I walked into my studio this morning, excited to take advantage of the cool temp and high humidity (70%!!), only to feel a little bit of lonely. After having M and B in my "Experience the Tank" marbling class on Saturday filling the studio with their enthusiasm, creative energy, and sense of adventure--not to mention their marbled papers--there was a definite sense of empty space.

As with every class I teach, my own marbling practice is affected by students. They think they are the only ones learning but it is I, too, that gain something in these sessions. This time, it was M's love for the simple gel-git that infected me. I often see the gel-git as something I HAVE to do to get to the next step. But watching M sink into the zen-like motion of moving the stylus back and forth and then up and down the tank, I saw the beauty in the simple pattern again. By the end of class, M was using the stylus to freehand designs that were simply beautiful. I wish I would have taken a photo of her last piece (which was on canvas) so you could experience her touch.

B was getting into the bull's eyes and then adding a Christopher Weimann-esq touch by going over them with very small rakes (of the nonpareil kind), sometimes wiggling and jiggling, sometimes straight...but ALWAYS executing each stroke at 90-degrees to the previous one, like a good student! I also wished I had taken a photo of her last marbled paper as it was a stunner.

So while in the studio today, I took my time with my gel-gits and played a lot with my 1/8" and 1/4" rakes. There was one piece in particular I really liked--a flame pattern made with a 1/4" chevron and a 1" comb (pictured below). It's tiny palms/flames swaying across the paper are just lovely. As I stood back and looked at it drying on the line, I couldn't help but smile, knowing this beautiful piece would never had been created had it not been for M and B in my studio this weekend. What a gift!