greenpepperpressblog

Michelle Ward/GreenPepperPress Blog

i love art: paper

February 26, 2013

I'm a fire hazard. I have hoards of paper. I love to use paper in my work. I love to visit specialty paper shops – nothing was quite as special as carefully selecting from the spoils offered in Venice! I have this trick – if I do what I call "me first journaling", then I free myself to be able to use the paper in a project. How often do you collect cool papers but never use them? Do you wonder if you should save it in case a better use for it comes along? Don't be silly, use it! Then you can shop for more! Take a little clipping and attach in your journal. Let the piece flap up or pivot on a brad so you can write underneath it where you got it, when you got it, and maybe a note about why. Then use it!! Here are some of the treats I brought home in a waterproof tube so they wouldn't get damaged during the Aqua Alta of Venice last year.
i love art: paper

February 26, 2013

I'm a fire hazard. I have hoards of paper. I love to use paper in my work. I love to visit specialty paper shops – nothing was quite as special as carefully selecting from the spoils offered in Venice! I have this trick – if I do what I call "me first journaling", then I free myself to be able to use the paper in a project. How often do you collect cool papers but never use them? Do you wonder if you should save it in case a better use for it comes along? Don't be silly, use it! Then you can shop for more! Take a little clipping and attach in your journal. Let the piece flap up or pivot on a brad so you can write underneath it where you got it, when you got it, and maybe a note about why. Then use it!! Here are some of the treats I brought home in a waterproof tube so they wouldn't get damaged during the Aqua Alta of Venice last year.
i love art: matchboxes

February 21, 2013

Continuing my declarations of art love for the month of February….the new Somerset Studio arrived yesterday so I thought I would talk about matchboxes, the subject of my Make It Your Own column. I started using matchboxes a few years back when I was interested in making mini shrines. I love that they are on standby, ready to assist me in projects, in a bin on my studio table. And when they are pre-painted it's even better. Recently I started embedding them into canvas surfaces. I had so much fun doing it – the possibilites are endless with what you can put in them, how to compose your piece, and I thought it would make a great class so I'm teaching RECESS at Art Is You, Stamford, CT in October. Get it? The boxes are recessed, plus taking a workshop is like getting to play at recess. I crack myself up! So here are some of the pieces that appear in the article.
i love art: matchboxes

February 21, 2013

Continuing my declarations of art love for the month of February….the new Somerset Studio arrived yesterday so I thought I would talk about matchboxes, the subject of my Make It Your Own column. I started using matchboxes a few years back when I was interested in making mini shrines. I love that they are on standby, ready to assist me in projects, in a bin on my studio table. And when they are pre-painted it's even better. Recently I started embedding them into canvas surfaces. I had so much fun doing it – the possibilites are endless with what you can put in them, how to compose your piece, and I thought it would make a great class so I'm teaching RECESS at Art Is You, Stamford, CT in October. Get it? The boxes are recessed, plus taking a workshop is like getting to play at recess. I crack myself up! So here are some of the pieces that appear in the article.
I love art: rubbings

February 20, 2013

I started doing gravestone cakewax rubbings when I lived in Boston. There are so many beautiful old headstones in the cemeteries and some of the engravings are spectacular, especially for rubbing. A few years ago I was really into taking crayon rubbings of textures – mostly stamps and stencils. If you use the side of the crayon, and a heavy hand, you can get really nice wax coverage to reveal the pattern, then overpaint with acrylic for a cool resist. You can even iron off the original wax for another effect. Why rub? It's just a way of making your own collage elements. The additional bonus is that once you start doing it you will start seeing interesting patterns and textures everywhere. Don't you love that? A simple case of heightened awareness and suddenly you see your surroundings differently. In these samples I show both current and archived rubbings, some with painted layers to demonstrate the resist. I also include some journal pages that show how you might incorporate a rubbing.
I love art: rubbings

February 20, 2013

I started doing gravestone cakewax rubbings when I lived in Boston. There are so many beautiful old headstones in the cemeteries and some of the engravings are spectacular, especially for rubbing. A few years ago I was really into taking crayon rubbings of textures – mostly stamps and stencils. If you use the side of the crayon, and a heavy hand, you can get really nice wax coverage to reveal the pattern, then overpaint with acrylic for a cool resist. You can even iron off the original wax for another effect. Why rub? It's just a way of making your own collage elements. The additional bonus is that once you start doing it you will start seeing interesting patterns and textures everywhere. Don't you love that? A simple case of heightened awareness and suddenly you see your surroundings differently. In these samples I show both current and archived rubbings, some with painted layers to demonstrate the resist. I also include some journal pages that show how you might incorporate a rubbing.
i love art: teaching

February 20, 2013

I'm behind! I've had intermittent internet the last few days but I think I'm back in good shape…will have a few posts today. First up, teaching. I'm not a good public speaker and get really nervous if I have to be in front of a group. I even dashed off the stage one time during a piano recital – so I probably would never had made it as a rock star (but wouldn't it have been fun??!!) I started teaching in 2002 in my home studio, at local stores, and then at New Jersey events, so I could build up some experience before proposing to teach at Artfest (which I finally got to in 2004). I've been teaching ever since and I love it. I remember being nervous before my first big gig – 32 students in a huge ballroom. I remember being nervous to teach my first workshop and a fellow artist reminded me that the students were willing participants and they wanted me to succeed as much as they wanted to succeed themselves. It was exactly what I needed to hear, realizing we all come to the table with both a desire for growth, but also a bit of performance anxiety. If we just recognize that, then we can all shake off the nerves, and have fun learning together.

