Studio mayhem...

...has struck again, with a host of projects on the go.

I'm in steampunk mode, making gears from fun foam (and yes, I did fussy cut these).

I gave them a heavy coat of black gesso, and then tore into them with three or four colours of  Inka Gold.  I think they're starting to get that steampunky look, don't you?  The largest is about 8" in diameter and I will not tell you how long it took to cut them.

I've got a lot more to cut, gesso and gild before there's enough for a 47" diameter clock created by Bart Bjorkman of Puffin Design.  The clock itself he's repurposed from an old table top:

I think the combination will be a knock-out, if I can just get the scissors and time to cooperate; I've been calling this 'The Impossible Clock' for so long I'm afraid the moniker will stick.

I'm also working on a couple of large floral paintings/collages for an upcoming show in Kimberley. The flowers, leaves and stems are all Gelli prints.  In this photo, I'm working on placement of flowers and flies on the background...somewhere in my studio chaos are some stems and leaves to add to the mix.

The second large floral has an entirely different colour scheme as you can see in this sneak peak...it's more my usual subtle colour style don't you think? 

I also finished a felted piece, my first ever, last night at Carmen's workshop.  What an amazing experience that was.  I somehow managed to forget my camera, although with water dripping from every part of my body throughout the night, it certainly wouldn't have accomplished much anyway. Suffice it to say that wet felting is just as colouricious as any other visual art form (although very much wetter, I must say).

All in all I feel progress is being made and I fully expect you will see some completed pieces here in the next while.  I hope your creative life is going gangbusters too.

It's playtime...

...in the studio again, as I experiment with Gelli plates, hand-cut stencils, and subdued colour.  Yup - you heard me right.  I did say subdued.  It's OK, though - we've checked and the world is not coming to an end.  It's just that I'm working towards a couple of projects, both of which will require me to tone down my usual riotous colour to a dull roar.

I've been printing with soft, thin layers on the Gelli plate.  I love the way my hand-burnt stencils give such a textured look to the prints.

I've added layer upon layer of muted colour,

with additions of tiny amounts of metallic paints,

until I have a raft of them.  As always, I'll never know whether what I see in my mind will work in reality.

The stencils are a delight to play with, whether underlying the heavier commercial stencils or used on their own.

In fact, if you're in our neighbourhood, you can learn how to make your own this next week.  My stencil class, (called Burn, Baby, Burn) is happening on Thursday morning, February 18 from 9 am to noon. You'll learn how to burn your own stencils and even how to design them in this playshop.  It's at Puffin Design, and pre-registration is a requirement.  For more information about this and some other fabulous workshops, you can pop over here.  Please come and play - you KNOW it's going to be a blast!

Studio time at Puffin...

...is always more fun when it's shared, and never better than when it's shared with a group.

This week was the Intro to Gelli playshop at Puffin Design, and we had a blast.  With eight ladies printing like they were on fire, the studio was ablaze with colour.

They drew and printed in the paint,

Michelle's stack

and they covered the tables and floor with print after print.

L to R Barb, Myrna, Therese, Anna, Michelle

They deliberated over paint colour, texturing tools, texture templates and stencils, or just tore into it.

L to R Therese, Sue, Michelle & Anna

Here Barb and Myrna had me smiling at their colour coordinated clothing - did they plan that?  I forgot to ask.

Barb and Myrna

Michelle and Sue went at it all evening in their corner,

Michelle & Sue

 as Therese made judicious choices in colour.

L to R Anna, Alison, Kris, Therese

 While I demoed the plastic tape lift to Kris, Therese worked double time with her colour choice.

Win, Kris, Therese - Alison is behind the camera on this one!

 The colour for the print that Myrna is pulling will make a great base for layer two.

Myrna pulls a print

Alison, co-owner at Puffin, got into the act too (she was supposed to be working the gallery floor, but Gelli printing is THAT addictive).

Alison goes to town at my demo station.

