Jammin' to this:
While making a few of these:
Inspired by Nature
Before I left for Matrilumina, Emmett and I took a drive through the Angeles National Forest to Grass Mountain. This lovely road trip came on the heels of an Experience the Tank class (the last one for this session), which meant I was still swirling around in the eddy of inspiration I always end up in after being around students. As we were driving through the chaparral, I kept seeing paint colors in the nature all around me. For example, these little shrubs, which were everywhere on the side of the road, screamed Golden's Red Oxide.
This green spider looked like he had dipped the upper part of his body in Golden's Chromium Oxide Green:
And this field sparkled Golden's Yellow Oxide in the high-noon sun:
The next morning as I was in the studio, I grabbed these colors, along with a little Carbon Black for drama, and set about using them in a variety of ways, shades, and patterns. I was mostly overmarbling papers that had traditional patterns on them in colors I did not particularly like (when I teach a new pattern in class, I usually just grab whatever paints are closest to me...so I like the pattern but the colors don't always work for me). I knew I wanted to stick to the traditional pattern theme when I overmarbled but wanted to make sure I toned down the original color schemes at the same time.
Some days, the studio successes are BIG and other days they are small. This was one of those other days. Of the seven papers I marbled, only two made me happy. But they made me REALLY happy!
The above is a horizontal Flame pattern over a vertical Flame pattern. It looks WAY to busy as a full sheet but when I started to look at it in smaller sections, I loved what I saw:
As a smaller piece, your eye is able to truly appreciate all the little details that make up the beautiful Flame pattern (I sense a life lesson in there somewhere!). The same holds true for this horizontal Chevron pattern over a vertical Chevron pattern:
The two pieces and patterns as full sheets couldn't be more opposite in texture and style. Flame is swirly and fluid and dances between thick and thin lines. Chevron is more straight and narrow and, well, "determined" is the word that comes to mind. Yet, when I see these two side-by-side as smaller pieces, they both feel light, warm, inviting, and alive. The harder edges of Chevron seem to melt and the wispy feel of Flame seems to slide into a soft focus. The transformation is delightful to experience!
These lovely numbers are about to become covers on my hand-bound journals and photo albums...and I'll share the final transformations in a few weeks.
Work is NOT the Four-letter Word Some Think it is
I snuck in the new header earlier this month but haven't had a chance to talk about it. This is another one of those "happy accidents" and another piece where I break the traditional rules. Here is the full image:
This is a triple overmarble. It started as circles and then I overmarbled chasing circles (remember my circle phase?), but I didn't like the way the white paint took to the paper so I then overmarbled again--a nonpareil over straight-up stones (no gel-git first...I was living dangerously!). This was not a simple process. It involved alumming, planning the layout, marbling, drying, alumming, drying, planning the layout, marbling, drying, alumming, drying, planning the layout, marbling, and a final drying before weighting down, waiting three days, and finally holding the finished piece in my hands.
For those who don't marble, you're probably scratching your heads going, "Huh?" and wondering what language I'm speaking (and considering I used English, French, and Turkish in that previous paragraph, I was actually speaking THREE languages!). But hopefully that makes sense to the marblers out there...and maybe even to some of the awesome people who took one of my Experience the Tank classes this session!
I chose this header this month because it's a great example of how sometimes you have to work to make something work. I'm not sure when "work" became such a four-letter word but it seems that people have taken to using "work" as an excuse NOT to do something. "Man, that seems like a lot of work," is something I commonly hear when people ask me what project I'm working on or what grand idea I'm thinking about executing. And they aren't saying it like it's something admirable...more like I just put something bitter on their tongue; as if putting a lot of effort into something leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.
I have two Big Dreams (which are actually sub-dreams of two Monster Dreams of mine) that I've started to outline and put into action. The more I strategize, outline, coordinate, and execute various details of these Big Dreams, the more work I create for myself. But you know what? The more work these dreams create, the more excited I get. The more exhausted I feel after working on them all day, the happier I am. The more my head spins, the longer my to-do list gets, the crazier my schedule becomes...the more jazzed I become about doing MORE.
