Words are flowing again. . .

For some reason, I felt like I was out of words. I couldn't remember any words that I wanted to say nor could I remember any words that I might like to say ... until tonight.

So, after looking over so many of the pictures  that I took today of our re-cap of the
Retro Inky Prints ( a workshop that Helen Shafer Garcia taught here at the beginning of October)
I decided that it was time to show off our results from today.

Although there were only 4 of us in this mini re-cap session, we sure did some great pieces.
First of all we couldnt even remember "how" to do the process, so we called Meg. She knows everything, and ... she remembers how to do everything too.

It started with slathering some Golden Black Open Acrylic on our plexiglass.. After that, we were stuck. But as it turned out the process was quite simple and the results were amazing.

 Ruthie created an interesting &

simple & colorful retro print.

 I borrowed a FREE  image

that Cloth Paper Scissors offered

a few years ago for my image and

then kicked it up a knotch with 

my use of colors.  

 This owl was created by one of our

newest additions to our Tuesday

get-togethers, Loretta.

This was only the beginning.

 Loretta also drew a simple

flower and added powerful color

to practice this technique. 

 I sketched a simple bird in a mountain

setting with a few plants and then

added some bright color.

Last but not least, Susan Warrick loves 

her cats and decided what could be a simpler

image for a retro print technique then her 

precious little kitties. 

Meet the Artist

A "retro style" inky print created by Helen for October 14th workshop

Here we go again with another exciting and informative

interview with one of our upcoming instructors -

Helen Shafer Garcia

Helen will return to Saluda from San Diego, CA on 

October 13th and 14th for 2, colorful, NEW and

creative workshops.

Crinkly Inky Book - Oct 13th 

Create an extraordinary multi signature end band hand bound book with inked and painted Masa papers. You’ll learn at least 5 techniques in this workshop including dropped- in color, ink batik lines, Masa paper process, and book binding techniques to stitch signatures with end bands. We will explore a special batik-like technique with Masa rice paper to create the folios and cover papers with stamps, acrylic inks and watercolor washes. The paper quality is ever so soft in the finished book...a book you’ll love to pick up again and again.

10 am till 4pm $135.
Register by email and payable with check, cc, paypal
 

(scroll down to see the interview) 

***We changed it up a bit *** Sunday, October 14th 

Cool, Retro Style "Inky Prints "

 Have a blast from the past creating scrumptious textures, bold graphics and color patterns with this unique process that combines watercolor, collage, and hand pressed Monotype printmaking. This water based ink printing technique lends itself to a retro feel from the 50’s, when printing techniques were not high tech and artists were challenged to create bold graphics with limited colors.

 The process involves a user friendly, easy method of transferring ink onto the paper from the monotype surface. The over inked look gives that “newsprint retro ink” feel when printing was not so “perfect”. Watercolor washes, collage paper images and stamped images will connect the dots in the compositions. These finished works have endless possibilities for book arts and further collage techniques.
10 am till 4pm $135. (limit 12)
Register by email and payable with Paypal, Cc, Check 

 

NOW FOR THE INTERVIEW with Helen

 Where are you from and where do you live now? Family? I grew up in Glendora, CA, 30 minutes east of Los Angeles. My husband, son, two cats and I live in Vista, CA.  My son and husband are both welders and engineer type minded people. Our casa is called “Garciaville”, which includes my cool studio (featured in the Summer Issue of Studios Magazine), my son's metal shop and my husband's metal lathe shop where he makes beautiful cue sticks. My cats just sit around meowing and buzzing. I have a 1/2 acre garden that keeps me in tune with my plants and other assorted creatures.

At what age did you start "playing around with art and getting creative" When I was 8 years old I had a major surgery to remove my non-working kidney. While in the hospital I started drawing characters from “The Jungle Book” along with other assorted creatures. I also remember playing with the mud in the backyard..making little animals and houses....this led to my love for clay sculpture.
 How does your day begin when you are planning to go to your studio?  My creative time in the studio starts late. I teach locally at various locations during the day. I usually take a nap when I get home so I can work later in the evening. I’m a night person and my best hours of creativity are 8pm to 2am. I love the evening sounds from the garden and keep the windows open when I can. The sounds relax me and I’m able to concentrate more on my work. Mornings are not good until I have my kick start of coffee and fruit!

