Tuesday, June 28, 2011

My studio

I have been in a dry spell lately.   I have not created anything for my store recently and decided that my studio was the problem.   I am working on rearranging my studio and getting rid of things that I have accumulated over the years, not easy!   It actually has been therapeutic.   I have not created anything yet but my creativity is coming back slowly, I have some ideas that I am putting on paper (will post some on a future post).   How do you get out of your dry spell?  

I have posted below some pictures of my messy studio.   Pictures of my improved studio's to come in the next post!




















Saturday, June 18, 2011

Monoprint workshop at the Pullen Art Center

Last weekend I took an Experimental Printing workshop in Monoprint/Monotype Techniques with A Brooke Heuts at the Pullen Art Center.  The workshop was great!   I had a wonderful time and learned a lot about printing.   The workshop introduced me to using different materials to print.  I explored relief printmaking using a plastic fern leaf, others used blocks and printed directly from found objects such as mesh bags, strings and lace.  We also used rubber stamps and explored mixed media and collage.  As you can see below, it was great fun and it was great creating art work freely.
You can see A. Brooke Heuts work in her website.  She is a great instructor and has conveyed to me the excitement and freedom of the monoprint process.   I cannot wait to take another printing workshop or class with her.

Flowers
I made this print by inking a lace type paper with the red ink and pressing it on the plate.  I then used the plate to print on the paper using the press.   The paper has to be wet so we kept our paper in a tub of  water.  My next step was to ink flowers using a brush and then put the plate and paper through thepress.   The other prints I made below followed the same process.

Under the Sea
I used a piece of mess bag for the sky and water.   I painted the grass, and used a wine cork for the red and green circles.

Texture Blocks

I used different materials for this print.  Cardboad, textured paper and a water-soluble pencil (purple stem).


Three Orange Leaves

I used a plastic fern for this print and the two prints below.  

Green and While Leaves 1

Green and White Leaves 2

Block Landscape

In this print, I rolled together two different blues and came up with the gradation of color in the sky.  I used the plates for the buildings and the grass.


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Back from vacation!

I am back!  I was on vacation for two weeks; went to Atlanta, Georgia for my niece Djamila’s graduation.  I am so proud of her; she has been accepted to SCAD with scholarship, Yeah!!!   I had a really great time with family and friends.   Feel rested and ready to work on my store!  I have posted a few pictures below from my vacation.  
 






















This coming weekend, I will be taking a printmaking class in the Pullen Art Center and I am really excited about it.   I will be posting on my experience at the center with pictures of the prints I make from the class.    Hope to see you here soon!