New Clutch Purse: Split Personality

Well, she did it again! The wonderful Jeanie Joe dropped off a new clutch purse last week (along with some more small and large coin purses) and boy-oh-boy is this another beauty!

I'm calling her Split Personality because she has two different faces...and I can't decide which one I like better:

This roomy purse easily holds your cell phone, wallet, make-up, and more. There is also a deep, inside zipper pocket.

Details:

• Cost is $95 + shipping (and tax, if applicable).
• The clasp is shiny silver and easily fits on the hooks of public bathroom doors (very important detail!).
• Each clutch purse is one-of-a-kind, made with high-quality materials, and washable.

Approximate measurements:

• Top of frame is 8 inches (20 cm) long
• Bottom of purse is 10 inches (25.5 cm) long
• Middle of purse is 13 inches (33 cm) long
• Width at bottom is 2.5 inches (6.25 cm)
• Overall height is 5.5 inches (12.5 cm)

~ Head on over to my shop to purchase. ~

Pinch Me

I have been dying to share this news with you and am thrilled I can finally do so!

Above is the cover of a new book by esteemed poet (he's got 12 books and a ton of awards under his belt, after all), Philip Dacey. And if you haven't noticed already, that cover art...it's none other than Symphony I, a collaboration by Rebecca Tager and me for our Triptych Fusion show last fall.

A few months ago, independent press Rain Mountain contacted me expressing interest in using the piece for the cover...and was wondering if I would be willing to work with them. Ladies and gentlemen, how could I respond to this inquiry with anything other than a big, fat YES? So Rebecca and I agreed, a contract was drawn up, and next thing I know, I'm sending image files to the publisher.

But it doesn't end there.

As the editor and I emailed each other back and forth, I shared the story behind Symphony I and Triptych Fusion. She then asked if I would write an appendix for the book, explaining the art of marbling in general and the birth of Symphony I specifically. Would I? How could I pass up another opportunity "to bring marbling to the masses"? Of course I would. The editor gave me free reign on length (when does that ever happen?) and style and I ended up writing less of a technical piece and more of a personal essay about how marbling came into my life and how I engage with the art form. And I have to say, I think this is my favorite piece about marbling that I've written yet.

Which is fitting considering Church of the Adagio is a collection of Dacey's most cherished poems. In his own words:

Church of the Adagio is my first miscellaneous collection since my 1999 book, The Paramour of the Moving Air. Five books have appeared in the 15 intervening years, all with special themes or foci: Thomas Eakins, New York City, sonnets, short poems, and “fives” (a format of five five-line stanzas per poem). It’s therefore been a long while since I could choose poems for inclusion in a book solely because I had a special fondness for a poem or took a certain pride in having made it. Variety is a keynote of the book--variety of style, subject matter, form, and tone. I hope the ultimate effect is kaleidoscopic or cornucopian.

If you haven't read Dacey yet, you're in for a real treat. Wrapped up in his unwavering command of language of structure, you'll find his work to be contemporary and accessible, playful and witty, engaging and emotional without falling victim to over-romanticizing or over-dramatization. In other words, my kind of poetry.

Church of the Adagio will be released on July 1. You can pre-order at Rain Mountain or on Amazon. And if you'd like to get a sneak peak at a few of the poems, you can do so here.

Yesterday's Work ~ Today's Joy

Marbled nature ~ specifically, marbled magnolia leaves. These are much bigger than the last round of leaves I marbled and they are more browns and mustard yellows than the lovely red...but I had just as much fun working on them. I once again finished them with a light spray of glossy acrylic spray in hopes of preventing them from continuing to dry out and crumble. Only time will tell if that works.

I'm Supposed to be Cleaning Out the Studio...

I blocked out the next two weeks ~ no appointments, no meetings, no lunch or dinner dates, NOTHING ~ specifically with the intention of cleaning out my marbling studio. I have so many projects going on right now that I need to re-arrange how I store things and where I store things. I also want to give the studio a fresh coat of paint and put up some new shelving units and add some framing so that I can actually hang some of my work properly. But then my hubby and I went on a walk last night and came across dozens of magnolia leaves on the ground, dried out and in various stages of browns and yellows and I knew exactly what I was going to be doing today. Temps are supposed to hit triple digits starting tomorrow through the end of the week so I knew a "regular" marbling session would be impossible...but a MARBLE-ON-LEAVES marbling session was totally doable! So I came home, made a batch of bath, alummed the magnolia leaves and eucalyptus leaves (also snagged from the walk) as well as some canvas boxes I wanted to experiment with.

Yep. It's gonna be a fun day. (I'll post results tomorrow.)

Open Studio this Weekend!

