Hello! I’m Wendy Solganik, aka @willa.wanders on Instagram. If this is your first time here on my blog, welcome! I’m pretty excited that you found me and my little corner of the art world.

I’ve done a bazillion kinds of art in my life, and the thing that intrigues me the most today is Mixed Media Collage Art.

I’m such a passionate student of this form of art and I’m obsessed with making and using collage fodder (what the heck is collage fodder?).

I really want to learn everything I can about it. I created an entire online art school called Fodder School where anyone with an interest in Mixed Media Art collage art, handmade books and journaling can come and learn this craft from a variety of incredible instructors, even if you have never made any mixed media art before! At this point, Fodder School is about to enter its fourth year with no intention of slowing down.

If you are looking for a great place to start your mixed media art journey from scratch, can I recommend this $19 course?

In this blog series, I’m going to be introducing you to the instructors that will be joining us in Fodder School as Fodder School 4 instructors. If you want to know all about what Fodder School is, go here.

Kate McCurrach is a self-taught mixed media artist residing in Kamloops, BC, Canada. Kate has dived into a few different careers over her lifetime: starting in sciences, she quickly discovered that she could not stop her creativity from seeping into her everyday life.

As with many passions in Kate's life, she dove headfirst into her love affair with mixed media—after taking some online art courses, she found her stride as a student in Fodder School. She specializes in both contemporary non-objective artwork as well as layered bird collages. She has an obsession with collecting and salvaging old books to use in artwork and spends much of her free time treasure hunting for papers in book recycle bins and thrift stores.

Kate loves finding those little rabbit-holes of art exploration that excite her, like foraging for her own pigments to make ink or learning as much as she can about colour theory and colour mixing. Kate is emerging as an art educator and shares her passions for learning and exploring with authenticity and excitement.

For many of you reading this, you might already be familiar with Kate's teaching style, as she's already produced many bonus lessons for previous Fodder School years. If this is your first time meeting Kate, you can expect well thought-out lessons that are simple enough to follow but create striking results. Listen to her expertise in color theory and you'll be sure to create something you're proud of!

In her Fodder Challenge 2025 project, you will learn how to make a batch of magnetic bookmarks with Kate. But she doesn't just stop there—you will also learn how she adorably packages the bookmarks up with simple materials and custom finishes that can make these gifts undeniably yours. You are free to use any papers you want to assemble these bookmarks, but Kate will also walk you through curating a color palette that can make your bookmarks POP!

For those of you that have participated in a year of Fodder School before, you will be excited to learn that Kate's Fodder School 5 project will culminate in our Annual Art Swap month! If you've never participated in an art swap before, no worries, we make it easy. Alongside Kate, you will make a series of postcards with mindful focal points. Kate features birds on her postcards, but you are free to use whatever imagery you are drawn to.

Kate will teach you how to make your own stencils, carve your own stamps, curate and cut collage fodder focal points. Later on, you will be given a masterclass in working with these focal points to make mindful, intentional compositional choices when assembling your postcards. During the Art Swap, you'll have the opportunity to send your postcards out to your fellow Fodder School peers, and receive theirs in your mail! Keep some for yourself, and receive a wide variety in return!

If you think that you aren't capable of creating incredible mixed media art like what you see here, you haven't been to Fodder School yet! We make it accessible. We make it effortless. We make it incredibly FUN!

check out fodder school 5