In stock
Customize your jeans and jackets with art that reflects your individuality. Cat’s work has been displayed in notable places, including the White House and the private collections of Yoko Ono and Kevin Walgreen. The day begins with “Riveted: The History of Jeans,” a video on denim’s significance. You’ll design in pencil first, and then use a fabric marking tool to transfer your artwork onto fabric, incorporating design elements that tell your story, or you may choose to work with one of Cat’s patterns for inspiration. Use bleach to create white backgrounds and elements, then add paint to make your art pop. The workshop concludes with a fashion show to showcase your unique creations. Materials Fee Includes: Denim, fabric marking tools, bleach, paints and brushes, scissors, needles and thread.
Class size 10
Level Beginner and above
Student Supply List Reference materials, scrap denim pieces of various sizes to make into your patches, denim garments, jeans, jackets and bags or purses which you wish to mend or decorate.
“I follow MY HEART and paint what I FEEL.”
It’s the life of artist Cathee ‘Cat’ Clausen. It’s her artwork’s unspoken word.
Imagining and creating with a thought, a brush, paint and a canvas, each work begins with the simplest element – a memory or a feeling – and builds from there.
From her childhood recollections of camping in Sedona or the Grand Canyon, of sleeping under an Indian blanket each night, of building sandcastles by the ocean, or forming mud animals to bake in the hot desert sun, to the current sleepy northwestern Illinois town she calls home, Clausen’s life and artwork have danced around each other for years.
Born in Brawley, Calif., Clausen spent the majority of her childhood with her parents and siblings in Arizona, where her mom taught elementary school to Native American Apaches and her father worked as a arid plant geneticist.
She spent her days as a budding artist, making her own jewelry and pottery and clothing, taking camping and nature trips throughout the desert and soaking in a southwestern, Bohemian life.
She could imagine herself as an artist–free to express her life as a painter and illustrator.
“I like a somewhat solitary life and I could envision the time it would take to make a bracelet or to paint a picture or make a drawing, and I had the patience to sit and do things like that,” she said.
Little baby moccasins. A tiny woven basket. Graphite drawings of wild horses. The colors of a fiery desert sunset. Dancing angels. Fascinating portraits. These images painted her youth.
It would be years before those memories would become front and center in both her mind and work.
In 1982, Clausen earned her bachelor’s degree in visual communications from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Following graduation, Cat worked in marketing, public relations and art direction for 10 years including a position with WVPT Public Television in Harrisonburg, Va.
Cat left her career in the fall of 1993 to become a stay-at-home mom and moved to Illinois with her husband and three-year-old son.
Craving a creative outlet, Cat began to teach herself to paint in oils, an art medium she had not studied in college. She sold her first oils to members of her small community.
A second collection, “Ribbons of Color,” began as a soul searching mission and a way to purge difficult experiences of her past. From it, she developed a permanent style of illustrative lines and brushstrokes for her work. Known as pure power, Clausen’s colorist ‘ribbons of color’ cascaded down canvases and transformed her new found creative outlet into a full blown career.
As Clausen found resolution in her own personal story, she began to seek out the story of others. The “Icons” collection followed with portraits of political and educational leaders and musicians, as well as her beloved Abraham Lincoln.
Treasured by many in his home state of Illinois, Clausen’s Lincoln has gone on to grace the covers of magazines; a book; a mural in Springfield, IL; an original oil that hangs in the White House West Wing; as well as banners throughout the city of Chicago and Springfield, IL.
Even as her work brought her more acclaimed recognition with appearances on WGN news and a trip to Italy in honor of her Lincoln, a commission for Yoko Ono – a new vision came to her.
She awoke one day with the images of two Indian chiefs in her mind. She knew they were leading her to her next works.
And so the “Visions” collection was conceived. Months of researching, including trips to Chicago’s Newberry Library and a two-week journey to the stomping grounds of her youth, led her back to the simplest of places.
With a thought, a brush, some paint and a canvas, Clausen developed her “Visions,” collection.
It was simple and pure and and moving.
As time passed Cat reflected once again on her roots and from a window-filled, lake front loft, on a quiet street, in an unassuming forest community, Cat’s newest works of portraiture and landscapes, and now, fiber art, come to life with a bold illustrative statement.
Workshops
Class Confirmation
You will receive a confirmation of your workshop registration via email about a week prior to the class. If you do not have an email address, you will receive a snail-mail confirmation. Please check the online class listing for supplies to bring to class (there will also be a link to the Supply List in your class confirmation). Some supplies may need to be ordered well ahead of time.
Please note that your class registration will not be confirmed without full payment.
Please read your class confirmation carefully as it may include a supply list and other important details, and note our community standards on our Planning Your Workshop Experience page.
Materials Fees
Many classes have materials fees in addition to the tuition. These are identified in the class listing and are usually paid with the tuition payment; however, in some cases materials fees are paid directly to the instructor at class time (check the class listing).
Cancellation Policy
While we recognize that life intrudes and plans change, in consideration of the time and energy instructors invest in preparing for classes, we must adhere to the following cancellation policies:
Student cancellations
> Cancellations made 30 days or more before the start date of the workshop are eligible for a 75% refund OR a gift certificate in the full amount. The gift certificate can be applied to workshops or lodging one year from the date of cancellation and is transferable.
> Cancellations made 29 days or fewer before the start date of the workshop are not eligible for refunds or gift certificates. We encourage all students to purchase trip insurance, which is available for a reasonable fee.
> Cancellation requests must be made by contacting our office at info@shakeragalley.org or (608) 987-3292.
> If you have booked lodging with Shake Rag Alley in conjunction with your class and cancel less than seven days in advance of your reservation, a $50 cancellation fee will apply.
Cancellations by Shake Rag Alley
> If Shake Rag Alley must cancel a class for any reason, you will be notified via email or phone and will be eligible for a full refund or, if you prefer, a transferable gift certificate. You may also consider donating your refund to support our operations or scholarships.
If you have booked lodging with Shake Rag Alley in conjunction with a class canceled by Shake Rag Alley, you may receive a full refund on lodging or gift certificate should you wish to cancel.
Waiting Lists
If a workshop you are interested in is sold out, please fill out this waiting list form. We will contact you if a spot becomes available. The class code requested on the form is the Workshop ID shown at left, beneath the Add to Cart button.
18 Shake Rag St.
Mineral Point, WI 53565
(608) 987-3292