A friend once told me that she really wanted to climb Mt. Whitney but that training for it was too much work. She completely resigned herself to the fact that she'll never stand at the top and take in the 360-degree view of the world this beautiful mountain offered her--even though she wanted to. I can't help but wonder how many other people have passed on such desires simply because it took more than a Google search to accomplish. I will admit to not bagging a peak or two that I've considered scaling...but only because I had other peaks I wanted to bag more. I can't do it all.
Not all at once, at least.
As if I didn't have Enough Going on Already
July was a wild, wild month for me. Lots of exciting things happened:
- There was the wonderfully fun South Pasadena Arts Crawl on July 14 where not only did I demo, I also got to unveil my new marbled boxes (which I'm still madly in love with).
- I built a semi-monster tank and marbled in EXTRA LARGE for the first time.
- I taught two fantastic "Experience the Tank" classes. There's still room in this Saturday's class, the last one I'm teaching for a while...come play in the tank while you can!!
- I had an invigorating design-technique breakthrough and embraced SPACE.
And now this: yesterday, I did my second rinse on a set of MARBLED CLOTH NAPKINS!
Two of these napkins fit perfectly in my new semi-monster tank so after I was done marbling in Extra Large, I decided to use up the bath on these babies. They are 20"x20" (big ones!), 100% cotton, and are hemstitch finished (so no sewing for me!). I bought them back in March for my fabric marbling class at Arrowmont but they didn't arrive in time...and they've been packed away in my studio until last week.
I marbled three sets of four napkins (in other words four napkins per design) and they are now curing for a week before their final wash, rinse, and iron. Then one set will be shipped off to mom, one set I'll keep for myself (to test washability and longevity), and the last set I'm sending to one of my aunts because she loves cloth napkins and I think she'll get a kick out of them. Then, if they seem to hold up well, I'll be marbling more and selling them!
So, is anyone else out there feeling like SO MUCH MAGIC is happening this summer? I can't shake the feeling that the Universe is throwing things at me left and right and I'm so preoccupied with GOING FOR IT that I don't realize what I've gotten myself into until I'm all the way into it! I'm not complaining!! It's been so much fun. I'm just sort of in awe at what's been unfolding in the studio of late and was wondering what amazing things others are doing this summer.
Making Space
I am a HUGE fan of Spanish marbler Antonio Vélez Celemín's work--so much so that I have made a promise to myself to either visit him in his studio or take a class from him in the next year or two. He knows this. I've emailed him about my obsession appreciation of his talents (and between reading his blog and our email exchanges, he seems like one of the nicest people). He recently published a book, Marbling, from Endleaves to Artwork, that I am tempted to buy even though I can't read a single word of it because it is in Spanish...but the photos of his work in the book alone are enough to make me swoon and therefore worth the price to have it shipped from Spain. If there was one example of his incredible talent that solidified my utmost respect for him as a marbler, it was when he marbled the edges of 4,000 books for a client...where all the edges put together created a single design image while at the same time were individually appealing. FOUR THOUSAND BOOKS, PEOPLE!!! Yeah. Like I said, TALENTED. (You MUST read his account of the story here.)
I am particularly fond of his work that utilizes the white space around his designs. For the most part, marblers abhor a blank spot. We tend to marble from edge to edge, top to bottom, covering in full whatever surface area we are marbling. But Antonio is more than happy to have his designs sit in emptiness. (I'm hesitant to use the word, "emptiness," as it implies something is lacking...which is clearly not the case. Perhaps it would be better described as "floating on air.")
It took me a long time to, first, become comfortable with the idea of SPACE on my paper, and secondly, to have the courage to mimic (copy?) his designs. And of course there was the whole process of figuring out HOW he did what he did. I knew a dispersant had to be involved but which one, how much, and when and how it was applied was something I was going to have to work out.
