After five days in DC and Rehoboth Beach, my swag bag of ideas is full, and I can’t wait to get back to the studio. Some of the stash: Raku bugs on clay rattles Frameless framing Shellacked manilla paper with inkjet prints Multi minicanvas construction ….and doubtless many more from today’s National Building Museum visit. I’ve read two amazing books on this trip – Steal Like an Artist and I’d Rather Be in the Studio.
The first is about making ideas your own by building on the timeless collaborative community of artists everywhere, and the second is on getting the word out about your art for the best reasons. Stay tuned for the results of my insipratons – I’m ready to get back home and get to work.
I was looking for some new paper ideas for my Votive Workshop on June 17 when I came across Galen Berry’s site. He is a master of the art of marbled paper. When I look at his results, it makes me wish for time to learn how to do everything! I used to do marbling with my students until we got in trouble with the district police chief whose office was next door to my classroom in an old instructional building. He didn’t like the way the turpentine smelled. We were closed down by the law! But Galen Berry doesn’t use turpentine – here are his general instructions and the results, seen in the amazing video, below.
1. Some alum is dissolved in water. This is sponged onto each paper to be marbled, and the paper is allowed to dry. The alum is what will bond the color to the paper.
2. A thick liquid, referred to as the size, is made by blending a type of gelatin (carrageenan) with water.
3. The size is poured into a shallow tray.
4. Several colors of ink or paint are sprinkled onto the surface of the size. They float on the surface because they are lighter than the thickened water.
5. A stick is used to stir the floating colors if desired. Various combs and rakes may also be run through the colors to make more intricate patterns.
6. A sheet of the alum-treated paper is gently laid onto the surface of the size, and it absorbs the floating colors. Only one print can be made.
7. The paper is lifted off, rinsed, and hung up to dry. Fabric marbling is done the same way, except for step #1: Instead of sponging the alum onto the cloth, it is soaked in the alum water, then hung up to dry, then ironed flat. After that, it can be marbled just like a sheet of paper.
That’s the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio Campus – and I got to have a tour and lunch there with a group that I belong to called SA100. It’s in a beautiful redesigned building near the old Pearl Brewery. The whole area is undergoing an urban Renaissance. From the CIA website: “Set among restored 19th century buildings once part of the Pearl Brewery, the CIA San Antonio campus is as diverse as the culinary world itself. Located on the San Antonio River just north of downtown, the 20-acre Pearl Brewery site is developing into a exciting center that will be filled with cafés, schools, lofts, services, and events. The CIA classrooms and kitchens are state-of-the-art and dedicated to real-world experiences, creating an ideal setting for learning.” Here are a few photos from the visit – I would love to go back and try their new cafe called Nao, still in is soft opening phase with prix fixe menu of three courses for $24. Today’s lunch was good, a beef soup and sandwich but the desserts were the star! There’s a bakery cafe associated with the school that sells these great pastries as well as light lunches – it’s popular.
Chef Jacob shows off the desserts
Lunch was beef soup, choice of sandwiches on artisan bread, and salad
These dessert squares were a delicious combination of coconut, pineapple, mango and raspberry
Our group had lunch in the demonstration kitchen meeting room
This is the outdoor kitchen which was re-purposed from an old water tower
Whatever art muses there are out there seem to be taking care of me – this new Guardian series has proven to touch a chord in lots of people. Perhaps we all feel that we could use “someone to watch over me.” These constructions of mine are guardians of little realms of nature. Each piece seems to build itself as I work in the studio putting things together. It’s kind of like guided meditation. The latest two are Guardian of Groves (the tree kind, top) and Guardian of Channels (the river kind, bottom).
Jan Longfellow invited me to an Open Studio at her studio on July 7th – it will be a Christmas/Hanuka in July Art Sale! Lesta Frank will be there also along with another friend of Jan’s. I really like the motivation of having another event to work toward. Meanwhile, I’ve had a request from an Etsy buyer for a photo of several of the Scent Shard faces. Here they are, including the new verdigris finish that seems to be working well.
Friday night’s opening was successful and enjoyable. I loved having Rick and Becky there, and many other friends showed up despite the First Friday traffic. Every artist should have the opportunity to see work in a setting that shows the development of an idea. I’m so lucky to have had that – thanks to Matt and Carole Weissler at La Vida Gallery.
My show at La Vida Gallery opens tomorrow – I made a quick trip down there this afternoon to drop off the last piece, and Matt had almost finished hanging the work. What a great job he did. The walls have been painted white and the pieces really stand out. Here’s the final collage construction. It doesn’t really fit with any of the the others although it is kind of a companion piece with the twig and silk collages. Those Da Vinci women’s faces just mesmerize me. This one is called “Starling.”
Totally inspired by what Ann Pearce did with the shard faces, I developed some new finishes for her. Can’t wait to see how she uses them and how her clients like them. Here they are- the finishes are called Moonlight (light silver ivory), Oceana (iridescent green) , and Twilight (Raku purple).
Here are three new small constructions that I have just completed. I really like them. As with anything new, they seem a little undefined/refined, but the idea of a mythical guardian who helps us choose our lifepath has always resonated with me as it has in many other cultures. Here are the first three pieces. They are made of fired clay, paper, wood and gold leaf on stretched canvas. Each piece measures 12×12 inches, the titles are beneath the photographs.
The first Sunday Studio workshop was a huge success – I was amazed at the beautiful work the attendees created – each one striking, each one different, each one well-crafted and thoughtful. Personally, I had a fantastic time and can’t wait to do it again on June 17th. See the video of the afternoon, below. If you would like to know more about the workshops, visit my workshop page or email me to schedule a special session for your own group.
