Last week, I mentioned...

 ...that I was playing with my new Gelli plate, and learning the ropes all over again.  Here are some photos from the sporadic sessions.  Some need another layer or two, and some work just beautifully the way they are.  

This one is a fave; the first print was luminous opera and Hansa yellow, followed by a second one of liquid medium, and then a layer of Alizaron Crimson using a  hand-cut Typar stencil. Washing the excess paint from the areas covered in medium is always such a fun process.

I always love the feeling of lace-printed paper, and this is no exception.  A pale green and yellow background was overprinted with a turquoise layer that had been imprinted with lace.  The lace is really pretty now, too, not that it will stay that colour long. 😉

This was printed with several very pale layers, and then over-stamped with a fun foam plate.

I worked with all sorts of toys including fun foam cutouts,

fun foam plates (and my favourite open acrylics),

and my hand-crafted Typar stencils, 

until  the 'extra' shelf and much of the studio floor was covered.

John's favourite one was this print, in the green and gold of his beloved Norwich soccer team. 

My favourite was the first photo above, but I do like this one as well...more to come on it, I suspect. 

This brown one should actually belong on next week's 'brown' post, but goodness knows whether it will remain even close to brown given it's got a ways to go.

And as I'm hosting a bookmark making party this month to reduce my pile of 'scraps', you're probably wondering why I'd be making any more.  Well, it's just because my colour piggery is uncontrollable, of course.  Happy colourful January to you all, and let me know what you've been up to this week in the comments, please.

Things are flying...

...in the studio, and it's obvious there's something afoot.  Luckily, you get to hear about it first!

This coming Saturday is the Kootenay Fibre Arts Festival and I'll be there doing mono-print demos on the Gelli Plate.  Best  part?  If you attend, you get to try it too!

Creating a mono-print is great fun, whether on paper

Gelli-print on paper using masks, stencils and bubble wrap

or fabric, (sorry, we're not showing any printed body parts in this family-friendly post, no matter what the poster infers)

Gelli print on fabric using cheesecloth as stencil

and it starts to get really interesting when you add Inktense Pencils

Inktense pencil work on fabric Gelli-printed with fun foam template

and/or the incomparable Art Foamies  (created right here in Creston, BC!) to the mix.

ArtFoamie stamped on Gelli-printed fabric

Want some even better news about this Saturday and the Kootenay Fibre Arts Festival?  When you attend, and register for this upcoming playshop

you'll get your choice of an added bonus.  Choose from a selection of  hand-cut stencils (yes, that's yours truly slaving over a hot stencil burner and sheets of cold house wrap), or an ArtFoamie stamp (Remember above where I told you they're incomparable?  Truth!)

One of eight house-wrap stencils to be given away - each unique

Only on Saturday, April 22 and at the Kootenay Fibre Festival will you have this opportunity - unbelieveable (barely), not to be repeated (this year anyway), and truly totally amazing!  

The benefits are legion.  The playshop is highly entertaining whether you're a fibre freak, a creative looking for a place to play and learn, or an established artist in any medium.  After making some 800+ prints for my own entertainment, I can safely say that it's more fun than you can possibly imagine!  You say you don't have any experience in creating art?  You don't need it!  No skills? They come in the learning package - no extra charge - and heavily disguised as fun.

If you've taken any of my other playshops, you'll know they are stress-busters that promote a desire for more, more and more creative fun.  If you're a newbie, you're going to love it!  This Saturday - come and register.

Fibre?....

...You've just got to love it!  There are SO many ways to play, and attending the Kootenay Fibre Arts Festival was like being a kid in a candy store with unlimited funds! For the nominal entry fee, you could try your hand at wet felting, indigo dying, weaving, needle felting, Gelli printing and so on. And the colour!

Everywhere I looked was a feast for the eyes.  For starters, Andrea Revoy's bowls were filled with it.

 Susan Chamberlain of Riverstone Yarns was right next to me, and her wool was gorgeous, of course!

Anne Fetterley did some fabulous indigo dying - more POW! colour.