Six months ago, I finally found the courage to began experimenting with this design concept but wasn't happy with the results, become frustrated, and gave up. But yesterday something happened. I saw the process differently for some reason. I tried a different approach, a different formula, and was in a better mental state (in other words, more patient!) and after about 10 sheets of trial and error, THESE came out of my bath:
Now, these are no where NEAR the caliber of Antonio's talent...but I am inspired by this breakthrough and I'm excited to see where it will take me.
I encourage you to hop on over to Antonio's blog and check out his work. His most recent post is an excellent write up of his evolution as a marbling artist and he has posted some of his most impressive pieces (or "eye candy," as I like to call them!).
INSANITY...in Extra Large!!!
I marbled BIG SHEETS today in the semi-monster tank I built this past weekend for said sheets.
How big? The paper is 25" x 40" which means my tank is roughly 30" x 45". That is over 2.5-feet wide by almost 4-feet tall! As most of you know, I marble primarily in two tank sizes: 20" x 25" and 11" x 14". So yeah, this is BIG, this is DIFFERENT, and this is FUN!! Insanely fun.
I've marbled large before but only on fabric. And it was more long and narrow than longish and wide-ish. Somehow this paper experience didn't feel the same as the fabric experience. It's hard to explain why...you're just going to have to trust me on this one.
The biggest challenge in working LARGE comes when you're marbling alone. It means you're trying to lay down this huge piece of paper in the bath in one, smooth, continuous motion without trapping air bubbles or getting kinks and hesitation marks on the paper. Not an easy task on regular sheets of paper, let alone something this size! An extra set of hands would help. But it was just me today, so I wrestled the paper into submission the best I could.
I did manage to get most pieces out of the bath without those pesky paper-laying problems though. However, my friend, Steve, is coming over tomorrow and it will be nice to have an extra set of hands to lay down paper (and some fabric!). We'll have both this tank and the 20x25 tank set up to play in. It's going to be double the trouble, double the fun in the studio tomorrow!
It Feels Lonely in the Studio
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!
When the Bath doesn't Cooperate
Oh, it happens even to the best of marblers (I'm not saying I'm the best marbler...just that I can take solace in the fact that this happens to the really good ones too). Sometimes your bath just gets cranky. Mine was extremely temperamental this week. One second is was working just fine and producing nice patterns like this:
And then the very next sheet, the bath completely disintegrated into NOTHING like this:
I'm not kidding you. It became, for all intents and purposes, worthless. So what do you do when you're fighting with your bath? Stop resisting and just go with the flow.
I decided to take a stab at a particular technique I've been wanting to try out but didn't want to mess up a fresh, good bath on. I'm not sure what I make of these but there is something appealing about them.
Perhaps it's the space around the paint blob (blob being another technical term). Perhaps it's the interesting texture. Perhaps it's just the fact that they didn't turn out completely horrible (as I expected them to).
Whatever it is, I'm going to sit and stare at these for a while before I figure out my next step with them. I think they would make interesting overmarbles. Or maybe just interesting pieces to hang in my studio as is.
Weekend Update: Great Arts Crawl and "Experience the Tank" Class Schedule!
Wow! Thank you, once again, South Pasadena Arts Crawl participants for a wonderful reception to my marbling demonstration at Book 'em Mysteries bookstore on Saturday (and thank you Book 'em for hosting me!). People really got into the spirit of the demo, asked great questions, and connected with the art form on so many levels. As always, I see these demos as one way to fulfill my goal to "bring marbling to the masses"...and yet I feel like I'm the one walking away with more than I came with. I am always humbled and inspired by how people open up and embrace marbling as well as my work (an extra special thank you to everyone who supported this artist with a purchase!).
The 30-second video below shows how engaged the Arts Crawl crowd was and their contagious eagerness to see art in action, which is what makes it such a delight to be a part of this evening:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kiFHDDDZV4&w=560&h=315]
I am also excited to announce that I'm offering a few "Experience the Tank" marbling classes in the upcoming weeks. For those who would like to discover the joys of marbling through the exploration of colors, learning traditional patterns, and experimenting with your own designs—without the hassle of prep, set up, and shopping for materials—this class is for you! Everything will be provided for you. Just show up and have fun! For more details about the class, click here (or the Marbling Classes tab above) or download a PDF flyer here.
