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Study with University of Washington Printmaking Professor Curt Labitzke. This exciting new class is designed for anyone interested in learning a variety of printmaking processes at home without a press using non-toxic, water-based materials. This is an all levels class, beginners encouraged!
Long before the printing press was invented artists and craft peoples have used direct printmaking techniques to express themselves and embellish their surroundings. In your own space you will learn how to use stencils, relief printing, rubbings, and direct transfer methods along with hand coloring and collage to create your own individual artworks.
No previous print or drawing experience is necessary. Students will be provided with a basic supply kit. This class will incorporate synchronous, live learning. Emphasis will be placed upon personal artistic development along with learning traditional craft skills and innovative contemporary drawing and print techniques. By the end of the third session each student should have several finished pieces suitable for framing.
Details:
Instructor Bio:
Curt Labitzke is an associate professor of printmaking at the University of Washington. His work is represented at the Island Gallery on Bainbridge Island and La Bottega dell Acquaforte Gallery in Laguna Beach, California. Curt's work was included in the group of Seattle Regional Printmakers shows at Roby King Gallery in 2013 and 2014. He has shown in galleries internationally in Italy, France, Chile and Mexico.
Haiga is an ancient Japanese art form that combines a Haiku poem with a very simple painted image, using pens, ink and a touch of watercolor. To start off the first of the two sessions, Haiga artist, Dorothy Matthews will introduce us to the world of Haiku poetry, chat a bit about the use of watercolor paints, then show examples of Haiga that will prompt you to exclaim, 'I can do that in my journal... or on our trip...or even in my yard!'...And you can!
The conversation will continue with demos, tips & hints, plus thoughts on approaches and resources. As the 1st session closes, participants will be encouraged to give it a try at home, and then show & share their Haiga creations with the group at the beginning of session 2 on March 12th .
An ‘around the house’ list of supplies will be provided in your registration confirmation email. These sessions promise to be lively - with comments, Q&As, creativity and laughter.
We will present Creative Conversations in a two-session format. The first session will be a presentation of recent work by a guest artist. The second session will be a group sharing of participant's work inspired by the presentation.
These events will be held each month on the first and second Friday of the month. The subject will change each month.
Participants are encouraged to gather the following “around the house” items to have handy for the first session of the Haiga Creative Conversation, as well as for the at-home creative challenge. Don’t fret if an item isn’t available: Innovation is the key word for these Conversations.
Artist bio:
Dorothy Mathews has spent decades walking the art path with adults, in media that range from clay to watercolor. This journey led artist Dorothy to Haiga – an art form that uses minimum materials along with an open, creative mindset. Haiga relies on life experiences as well as artful, lighthearted observations of nature....which also describes Dorothy!
During this 2 session class, students will learn the structure of the tunnel book. This book will have four pages between two folded concertinas that create the tunnel. The pages are decorated with collage/rubber stamping/painting/sketching. Once the ‘tunnel’ is finished we will make a cover for it with book cloth or paper.
Bettina Pauly is living in San Francisco as a book artist and working as a letterpress printer with Kim Vanderheiden at Painted Tongue Studios, Oakland, California. She teaches book arts and letterpress workshops at the San Francisco Center for the Book. Bettina studied at the Academy of Art University San Francisco in the Book Arts and Letterpress program under Chris Rolik and Macy Chadwick. In addition she took classes at the San Francisco Center for the Book, taught by Mary Laird, Julie Chen, Shawn Sheehy, Michael Burke and Kitty Maryatt.
She loves books and boxes both as physical objects and as containers of meaning. She is interested in a variety of folded, sewn and woven structures in which she can incorporate her printing. Bettina is one of the 2016 artists for the small plates edition at the San Francisco Center for the Book. She is a member of the Hand Bookbinders of California and the Moveable Book Society.
Her work can be found in library collections national and international and she was featured in the following publications: ‘500 Handmade Books’, ‘Good Mail Day’, ‘1000 Artists’ Books’, ‘Thread Loves Paper’, ‘Newsletter for the Movable Book Society, Ed Hutchins’, ‘Movable Book Society cover interview with Ann Staples, 2015’ ‘Bound & Lettered’, Volume 17 Number 2
Think back to the last time you picked up a movable card. You moved the mechanism back and forth, soothed and satisfied by the movement. You wished there was a collective noun for movable cards. Well, there is! Join seasoned paper engineer Shawn Sheehy in building A SATISFACTION of seven movable mechanisms that demonstrate a wide range of movement possibilities.
All you need is a simple set of hand tools, a short stack of materials, and an interest in engaging with technical paper mechanics. And to dial up the satisfaction quotient, you'll bind your collection into a tidy sample book. This class will be technical, and very, very... satisfying. All levels are encouraged.
