Sign in here to join our creative community. With your free membership you’ll have access to 20+ templates that support and expand on the content from the Getting In! book, galleries of awesome art examples along with other bonus materials to support your creative and artistic growth. You’ll also receive all the latest updates including new posted works, how-to videos and other cool stuff to help you create an amazing portfolio and secure your spot at art school!
When you become a member, you’ll also receive a couple of great printable posters for your studio, including colourful info graphics outlining the Getting In! process and lots of useful Image Development Strategies to help you create unique artworks.
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Meet Nancy

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If I were a high school art instructor, “Getting In!” would be required reading for all of my students. It’s just that good!
—Jonathon Neeley
International Student Advisor, Columbus College of Art and Design
Getting In! The Ultimate Guide to Creating an Outstanding Portfolio, Earning Scholarships and Securing Your Spot at Art School
Whether you’ve already created numerous art works for your art school application, or you don’t know where to start – Getting In! will get you there!
Drawing on decades of experience in preparing students for art school, Crawford shares her strategies for success in Getting In! – a process that her students describe as life changing. Getting In! provides a clear framework outlining how to become the ideal art school candidate, create with passion and enjoy the process.
Getting In!
- delivers a step-by-step program for clearly outlining artistic and creative goals
- explores what art careers you might be well suited for
- identifies ten key ingredients of a successful art school application
- dispels the myths around what it means to be a successful artist
- reviews ten strategies for maximizing vitality and creativity
- explores the powerful stages of the creative process
- introduces a myriad of ways to create a unique and exceptional portfolio worthy of scholarship
- guides you in creating the Range section of your portfolio
- helps you to identify and create the Personal Series of your portfolio
- introduces the Do’s and Don’ts of creating a powerful, process rich sketchbook
- investigates a myriad of ways that you can foster your creativity and generate multiple ideas
- helps you establish an effective practise routine and deal with procrastination
- examines a number of approaches for sharing your work
- reviews a variety of strategies for funding your art school dream
…along with several other essential components that contribute to success as an artist at post-secondary school and beyond!
You can purchase this book at any of your favourite bookstores including:
“This book literally covers it all…”
—Hyuna Park
Assistant Professor, Head, Department of Design
Director, The Design Laboratory
Director, BFA Exhibition, Memphis College of Art
Programs
To register for any of the programs below please call Nancy at 778 227-6444, or email her at personalrenaissance@telus.net
Upcoming |
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September 26 – October 2, 2016 |
Creative Excursions: A Photography and Encaustic Adventure in Tuscany Week 1 – Tuscany, Italy (1 Week Excursion) Full Enrollment – Please contact Nancy to have your name added to the waiting list, or to find out about the next available class. |
October 3 – 9, 2016 | Creative Excursions: A Photography and Encaustic Adventure in Tuscany Week 2 – Tuscany, Italy (1 or 2 Week Excursion) |
March 11 – 13, 2017 | Introduction to Encaustics (3 day program – small class size) Fort Langley, BC |
March 14 – 16, 2017 | Advanced Encaustic Techniques (3 day program – small class size) Fort Langley, BC |
May 20 – 22, 2017 | Donna Downey Studio Discover Your Artistic Voice (3 day program) Charlotte, North Carolina |
May 23 – 25, 2017 | Donna Downey Studio Develop Your Artistic Voice (3 day program) Charlotte, North Carolina |
July 5 – 11, 2017 | Fibre Arts Australia Advanced Encaustic Painting Adventure Ballarat, Victoria, Australia (5 Day Program) |
July 15 – 17, 2017 | Timeless Textiles Australia Encaustic Collage – eclectic! playful! limitless! Newcastle East NSW, Australia (3 Day Program) |
August 28 – Sept 1, 2017 |
Order and Chaos, Fire and Ice An Adventure in Calligraphy and Encaustic with Nancy Crawford and Massimo Polello (5 day program) Fort Langley, BC |
Creative Excursions in Tuscany and Sardegna, Italy 2017 with Nancy Crawford and Oliviero Olivieri (stayed tuned for dates, itinerary and more information coming soon) | |
Program Details |
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Nancy’s workshops in my opinion are the BEST! She is such a wealth of information and inspiration and is incredibly supportive. I am a workshop junkie and Nancy is in a class of her own! |
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Week 1 Monday Sept 26 – Sunday Oct 2nd 2016 & Week 2 Monday Oct 3 – Sunday Oct 9 2016 |
A Photography and Encaustic Adventure in Tuscany
Week 1 is now full – Please contact Nancy to have your name added to the waiting list, or to find out about the next available class. |
Bramante Travel is pleased to launch an exciting new program for 2016 – Photography and Encaustic Adventures in Tuscany with photographer Oliviero Olivieri and encaustic painter Nancy Crawford
These intimate travel experiences are set up to promote experimentation, reflection, focus and enjoyment! From savouring the regional Italian culinary delights, relaxing and creating in the stunning former monastery of Sant’ Anna in Camprena, exploring and photographing the picturesque towns of Tuscany, through to producing atmospheric encaustic images, your week in Italy will be magical and transformative.
