Marbled Clutches ~ Now Available for Pre-order!

So how's this for super awesome... As I mentioned in a previous post, I am working with fashion accessory designer Jeanie Joe on creating handmade clutches using my marbled fabrics. And, as I mentioned on Facebook a week ago ("Friend" me if you're interested in following me there too), I recently completed a studio session where I marbled more than 15 yards of fabric for our clutch collaboration. That can only mean one thing: CLUTCHES FOR SALE!

We are now taking pre-orders for one-of-a-kind, gorgeous, beautifully hand-crafted clutches!

Before we bring our inventory to boutiques, you have the opportunity to pick your marbled fabric and have a clutch made just for you! For more information, visit the special Pre-Order Clutch Sale page.

Here's just a glimpse of a few patterns you can choose from:

[gallery type="thumbnails" ids="8430,8428,8426,8423,8422,8425"]

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to snag your favorite marbled design on a roomy, stylish clutch that will have heads turning!

Taproot Magazine and Me

I am beyond thrilled to announce that my work is featured in the latest issue of Taproot ~ a gorgeous, full-color, art and lifestyle magazine filled with thoughtful personal and photo essays, alluring projects and delicious recipes, engaging poetry, and art that makes you swoon. (Gee, you can't tell that I'm head-over-heels about this publication, can you?)

Taproot is one of those magazines you want to sit down with, a cup of coffee or glass of wine in hand, and read from cover to cover. Immediately. At first, it's all eye candy. You turn page after page after page, excited to see what images and headlines pop out at you. After that, you settle into a few of the essays, finding yourself right there where stories want to take you. Then, you go back to the beginning and comb through the rest of the issue, dog-earing pages that have websites, people, or ideas you want to come back to. Next thing you know, you're a changed person. I hate using the word "inspired" as I think it's overused these days but seriously, after reading Taproot, that's exactly what I am: inspired. Two future projects of mine were conceived and modeled after a few Taproot articles. And I love the way they describe their audience as people who strive to live their lives "closer to the ground."

Taproot is also ad free. That, People, is the bee's knees.

This issue's theme (Issue 6) is WATER and, well, it only seems appropriate that the centuries-old art form of floating paint on water graces the pages. Three of my pieces are full-page section dividers, such as the one below:

I am also excited that they let me ramble on a bit about the art form, giving me a few pages to talk about my marbling experience and showcase some of my other work.

It was a beautiful process working with the Taproot team. I've worked with several editors and graphic designers over the years and by far this was the most pleasant experience. Helpful, responsive, supportive, enthusiastic, open...what a difference it made. If the people BEHIND the scenes behave this way, just imagine what the pages IN the magazine are like.

So go subscribe now (you can also buy single issues...but trust me, you'll want more).

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll talk about some of the pieces featured in Taproot and the stories behind them ~ stay tuned!

Stories within Stories within Stories

The above beauties are being shipped out today to a new home. My canvas journals are, in my humble opinion, rockin' awesome. I love them. The canvas covers alone make them unique ~ the fact that they are marbled canvas is just icing on the cake. What I also like about the canvas covers is that they are durable. They can withstand coffee (and wine) spills, being shoved into and taken out of travel bags, and even being tossed across the room on those less than perfect days. And the fun doesn't stop on the outside ~ inside the journals you'll find more gems: marbled signature wraps and small, inspiring charms sewn right into the binding.

While I'm over the moon about the journals, they take FOREVER to make. Bookbinding is not my specialty so everything is done slowly, by hand, slowly...and then slowly some more. I don't "mass produce." Even when I cut, fold, and weight down the signatures, I do it one journal at a time. (All the REAL bookbinders out there are shaking their heads right now.)

I usually only sell my marbled journals during the holidays, specifically at the annual Peach Tree Gallery Holiday Show. But to build up enough inventory, I have to start making them about this time of the year. Did I mention it takes me a long time to make one? Yeah.

Last year, when the last journal was made for the show, I thought to myself, "This is WAY too much work for such little financial reward. I'm not doing this again." But when I pulled these babies out today and got them ready for shipment, I fell in love with them all over again.

They. Are. Beautiful.