What do you do when you get stuck?  I weed my garden, take hikes, or visit artful sites. My past illustration jobs led me to stay on task though, deadlines sometimes don’t give you the opportunity to “get stuck”. I used to work through it with these little breaks. When I’d go back to the studio I’d hang the work upside down to view it, giving me a fresh way to look at the shapes and values.
 How often do you teach at large venues - small venues and where and do you have a favorite? - other than Saluda? Ah, of course my fav is Saluda! What a beautiful setting with such delightful folks. I do teach at some of the larger venues. My friends, Jane LaFazio, Laurie Mika, Lynn Leahy, and I teach small groups in San Miguel de Allende and next year in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We really enjoy teaching together and who wouldn’t love staying at those two locations!

To whom do you pay gratitude for your creativity and talent? My parents gave me the freedom to explore and to be creative. They paid for art lessons when I was young and continued to support me all through college. My Grandmother, “Baba”, was very inspirational too. She made dresses for my sister and I, little doll clothes (In my case ..troll dolls), and stuffed animals. She was a collector of little treasures and she had a collection of succulents that intrigued me at a early age.
 Do you have a favorite quote, phrase or saying that keeps you motivated to create? 

 “Viva la Vida”!
 You were in Saluda last year to teach, what draws you back to this area and why? North Carolina is a beautiful state and so different from our semi arid environment. The arts community in Asheville and Saluda is outstanding and supportive. I am especially drawn to the fact that “craft” is such an important aspect in your area.  It gives me hope that fine art crafts such as book arts, fiber, glass, wood,  etc are still being taught with high standards. Too much emphasis has been put on conceptual art, leaving technical skills behind. I admire the combination of good technical skills along with conceptual  ideas.

So, there it is! Another fun interview with one of Random Arts premier instructors.

For more information about Helen click here.

Possibilites of Paper Making

Paper making is not new  and it's certainly not new to us at Random Arts. We have been grinding up the pulp here for 16 years but with a little lapse,  it all started again yesterday, and it started with some amazing results.

So the down and dirty is the getting out the blender, finding scrap paper ( a non issue around here), water, tubs, screen and couch sheets. I am so happy that I still have all the tools to do this.

The first big mis-step is to put way too much paper in the blender. But mistakes always turn into works of art, as we found out.  With that said the process of creating turned into a happy success story for all of us. With the use of "big scrim", kraft krinkles, alchemic rust, and hydrangea blooms our mixed up mess of pulp became "ART".

Marilyn used krinkle kraft paper, jumbo scrim embedded & dried hydrangaes

Here are 3 of the sheets that we  created using the blossoms of the hydrangea.  I started drying some of the blossoms earlier this week with this in mind.  Each sheet is so unique depending on the type of paper that we added to the blender.  


Want to process some paper?
Just ask me about our next workshop. Satisfy your creativity in a nurturing environment here at Random Arts in Saluda, NC.

Meet the artist. . . Jane Davies

Early this summer, Jane LaFazio, emailed me with a fabulous idea that she had nurtured, involving an interview with me, the owner of Random Arts. 

Not having thought much about it in the last 2  months, it came to me that maybe this would be a good way to introduce  our new instructors who are coming here to teach.  With that being said, I thought that I would start with upcoming artist and author Jane Davies. 

Jane Davies will be here on September, 7th, 8th and 9th, teaching 3 separate workshops:
Fri. 7th - Unlocking the Secrets of Color
Sat. 8th -  Scribble Collage
Sun. 9th - Unbinding the Visual Journal

Read on to find out more about her, her work, her aspirations and her passion for art and the world around her.......

Unbinding the Visual Journal

• Please start by telling us a little about yourself and the place you live in Vermont
I live in a rural area of Vermont, and my studio is in what used to be a barn just behind my house.  I work full-time as an artist and teacher, my main media being painting, collage, and encaustic.  I started my adult life as a potter, and did craft shows and galleries for about fifteen years.  After ten years I transitioned into licensing my designs to manufacturers, so there was some overlap there.  Licensing as a freelance artist threw me into an entirely different world, one that was immensely creative and high pressure, but ultimately left me feeling disconnected from my work.  When I took the plunge to make fine art and teach workshops full time, I felt reconnected, and well supported by a huge community of other artists and students.

• What is your favorite part of the day?
Morning.  That is when I get my brain work done -  writing articles and blog posts, crafting newsletters,  brainstorming about new workshops, brainstorming about anything at all, and organizing my day.


• How did you get started teaching?
I've always taught workshops now and then, on the side.  It was only about three years ago that I decided to stop doing the freelance work and discover Who I Am as an artist.  Teaching was a natural way for me to not only support my work financially, but to share my experience and learn from others.


