ONline COURSES

Same concepts as my in-person workshops, but doable at your own pace in your own space.

Click on each course to be catapulted to its page, then click Watch Promo to see me geek out about the thing.

WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT THESE ONLINE COURSES:

“At the risk of being repetitive - another great course from Kelley. Infectious enthusiasm is the kind of contagion we all need right now. Loved this workshop and all the great ideas. Thank you thank you thank you....”

“Another comprehensive and instructive workshop. Loved it!! Love your explanations and examples with artworks. Lots of ideas now percolating.... Thank you for such generous commentary and advice.”

“OH WOW. My birthday present this year was 3 of your courses...Kickassiette, Mind the Gap, and Apoxie Sculpt. BEST GIFT EVER. I sort of feel like I won the lottery...or died and went to Creative heaven! You are a great artist and teacher and a brave experimenter! How you created a whole new art form with this material...and how generously you share it with us.”

“BRAVO...loved it! I learned SOOOO much and I love the way Kelley "let us in her head" and talked us through her entire thought process as she worked. I also appreciated that she showed the reality of not getting everything perfect every time and how she made delicious lemonade out of lemons.“

IN-PERSON COURSES

All my courses are geared to engage and challenge students at any level of mosaic proficiency. No prerequisites required.

2026 ABSTRACT mOFO* SEATTLE:
YOUR SKILLBUILDING MAKE-CATION

If you’ve been looking for a concentrated opportunity to advance your understanding of abstract mosaic design/construction using unique materials and adventurous techniques, this is the workshop for you. You’ll have time to design/build at least one if not more abstract mosaic(s) start to finish, with an inspiring array of materials at your disposal (special concentration on the one-of-a-kind recycled glass of Seattle’s own Bedrock Industries - but also other glass, ceramic, crockery, stone, wood, porcelain, epoxy putty, and more!). We’ll start with an intro to abstract design principles, cut/prep your substrate, choose your material palette, process your materials, then build your abstract mofo directly into pigmented mortars, maximizing height differentials. I’ll work one-on-one with each student on the way, and you’ll get an extra dose of inspiration with a special guest lecture. Instruction will be via slide show, demos, discussion, exercises, hands-on building, one-on-one guidance, and critique.

*MO(saic)FO(cus)

MAY 28-31 (Th-Sun) (waitlisted)
JUN 04-07 (Th-Sun) 1seat remaining (1 lodging package remaining)

WORKSHOP: $600/person (max 8/session)
4-day Abstract MoFo Workshop (instruction, materials, substrates, guest lecture, lunches, snacks, 24/7 studio access)

ON-SITE OR NEARBY LODGING: $400/person for 4 nights
Accommodations: solo queen rooms that share a bathroom. Evening studio hours, transportation from/to train station. Extra nights may be available before/after workshop.

Email kelley@rivenworks.com to register.

“What a fantastic, creative, heart- and mind-opening weekend in Seattle with 12 amazing women that inspired me beyond what I could have imagined! I’m happy to say that I felt my fear and doubt melt away and in its place a bold new statement emerge. “Do all the things” makes me feel big and confident and capable; things I haven’t felt in a long time and feared were gone for good. Thank you for such a fun, funny, kick-ass creative adventure! DO ALL THE THINGS!!”

STICKS AND STONES MEET GLASS IN MOSAIC      

There's something compelling about combining nature- and human-made materials in mosaic. Doing so challenges the traditional notion of mosaic as a strictly hard-material medium and provides a context for considering humanity's  place on the ephemeral/durable continuum. Students will take advantage of Pilchuck's natural setting to forage for sticks and stones to combine with various types of glass into cement mortar. Along the way we discuss how to preserve and enhance natural materials for use in mosaic.

Each student will have the opportunity to build at least one mosaic start to finish: processing materials, composing with their choice of design templates, and setting directly into cement mortar.

NEXT SESSION:

Contact me at kelley@rivenworks.com to discuss booking in your area.

SERIOUS ABOUT SERIES

If you’re looking to develop a cohesive body of mosaic work to show, this course is for you.
If you’re looking to develop a recognizable personal style or “voice,” this course is for you.
If you have a favorite subject/idea/color/style you want to explore, or a longer story to tell, this course is for you.