Really, they are. And they vibrate with an energy that is both invigorating and soothing. Whoever has one holds something special ~ every detail from the button clasps and colored thread to the embellishments, charms, and matching marbled signature wraps has been thoughtfully decided upon. As I am making each journal, I'm envisioning its own journey ~ how it will be used, who has it, what the hands holding it look like, how it is held, where it is kept and where it is pulled out to be written or drawn in, what the journal itself means to the person.

My journals have stories even before they have stories.

Many of you who know me know I'm not a big consumer. I don't buy things just to buy things. Nor do I like to receive things just because it's an occasion like a birthday or Christmas. And given the choice between a gift (I bought you jewelry!) and an experience (I bought you tickets to a play OR hey, I'll take you to lunch!), I'd choose experience every single time. I think that's why I can't "just make" journals. I don't make "stuff." I make experiences.

And my journals are a way to experience the beauty of marbled canvas (something I've never seen anywhere else before). Their simplicity allows for the freedom of expression without the pressure to do so. The charms are there to give pause...or to inspire. But most importantly, whether it is realized or not, they are an integral part of my own personal marbling experience ~ the journey I am on as a marbling artist, the journey to bring marbling to the masses, the journey to create something that cannot be found in the slick pages of a catalog, behind a computer screen, or in the storyline of an over-produced television show.

So as these beauties are leaving my world and entering a new one, I'll return my attention to marbling canvas over the next few months and see what new paths this next round of journals will take. Who knows where I'll end up, but wherever it is, you know there will be a story behind it.

Last Classes of the Year

I have decided that the series of marbling classes I just posted on the calendar page will be the last I offer this year. No, I'm not going to stop teaching altogether (and the open studio time will still be an option for former students). I love teaching. It has been rewarding, inspiring, and downright fun. However, I have way too many projects on my plate and would like to dedicate my time to getting them at least off the ground, if not running, by the end of the year.

So if you've been holding off on taking a class this year, hold off no longer!!

Experience the Tank Class: May 18 and June 8

Beginning Marbling Class: May 19, June 9, and June 29

Hope to see you in the studio!

Believing in the Impossible

"Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."~ Lewis Carroll

The first time I read the above quote, I was thrilled beyond belief. I thought to myself, "So I'm NOT the only crazy person on the planet." Because it's true ~ except my six impossible things usually come to me in the late afternoon lull ~ around 3 pm when my brain is no longer capable of working on anything that requires details or grace. It's when I CAN'T focus that the world becomes clear to me. I begin to envision all the wild, nutty things I want from life, no holds barred ~ from hundreds of acres of land in Northern California to retire on to my marbled pieces hanging in museums. And I believe it possible. All of it. I've never let a dream die ~ at least not in the hands of someone else. If I choose to let a dream go because it no longer fits into my lifestyle, that's one thing. But the freedom to believe in the impossible is the fire that fuels my passions, creativity, and explorations. I did not always have this unwavering conviction. Age and experience definitely played a role in its acquisition. But now that I have it, I'm keeping it. 'Cause it is FUN.

(The image above is another great piece I sold at the Art Walk last Saturday ~ and it's going to hang in the living room of the lovely couple that bought it!)

Well, that was Fun!

I had a great time demoing at Book'em during Saturday's Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk. Even though traffic was a little lighter than the regular Arts Crawl crowd (this event was held in the afternoon whereas the Arts Crawl is held in the evening so that might have made a difference), I couldn't be happier with my experience. The new, larger tank was easier for people to see, and, because it takes longer to work in, I was able to answer more questions from people throughout the process and engage with folks more deeply (which is what I love most about doing demos).

As always, I have a few marbled papers and cards for sale during the demo. While I'm always happy to see my pieces going to new homes, one that sold on Saturday was actually a little hard for me to let go of.  It was part of a mini-series I was working on last month that involved cool little spirals.

I was head over heals with the blue in this piece and the "ghosting" around the blue stones. I also really liked the tight, burst-of-colors "rivers." But mostly, I liked that this piece took on a whole new feel when you changed the direction in which it was viewed, like this:

I was fortunate to have had the chance to talk about a variety of things with the couple that bought this piece ~ from their son's art experience in school to what they "saw" in pieces as we flipped through my portfolio ~ so while I was sad to see the piece above go, I know it's going to be appreciated and admired as much as it deserves ~ and that makes me very, very happy.

