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!

Paper Flowers

working on samples for the upcoming paper flower class at Press! Come take a class with me!

Drop In Painting at Autobody

worked on this painting last night at Autobody in Alameda... drop in every Wednesday!!!!

reserve your spot!

Shadow Boxing

Miss Milque Toast

Spent last Sunday with the ladies,  a most amazing and talented group of women. We made shadow boxes.  Each was exceptional and magical... so inspiring!

 

Shan Jones

Christina Diaz

Image Transfer Class at Folio Studio

Come take a class this Saturday on Image Transfers. Learn the best techniques for applying found text and images to paper, canvas, fabric, wood and more. Great for beginners and seasoned artists alike! Add depth and dimension to your paintings, collages, book and paper art projects!

Shadow Boxing at Saffron & Genevieve

Last night's Shadow Boxing class at Saffron & Genevieve was wonderful!!!! The shop was the perfect setting to inspire and the women had incredible energy, creativity and courage!

I am always impressed by what people make in a workshop. In a meagre 3 hours of collecting ephemera, composing objects and sipping wine, at the end each woman had created a one of a kind piece of art that is truly exquisite.

This Alice inspired box sat upside down while drying which makes perfect sense in Wonderland.

There are more pictures on Saffron & Genenvieve's Facebook page. Some of which are really great and show these women and their work in better detail! Thank you all for a wonderful class!

Natural Easter Egg Dying Workshop

The day before Easter I taught a workshop at Maison Réve in Mill Valley on natural egg dying. There were toddlers, teens, parents and great aunts all assembled to learn how to create these beautiful naturally died eggs. The dying was easy, but the distillation and preparation of the dyes before hand was very time consuming.

After researching and experimenting I decided I liked the red cabbage dyes the best, which created this beautiful French blue hue (shown below). Boiled tumeric produced a sunny yellow, and red onion skin produced an olive green. The crazing effect happened all on its own.

For best results on creating natural egg dye, boil 6-8 cups water with 1 head chopped red cabbage for about 10 min, then simmer for another 20. Strain and allow cabbage water to sit for about 2 days before use. When using tumeric or red onion leaves, follow the same process substituting cabbage with the skin of 5 onions and 1/4 cup tumeric respectively. For all dyes, add 2 tablespoons alum (found in the spice aisle) to the water mixture. Alum is a mordant that will help the dye adhere to the egg shell. Allow the eggs to sit in the dye awhile. When you remove the eggs, allow them to dry so that the color will stick to the egg. Try not to touch the egg too much or wipe off the dye. You should have beautiful naturally died eggs great for egg and hunts and Easter decorations!

Glitter & Grunge Show

Mark your calendars for the Glitter & Grunge Show in Sacramento in May. MJ and I will be sharing a booth, so come say hello and buy handmade!

New batch of Paste Paper in an Autumn palette.

Minicourse at MA

Taught this week at Marin Academy for their annual Minicourse. The kids made paste paper, learned various image transfer techniques for paper and fabric and then compiled all their skills into a final book. They learned four different structures based on the accordion format. The miniature matchbox book proved very popular, as did alphabet accordions. 

Nico and his book of bizarre animal facts.

A friend was pulled into our Minicourse so that Isabelle could use him as a drying rack for her transfers.
Group shot. (Isabelle, Mia, Nico, Cara and Maya)

Sanjai and her giant folding cootie catcher style book.

New Workshops

I am happy to announce I will be teaching workshops out of my studio at the Napa House. Check out the Napa House Blog for a class schedule!!! Coming up on Sunday February 22nd, I am offering a class in image transfer techniques for collage and paper arts. I will also be creating a Spring Schedule of new classes at the^workshop in Berkeley shortly. I have a renewed sense of purpose after the past few weeks of not wanting to even be at my house, let alone making anything. I hope to kick of the new year in February since January wasn't a proper send off into 2009. Hope this surge will last!!!!

Kiwi with a Hint of Mint

Made kiwifruit jam with a hint of mint. It turned out beautifully! I had reservations about making a tropical fruit preserve, but the tangy sweetness of this chunky preserve is delicious!  I also made a batch of buttermilk biscuits to complement although its wonderful on buttered toast...

A new year

The New Year is a time when change can be a welcomed thing. With 2009 comes the opportunity to create new traditions and maybe change my routines a bit.  I usually make a New Year's resolution or two, and stick to them fairly well. As always I am looking to this New Year as a chance to bring interesting things into my life.  My New Year's Resolutions are as follows:

1. Paint or draw one miniature a day (the first of which is above. A persimmon in                       prismacolor shades of orange and red).
2. Take a photo everyday. ( I'm hoping to make this a polaroid a day if budget allows)
3. And small but significant... Make my lunch to save money and eat something other than soup.

I have intentions of also posting the results of my efforts here, either in the photo or the miniature which makes me post everyday as well, maybe a hidden fourth resolution.

What are your resolutions?

Gocco Class at the^workshop

Just taught Gocco printing on the PG5 at the^workshop in Berkeley. It was a great class especially because two of my flickr friends attended and we met for the first time!

Marilyn aka Spiced Coffee gocco'd this Japanese wave image. It looked great on this coaster and on the tea towel she made!

Sheila used an abstract image of telephone wires, and she printed it on tee shirts and her orange nylon bag. It looked great on the bag because the transparency of the sack gave the image some depth and made it more ethereal!


Hillary aka lily lemon drew this owl image and printed it on her tee shirt (the one she wore to class)! It was pretty cute on the tea towel and fabric scraps, but I loved it on the striped background of her tee!!!!!!


Sonia printed her tank top. She used an image of a doorway with Chinese characters above. I love the distressed quality of the image! The printed turned out really beautiful.

New red shoes...makes me so happy!

Another Halloween Craft

A paper witch soars amidst the smoky clouds atop her black and orange striped bird. Moonlit stars sparkle in the black and white night. A burnt orange pumpkin houses this scene in its empty belly...a Halloween present for my Mom who's birthday we are celebrating tomorrow night.