Brayer Technique

I use a brayer - usually a 2" one - to apply paint when my collage is getting too busy and I need a bold, fresh start. It not only covers an area quickly, but it emphasizes the texture of the collage, thereby not "wasting" any of the material underneath. I also use it to lift the paint, so that I can build layers gradually. Here is a video demonstration:

Collage with Magazine Papers

I am hearing from students in my workshops - both live and online - that it is a challenge to get magazine papers to lie flat on the collage substrate. So I thought I'd do a little video demonstration on how I get this to work. If you have found other methods that work, please share them in your comments!

Fabric-Paper at Guilford Art Center

Last weekend I had a great time teaching a Fabric-Paper workshop at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, CT. Read the description here. And now, take a look at the gorgeous papers and mini-quilts the students made!

Jane's fabric-paper in its early stage:

And now she is applying paint to it:

Linda uses stamps on her fabric-paper

And then sews beads onto the mini-quilt

Work in Progress

Ronnie's finished piece, before binding

To learn more about fabric-paper, read Kelli Nina Perkins' book, Stitch Alchemy. Or, there is a chapter in my book, Adventures in Mixed Media, in which I demonstrate fabric-paper techniques. Or, just enjoy the eye candy above. Thanks for visiting!

Sketch-In and Sketchbook Practices

Since The Sketchbook Challenge began last January I've been thinking about how I use and don't use a sketchbook. What is a sketchbook? How do artists use them? How is it different from an "art journal"? These are questions I've pondered over the year without forcing any answers.

To express your thoughts on the topic, click here to take a brief survey.

At Ink About It over the weekend, Sue Bleiweiss and I conducted a Sketch-In. We did lots of drawing exercises:

Then worked with watercolor, experimenting with materials:


And working from still life:
On the second day we painted papers:

Using various brands and types of acrylic paint:
Look at us all having FUN!
Here I am demonstrating something brilliant, I'm sure:

And this is Sue Bleiweiss with Lori, one of the owners of Ink About It.
Then Sue gave us a great little tutorial on making a quick and easy hard-cover book. She brought book kits for everybody, and people used their painted papers for covers and end-papers. What a creative and productive weekend! Check out Sue's free projects to find this book tutorial and many others.

Text and Image Class Starting Soon!

Hello. My online class, "Text and Image: Telling Stories in Collage", is beginning next Wednesday, October 19, and I have a fabulous group enrolled. I opened the group blog a few days ago, so people are introducing themselves. Sharon Gorberg is joining us again; check out her blog. We also have Renate, from Germany, who has a blog to share. Joan, Peggy, Sylvia, Marny, Kathleen, Priscilla, Kaliphoenix, and Bonnie are all repeats from previous classes - great to have you back! There is still room to join this exciting adventure. Read about it here, and join us if you like!

Your Dream Studio

I just got Cloth Paper Scissors e-newsletter offering a new publication called "Inside the Creative Studio: Inspiration and Ideas for Your Art and Craft Space". The e-newsletter asks: What makes a Dream Studio? My answer: Make it work for YOU!

I have seen some artists' studios that look just like any dream studio in a magazine, artists who are both organized AND productive and creative, and sometimes I long to be one of those artists. HOWEVER, I am not one of those. And for those of you who are a little more like me (not totally disorganized, but definitely not a neatnik) I am writing this post to suggest that you do not need your "Dream Studio" to make art. You can get some very useful ideas from CPS's fabulous publications on studios, and Inside the Creative Studio sounds like a great resource (see Sue Bleiweiss's book review). I have gotten great tips myself. But don't let gorgeous photos of beautiful studios discourage you from making art on your kitchen table, your corner of the bedroom, your studio with stuff all over the place (that's me), your dingy basement, or the living room floor. You are who you are. Organize to suit your own style of working, your own level of sustainable organization.

As good as it gets for me (photo-shoot ready):

What it usually looks like:

The other worktable:

My Own Dream Studio

Thanks for taking a look. Embrace who you are and what you have, and accept whatever workspace you have as your dream studio!