This may just be the last demo I do this year. I have several projects in the works that have been neglected and it's time for me to focus on them again. Demos take three full days away from me. That may not sound like much considering I only do four or five a year but the second half of this year is also filled with travel for me ~ so the combination of the two puts marbling in a tight spot, which is where I don't want it to be!

New Tank For Demo this Weekend

I'm going to be doing another marbling demonstration at Book'em Mysteries during the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk on Saturday ~ but there's a twist! I'll be using a new tank ~ a bigger one! [gallery type="rectangular" ids="8249,8250"]

My regular, "big tank" on left and the new "medium tank" on the right. Oh, and I had to make new tools for the new tank too!

Usually I demo in my small 11" x 14" tank (and work in my large 20" x 25" tank), but for this demo, I'll be using a new, medium 15" x 19" tank. While the small tank is great for the tight space I work in at Book'em, and it's perfect for my Experience the Tank class, I wanted to give people a better chance during the demo to actually SEE what is happening in the tank. My demos have a tendency to be well attended which means at times there are people three deep around the tank ~ and even more peering in through the window from the sidewalk outside. I realized with my small tank, it was just too hard to see all the wonderful things that happen while laying down the paint so I decided I needed to go bigger. However, given the limited space at Book'em, it would be impossible to work in my big tank (well, there would be room for my big tank but not for me AND the big tank ~ which poses a slight problem). But, this medium tank is, to quote Goldie Locks, "just right."

So come on down and check out the new tank. I'll also have some new work (full sheets and smaller sheets) and cards for sale.

Marbling Demonstration Saturday, May 4 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Book ‘em Mysteries Bookstore 1118 Mission Street (next to Mission Wines)

P.S. I have to fess up that I can't stop looking at my new header. I LOVE IT!!! I think it's my favorite thus far. You can check out past headers and let me know if it's #1 on your list too.

May's Header

When students pull a paper off the bath, I can tell immediately what they are thinking ~ because I think the same thing when I pull my own papers off the bath: what's wrong with this piece? It's a natural question not only in a learning environment, but specifically in the marbling environment. And it's a necessary question with marbling because its answer (or answers) dictates how you are going to marble your next piece: change up the order of the colors as you lay them down, thin the bath, thin the paints (or re-mix them), increase the humidity in the room, change papers, be more careful when laying down the paper (to avoid hesitation marks or air bubbles), or simply let go of whatever it was you were trying to accomplish and start on something totally new (a completely respectable option!).

Or sometimes, a piece is technically well executed but it simply didn't turn out the way you expected it to based on what you saw in the tank. This happens for a couple of reasons: 1) students forget that the tank is a mirror image of what ends up on their paper, and 2) the background of the tank is not the same as the background of the paper and so the colors, contrast, and opacity don't always translate the way we think they are going too.

So how does this relate to this month's header? Well, I hated ~ HATED ~ this piece when I pulled it off the bath. It was an overmarble (I think twice) and there were hesitation marks, weird spots where the paint didn't take (or I didn't alum well enough), and some of the colors when marbled over other colors made new colors that were icky.

BUT...

There were PARTS of the piece I liked a lot. And this is the message I tell students when I see them being critical of their work: sit on it for three days and then come back to it. And when you do, take a 5x7 or 11x14 mat and go over the piece and look at the DETAILS, not the sheet as a whole. Get up close and personal with your work. You will find hidden GEMS in there. I promise.

When I started scanning sections of this piece, I immediately saw the beauty in it and it has become one of my favorite images thus far this year.

This is such a lesson in life too: the big picture isn't always pretty but somewhere in there, there are little gems waiting to be discovered ~ and celebrated ~ by you.

Failure ~ it does the Body Good!

There is always ~ always! ~ a moment, right before I step into the studio, where a wave of self-doubt washes over me. "Who do you think you are believing that you're an Ebru artist?" is what usually runs through my head. Or, "You do not have what it takes to bring this medium to the next level." Or I'm suddenly seized by the terrifying thought that I have NOT ONE, SINGLE creative idea left in my head.

I know I'm not alone when it comes to thinking this way ~ other artists, writers, performers, and humankind in general have the same insecurities and fears when it comes to their creative work or doing something that means something to them (like raising kids or starting a business or running a marathon) but that has never brought me comfort. Believe it or not, embracing failure has been key to me moving beyond the fear and self-doubt; learning to be okay with things not turning out the way I wanted them to ~ even when they are a complete and total bomb. The little mantra I tell myself (and my students!) before I begin to marble is that there is no such thing as bad or ugly or wrong in my studio ~ just things I would do differently the next time.