• What is your most favorite thing about what you do?
I love the flexibility of it.  By defining myself as an Artist, I don't feel locked into one medium.  I get to choose the topics of my workshops, so they can keep evolving as I evolve.  I love the multi-faceted nature of the work: I create art, I run a business, I teach, I investigate materials and processes, I write, I shoot and edit video, I do bookkeeping, make travel arrangements, the whole nine yards.

• How far do you travel to teach?
I'll travel as far as anyone will pay me to travel.  So far I've taught in the United States, as far as Oregon and Arizona.  I would love to take groups of students further afield - to Nova Scotia or to Europe - but it isn't the highest priority right now. 

• Who do you credit for inspiring you to "make art & be creative"
I don't know that I've ever considered not doing some kind of creative work.  My father was an administrator at an art college while I was growing up, and though he is not an artist himself, most of my parents' friends were artists and academics. I'm sure that had a big influence.  I was never considered a black sheep or anything for choosing the arts.

Scribble Collage

• When did you decide that this is what you wanted to do for a living?
I've always been self-employed, so there was never a question about making a living at what I do.  What I Do has changed a few times, and my yet morph into something else, but, as I stated above, creative work always seemed to be my calling.

* What's the best thing about teaching art?
  I just LOVE sharing what I know and learn, and I'm always learning new things both from my own experimental style and from students. I think I'm hard-wired for teaching: whenever I get jazzed about something, I want to teach others and share my enthusiasm. I teach yoga, and I'm teaching several neighbors how to raise and process chickens.  My latest book, "Adventures in Mixed Media"  (my fourth) includes projects in book arts, fiber arts, foam core assemblages, jewelry, collage, box construction, mixed media dolls, and a few other things.  I think that teaching is the glue that holds all my interests together.

• What books are you reading now?
Apart from Dickens, Jane Austen, Richard Russo, and Louise Erdrich, I'm reading a book recommended by one of my students, called "Refuse to Choose".  It's about people like me who have lots of different interests and have always had a hard time in the world of "normal" people, who can stick to one career or one main field.  It explains a lot and gives me a framework for thinking about my wayward career in a new light.

• You are still very young, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Well, in ten years I'll be nearing sixty; does that make my young?  Undoubtedly I will still be making art of some sort, and probably teaching in some capacity.  By then I hope to be spending a little more time on home activities - raising my chickens, gardening - and on travel that is not related to teaching.

What about color?

 It all started with crayons..... those juicy tubes of color that we hoped would never break when we used them to "color in the lines".

 

It's an interesting subject that plagues us all every day when we attempt to work/play  on whatever project we are working on, right? We think we know how to blend, how to combine colors and how to add color to our work, but when it comes to a final decision, it's really all guess work. 

I am fortunate enough to have had quite a bit of background training in  color throughout my life, starting at a young age, but many of us have not had that training. We add a little of paint here  and a little of paint there and hope for the best. Is it all a guessing name? No, it isn't, girlfriends, it's a science... .well almost a science although one would never think that "ART" is a science.
Certain colors are mixed with others to achieve certain effects and
other colors are painted over color to achieve another effect and the guessing continues until we have . . . MUD.


Finally, after all this struggling, we have an artist coming here to teach who addresses this problem.... head on - Jane Davies. 

Jane Davies Book on Mixed Media Arts

Jane is an artist/instructor who lives in Vermont and teaches at art retreats all over the country including Create, Art is You and Art and Soul.

She will be here Sept 7th, 8th and 9th at Random Arts and on the 
Friday, the 7th she is teaching "Unlocking the Secrets of Color".

 Unlocking the Secrets of Color

Color is one of the most immediate and emotionally affecting elements in visual art, packed with symbolic and cultural associations, personal meaning, and expressive potential. Your choice of colors can make or break a collage, painting, or mixed media piece; even a small change in color can be the key to transforming an otherwise so-so piece into a stunning work of art. In this workshop we will explore color through hands on exercises, learning how to mix them, and how they interact and relate to one another, and how they work in composition. After taking this workshop you will be on your way to making confident color choices and developing your personal color style.

This one day workshop is only $110.  for a full day of instruction from this amazing artist. This fee includes instruction, morning coffee and danish and afternoon snacks. 

20% Discount on all supplies purchased from Random Arts for this workshop.

Once you get the color figured out, you can move on to. . . 

