work in progress

new ONLINE sketching & watercolor: journal style ON LOCATION registration open

My new online class is open for registration. Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style ON LOCATION starts January 20 and runs for 6 weeks. The first lesson will be done at home, then asignments will be at coffee shops, museums, zoo or aquarium. Why not sign up with a friend and do the art excursions together? All my online classes are here.

Holiday craft project

What started as a project for kids, turned into a nice hostess gift addition.

It started as a trying out a project for my Mundo Lindo kid's after school art program. In the parking lot, outside of the craft store. (and inspired by Alisa Burke)


I bought cheap silver balls, puff paint (found in the fabric painting aisle, but works on all surfaces) and coffee (optional.)


The parking lot try out was a success, so I made some more in my studio. Remove the little hangey things.


I squirted yellow dots, and sprinkled glitter. (The paint is very goopy, when wet, and larger balls might be easier to work with.)
Then I squirted red petals to surround the sparkly yellow center. Of course, there's a million ways to design these!


I stuck them on old brushes or pencils to dry. (The mosaic pot is from the recent Mundo Lindo project.) Let them dry overnight.


Put the hangey thing back in, add a ribbon. 



Since I'd been saving paper product cardboard tubes for the kids projects, I tried out another potential kid activity, toliet paper angels.
 

monotype workshop

A lovely 3 days in the monotype workshop. (l to r: Helen Shafer Garcia, Pamela Underwood, Jeannie Moore, Maxine Custer, Amber George, me, Linda Blinn)

I made a ton of prints, many on watercolor paper.

a few on fabric


and since I had my journaling epiphany, I had to print a whole series of Venician columns. I cut a stencil using the rubbing plate I'd created for my quilt 'Basilica San Marco.'  Needless to say, I have plenty to work on in my studio!

taking a workshop

Moi, in Amber George's workshop. (Forgot to mention, I'm wearing my Spoonflower fabric apron.)

Here's the paint we're using. It takes 2-3 days to dry.

The process is a trip. the image on the left is layers of ink on plexi. Once printed (image on the right) the colors that were the bottom layer on the plexi are on top... Twists your head around when you're creating.  During this workshop, I've made lots of prints, both on paper and cloth all with this same color scheme and theme. Of course, after they are dry, I'll collage, and sew and paint and pencil them into submission......

I'm now a witness to the POWER of journaling

I've got goosebumps. See this journal page? I created it in September 2005, and just ran across it in my sketchbook. At the time, I as cutting out images/colors I was attracted to and pasting them in my journal and drawing about them. September 2005. I had no idea at the time this magazine photo was from Venice. Take a look at my set of photos from June of this year, that led to the development of my quilt, "Basilica San Marco"---it's the SAME architecture, probably the SAME building in Venice.......

A detail from "Basilica San Marco" created within the last few months.
wow.
If that doesn't convince you of the power of keeping a sketchbook, I don't know what does!! I've been invited to join a group of fabulous artists in a sketchbook challenge. Pages will be posted starting in January--needless to say, I'll be participating fully!

Taking a workshop ~ works in progress

Monotype in progress. I'm taking a 3 day workshop from Amber George and it's totally fun!

These are printing plates made from some kind of gritty stuff. I'll be printing from them today.

Excess ink, from one of my plexi plates, printed on a phone book page.

Thistle and Rosehips ~ nostalgia series

Here's the last of this nostalgia series (no more of this fabric). Frankly, I love the title of this one, "Thistle and Rosehips" When I was in Utah last summer, the fields were full of these thistles, and I love them. I remember them from childhood, maybe from my grandmother's house, and how we'd spray paint them gold for Christmas (a girl scout craft, I think.) The rosehips are from a loose sketch I did. I love rosehips. I have no idea why. I'd like to see this nostalgia series, framed and in an exhibition. I think I'll work on that.

sketching & watercolor: journal style

Yesterday, at my SDWS workshop, I got everyone drawing pipes with water soluble pens. So fun! and the results were fabulous. Did I get a photo of their drawings? no. sorry.

What's better than sittin' among the roses and sketching and watercolor?

ONLINE: I'll be teaching a new "Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style: ON LOCATION" through joggles.com. The class will be listed by December 16 online, and will begin January 20, 2011 and if you want Santa to buy it for you, you can have Santa buy a gift certificate at Joggles for the amount $75 and present it to you that way. (don't forget to include the recipients name & email in the comment section at check.)

My next local/in person teaching of "Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style" class will be in Encinitas March 19. One day at California Center for Creative Renewal. Class info is here and the registration form here.

Teaching

Here's some of my 21 students at San Diego Watercolor Society. I'm teaching a workshop yesterday & today. Great group. Clear weather!


Have you noticed my wonderful new blog header? Designed by my talented friend Paula Elliot. Paula, a marketing guru, and Alisa Burke, my friend and blog idol, both pointed out that I work in so many different media, I should showcase that in my blog header. I love the new look, and hope you do too.  Also, I've added some new pages on the right column. Workshops (with a video of me demo-ing at the Houston Quilt Festival)  Italy 2012, What I Teach, Products I Use. Check em out! 

Santa comes to town

It's my turn this year, to create the Christmas card image, and husb will write the letter. This Santa was made by my father, many years ago, from crepe paper and cotton.

So far so good, but it needs more.


I wanted a background, and was thinking of the JOY of Christmas.

But once I looked at it, it seemed too....too. A little too childish.

 
Scanned it, and in photoshop, removed the background.


I kind of like this version. I'd color in one of the Santas with color pencil and sign my name. Still a work in progress, I'm thinking....

Teabags...and the Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution. Measures ~13x9 inches. I know there's a 'deep' artist statement in me about these two pieces, but I haven't come up with it yet... These are teabags on cloth, using the uber-talented Judy Coates Perez tutorials.

Industrial Revolution #2 (I need a better title) measures 14x8". I was going to make a bunch of these and sew them together to create a larger piece, but once I added the batting behind the teabags, glue, 200 count cotton, it was too hard to hand stitch--and I love my hand stitching!

Some of the imagery is printed from this exercise and some printed of my drawings and some just painted.







Even a tiny bit of Ralph's Letters can be seen!