Finally back to normal here….well sort of. Last week was a fun filled and very packed workshop on Experimentation with Materials. Eight students trying everything as fast as I could show them and then trying to put it all into a lovely book of samples. Here is a bit of their efforts.
I am glad the class is over. It is exhausting preparing for the class and cleaning up my space here at home when it is finished and all the spare materials, tools and equipment are brought back to the studio. Some things I take of the walls and bring in to show them ideas after they have played with a technique. Like the one below using National Geographic images that have been collaged and then carefully gessoed in places to emphasize and add designs.
Nothing terribly original here other than the arrangement and choice of colors and the drawing with gesso. Really anyone can do this and have something interesting to look at. When I look at it I remember how much I liked the time involved with making so many marks with a toothpick and gesso to get fine lines….or maybe I used a tiny squeeze bottle. It seems that the bottle would have clogged, so if I do it again, the toothpick for sure.
This week I will read the text for a children’s book that a friend has written and asked me to illustrate. It sounds like fun and I hope I am up to the task. I would like to do it in graphite because it is about woodland critters and I did a limited edition of books titled, “When the Woods Whispers” several years ago. Here are some of the images from that tiny book…only 2″ x 2″ square.
Of course the author may have a different idea. The challenge is the thing here and it is solitary work. Just me and my medium. No students, no hauling bits and pieces everywhere, no cleaning up. I am going to enjoy this next week.
But for today Art Group arrives in less than two hours and I need to get the studio ready for their work and all our ideas, thoughts and sharing that comes with that work.