 Scribble Collage Sat. Sept. 8th
In this workshop we will create our own collage materials by making “paint playgrounds” and scribble drawings using acrylic, watercolor, crayons, pastel, ink, and other materials. If you are “not artistic” or “can’t draw”, try drawing and painting with the intention of tearing up the results for collage! It is definitely in the category of dance-like-nobody-is-watching, and a great way to engage your creative spirit. We will experiment with various approaches to collage using these paintings-drawings as our foundation, make a huge mess, and have a whole lot of fun in the process!

 •••••

Unbinding the Visual Journal on Sunday Sept. 9th. 

Like many creative mixed-media enthusiasts, I LOVE the idea of visual journaling. But when it comes to actually using one of my handmade books, or even a store bought art journal, I get The Blank Page syndrome. After years of wrestling with my seeming inability to find a satisfying approach, I came up with a way to make a visual journal that solves the Blank Page Problem. You begin by creating random collages on unbound folios, and then assemble them into a book. Each page spread offers something that you can respond to. Collage, write, paint, sew, cut, tear, or draw. There are no mistakes and no blank pages! This workshop takes you through the process of unbinding your visual journaling, resulting in a beautiful handmade collage book. Students will learn basic book binding techniques as well as a new approach to visual journaling.

To register contact Random Arts in Saluda, NC
we are only 85 miles from Charlotte, NC
in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
 

Katie Kendrick at Random Arts

 Katie Kendrick returns to Random Arts in September 
for 2 fabulous workshops!

It's been several years since

Katie Kendrick has come to Saluda 

to teach however it wasn't from the

lack of trying on our part.

Katie has been busy teaching

all over the place including Italy

with Kristi Steiner's "adventure in Italy" retreat.

 

Paste it down - Paint it Up with Katie Kendrick on Sat. Sept 22nd

 Now that we have a firm commitment from her

it's about time for you to learn more about Katie

and her emotional attachment to her art.

 Katie Kendrick lives along the banks of the Tahuya River in western Washington, surrounded by the Tahuya State Forest. The peaceful beauty of the nature that surrounds her is a constant source of inspiration and nourishment for her creative spirit. She finds art making to be one of the most powerful ways to connect with her innermost essence, while at the same time discovering her authentic voice. She enjoys the experimental and intuitive layers of creating, where she can explore inner and outer worlds simultaneously. 

 She has a passion for sharing her love of creating with others, and teaches mixed media workshops across the U.S. Her work has been featured twice in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine as well as several recently published books including True Vision; Authentic Art Journaling by L.K.Ludwig, Mixed-Media Self-Portraits by Cate Coulacos-Prato, 1000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn Sokol.

Description for  Katie's workshop 

"Paste it down, Paint it up"

on Sat. Sept 22nd
As artists and creative beings, it’s important for us to have ways to cut loose and let our ideas flow. In the first part of class we’re going to create a visual journal from a 

 vintage record album base, and spend the day filling it with colorful images and soulful meanderings. I’ll be sharing prompts as well as techniques to get you pumped and your creative juices flowing.

••••• 

Sunday, Sept 23rd

"under the influence... of art"

with Katie Kendrick

 

Using paintings by “The Masters” as our inspiration, we’ll focus on design elements, expressions, and gestures we want to incorporate into our own paintings. The class is not about copying what we see, but the practice of seeing with the fresh eyes of an artist and translating what we see into an authentic visual language. 

Each workshop is $145 and payable at the time of registration

We accept paypal, visa, master card, checks payable to Random Arts.

Workshop space is limited to 12

Please visit our website for more information

email: randomarts@charter.net

Phone: 828-749-1165

You never know who you'll meet.

Today was a very interesting day at Random Arts as are most days  but today was exceptional.
Interesting people are always walking through the doors here and that has been the case
over the 16+ years that I have been doing this.  I have always said that you just don't know who might
come in the door on any given day.
I always ask people where they are from? What type of art they do? Have they ever been to Saluda before?  Where are they  going on their journey? It's almost like I am taking a survey or writing a book but my intent is not that. My intent is to get to know those that enter my creative little world here in Saluda... Random Arts. It's like having guests in my house.
I had a soft, cushy feeling about these two women when they came in and I assumed that they were mother and daughter. . . assumed in my mind, not aloud.
They both loved the shop, they looked around at everything, showed them some of my journal pages, explained the zen doodling that we do here.
My questions  continued and finally I found out where they were from and who they were.