These excursions are ideal for photographers and photography enthusiasts, artists of all descriptions and those interested in trying something new. This is also a great program for couples!) Let us look after all the details while you focus on exploration and delight in the hills of Tuscany. Check out the incentives to book these small group, creative travel adventures early! Please visit us at www.creativeexcursions.com for more information or click incoming@bramante-travel.it to book your excursion today! |
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Saturday March 11, Sunday March 12 and Monday March 13, 2017 10:00am—4:00pm |
Introduction to Encaustics (3 day program – small class size)
Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada |
Join Nancy for 3 exciting and fun-filled days of learning and working with wax. Payment Option #1– Pay in full at time of registering Payment Option #2– Pay a non-refundable deposit at time of registering with the balance to be paid four weeks prior to the start of the class
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I have been re-inspired with this wonderful encaustic process, and learned some very helpful and exciting techniques. Thank you so much Nancy! You really know how to encourage and support people as they explore and investigate. |
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Tuesday March 14, Wednesday March 15 and Thursday March 16 10:00am—4:00pm |
Advanced Encaustic Techniques (3 day program – small class size)
Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada |
Some of the topics and materials that will be explored include:
Your program tuition includes all pigmented wax and encaustic media along with multiple panels for experimentation and image creation. Your tuition also includes the use of hot plates, grills, heat guns and blowtorches, along with other studio equipment and supplies. Upon registration for this class Nancy will send you an additional supply list of some materials that you will want to bring with you to the program along with a questionnaire to complete prior to start of the program. Join Nancy for 3 exciting and fun-filled days of learning and working with wax. Payment Option #1– Pay in full at time of registering Payment Option #2– Pay a non-refundable deposit at time of registering with the balance to be paid four weeks prior to the start of the class |
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This is the most fun art course I have taken! So full of ideas and possibilities that get your creative juices flowing and you get to take home results that are ready to hang on the wall. Best of all – I’m so excited to continue having fun at home. |
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Monday, August 28th to Friday, September 1st, 2017 10:00am—5:00pm |
Order and Chaos, Fire and Ice An Adventure in Calligraphy and Encaustic with Massimo Polello and Nancy Crawford (5 day program) Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada |
According to classical science, the definition of Chaos was an “absence of order”. Today Chaos is considered a form of complexity. If we look back to Greek mythology, the Cosmos or Universe was a beautiful, well-ordered whole that arose out of Chaos. Order and Disorder, Cosmos and Chaos are in fact etymologically related. Is it not natural then for us as artists to want to participate in this dance, this exploration of Order and Chaos? Finally, we will combine lettere capitalis and free writing, Order and Chaos, through a process of layering our calligraphy with encaustic medium, a luscious surface of beeswax and damar resin. This ancient technique that originated with the Greeks will provide an exciting process for us to continue our exploration of our dynamic dualities adding additional colour, depth, texture and finishes.
Your tuition covers most supplies including papers, wooden panels, adhesives, encaustic medium, oil paint, metal leaf, enamel paints, assorted graphite media, pan pastels, India ink, and more. In addition, your fee includes the use of all studio equipment including grills, heat guns, torches, several brushes, tools and drawing boards. The studio space itself is a large, open space with great ventilation and double doors leading to an outdoor courtyard. Your fee also includes 5 catered lunches. Upon registration for this program, you will be sent a small supply list of calligraphy materials to bring along (pens, brushes, some inks and gouache) in addition to a questionnaire to fill out that will help you identify a concept or idea to work with and develop over the course of the workshop. At that time we will also check for any dietary constraints or preferences. Accommodations: There are several options for staying close to the studio venue. Please email us to receive an accommodations list.