We had a ton of fun, and really, isn't that what creativity is all about?  I've a sneaking suspicion that there may be another Gelli-addicted creative or two in town as a result.

Christmas is getting closer...

...and while I don't normally create holiday-themed work, I do have a little greenery for you.

I've been working on another circle book (well, two really), and thought you might like a peek at one of them before they go on display at month end.

'Squaring the Circle II' mixed media book  © Win Dinn,  front  6" x 7",  front cover

'Squaring the Circle II' mixed media book  © Win Dinn,  front  6" x 7",  back cover

I do seem to be book-obsessed for the past month or so, from folding and altering to children's board books (Green in the Rainbow Series is in progress), and using my fabulous stash of Gelli prints to make them from scratch.

As Christmas draws ever closer, the play in the studio becomes faster and frenzied.  Here's to all your Christmas creativity projects coming to a successful completion in the next six days! 

Celebrating...

...anywhere is perfect, but in Claresholm it is perfect-er!  We made a flying trip there this past week, and the trip was packed to the max.

Alice Saltiel Marshall hosted us for my birthday, and then talked me into a Gelli demo while I was there.  What fun.  I was obviously being terribly bratty, playing the violin at someone I'd just met!

Julie chooses paint and takes the guff!

After pulling some prints, I encouraged those attending to do the same.

Alice watches, as Julie gears up for the first pull.

Marjory shows her pull from a blue jean template.

Kim pulls the ghost print after using the house wrap stencil.

Alice was so enamoured with the colours she chose that she forgot to add stencils, textures or templates - and look at that lovely print!

I was delighted that Marjory won the door prize (more about that in my next post), given that she drove an hour and a half to attend the demo!

And of course, no visit to the Marshalls would be complete without some hi-jinks, as evidenced by this photo.  If John were a seamstress, he could be checking the length of his woolly gift to me, but that's definitely not the case.

Our day ended with a fabulous dinner party, topped with a birthday pie (thanks for remembering I'm not much of a cake fan, Alice!).

As always, a wonderful visit, tremendous food, fabulous company, and the occasional glass of wine - how could life get any better?

Who has more fun...

...than artists?  I find it hard to imagine that anybody could!

Today I got to play with Art Foamies, thanks to the generosity of Emmie Roelofse, who loaned me some for use in upcoming Gelli playshops.  They're fabulous stamps - quirky, whimsical and easy to clean in soapy water (gotta love that!).

With 30+ stamps from which to choose, the decision-making process took longer than the actual stamping.

Using brayer cleaning sheets, I stamped with Staz On stamp pads,

tested the Handy Art fabric paint that Emmie uses (it may not be strictly legal, but it works a charm on paper too)

and used them with heavy-bodied acrylics,

I switched to Gelli-printed backgrounds and used fluid acrylics,

and then the Gelli plate (I stamped the one on the right after stamping into the paint on the Gelli plate...waste not, want not!).

I'm also intrigued that one's own designs can be made into a stamp...what could be more fun than that?  

Emmie's motto is 'If it doesn't move - stamp it!', and I can see why.  Heaven help me;  I'm terribly afraid that I've found another addiction.  

Sharing the studio...

...with friends and family is always such fun.  Rochelle (daughter) and her boyfriend Dylan had a play session on Sunday evening, and then Rochelle and I spent the day in the studio yesterday after Dylan headed back to Alberta.

Rochelle had a blast with the stencils,

Gelli plate,

mediums

 and paint.

Dylan enjoyed using the paint brush alone, and I found this starry night on my easel Monday morning.

All of Rochelle's pieces show a love of complex texture,

 and the inherited passion for colour, both strong

and muted.

 I'd say if she weren't such a passionate animal lover/healer, she'd have a great future as an artist.

Here she is at play - she got that hairy eyeball look from yours truly.  

I'm hoping your studio is filled with family and friends this summer, too - it adds such fun to the space.