Color

 Andie's watercolor palette

I took a class all about color with Andie Thrams at SFCB this past weekend. Andie is an bookmaker, and observational sketcher, a nature lover and above all a master of color. When we introduced ourselves early Saturday morning, I said that it wasn't color itself that led to be to this class, but the organization of color. I love things in "rainbow order," for lack of a better phrase. I love to group color with its complimentary, with is neighboring color or just reorganize my colored pencils even though I might be in the middle of a very messy studio. The beauty of color arranged is so, so seductive...

  mixing colors

  pastels arranged by color 

  One of the first known color wheels, this one by Moses Harris. This image is one of many great images found in a treatise on color by Sarah Lowengard. 

Love this image of Crayola colors and their evolution since 1903. And since I'm OBSESSED with this, I have a whole pinboard of images you can oogle, all of things organized and having to do with color. Trust me, these pics bring happiness!

http://pinterest.com/ccerruti/rainbows/

Upcoming Workshops

Come take a workshop with me! Image Transfers at SFCB is a great place to start for anyone who wants to play and still get really professional results. You'll learn a dozen ways to transfer found images and text to other surfaces. Sign up here for the August 29th class... spots limited and this class usually sells out!

I'm so excited to be teaching at the Teahouse studios in Berkeley again. This beautiful space is the perfect place to spend a weekday evening making an original little beeswax collage. Using photos, paper ephemera and other findings create a sweet little tableaux on wood. Sign up here for the September 27th class. 

If you've always wanted to make your own little books, cards or zines this is the perfect class for you.  In Intro to Bookbinding at SFCB we'll cover 5 basic structures that allow for great variations and modifications. From here you'll be able to make dozens of structures and be ready for your next step in adventures in bookmaking. Sign up here for the August 27th class.

Hope to see you in a workshop!

Get Crafty!!!

We finished up the week with artist trading cards, accordion portfolios and...... shadow boxes inside altered books!!! The ladies did an amazing job; I was so impressed and I inspired by their creativity! Thanks to the awesome students and Thea,Sanjai and Jenny for their co teaching and general all around awesomeness!!!

Get Crafty Day 3

Altered books with shadow boxes inside!!!!

Altered Books Workshop at S&G

Only 2 spots left! Reserve your spot!

Im dying over this miniature book!

 One of my favorite artists, Elsa Mora aka Elsita just finished this amazing miniature book. Its available in her etsy shop along with other incredible works of art. Check out her blog where she has separate sections for all her wondrous creations... paper cuts, miniature books, handmade dolls and more!

Unbound

Went to Unbound today with my friend Susanne. The show at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek features Book Arts by various artists both locally and nationally recognized. Some of my favorite works are as follows...

Evidence of Compression by the amazing Julie Chen of Flying Fish Press. Chen's limited edition books range from shaped books housed in complex box structures to wooden games with carefully crafted components.

I loved these little nature studies on discarded library check out cards made into an accordion book.

I love this piece by Emily Payne. It appeals to my fabric loving side because it reads as a textile from afar, and that palette and arrangement of hues is so seductive!

These amazing Touchstones by were so velvety and soft! They are for sale at the show for a mere $60 each.

I discovered artist Andie Thrams for the first time today. I adore her observation journals; They are so immediate and direct! Her images are full of life and color and all the text is handwritten. Much of the work in the show is comprised of limited editions. These little gems stood out not only for their exquisite quality but also because they are unique, one of a kind books, made by the artist.






I loved this accordion pop out book entitled Quell by Alison Yates. The presence of the artist's hand evident in the woodcuts is an aesthetic that is so pleasing to me. The story illustrated is that of a hunter who attempts to shoot a deer only to find it is really a woman with whom he falls in love...

These silhouettes were so striking against this curry colored wall. They were made with a series of tediously sewn cross stitches on a found book. Artist Lauren DiCioccio.

The show was a great survey of an artist's interpretation of the book and it made for a wonderful Sunday!