In Kimberley...

the art group is WAY beyond obsessed.  Every time I teach at the Centre 64, I'm stunned by the response of the students - the manner in which they pick up and test new techniques, the enthusiasm they show and the fun they generate.

The Gelli plate playshop brought so many stunning pieces to the table (and the floor) I couldn't stop taking photos.  From the gilding technique,

 to textures plates,

 to fun foam stamps,

and they still couldn't get enough of it.

They used ArtFoamies to the max,

they masked,

and they stencilled.

They printed on every conceivable surface from mat board to dryer sheets to card stock to printer paper, and I wouldn't have been surprised to see the walls done up by Sunday afternoon.

You can tell some of them took their work very seriously!

Watch their space;  they'll be up to more shenanigans in that wild art group!  And if you'd like to get in on some of the fun, please join me at The Arts Station in Fernie at month-end!

It's all about the texture!

I'm always very vocal in my playshops, never expecting anyone to actually listen to me.  This past weekend's playshop was the exception to my expectations!

When I demoed the use of texture plates (and the students subsequently made their own), I made it clear that they were to use my texture plates (15 of them) to the max, and ensure they were beautifully painted at the end of the weekend.  Look at their response to my instructions:

Gears

Numbers

Trellis

Dotty

Dots and Grids

Grids

Crackle

Grids 2

Catalyst

Hoops

Roadmap

Lace

Cobblestone

Aren't they gorgeous?  Don't you think those colour schemes look planned?  While some of them need more layers, many are frame-ready right now.  Tell me your favourite in the comments below and we'll see if one or more of them meets your criteria for framing!

One of the most frequent queries this past Sunday was 'What do I do with my texture plate?  Parts of it aren't printing.'  Helpful Hint for texture plates:  When your plate is completely dry (about 24 hours), hold it at eye level to view any 'sticky-uppies'.  Lightly sand these to make the plate as level as possible, yet still retaining the gorgeous texture.

Oh, wait - I've not done a tutorial on these yet...stay tuned next week for that, so you have some idea of what I mean!

 

Did they land Gelli Side Up?

Yes, of course!  The Gelli It Up! playshop at the College of the Rockies, Creston, this past weekend was beyond fun.  With three different kinds of paint, nine enthusiastic participants (two of them working with fabric rather than paper) and WAY too many techniques, it was bedlam!

From striking abstracts

Doesn't  Linda's print make you think of searchlights over a city?!

to luscious realism,

Verona's tulip heaven.

the prints were one-after-the-other stunning.  Jackie's first print of the weekend was stellar...just look at these gorgeous colours!

Yummy texture, too.

They made and printed with fun foam plates, 

Fun foam by Linda

texture plates

I recognize Eileen's hand-cut stamp in the middle, but there was so much sharing going on, I'm not sure this is her print!

and blue jean templates.

Nor am I sure who created this.

They printed on magazine photos

Judy's lace print over an abstracted teapot photo from a magazine.

and even on funny money.

The new fashion in colourful Canadian bills?

They layered 

Love how the violet paper Jennifer used underneath peeks through for additional colour.

and textured

Those repeated circles really do it for me.

and had the occasional happy accident!

Eileen was so keen that she went home at the end of the Saturday's class with one of her prints and over-stitched it to incredibly beautiful result...isn't this a corker?

Busy as bees, they watched,

Photo thanks to Eileen

and then worked

Jennifer (back to us), Shelly and Verona

and worked

A contemplative Christine

and worked.

Linda adds colour

It's a wonder they hadn't collapsed by Sunday afternoon, yet they still looked ready for more!

Back row:  Verona, Eileen, Judy, Linda, Shelly, Jackie
Front Row:  Jennifer, Christine, Anne

Today's Helpful Hint: When 'choosing' participants for a playshop, make sure they're as playful as these!   It was so much fun to be with this Gelli-crazed group that I hope we can do an encore next year.  Thank you all for joining me at the college Summer Series!