There are many reasons why I left my last job in Corporate America years ago but as I write about this I realize that one of the main ones was that there was NO ROOM for failure. Not even a little wiggle room. (Most of that attitude permeated my department not because of my direct boss but because of her boss.) And when you can't fail, you don't try. You don't put effort into anything at all. You instantly cringe at the slightest hint of a new idea, and you become a zombie cranking out exactly the same bland things you did the day before because they didn't upset the apple cart. I vividly remember on my last day, I damn near sprinted out of that building, I could not get away from that feeling fast enough. I may not have known consciously why until now, but deep down on some cellular level, there was a knowing: without failure, I could not thrive.

I have learned a lot in the marbling studio these past few years. Not just about the art form, but about myself too. When I do my demos, I tell the audience that marbling is not for the perfectionist. There are so many variables and you are at the mercy of things completely out of your hands ~ like the weather or even something as seemingly innocuous as the air moving when you reach for a tool. To be a good marbler, you have to let go of control in order to be in control; you have to learn what NOT to do, in order to learn WHAT to do.

Failure is a tool. Don't be afraid to use it.

Absent ~ But Present

I know, I know ~ I've been quiet (VERY quiet) this past month. Just wanted to let you know the blog posts will be returning again ~ and with consistency! April threw some interesting (and wonderful) opportunities and adventures my way ~ which in turn sparked ideas ~ which in turn lead to WORK ~ which in turn lead to more opportunities and to more ideas and to more work and...well, you get the point. I'm excited to be (finally) sharing news and updates on projects as well as the "homes" I've been securing for them. And when I say "homes," I'm talking about galleries, publications, shows, and more!

Even though some things are still works in progress, I'll talk about the process of getting to where I want to go. It's not always pretty ~ rejection, failures, slogging through the details ~ these can be a real downers, but at the end of the day I am just so happy to call "artist" my profession that I'm more than okay with taking the bad with the good.

I have a lot to catch you up on. Stay tuned!

And so it Continues

In the process of creating my new series, I had quite a few boo-boos, ehs, and oh-that-didn't-work moments. The thing about marbling is that once your image is transferred from the tank to your paper, that's it. It's permanently affixed. There's no going back to the original piece for touch ups, tweaks, or adjustments. You just have to start over. And start over. And start over. So while I have eight just-what-I-wanted pieces for the series (ones that I consider frameable and worthy of an exhibition appearance), I have about three dozen pieces that didn't make the cut. But I also recognize that, with a little work, these pieces could be an extension of the series ~ offshoots as it were ~ three of which you saw in yesterday's post. And of course, to get to those three, I went through another round of boo-boos, ehs, and oh-that-didn't-work moments. And that's what I'm sharing with you today. I found that with the right cropping and a few additional overmarbles, these too could look fantastic.

For example, the image below started out as the original cluster of circles surrounded by white space but when I laid the paper down, I must have trapped an air bubble and one of the circles ended up a bit ugly-funky. By itself, surrounded by all that white space, that air bubble stuck out like a sore thumb. But, with a Stone overmarble using the same colors as in the circles, I had something I liked.

You can hardly notice the ugly-funky air bubble in the middle circle on the bottom row!

The next piece below started out as the circle clusters surrounded by a Stone pattern. I did not like the way the circle clusters turned out ~ not enough color rings to them ~ so I decided to overmarble with a more intricate traditional pattern (a Non-Pareil) in hopes that it would pop right out of those circles. Well, it didn't pop at all. It just looked, eh. So once again I employed the overmarble ~ larger stones ~ as well as a light Moire and I got something I was much happier with:

And finally, like the piece above, the piece below started out as circle clusters surrounded by stones but I did not like the lack of color in the circles. So I overmarbled a Gel-Git (in white space) over the circles. But that still looked empty to me so I once again overmarbled a Gel-Git but this time over the entire piece. This, as it turns out, is my favorite original "boo-boo."