Each session will have a one hour break. The session will begin at 10:00 AM (Pacific Standard Time) and go until 12:00 PM then there will be a one hour break. Class will resume at 1:00 PM.
Tools and materials to have on hand:
Shawn Sheehy is an artist with a love of ecology who enjoys exploring such themes as interconnectedness, adaptability, and evolution. Passionate about pop-up books, he works sculpturally with the book format and has presented numerous workshops on pop-up engineering across the country.
Join artist Roni Gross where we will be exploring a variety of artists and their approaches to collage. Students will experiment with several techniques designed to generate new relationships between the materials chosen to work with. What you collect gives clues about the colors, textures and subjects that interest you.
Materials to have on hand:
Roni Gross is a book artist whose work is in the collections of The Library of Congress, Harvard, Yale and many other public and private collections. She runs Z'roah Press which produces limited edition sculptural books.
During this class students will explore cutting stencils from a variety of materials and then how to apply pigments of different colors to the stencils to create forms. We will look at various examples of Pochoir and discuss how the technique can be used in book art.
This exciting new follow-up/next level class is designed for those students who have completed the Beginner Workshop. This intermediate workshop is for students interested in advancing to the next level and continuing to make prints at home without access to a printing press. In your own space you will learn how to make multiple color/multi-layered prints using direct printing techniques first presented in the beginning course.
We will cover designing and creating a print that is built up in layers, printed more than once, using monotype, relief printing and drypoint methods. We will also cover the use of registration systems and tips on using color as a means of personal expression, choosing a pallet, mixing inks and paints and a bit of history about pigments. Emphasis will be placed upon personal artistic development. Students will choose their own subject matter and work in whatever size/scale fits their needs.
All classes will be live via Zoom to include technical demonstrations and group discussions. Everyone will be provided with a supply kit prior to the first session containing a variety of water-based inks and materials. Please verify your mailing address when registering. Registration will close 3/16.
Suggested materials to have on hand:
Join Carolyn Terry and co-host Susan Callan as they share their practice of Art Journaling. Carolyn has been keeping art journals for over 20 years and has lots of tips and tricks for getting started, from overcoming the fear of a brand new journal to finding topics to write/illustrate to keeping your daily (or almost daily!) practice going.
Carolyn spent half of her teaching career as a middle school art teacher, and found art journaling to be a very good way to keep her own art work going. After retiring and moving to the Northwest, she delights in the lush plant life, large bird populations, and persistent raccoon families that give her lots of material for both her art journals and her artists’ books.
Carolyn will talk about both handmade and purchased journals, art materials to get started (most of which you’ll already have), where to get ideas, how to decide what to put in the journals, and how to keep going.
These sessions promise to be lively - with comments, Q&As, creativity and laughter.
The first session will be a presentation of recent work by the guest artist. The second session will be a group sharing of participants' work inspired by the presentation.
Join artist Susan Callan and other fellow artists who have traveled, kept journals en route, and didn’t leave the urge-to-art at home. Perhaps the art was an annotated menu, an adorned map, a hurried sketch of a stranger on a train, or a full-page of paint to capture a unique scene. Art stirs the traveler’s memory to re-live that moment, and the trip. Years later, it draws readers in, providing a time capsule – in art and words.
A travel journal can start with either bought or handcrafted books; it can be slim and sparse of content or bursting with your experiences. They are all priceless treasures.
Bring your favorite ‘artified’ travel journal to the Conversation. Bring questions, or tips you’ve picked up along the way. We’ll all be enriched by each other’s efforts.
The challenge between the 1st & 2nd session? Just for an afternoon, be a tourist in your own neighborhood. Create one or two bits of art. Bring them to life with a few well-chosen words. Build on your past AND the Conversation’s first session. We’ll show & share results in the 2nd session...and, wish everyone a Bon Voyage d’ART on their next trip.
These sessions promise to be lively - with comments, Q&As, creativity and laughter. Don't miss it!
Around-the-house Materials and Supplies
SESSION #1:
*This class is for youth ages 12-16* Spend a week creating art in one of BARN's outdoor classrooms this summer! We will spend this session exploring several kinds of printing and image transfer techniques including mono-printing, relief printing, stamping and solar printing. After making a portfolio of prints, we will assemble them into a small book complete with text. Our subject will be trees, but no worries about drawing, as our projects will be geared for fun and experimentation.
Students should wear clothing suitable for working with paint and inks.
Lynn Agnew is a working book artist and retired educator. In addition to working as a teacher and school administrator, she worked for Microsoft and created curriculum for the WA State Arts Commission. Her artistic focus is currently on making books and fabric pieces. Her work can be found in university and private collections around the country.