The cost is $85 (no additional materials fee!) for the 3.5-hour class which runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the following days:
- Saturday, July 21
- Saturday, July 28
- Sunday, July 29
- Saturday, August 4
Classes will be held in my studio in South Pasadena (more information will be provided in the confirmation email) and are limited to six people so you will get lots of personal attention from me.
If you are interested in taking a class, you can email me at Cheers "at" BarbSkoog "dot" com to sign up.
You have to Admit...These are Adorable!
I was cleaning out my studio space a couple of weeks ago and came across a somewhat large inventory of very nice boxes I used to package my candles in. I got these boxes because I loved their sturdiness. They didn't collapse when you grabbed them by the sides and the bottom felt secure even with a heavy candle in it. And yet in spite of their functionality, I also liked how stylish they looked. They didn't just look like a box. They had a subtle pinstripe on the outside that added a nice texture and lent more of a refined, dare I say elegant, feel to them.
So I'm standing there, looking at all these boxes, and thinking to myself, "What a shame not to use them for something. These are nice boxes," when it dawned on me...HEY, LET'S TRY TO MARBLE THEM and see what happens.
Well, this is what happened: they marbled beautifully. It took me a couple of tries to figure out the best way to marble on them but once I did, I had a BLAST making them.
The boxes, which are marbled on the outside only, come in two sizes: 4x4x4 (the kind of box you can put a mug or pillar candle in) and 6x4x4 (the kind of box you can put two mugs or candles in). They are perfect for gift giving (no wrapping paper necessary!) or for holding something special (I have one on my dresser in which I put the notes my hubby leaves me every morning).
These, of course, will be available for purchase at the South Pasadena Arts Crawl on Saturday. AND I'll marble a few boxes during my marbling demonstration too so come check it out!
South Pasadena Arts Crawl Saturday, July 14 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Marbling Demonstration Book ‘em Mysteries Bookstore 1118 Mission Street, South Pasadena
Just Going to Marble a Little Bit
That's what I told myself this morning when I stepped into the marbling studio. "Just a few quick sheets." I have so much to do to prepare for the Arts Crawl that I knew I didn't have time to hit the studio hard. But I did anyway. I was in a groove and couldn't stop. Next thing I knew, my drying line was all FILLED UP: eight boxes, ten dictionary pages, three canvas squares, five overmarbles, and a half dozen or so of little scraps (paper to use up the bath and paint). Whew!
Hopefully everything will be dry and flat and ready for me to post photos of on the blog tomorrow. There are some FUN things that came from this morning's session. That's what usually happens when you least expect it.
Note Cards Available at the Arts Crawl
Yesterday, I showed off some of the matted goodies I'll have available at the Arts Crawl this Saturday. Today, I'm featuring a few of the note cards that will be there.
There are five things I really like about my note cards (and why I'm proud to offer them):
1) They are one-of-a-kind! Each card features an original piece of marbled paper. No two are alike. Nor have I made any prints from the marbled paper so what you get is like nothing else out there...and never will be! It doesn't get more original than that.
2) The envelopes have matching marbled paper on them! I take a small piece from the marbled paper that is featured on the card and affix it to the front of the envelope. It's an additional touch that makes the note card feel extra special. The envelope swatch is like a teaser...giving the receiver a little hint as to the beautiful gift of art that awaits them inside. (Plus, I like to think it brightens the day of the folks working at the post office!)
3) They are ready-to-frame! Each note card acts like a mat, is signed by me (either on the front or the back), and fits into any standard 5 x 7 frame. It's like getting two things for the price of one: a note card and a frameable piece of art!
4) The quality of the paper! When you feel the note cards in your hands, you know you're holding something high in quality. The environmentally friendly cards are made from recycled card stock and are printed with a soybean-based ink. The end result is a richly textured matted frame that perfectly complements the marbled paper.
5) Affordable art! Note cards are only $5 each. How often can you say you got a one-of-a-kind, high-quality, ready-to-frame, signed piece of art for that price?!
