As artists, we all face times of feeling stuck in a rut or in creative blocks. In this workshop, students will have the option of experimenting with Kat’s unique prompts and exercises for breaking creative ruts and jumpstarting anew. Kat will work with each participant in a supportive, uplifting and constructive atmosphere. She will also share her insights of working in an archival manner with the less toxic burden to ourselves and our planet.
Breaking the Ruts is a four-day workshop for artists of all levels who want to experiment. Kat Masella, the 2026 Goetemann Distinguished Artist/Teacher, will guide each artist with individual conversations. It is a time to come with your ideas and enjoy being in the creative process and learn from Kat and each other.
Location: Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
Dates: August 10-13, 2026
Time: 10 am - 2 pm (Students will have access to the studio from 9 am to 5 pm)
Cost: RNAC Members: $500; RNAC Non-Members: $550.
For questions about this workshop, please contact info@rockyneckartcolony.org.
Register HERE
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WHAT TO BRING:
Most Important: Bring your sense of joy in the process of exploration, wonder, and adventure.
Bring any materials you currently work with (or would like to work with). Please be sure to honor the solvent-free studio of Montserrat College.
Also, the following:
A sketchbook of paper of at least 18x24” (90lb in paper weight minimum)
5-10 sheets of 140lb watercolor (full sheets)
Sketching supplies of your choice, but at least include charcoal (vine and willow) varying widths
Your choice of quick drying solvent-free paint mediums (acrylic, tempera, casein etc)
Your choice of paint colors, but be sure to include Black, White and a Brown (pint sizes), and include red, yellow, blue (a warm & cool of these primaries)
Your choice of painting substrate: primed or unprimed canvas (loose canvas is great), paper, wood etc.
Painting size is up to you (space allows wall space approx. 8 feet per student)
Tools/Misc.
Anything goes! And any sizes.
Brushes, squeegees, kitchen utensils dentist or pottery tools, hardware supplies
Large yogurt containers/plastic water buckets
Box of Nitrile gloves (a must)
Small jar of non-toxic adhesive of your choice
Apron or old clothes, old comfy shoes
Again Most Important: Bring your sense of joy in the process of exploration, wonder, and adventure.
Kat will also bring some unusual artist materials and atypical supplies to experiment with as well
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Katalene (Kat) Masella is a thriving professional artist from Cape Ann, Massachusetts. Her large scale oil and mixed-media paintings are a modern blend of abstraction, figurative, and art historical elements. The compositions are nuanced and sophisticated; the works are diverse yet share a common, unifying thread of palpable, transcendent energy. “Masella’s work offers an overarching theme of connectedness…her outlook informs her moving body of work.” — Forbes Magazine (April 2024)
Masella earned a Certificate in Painting from the Art Students League of New York and a Graduate Certificate in Visual Arts from Harvard University. She is completing a master's degree from Falmouth University (UK). Some of Kat’s most impactful studies were with New York artist Frank O'Cain, whose revered mentor was Vaclav Vytlacil (also mentor to Rauschenberg, De Kooning, and Twombly). O’Cain encouraged Kat to continue with her unique vision and ‘wild’ process.
In Kat’s words: My process sometimes feels like child’s play and very physical, yet it is also contemplative; it’s my form of prayer. Working spontaneously allows me to respond quickly in the moment, trusting the wisdom gleaned. I pour my heart and spirit into the work, focusing on the bigger picture and meanings of life. In reflections, I ask myself the 'what' and 'why' questions, which provide me with endless motivation to do the work.
Kat Masella’s work has received multiple awards and recognitions, and has been juried into gallery and museum exhibitions nationwide. Her art resides in corporate collections of Honeywell International and Bang & Olufsen.