There is something really special about being in a workshop with eager students. We all learn from each other because we are plugged in and doing it. Seeing how each artist interprets the material is so inspiring. The best feedback I've gotten from a post-class review is that the artist left with the enthusiasm to go home and make more stuff. That's music to my ears. As a teacher I consider myself an ambassador for creativity. I'm not particularly interested in that your take-away is technique A, B, or C, I want you to leave with the confidence that you can do anything, and the desire to do it as much as you can.

I'm really lucky to have been able to teach at some really cool events, and to have met so many new friends these last ten years. It's been such an honor to stand at the front, and enourage others in this way.

I'm thrilled to be collaborating with my friend Lynne Perrella for two workshops this May, and to be returning as an instructor at CREATE in New Jersey in July, and then teach for the first time at Art Is You in Connecticut in October. You can see my workshop links at left sidebar, or click HERE.
i love art: teaching

February 20, 2013

I'm behind! I've had intermittent internet the last few days but I think I'm back in good shape…will have a few posts today. First up, teaching. I'm not a good public speaker and get really nervous if I have to be in front of a group. I even dashed off the stage one time during a piano recital – so I probably would never had made it as a rock star (but wouldn't it have been fun??!!) I started teaching in 2002 in my home studio, at local stores, and then at New Jersey events, so I could build up some experience before proposing to teach at Artfest (which I finally got to in 2004). I've been teaching ever since and I love it. I remember being nervous before my first big gig – 32 students in a huge ballroom. I remember being nervous to teach my first workshop and a fellow artist reminded me that the students were willing participants and they wanted me to succeed as much as they wanted to succeed themselves. It was exactly what I needed to hear, realizing we all come to the table with both a desire for growth, but also a bit of performance anxiety. If we just recognize that, then we can all shake off the nerves, and have fun learning together.

There is something really special about being in a workshop with eager students. We all learn from each other because we are plugged in and doing it. Seeing how each artist interprets the material is so inspiring. The best feedback I've gotten from a post-class review is that the artist left with the enthusiasm to go home and make more stuff. That's music to my ears. As a teacher I consider myself an ambassador for creativity. I'm not particularly interested in that your take-away is technique A, B, or C, I want you to leave with the confidence that you can do anything, and the desire to do it as much as you can.

I'm really lucky to have been able to teach at some really cool events, and to have met so many new friends these last ten years. It's been such an honor to stand at the front, and enourage others in this way.

I'm thrilled to be collaborating with my friend Lynne Perrella for two workshops this May, and to be returning as an instructor at CREATE in New Jersey in July, and then teach for the first time at Art Is You in Connecticut in October. You can see my workshop links at left sidebar, or click HERE.
day 17: transfers

February 17, 2013

I'm not going to try to convince you to try doing transfers, nor am I going to teach you how to do them. I'm just going to say that I love them. Why? They are an easy way to get an image on your painted surface. I find it much more interesting than gluing down the perfect print-out or copy. You never know how it will turn out, and that's the beauty of it. In addition to images, I love to transfer text. I can set the type in my word program, selecting the scale and font, then flip it before printing. You need the print in reverse so it will transfer tp be legible. The cool thing about making toner transfers (in color or black and white) is not only the partial image result, but the original copies (now remnants) become imperfect and can be additional collage elements. If your page is still damp it's likely the remnant will pick up some of the paint and then you have an even cooler additional element. My preference for toner release is goof-off as it has xylene in it. There are less toxic agents that work just as well – google it. See some works with toner transfers below. I didn't include any injet transfers today but I like doing those too!
day 17: transfers

February 17, 2013

I'm not going to try to convince you to try doing transfers, nor am I going to teach you how to do them. I'm just going to say that I love them. Why? They are an easy way to get an image on your painted surface. I find it much more interesting than gluing down the perfect print-out or copy. You never know how it will turn out, and that's the beauty of it. In addition to images, I love to transfer text. I can set the type in my word program, selecting the scale and font, then flip it before printing. You need the print in reverse so it will transfer tp be legible. The cool thing about making toner transfers (in color or black and white) is not only the partial image result, but the original copies (now remnants) become imperfect and can be additional collage elements. If your page is still damp it's likely the remnant will pick up some of the paint and then you have an even cooler additional element. My preference for toner release is goof-off as it has xylene in it. There are less toxic agents that work just as well – google it. See some works with toner transfers below. I didn't include any injet transfers today but I like doing those too!