesse vers l'avenir.

​

Je veux ralentir un peu.

***

En guise de rappel visuel de la réflexion, de la contemplation et de la beauté, nous partageons cette image avec vous ici. Utilisez ce lien pour télécharger la photo. Souhaitez-vous en avoir une copie pour vous-même, à utiliser peut-être comme « fond d'écran » ?

Étang de la Valette. (photo: René Shoemaker)

Meilleurs vœux pour 2026,

-René

​

Traduit avec DeepL.com (version gratuite)