They were from Seattle and the older woman,  Joan Wolfberg   is a Chautauqua Scholar who was performing in Greenville, SC as Golda Meir.
Not only did I learn about Joan and her performances but I also learned about the Chautauqua experience in this country. I have actually been to Chautauqua in Boulder, CO with my daughter Jonquil, about 20 yrs ago and it was so amazing. It was probably one of the best vacations that I ever
had experienced. From rafting on the colorado river, to enjoying a concert there at Chautauqua and then going to a Rockies game in Denver. But enough about that.  This is about finding out more about Joan and her acting experience around the country.

For me, this was a very rewarding experience to meet and speak with this talented woman and her beautiful daughter who travels with her to these venues. Thank you Joan and Denise for stopping by Random Arts and for loving all that we do here.

Collage, Color & Books Oh My!

Jane Davies here at Random Arts, Sept. 7th, 8th & 9th.

This is her "Scribble Collage" which she

will be teaching on Saturday, Sept 8th

In this workshop we will create our own collage materials by making “paint playgrounds” and scribble drawings using acrylic, watercolor, crayons, pastel, ink, and other materials. If you are “not artistic” or “can’t draw”, try drawing and painting with the intention of tearing up the results for collage! It is definitely in the category of dance-like-nobody-is-watching, and a great way to engage your creative spirit. We will experiment with various approaches to collage using these paintings-drawings as our foundation, make a huge mess, and have a whole lot of fun in the process! 

Unlocking the Secrets of Color on Friday, Sept 7th

 Color is one of the most immediate and emotionally affecting elements in visual art, packed with symbolic and cultural associations, personal meaning, and expressive potential. Your choice of colors can make or break a collage, painting, or mixed media piece; even a small change in color can be the key to transforming an otherwise so-so piece into a stunning work of art. In this workshop we will explore color through hands on exercises, learning how to mix them, and how they interact and relate to one another, and how they work in composition. After taking this workshop you will be on your way to making confident color choices and developing your personal color style.

  Unbinding The Visual Journal  on Sunday, Sept. 9th 

Like many creative mixed-media enthusiasts, I LOVE the idea of visual journaling. But when it comes to actually using one of my handmade books, or even a store bought art journal, I get The Blank Page syndrome. After years of wrestling with my seeming inability to find a satisfying approach, I came up with a way to make a visual journal that solves the Blank Page Problem. You begin by creating random collages on unbound folios, and then assemble them into a book. Each page spread offers something that you can respond to. Collage, write, paint, sew, cut, tear, or draw. There are no mistakes and no blank pages! This workshop takes you through the process of unbinding your visual journaling, resulting in a beautiful handmade collage book. Students will learn basic book binding techniques as well as a new approach to visual journaling.

To see more about Jane Davies, her blog

and her videos and gallery please click here.

Gotta LUV this!

 

Melanie Statnick loves these Peerless Watercolors 

and she showed us just how much in our "random play day" here last Saturday. She simply pulled out her set

of these brilliantly saturated strips of paper,

added her wet brush and the magic began.

The Peerless Watercolor Sheet packs are available 

at Random Arts and it's FREE shipping to U.S

until June 2nd for all my blogging friends. 

The 15 sheet pack (approx 3"x6")is $16.95

40 sheet (approx3"x3") is $24.95

 

Just do a paypal to:

randomarts@charter.net 

and I will send it out to you.

 

Carol Lee followed suit with her "oh so fab" fish prints.

Melanie's Visual journal came to life with bright colors

As you can see, with the addition of stamps and texture her journal speaks to all!

Creative Art Journal Stencil

I created this stencil for my art journals and

have found more than one use for it over 

the last few months.

Take a look at it and see if you can come up with any other

ways to use it.

 I just love it!

These sell for $5.95 and I will ship it FREE 

to US inc. AK & HI

How's that for a deal of the day?!

Create it and they will come!

Our first annual re-sale of arts & crafts supplies was a big hit!

Vendors came from as far as Brasstown, NC & Tennessee, as well as all place in between, with their vehicles filled to the top, to set up and sell their new, used & old art supplies and materials as well as vintage items, antiques  and art.

 The crowds started showing up as soon as we

opened at 9:am and kept us all busy both

inside and out.

 

Outside the vendors kept busy as their products

flew off the tables and into the bargain hunters bags.

Inside the shop  customers scoured our assorted goods and vintage relics and found all sorts of interesting items.... that you can't find anywhere else.