But don't take my word for it! Come check out the note cards yourself (and watch me do a marbling demo too!) at the Arts Crawl on Saturday where a wide variety of colors, patterns, and styles will be available for purchase.
South Pasadena Arts Crawl Saturday, July 14 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Marbling Demonstration Book ‘em Mysteries Bookstore 1118 Mission Street, South Pasadena
Preparing for the Arts Crawl this Saturday!
The South Pasadena Arts Crawl is this Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. I'll once again be doing a marbling demonstration at Book ‘em Mysteries bookstore, who graciously hosted me last time. If you've never seen how marbling is done, this is an excellent opportunity to watch the magic happen! AND...you get to check out a really awesome bookstore. How many communities can boast that they have an INDEPENDENT bookstore staffed by REAL people EXCITED to help you pick out the perfect book?!!
I always have a wonderful time at demos because it is such a delight to see people's responses and reactions to the art form...all the "oooooohhhs" and "aaaaaahhhhs" when I pull a sheet off the bath or the way they take in a piece of marbled paper they hold in their hands. I love it--and the feeling I get at demos is people love it too!
In addition to the demo, I'll be selling some of my work (which I will preview on the blog here throughout the week) and I'll have a schedule of my "Experience the Tank" class available.
One of the things I've been working on for this Arts Crawl in particular is putting some of my pieces in ready-to-frame mats. That means, all that needs to be done is add a frame and hang! With all the photos in this post, I've done just that...I've added a little frame around the matted pieces to give you an idea of what they will look like finished.
I can't tell you how much I'm really diggin' these matted pieces. At first, I was only going to do up a few of them to give people an idea of what can be done with individual marbled sheets of paper (how they can decide what part (and how much!) of the marbled paper to mat and frame). But once I got a couple done, I became enthralled by the nearly finished pieces and couldn't stop! They certainly take on a life of their own, changing the look and feel of the marbled design when you go from a full sheet of paper to focusing on just a section of it.
I hope you get a chance to check out these new matted pieces (as well as my cards, papers, and more) and take in the marbling demo. Even if you've been to my demo before, I'll be marbling on wood in addition to paper so there will be something new to see! And don't forget to visit other businesses and galleries participating in the Arts Crawl. There are a lot of really cool event happenings that I would hit up myself if I weren't demoing...so enjoy them for me! For more information about Arts Crawl activities, click here.
South Pasadena Arts Crawl Saturday, July 14 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Marbling Demonstration Book ‘em Mysteries Bookstore 1118 Mission Street, South Pasadena
Blowin' in the Wind
It's funny how my marbled pieces take on a life of their own with the lightest shift in the wind. July's header I actually created a few months ago thinking that it would be great for summer months because it had a water feel to it (the colors, the circles that looked like waves). But every time I went to change the header, it never felt like it was the "right" time to feature it. And then when I looked at it again the other day, I realized July is the perfect month for it. Why? Because it now looks and feels like fireworks in the sky to me!!
Here's the full piece the header came from:
Last month, I posted a piece of mine and asked folks to let me know that they "saw" in it. As each response came in, I felt like I was being given a gift; my little piece was no longer just a single sheet of paper with paint on it. Instead, it was a million sheets, each with their own unique story as told through the eye of the beholder.
Like I said, the wind blows...
June's New Header
Thank you to everyone who responded so wonderfully to my last post. You totally made my day and inspired some really great ideas for future marbling sessions. You guys ROCK.
This will be a short and sweet post for you: the piece above is where the new header for June came from. It's a traditional pattern called Cathedral and while it's not my favorite, my mom once went out of her way to let me know she really likes it. "I just think it's so pretty," she said as she stared at one of my cards with the pattern on it.
With that in mind, I made the above when she asked me to create some pieces for her recently remodeled front room. I'm not sure if we'll end up using it (I sent her a dozen or so papers in a wide variety of patterns, colors, and designs to choose from) but whenever I see it, I smile knowing she was on my mind when I made it.
Hope you all have something to smile about this week!