Payment Option #1– Pay in full at time of registering Payment Option #2– Pay a non-refundable deposit at time of registering with the balance to be paid four weeks prior to the start of the class
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Workshop Archive |
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August 22 – September 2, 2016 | Portfolio Development: The Power of a Personal Series with Nancy Crawford (10 Day Program) Langley, British Columbia FULL ENROLLMENT |
August 8 – 12, 2016 | Creating Stunning Artist Books: A Week of Words, Marks and Collage with Nancy Crawford and Kayla Preston (5 Day Program) Langley, British Columbia |
July 26, 27 & 28 2016 | Advanced Encaustic Techniques (3 Day Program) Langley, British Columbia FULL ENROLLMENT |
July 23, 24 & 25 2016 | Introduction to Encaustics (3 Day Program) Langley, British Columbia FULL ENROLLMENT |
July 8 – 10, 2016 | An Introduction to the Wonderful World of Wax: An Encaustic Adventure Donna Downey Studios, Charlotte, North Carolina (3 Day Program) FULL ENROLLMENT |
July 2 – 5, 2016 | Inspired By Calligraphy: Exploring the Artistic Possibilities of Text and Gestural Letterforms Open Studio, Lexington, Kentucky (3 1/2 Day Program) |
April 2 & 3, 2016 | Introduction to Encaustics (2 Day Program) Langley, British Columbia |
February 27 & 28, 2016 | Inspired by Calligraphy: An Exploration of Wax and Words (2 Day Program) Langley, British Columbia |
January 23, 2016 | I Feel Stuck…Now What? Strategies for Developing a Series and Generating Ideas Demo at OPUS Granville Island 12 – 2 p.m Vancouver, British Columbia, Call (604) 736-7028 to register FULL ENROLLMENT |
December 12, 2015 | I Feel Stuck…Now What? Strategies for Generating Ideas and Developing a Series Free demo at OPUS Downtown 11 – 1 p.m. Vancouver, British Columbia, Call (604) 678-5889 to register FULL ENROLLMENT |
Week 1 Monday, August 24 to Friday August 28 (5 day program) Week 2 Monday August 31 to Friday, September 4 (5 day program) |
Human Figure Intensive (Two 5 day programs) |
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Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16 |
Encaustic Collage (2 day program – small class size) |
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Friday August 7, Saturday August 8 and Sunday August 9 |
Introduction to Encaustics (3 day program – small class size) FULL ENROLLMENT |
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June 29, 30, July 2, 3 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) July 6,7, 9, 10 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) July 13, 14 (Monday, Tuesday) (10 sessions in total) |
Getting In! A Comprehensive Preparation Program for Art School and Beyond |
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Saturday, May 23 2015 10:30—12:00 Presentation 12:00—1:00 Book signing and questions |
OPUS Langley Getting In! Preparing for Art School |
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April 21 -29 2015 | Flavour of Spain 1 week Encaustic Workshop in Spain |
During your 9 days in Spain you will create several encaustic panels that document and celebrate your experiences in Spain along with other imagery. In addition to the techniques that will be introduced and explored that deal with encaustics, we will also delve into creating powerful compositions, creating an exciting focal point in your collages and how to develop a series of works exploring one central idea or concept. Join Nancy for a thrilling week in Spain and learn a variety of ways to add luminosity, texture, depth and delight to your work. No prior art experience is necessary and this is a great activity for couples! |
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Saturday, April 11th, 2015 10:30—12:30 |
OPUS Langley Encaustic Adventures 2: Advanced Encaustic Techniques FULL ENROLLMENT – 2ND CLASS ADDED |
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Saturday, March 28, 2015 10:30—12:30 |
OPUS Langley Encaustic Adventures 1: Expanding Your Artistic Range FULL ENROLLMENT – 2ND CLASS ADDED |
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November 19 & 26, 2014 December 10 & 17 January 14, 21 & 28, 2015 February 4, 11, 18 & 25 March 4 5:30—8:30 Each of the 12 Days |
Getting In! A Comprehensive Preparation Program for Art School and Beyond FULL ENROLLMENT |
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Mon—Fri August 18th—22nd and August 25th—29th 9:00—3:00 Each of the 10 Days |
Getting In! A Comprehensive Preparation Program for Art School and Beyond |
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Sat and Sun, August 16th—17th 10:00—4:00 each day |
Encaustic Collage (2 day program – small class size) |
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Saturday, July 12, 2014 | Opus Granville Island 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Encaustic Collage – Eclectic! Playful! Limitless! FULL ENROLLMENT |
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Fri, July 4th—Sun, July 6th 10:00—4:00 each day |
Introduction to Encaustics (3 day program – small class size) |
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Sunday, May 25, 2014 | Opus Langley 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Encaustic Collage – Eclectic! Playful! Limitless! FULL ENROLLMENT |
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