Susan 's Riverstone Yarns

I must admit that when I got my area set up, I actually felt I was letting down my side in terms of colour, a rare feeling for me.

Had I the energy, brains or foresight to take a photo at the end of the day, it would have been a different thing altogether.  The area behind my tables above was filled with scores of Gelli-plated fabrics, brayer papers, and first prints on paper that rivalled the other areas for pizazz.  Those attendees had a blast with the Gelli plate, and I was beyond impressed with the way they took to it.

A highlight of the day was watching three artists attempt knitting with/on giant knitting needles. It reminded me of a jousting tournament from King Arthur's Court, with women defending their turf.

Carmen (organizer extraordinaire), Andrea and Susan go at it!

All in all, the attendees and shoppers were delighted, the 'try it' areas were a blast, and it was an amazing event that I hope will be the first of many!

They did it again!

With one venue at Creative Fix, eight students, nine Gelli plates (I had one too), three hours and 7,469 Gelli prints by my admittedly rough count, round two of the playshop was a blast.

The hit of the night was the dozen blue jean templates, which resulted in some wonderful monoprints.

And the blue jean templates themselves were gorgeous by the time they'd been put through their paces.

They were not the only technique, though, as the fun foam plates got a workout, and

everybody got to make both a jeans template and a fun foam plate to add to their range of textures.

Fay creates her own blue jean template.

I suspect they look so intent because they were so focused on their fun foam plates!

Fay, Karen, Janet, Linda, Keiryn, Brandy, Alison and Cindy are hard at it.

The drying floor area of my studio this morning is a feast for the eyes.

I can hardly wait for next week's class!

Stencil crazy...

...Gelli crazy.

I've had fun these last couple of days, burning a new house-wrap stencil from a stencil-making disaster a couple of weeks ago (no, don't ask!),

and then doing a test run on the Gelli plate for some monoprint backgrounds.

From the initial ghost print,

to each of the layered prints, whether first pass or not,

 I was excited about the results.  As always, I love the texture created by the house wrap itself,

and the first print over another textured Gelli print has great possibilities (think giraffe!),

as does the ghost print over another Gelli-printed book sheet.  I'm not usually fond of subdued colour, but this one pleased me no end.

Even this high contrast print looks awesome after scratching back into the black areas (love those Golden open acrylics for Gelli printing)

 and the ghost print over a soft pink/green print is truly delicious.

I am well and truly hooked on the Gelli printing process, and looking forward to a fall and winter playing with it in Creston, Cranbrook, Fernie,  and Kimberley.  You can see a full list of these and other playshops here.

With applications from original monoprints to journaling to collage and more, the possibilities are endless.  Will you come and play?

From studio...

...to kitchen, summer is one colour hit after another here.

In the studio, I'm working on a scratch-back piece of claybord, liberally covered with alcohol inks...and it's taking forever  (Alice, I'll get you back for this madness!).  Note the subtlety of the colour combination.

 In the kitchen, I'm seeding mashed raspberries for later use.

Back to the studio, where I'm experimenting with heavy acrylic gel, squished through a stencil over a plastic wrap background - yummy effect.

In the kitchen again I'm stirring chocolate and some of that raspberry puree together to make some chocolate raspberry sauce.  WARNING:  Yummy to the nth degree, and very addictive.

This 3 x 3" miniature painting includes a Gelli printed background, a sticky dog-hair removal strip used to clean up the Gelli plate, and a paper towel that soaked up a beet juice spill in the kitchen...nothing goes to waste in either location!

The first batch of salsa came out of the garden this morning;  unfortunately it doesn't come ready-chopped or -canned.  

 Back in the studio, I played with Carolyn Dube's colorful twist technique just for fun.

 Even the pantry gets in on the act, as the sauce section starts to fill

and compete for space with the jam section.

Watch this space for further additions by summer's end, since the tomatoes have barely started to come on.

Meanwhile, I steal as much time as possible in the studio just to keep my sanity...bless those Gelli plate inventors!

I tell myself I'm getting my exercise climbing up and down the stairs between the kitchen and studio. What stories are you telling yourself about your summer?