Too boring, you say? Like to change things up with every new work? That approach can fuel one of the most exciting and satisfying successes of a series: maintaining continuity while changing a lot of things up!

In this course, as you build a series of works, you will learn:

- To explore beyond your first (reflexive) idea
- How a series differs from a multipart artwork
- How to choose a cohesive, design-supporting color/material palette
- How to compose/design for a series
- When spontaneity in execution can complement pre-planning
- What unifying elements will link your series works together
- How to riff off of “master” or “anchor” design elements in each work
- How working on multiple artworks at the same time aids continuity and efficiency

NEXT SESSIONS:

Contact me at kelley@rivenworks.com to discuss booking in your area.

SHARD LOGIC: FINDING RHYTHM IN THE RANDOM

Wondering for the nth time what to do with that pile of random scraps and shards of material in your "crap library?” Leftover tesserae, offcuts, accidents, samples and bits we pull out of the floor sweepings because they're expensive, rare, meaningful or just beautiful. Not much of any one thing, and none of it "matches" the rest (curved, straight, jagged, right angles, different sizes, colors, etc.).

Let me show you how to assess random scraps, see (or create) the rhythm in them, and join them together in one cohesive, vibrant, active mosaic. You'll discover that the unruly dissonance of your shards is actually their visual/textural strength!

Through building a sample board and then a Mosaic from your shards, you will learn this and more:

- How to see (or create) the corresponding aspects of various similar scraps
- How to choose a neutral unifying material that pulls your discordant scraps together
- The importance of dissonance in creating energy and interest in an andamento
- The importance of contrast, value, shape and texture in the success of a mosaic
- How uniformity can make areas of “chaos” really pop
- How to effect a "chaos gradient,” and why you might want to

NEXT SESSIONS:

Contact me at kelley@rivenworks.com to discuss booking in your area.

MUG TO MOSAIC, aka The six essential steps of mosaic

Using a mug as context and vehicle, in this three day course Kelley will guide students through an exploration of the 6 fundamental stages of mosaic creation: inspiration, design planning, palette development, material analysis, precision processing, and execution. Students will deconstruct their mug, analyze its properties, develop a color/shape palette and a design/composition idea, process the mug into building blocks, choose/process auxiliary materials if desired, and then set their pieces directly into mortar to execute an 8″ square mosaic. Along the way there will of course be discussion of – and solutions to – the inevitable what-if’s, what-now’s, and oh-no’s that come up in the mosaic creation process. Bring your mug, your sense of adventure and humor, and let’s get cracking!

FEB 27 - MAR 1, The Groove Artspace, Albuquerque, NM
$450
SKILL LEVEL: All
Register here

Aug 26-28, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis, OR
$465
SKILL LEVEL: All
Register here

WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS:

“Wow, Kelley Knickerbocker’s FUNdamento class is amazing. I have learned so much from this class including many techniques and really clever ideas I know I will carry well into my mosaic life.”

" I just finished one of Kelley's classes. Not only was it fun, but it was fast paced, centered on learning new skills and incredibly inspirational. I could look at her work all day. She has opened my eyes to a whole new relationship with materials."  

"Great class. I have taken classes where the instructor has in their mind what they want you to create, which I find very difficult because I see the project completely different from what they see. This class lets you choose how your composition will look. Thank you for the freedom to create from your own mind an art piece. And I hadn't realized that you can use mortar/thinset as part of your piece. Very interesting and inspiring ideas and techniques.”

"I really enjoyed the class,  and I appreciate how much time you obviously put into preparing for it.  I also appreciate your generosity in sharing your knowledge.   I thought my head might explode from all the info!  I was a little concerned that I wouldn't remember much, but then I saw what a great job you did of recapping in your handouts."

"The workshop was excellent! My head is about to burst with ideas how to use all the techniques I learned."

VISITING ARTIST WORKSHOPS, Seattle

Hosted in a spacious, bright, comfortable, 3-bedroom Seattle Airbnb.
Come for just the workshop or add lodging so you can roll out of bed and into the studio each morning and work late into the night on your project(s)

Suggestions?