So this new series has taken quite a few twists and turns but everything originates from the same vision and idea ~ the 70s images and colors with a contemporary spin. Once all these pieces are put next to each other, not only will the entire picture be complete, there will be a complexity to it that brings depth to the overall series ~ and that has totally taken me pleasantly by surprise.

And More from the New Series

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a new series I was working on. While I'd love to show you the final results of that amazing four-day studio session, I can't do that just yet. You see, they, as well as several other pieces, are under consideration by a publication that wants to use three of my marbled creations in their full-color, quarterly, art and lifestyle magazine! (More on that when I can talk about it in greater detail.) In the meantime...

What I can share with you are some pieces that EVOLVED from that original session that I am JUST as excited about. I worked on these yesterday ~ after an overwhelming itch to create didn't subside, I decided to clear my calendar and spend most of the day playing in the studio. I'm so glad I did!

I've employed several techniques here. The most obvious is the overmarble ~ an Italian vein ~ which gives them their final look.  The first marbled layer is the group of bull's eyes. In that original layer, I created white space around the bull's eyes using a dispersant. As you can see in the piece on the far right, I used dispersant again to squish the bull's eyes closer together (something I didn't do with the other two). Then I decided to do each Italian-vein overmarble in one of the colors from the bull's eyes ~ from left to right: red oxide, cobalt turquoise, and yellow oxide.

I have a couple more variations that incorporate the white-space, bull's-eye background that I will post tomorrow. Stay tuned!

And if you too are feeling the need to create ~ GO DO IT!! Don't ignore the call. Amazing things will happen ~ mainly, happiness will ensue!

It's a Clutch!

Remember last year when I took that fabric marbling class from the amazing Pat K. Thomas at the Arrowmont School of Art? Yeah, well, there were a few pieces I couldn't part with simply because 1) I loved them and 2) I knew they had a destiny and I just had to be patient and let it reveal itself to me. And reveal it did.

I met self-proclaimed "maker of stuff" and fashion accessory designer, Jeanie Joe (yes, that's her full name...and yes, I have to say it that way because it's so fun to do so) through a project I was working on for the South Pasadena Arts Council. She was at my house looking at some of my marbled papers and said to me, "Too bad you don't marble fabric. I could make some great clutches out of it."

"Ummm, Jeanie," I said. "Please hold." I turned around, walked into my studio, and came out with a little surprise for her. "Will this work?" I asked smugly as I handed her the fabric pictured below.

Yes, folks. It worked just fine. I present to you, the very first Jeanie Joe - Barb Skoog handmade, marbled-fabric clutch:

How can you not be completely and totally in love with this clutch? I can't wait to marble more fabric for Jeanie Joe and see what kind of gorgeous clutches, totes, handbags, and other purses she comes up with.

This is going to be fun!

The Virus of Perfection

"The beauty of the true ideal is its hospitality towards woundedness, weakness, failure and fall-back. Yet so many people are infected with the virus of perfection. They cannot rest; they allow themselves no ease until they come close to the cleansed domain of perfection. This false notion of perfection does damage and puts their lives under great strain.

It is a wonderful day in a life when one is finally able to stand before the long, deep mirror of one’s own reflection and view oneself with appreciation, acceptance, and forgiveness.

On that day one breaks through the falsity of images and expectations which have blinded one’s spirit. One can only learn to see who one is when one learns to view oneself with the most intimate and forgiving compassion.”

― John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace

Retirement ~ First Look at the Sky

More than 100 government-owned chimpanzees from a laboratory in Louisiana, many of whom have suffered a lifetime of invasive biomedical research, are now transitioning to "retirement." The Humane Society of the United States posted a heartrending video of these elderly chimps exploring their new-found (relative) freedom at Chimp Haven, a sanctuary for biomedical research chimps no longer undergoing experiments. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cpUnUUQF3o]

This freedom has been a long time coming; many of the chimps are now more than 50 years old, and ~ habituated to a caged existence for all of their lives ~ hadn't ever before seen sunlight or touched bare earth. Let me repeat that ~ they had NEVER BEFORE seen sunlight or touched bare earth. Ever.

In 2011 the Institute of Medicine issued a report concluding that most research on chimpanzees is unnecessary and recommended that the vast majority of government research chimps be fully retired. Additionally, the report pointed to several available alternatives to chimpanzee use and called for increased support for the development of more alternative research methods. You can read more here.