Scribble Paintings

 I've been scribbling a lot lately, layering marks in various materials. You can see previous posts about this work here and here.  Like many techniques, scribbling is easy. Making an interesting image with it takes some effort, careful judgement, lots of micro-decisions, and practice. Her is a video showing one way that a particular scribble painting developed. Processes vary quite a lot between individual works, but there is some consistency among those that I do in one "sitting". A sitting doesn't mean all at once, start to finish, but that I work on the group continually until they are done. I don't leave them for weeks while I work on something else. So there is a continuity of thought process.

Here are some of the pieces in this series. They are all 11"x14" on Bristol.

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Art and Soul In Kansas City!!

This April, 3 - 6, for the first time Art and Soul will be offering a retreat just outside Kansas City.  I am delighted to be offering the following workshops:

Wednesday, April 3, 6 - 9 pm, Mini-Collage: On and Off The Grid

Thursday, April 4, 9 - 4:30, Fabric-Paper Collage

 

Friday, April 5, 9 - 4:30, Abstract Landscape
The following video shows my own work plus that of students who took my workshop.

 Friday, April 5, 6 - 9 pm, Scribble Paint

 

in which we use loads of different techniques for decorating papers that you can use in your collage and mixed media projects.

I hope you can make it to one of my workshops, or any of the other fabulous offerings.  Just check out the venue!

Click here for hotel web site

 You will find me in the indoor lap pool during my off hours.  After that in a hot tub and steam room.  This place offers all kinds of spa treatments and ways to relax.  Why not combine art with a relaxation retreat?  I can't wait!

CREATE in New Jersey

I just got back from two very full and terrifically fun days of teaching at CREATE in Somerset, New Jersey.  This was the first year of offering this mixed media retreat at this location, and as far as I could tell it was - and still is (it goes through Sunday) - a super well attended event.  I got only two photos, as I was too busy teaching and having conversations to stop and find my camera.  Here is my Scribble Paint  class, full of creative energy and output:

The gal in front is Jessica Sporn, a freelance artist who is relatively new to mixed media.  She recently started a blog, which you can check out here.  I also had  very full classes in Fabric-Paper, Fusion Fabric, and Unbinding the Visual Journal.

Other teachers I met include Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, who not only makes art and teaches workshops, but also designs stencils and stamps.  I met Seth Apter, who is relatively new to teaching, but not to making mixed media art.  And I met Cathy Taylor, whose work is just gorgeous!  I hope you will check out these links and enjoy the tour.

My next event is Art Unraveled in Phoenix, at which I'll be teaching Fabric-Paper on Sunday, August 5, and Plaster and Wax on Monday, August 6.

Upcoming Retreats

fabric-paper in progress

Just a reminder of upcoming workshops this summer:

In July, I will be teaching at CREATE, hosted by Interweave Press, in Somerset, NJ:

• Wednesday, July 18, Fabric-Paper, 9 - 4
• Wednesday, July 18, Fusion Fabric, 6 - 9
• Thursday, July 19, Unbinding the Visual Journal, 9 - 4
• Thursday, July 19, Scribble Paint, 6 - 9

There are just a few spaces left in each of the above.

encaustic with plaster on panel

In August I'm returning to Art Unraveled in Phoenix:

• Sunday, August 5, Fabric-Paper
• Monday, August 6, Plaster and Wax 

Register here.
I'll be returning to Art and Soul in October:

• Monday, October 1, Abstract Landscape
• Monday, October 1, evening, Scribble Paint
• Tuesday, October 2, Plaster and Wax
• Tuesday, October 2, evening, Intro to Encaustics
  

The above daytime classes are almost full.

Collage Journeys in Vermont will take place here in Rupert, August 14 - 18 (Tue. - Sat.). This year's focus is on color and abstract composition.  Some of our activities will include:

• scribble painting
• staining tissue paper
• working with a gel plate
• working large
• collage marathons
• working in series
• keeping a sketchbook of ideas

 I have two spaces left for this workshop.


Later in August I'll be teaching at CREATE in Chicago.  The line-up includes:

visual journal page spread

• Wednesday, August 22, Fabric-Paper
• Thursday, August 23, Unbinding the Visual Journal
• Thursday, August 23, evening, Scribble-Paint

One more thing:  my next online workshop begins July 25, with Keys to Dynamic Composition.

scribble painting

Scribble Painting Progress

I wanted to post the progress on the Visual Journal, as I have new video and images to share with you, but my video camera and my computer are not getting along.  While they work out their dispute, I'll show you what I'm doing with the Scribble Paintings.

I decided to do about a dozen 10"x10" scribble paintings limiting the palette to this purple-gold-black-gray-light yellow thing, with accents of bright orange.  I also decided to keep using the same circle and doughnut motifs.  Here are a few that came out of that group:

Here is my wall with some of the scribble paintings.

I did not know where this would take me: either I'd get really good at using this limited set of elements and limited palette, or I'd get sick to death of it, or get stale or predictable.  What happened was the latter.  I got stale, the pieces started looking boring, contrived, self-conscious.  The ones above, to me, were on a roll, the the subsequent pieces are the ones that fell apart.  So I took the opportunity to throw a monkey wrench into them, introduce new colors and elements, "wreck" them into submission.  Here are two that came out of this group:

I covered over lots of this one, added the green/turquoise stamp, some collage, more lines...  It may be still in progress.

This one underwent a few transitional phases; lots of the original is covered up, but I think it finally came together. 

I enjoyed this little experiment of getting myself deliberately into a rut, and then getting out of it. 

 

More on the journal soon.