More from Portland

Hi All! The video shooting at Creative Catalyst Productions went SUPER WELL! I enjoyed every minute, especially working with the CCP group. They are a friendly, accommodating, and professional group with loads of creative insight. I did not take any pictures while there, so I will post a few more "people" shots from Art and Soul, plus a few from the Portland Farmers' Market:

Elizabeth

Marcy and Jan

Dale

The Front Worktable
Inspiration from the Market

Fresh Ginger!

Aren't those colors awesome???!!!! I bought some fresh ginger to take home; it does not grow here in Vermont!

Views from Art and Soul

Just a quick post to show off some of the work my students did at Art and Soul in Portland. These are from my Scribble Collage class. I apologize for the photography; it does not do justice to these gorgeous pieces, which are just a few from the many examples.

Before

And After

Thanks to all of you who participated! This was a very rewarding and inspiring class to teach. Thanks also to Art and Soul for organizing such a fun and fabulous retreat.

Working in Series

As you may know, I am a big fan of working in series. I almost always work on pieces in groups, and give my ideas room to breathe. Here is a short series I did a few months ago based on a composition idea. I started with a sketch and a group of painted papers, some notion of color, and went from there. I wouldn't say any of these is necessarily a finished piece, but together they represent my exploration of an idea that may or may not "work".

Composition Study 1

Composition Study 2

Composition Study 3

Composition Study 4

I have written an article for the new Sketchbook Challenge e-Zine on Working In Series. The rest of the zine is filled with ... oh, I will let you check it out here on the blog.

I Won A Scholarship!!!

I am so thrilled to announce that I won a scholarship to take a 5-day intensive encaustics workshop with Daniella Woolf this coming January through North Country Studio Workshops. NCSW offers workshop for professional artists at an advanced level, once a year, at Bennington Collage, in Bennington, Vermont. The facilities there are fantastic, and all the students are gone for the winter term, so we have the place to ourselves. Check out Daniella's website as well as her book and DVD, "Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility". And check out NCSW for future workshops.

Both images posted here are from Daniella's web site.

Video with Creative Catalyst

Hi all! I have been very busy lately preparing for a video I am shooting with Creative Catalyst Productions. I am SO thrilled with this project! Their videos are packed full of fabulous demos and useful information, and they are shot beautifully. The video is based on my Scribble Collage workshop, but much expanded to include dozens of techniques for painting and decorating papers, including staining tissue papers, and then demonstrations on how I use them in collage-paintings. It includes loads of practical information and tips on color and composition, as well as on materials and sources.

Get a preview of CCP videos by checking out some of my favorites: Anne Bagby, Ann Baldwin, Carrie Burns Brown, and Virginia Cobb are just a few of the CCP artists' videos I can strongly recommend. You can learn so much even by watching the sample clips!

One other bit of news: I got married last Saturday! To the left is a picture of me just before the ceremony, with a gorgeous floral head dress made by my friend Mego at Green Peak Farm (she grows vegetables as well as flowers). Check out Mego's blog, where she posted a few pix of the event.

Fall Workshops

My Text and Image online workshop is filling up fast! So delighted to have so many students this early in the game. Thanks to all of you who have signed up or expressed interest so far.

Here is a rundown of the live workshops I'm teaching this fall. For the full schedule go to my web site.

September 29 at Art and Soul, I am teaching Scribble Collage during the day, and Scribble Painting in the evening.


October 15 and 16 is the Sketch-In with Sue Bleiweiss at Ink About It in Westford, MA.

October 22 and 23 is my Fabric-Paper workshop at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, CT.


October 28 at AVA Gallery I'm teaching a one-day intensive on Abstract Collage.


November 4 - 6 is another Vermont retreat at the Landgrove Inn. I'm teaching a Collage-Painting workshop, which, for $480, you get with room and meals at this lovely Vermont Inn. It's kind of a shorter version of Collage Journeys in Vermont, which we had in August here in Rupert.

And my final live workshop of the year is at Studio Place Arts in Barre, VT, where I will be teaching my Scribble Collage class.