2026 March Newsletter
From the
Office of the President:
Spring always seems to bring growth — and sometimes, a little pivoting.
We are thrilled to announce our June 4–6 seminar with Lynne Andrews! If you’ve admired her work, you already know she brings a beautiful floating style and New England style designs that feel both timeless and fresh. Lynne has a gift for teaching in a way that equips you with tools you’ll use long after the seminar ends. This is going to be a wonderful learning experience for all of us.
And yes… we’ve made a change.
After thoughtful consideration this seminar will now be offered via Zoom. While this wasn’t our original plan, we’ve come to truly appreciate what this pivot allows us to:
Dramatically reduce costs
There is something beautiful about embracing change. As artists, we know that sometimes the best results come from adjusting the brushstroke, shifting the color, or seeing a design from a new angle. This is no different. Growth often comes wrapped in flexibility.
In order to finalize pricing and ensure materials arrive on time, we need to know if you plan to attend. Thank you to those who have already notified us; your plates are in process of being made through Turn of The Century. The two additional project surfaces will be ordered from Lynne.
We are trying to see if Deco Arts will send paint for a zoom class. If they authorize, please let us know if painting in groups so we can coordinate paint.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you will be joining us so we can calculate accurate pricing and place orders promptly. Timely responses will help everything run smoothly.
“But I’m Not Techy…”, we’ve got you covered.
We will have a Zoom monitor available, and you are encouraged to gather and paint together if you’d like that in-person camaraderie. Help will absolutely be available. Think of it as blending the best of both worlds, connection and convenience.
Sometimes change feels inconvenient at first, but often it opens doors we didn’t expect. This adjustment allows us to focus our resources where they matter most: beautiful surfaces, quality instruction, and meaningful time creating together. Are you aware we can communicate on Zoom? There will be cameras to be able to see each other and speaking opportunities especially if you have questions. You will need to supply your own device or computer and are highly encouraged to paint with your regular painting pal.
We are truly excited about this seminar and believe Lynne will provide valuable techniques and inspiration that will elevate your painting in new and exciting ways.
Let’s embrace the pivot.
Please reply and let us know if you’ll be joining us!
With excitement,
President, Golden Spike Decorative Painters
2026 Seminars and Paint-ins
Christy Pando
March
Palette: DecoArt Americana
Regular painting supplies, water bucket, pallet, etc. You might want to bring a chalk pencil.
Brushes used to paint the piece:
April
OwlTeacher: Terry Pulver
May
The paints for this project are old/retired colors. If you do not have them, feel free to substitute with colors of your choice. Or you can click this link to DecoArt Color Conversion Charts. It will take you to DecoArt's site where you will find mixing instruction and color swatches on retired and hard to find colors. (This link is also available on our web site 'Links” page under Painting Tips and Tricks.)
I have stencils I will share for diamonds and background dots. If you have your own, please bring them to class so we are not waiting to paint.
Due
to logistical circumstances and the cost of travel (which have made
the price of our seminar skyrocket), Lynne will not be providing an
“in-person” seminar as scheduled. Instead she has offered to host
a Zoom based seminar for GSDP.
The seminar will still be 3 days and 3 projects. It will include all the wood (14' plate, 8"x11" surface, and ornament), patterns, instructions and pictures. GSDP will be purchasing the wood for everyone who joins us for the seminar. We can get a discount if we do a group purchase. This will help reduce the cost for everyone. Lynne is also trying to get the paint for the seminar.
The seminar will be recorded, so if you are not able to
paint on the scheduled dates, the recording will allow you to paint
at your convenience.
Because
of the change in format, the cost for the seminar will now be between
$150-$250 instead of $350-$500+. The final price will depend on how
many people will be attending. The more people who attend, the lower
the cost. There is also no limit on how many people can attend.
GSDP needs to know ASAP how many people are interested in Lynne's Zoom seminar so that we can arrange for the wood, patterns, etc. and set the final price for the seminar.
For more information about the seminar or Zoom contact LeeAnn at 801-3911-3556.
Schedule: The Santa plate will be taught on Thursday and Friday. Two smaller projects, Christmas tree and Santa ornament, will be taught on Saturday.
For those individuals who are out-of-state, we will e-mail and/or send everything as soon as we receive the balance of your seminar fee.
For those individuals who are local, you can make arrangements to get everything or pickup them up in-person once we receive the balance of your seminar fee.
July
Teacher: Rita Johnson
More Painting Opportunities –
Contact LeeAnn (801 391-3556 ) if you have any questions about this seminar.
GSDP 's mission is to educate the community on the traditions of decorative folk art painting and to preserve these cultural legacies for future generations. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive space to connect, create and inspire one another while fostering a vibrant community.
