On-Line Class opening August 27th
Blended Stencil Print by Julie Anne McDonald
Flour Paste Print by Sue Price
at QuiltUniversity.com
Thermofax Print by Sally Wescott
Hope to see you there.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
New York New York... it's a wonderful town!
I've been wanting to visit New York City for a while now. I've had the opportunity but never felt like dragging the kids along for the ride. It seemed like more of an adventure for grown ups. The past few days after paying my dues (I watched my brother's kids in Philly then he watched mine) I got the chance to take a quick overnight trip into the city.
The lovely and talented Melanie Testa and I spent two days walking and playing and having, in general, a fantastic New York experience! Here she is getting ready to unwrap a tasty lunch packet we got at the Japanese store. Oh, my - a whole floor of books. A floor of stuff including office and art supplies and a cafe on the top floor. Check out this lovely pen that Melanie had me try out - refillable ink cartridges and an actual brush tip - bristles and everything. Naturally I had to come home with one. The lunch packets were rice with spicy cod roe, wrapped in seaweed. Of course it took an engineer to open the thing. There was plastic between the rice and the seaweed as well as the on the outside and if you opened it just right then it all lands together in a lovely packet. (No - neither one of us got it quite right but they were delicious anyway!
Our first stop was Central Park and the Zoo. It's the tiniest zoo I've ever seen but it was lovely. We truly enjoyed the tropical house with lemurs and birds and a few reptiles here and there.
Check out these legs. Coming from a woman who loves, loves, loves crazy socks, this was my favorite shot of the morning.We traipsed up through the park to the Met, but had forgotten that it was closed on Mondays so we simply walked west a while then hopped onto the subway and would our way to Melanie's lovely (tiny) apartment and studio. I must say she has made the best of her situation. She's very organized and everything had a space. I'll not complain about my studio any more. Hers is the size of my closet. Literally.
Day two and we went to Spring Studio in SOHO. It's just a basement room but they have life drawing sessions two to three times every day!!! We spent a full three hours drawing two, five, ten, and twenty minute poses. (I think this is a five minute pose.)
What a fun opportunity - not having had the opportunity to take life drawing courses in college. It was three hours of drawing - sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating - but a wonderful chance to learn.
Next it was more subways, more walking, more quick stops into churches, shops, (even a quilt shop), and elegant train stations with beautiful constellations on the ceiling.
We ate our lunch outside of Melanie's Alma Matter, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the popped in to their gallery to view their current exhibit, Eco-Fashion: Going Green. I found it quite interesting to see how they fit some of their historical collections into the theme, as well as spotlighting some very forward thinking current designers.One of the big impressions I'll take from the city is the interaction of so many people sharing the same space. Standing together on the subway. Making way on the sidewalk. Enjoying a pleasant sunny day.
People going places and doing things. So many all together in one place. And guess what. They weren't rude or all dressed in black. Just as many people smiled and were helpful as in any other place I've been. Guess what? I love New York! Two thumbs up.
Just remember to bring very comfortable walking shoes, be prepared for adventure, and just soak in the humanity, the art, the environment and all the wonderfulness in its colorful and myriad forms when you visit. NYC will definitely be seeing me again.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Student Spotlight: Sally in Tasmania
Don't you just love saying "Tasmania"? I do.
Sally has been having fun, fun, fun in my current on-line class.
I'd love for you to pop over and see some of her work.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
On-Line Class: Playing With Paint
There is still plenty of time to register for my upcoming class at QuiltUniversity.com.
will include many wet brush painting techniques, stamp carving, stenciling, and yes -
playing with your food.
Class opens this Friday but registration will be open through next week.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tutorial: Discharge Printing With Bubble Wrap
Do you love messing around with fabric as much as I do? The instant gratification of painting and discharging fabric is one of my favorite things about textiles as a medium.
Next week my on-line class Playing With Paint will be opening at QuiltUniversity.com. Here is a little sneak peak. This discharge technique is just one bonus out of the four jam packed lessons that you get when you sign up for the class.
On-line classes are different than live classes of course. While you don't get the face time - you do get interaction with me and the other students for a full six weeks. A new lesson opens up each of the first four weeks and then there are a couple of weeks of make-up time in case you don't have time to get around to trying everything. And believe me - you can cram a lot more information into four written and illustrated lessons than you can in one live class. I'll be there in the class forum each day commenting on the pictures posted in the gallery and to answer questions. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Artist Spotlight part 2: Judy Coates Perez - Teaching
You know I love teaching - the amazing interactions that happen between students and their work and the teacher are inspiring. I've watched Judy teach and think she has a gift. If you are going to be in Long Beach at the IQF show next week - run, don't walk - to sign up for one of her classes!
Judy Coates Perez on teaching
I try to teach skills, techniques and how to use various media so that people have more options for making their art. I think the more tools you have under your belt the better equipped you will be to communicate your idea or vision. I love working with people and helping them to achieve their creative goals, make the art they envision and unleash their creativity.
International Quilt Festival, Long Beach
Mixed Media Painted Fabric
Using textile paints, gel medium and decorative printed paper images create a fun versatile fabric that can be used to make tote bags, fabric bowls, vessels, sculptural objects or book cloth.
3pm- MIU workshop:
Embossed Metal Origami Pop Up Book
Using aluminum craft metal, simple embossing, alcohol inks and paper we will create a fun little art book, using the fundamentals of origami to create expanding pop up pages. These are so cool, easy to make and they make awesome little gifts.
Fiesta Ornaments
Inspired by Mexican tin folk art, these fun and festive ornaments incorporate painting with textile paints, quilting, embossing and sewing metal.
Painting Fabric for Whole Cloth Quilts
From adding details, dimension or shadow to creating fully illustrated scenes, paint offers endless
opportunities for creating special effects on fabric. Working with various types of fabric paints you will learn different techniques for applying paint to fabric, creating smooth gradations of color and adding fine lines and details.
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