Supply Sale

This August Lowell Fiber Studio joins the artists of Western Avenue Studios for a building-wide 

ARTISTS' DE-STASH SALE

Imagine: Five floors of artists, 

letting go of supplies. 

Paints, trim, paper, yarn, fabric. 

You name it, it will probably be here  on August 6. 

Come to Studio 512 to grab thermofax screens at bargain prices

Gently used and brand new. Text, florals, images, and texture. 

Jump start a new project. 

Share ideas.

The Great Artists' De-Stash is part of  

Western Avenue Studios Open Studios 

August 6, 2016

122 Western Avenue, Lowell, MA

Noon-5

Free parking

Food Truck 

 Start on the fifth floor!

Thermofax workshop: Prayer Flags

 Saturday May 3, students  joined me at the Arlington Center for the Arts to try something new. They printed their own fabric, then created prayer flags or banners. 

I gave each student their choice of four small screens to work with. After a brief talk about flags, bunting, and symbols, we got down to the fun of printing.

 

exploring layers

The students had access to a library of colors but a limited set of images. 

printing through a stencil

This produced some truly beautiful results, including layers, reverse-prints, and  free-form repeats.

Water-color print-off layered with text

At the half-way point, we cleaned up, then began to compose. The students used their prints, along with heap of colorful scraps I'd brought, to expand the possibilities.

a banner for a friend

Everyone brought unique energy to the day. It was amazing to watch their voices emerge in the course of one afternoon.

layers and layers

  

working with sheers

 Along the way we shared stories, ideas, and laughs. The class surely could have run another two hours. People left with  nearly-finished work, four screens, and a sense of possibility.

finished banner

Late Summer series

Several pieces been waiting for months to be finished. Finally this week I turned my hand to these:

waiting

The series comes from thoughts, photos, and sketches made during late summer visits to the beach.

finished

I made the stencils last year, as part of demo for my Free Form Fabric Collage class at the Arlington Center for the Arts. (Still a seat left if you'd like to join us. We'll be making stencils this week.)

The monoprint portion of this one was made with watercolor on gelatin, then layered with collage.

The series will at Open Studios next weekend in Lowell.

One piece remains. It's more like yardage, and hangs from my studio door, asking what comes next?

what next?

Sue Benner, Expressive Painting

A look back at a class I took two years ago. 

My summer dye-work has been interrupted by a bad knee (all the supplies are in the basement, two floors down. And the water is in the kitchen, two floors up. Good knees required.) But the t-shirt blanks are waiting for me. Meanwhile, I sort my thermofax screens, collect color swatches, and remember this inspiring class. 

 

Just coming back into my body after a 5-day workshop at Pro Chemical and Dye in Fall River, with Sue Benner.  Speechless with delight. Five days in a huge workshop, with fourteen talented people, plus all of Pro Chem's power behind us.

The week filled us with energy, ideas, images. Officially, the class  ran from 9 til 4, but they opened the building at 8AM and let us stay until 6. My roommate and I got there when the doors opened and closed the place each day. Such intense joy, to work all day, in an optimized studio, with room, tools, supplies, and good company.  I haven't got any photos yet of my work, but here are some images of other students.

repeat-like freehand design

Students came from around the US and from Canada.  The room was full of energy and curiosity, with Sue a marvelous, generous teacher to lead us.

Sue Benner

 After a half-day of set-up, we began with straight monoprints. The second morning we worked just with black on white. Here is one such piece, with a second layer of painting and a fine mist of color:

I love the sense of depth here

 The range of vision was wonderful to see, from abstract to literal, and from carefully considered to the wildly improvisational.

Flowers! layered print by my wonderful roommate

Wednesday the Pro Chem people set up a big print table for us on the loading dock. Everyone got at least two chances over two days to work large. I snapped up extra hours, even squeezed in a last hour before final cleanup on Friday.

Silk scarf and smiles.

If they'd offered the option, I'd still be there. Instead I'm home, setting up a dye station in each of my work places, rationalizing my supplies, and calling the plumber about a sink in the basement.

sunset on last day.

Here's a piece from this weekend, painted on half a vintage table cloth:

dye painting, vintage linen

Heaps of ideas and energy.

Thermofax printing

My husband gave me a pile of old white t-shirts. Raw material. 

Four left now. Bottom one random dyed.

What to do? Print print cut dye print.

I had a pile of new screens I've been wanting to test.

My dad's class photo

a relative, a diagram, a design

And here's the first finished t-shirt:

I believe I wear it to work today.

Thermofax Workshop

 Six students and I gathered at Lowell Fiber Studio this past Sunday to print with Thermofax screens. The class included artists Linda Germain and Deb Dugan, 
along with a Bard student and fiber artists from Lowell, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Once you start, the Thermofax printing moves fast. 

You need to keep moving and respond to what happens on the cloth.

These students embraced the challenge. 

 Everyone produced beautiful samples.

You could see ideas generating more ideas.

No one wanted to stop, not even for lunch.

All my life I've heard teachers say how much their students teach them.

It's true. 

This Sunday was another amazing group of talented people. 

I'm so glad they took the leap and came to work with me.

The Thermofax path

Thoughtful birds

Last week I had some quite hours in the studio. 

I spread curtain fabric the length of the printing table, 

took out some colors and screens, and invited the muse to visit.

Two favorites

The result is ten feet of sheer, barely pink fabric, with birds, leaves and 

the advice"take your time" drifting its length.

 The only place tall enough at home to photograph it is the entrance stairwell.

This morning I found a beautiful branch to hang it from.

I am pondering whether to do anything else to it.

View from lower stairs

Perhaps another layer - sheer bits, to drift like leaves across the surface. 

Perhaps pleats or stitch that extend the branch lines. 

Or perhaps just hang it and leave it be.

Your thoughts?

Thermofax Class and more

    I'm offering two classes this month.

Thermofax Printing on Fabric:
2-day workshop
  Sundays, 1/22 & 1/29, 1-4pm

  Returning students and newbies
will work side by side. Experiment with multiple images.
Create repeats, resists, watercolor effects, and improvisational prints.

We'll discuss cropping, stitching, and appliqué, and
make at least one personal collage in class.

Visual Journaling
Fridays, 1/20-2/17, 10am-1pm

We will explore layers of color, texture, text and image. 

Student will create beautiful pages with personal meaning.  

Learn how to capture time while you tempt the muse.

Registration now open at Acarts.org.

Thanksgiving

 

I'm preparing for my January classes: art journaling and thermofax printing. 

First: let me thank the wonderful people who I've taught this year.

I love the staff and students at Carleton-Willard Village. The people there always teach me. Together we rediscover the amazement of putting paint on paper.

 

Watercolor by John Hands

Thank you to the people who came to my Thermofax Printing classes in Lowell. They brought such a spirit of adventure. As usual, I forgot to take pictures because so much was happening, so here's a shot from an earlier class. (It helps to have a student who's a professional photographer!)

 

photo by Kerry Hawkins

And finally a big shout out to the wonderful women in The Sensuous Surface, my class this fall at Arlington Center for the Arts.

  

They came to class, after a hard day or a long week, and turned into artists.

We had a lot of laughs, used a lot of paint,  and made a ton of good work.

 

 

Their energy and enthusiasm brought me joy.

 

I can't wait to do it all again next year!