The next Open Studio is right around the corner ~ Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Open Studio, open to former and current students, is great for those who want to continue to practice marbling but who may not have the space to set up their own studio. Or maybe you want to test out a new tank size. I’ll have the large tanks (20″x25″) available as well as medium tanks (11″x14″) and small tanks (5″x7″). While I don’t teach during this time, I am in the studio to answer any questions.

To sign up, email me at Cheers "at" BarbSkoog "dot" com with the date(s), time frame, and tank size you want to work in.

They Did Two Ketubahs!

The wedding day came and our friends could not decide which marbled mat they wanted for their ketubah so they did what any good, non-traditional couple from LA would do ~ they had TWO ketubahs. Hey, if one is good then two must be great, right?! So they now have ketubahs adorned with Options B and C...exactly the two favorites you all picked!

As I mentioned previously, I gave them a total of six marbled mats from which to choose. They were able to narrow it down to three, which I posted here. And below are the three that didn't make it to the final round ~ though not because they didn't like them. I'm pretty sure if they had enough wall space for six ketubahs, they would have taken all six!

I learned a lot about marbling on mats this size ~ what you can and can't do, what looks better, the time involved to marble one, and more importantly, how much fun it is! If you're ever in need of a special gift (for a wedding, anniversary, new baby, etc.), you may want to consider a marbled mat. This is the fourth time I've marbled mats for people (this official document, two poems, and an engagement photo) and I'm always delightfully surprised at how beautiful it looks ~ not only the mat but how it enhances the piece it's framing! It truly is a one-of-a-kind gift!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

I am simply thrilled that friends of mine asked me to be a part of their wedding by marbling their ketubah. But rather than marble the actual document (check out some of the amazing decorated ketubahs), I suggested that I marble a mat which can then be framed. They loved the idea. Thankfully so, too! You only get one ketubah and the thought of messing it up and not being able to fix it was nerve racking. If I screwed up a mat, I could at least go out and get a hundred more to work on. After talking to them about color schemes and art direction (which pieces of mine they liked and wanted me to emulate), I set to work in the studio. I have marbled on mats before but none this large ~ 16" x 20". I was used to marbling on much smaller mats ~ 4" x 6" and 5" x 7". With these smaller mats, there is actually not a lot of space to marble on so the design has to be more simple. But faced with a heck of a lot more surface area on the larger mat, my options were quite endless. Translated, this means I had a TON OF FUN exploring what I could do to give them not just a marbled mat but a really cool piece of art.

Earlier this week, I presented to them six marbled-mat creations and asked them to let me know if the colors were right and if they were liking the designs I was creating. My intention was to then tweak things and do one more round.

Well, they loved what they saw. They loved all six of the mats and didn't want me tweaking anything!

So now the pressure is off me and on them; they have to pick the one mat that they would like to have frame their ketubah. Turns out, this is easier said than done.

After narrowing it down to three, they still can't decide. And this is where I turn to you...

Can you help them out a bit? Which mat do you like best? Let me know by leaving your vote in the comments!

Option A

Option B

Option C

And next week, I'll post the other three that didn't make it to the final round. There's one in there that I am madly in love with!

Pusher Paints: Playing with Space and Confinement

I love laying down "pusher paints" (paints that spread like mad on the surface of the bath) last on the bath in order to create really tight veins as seen above. The intense colors created by the veins combined with the billowy-cloud effect of the pusher paints makes a lovely combination.

Here's a close up ~ the pusher paints I used are the white and lighter blue bubbles while the squished colors are red, yellow, black, and dusty blue:

A similar effect (creating tight rivers of color) can be made by using a dispersant. The technical name for that kind of pattern is Italian Vein. The difference, however, is that when one uses a dispersant, it creates "holes" in the patterns, allowing the surface of the paper to be exposed. By using pusher paints, I can incorporate color into the overall piece while still getting those awesome veins.

Using most of my favorite colors, I made this piece this weekend after a long, six-hour studio session where I was intently focused on finishing a commissioned project. It was just the care-free, colorful relief I needed to get out of my head and into my heart!

Work in Progress

I'm not sure where I'm going with this...I'm just along for the ride. Photo of a backstreet temple in India on wood panel (18" x 24").  

First marble:

And then an overmarble:

More needs to happen with this piece. Right now it's sitting in my marbling studio while I'm working on a commissioned project. And when inspiration strikes, I'll be ready.

New Note Cards

One of my greatest pleasures as an artist is collaboration. I have rarely turned down a chance to work with another creative soul on something either professionally or just for fun. One such collaboration that still warms my heart is with artist Amy Siu. Our note cards ~ with my marbled papers and her gorgeous script ~ were big hits at the holiday shows last year and at the South Pasadena Arts Crawls. Here are four reasons why:

1) They are one-of-a-kind! Each card features an original piece of marbled paper with hand-lettered script. No two are alike. It doesn’t get more original than that!

2) They are ready-to-frame! Each note card acts like a mat, is signed by Amy and me, 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!

3) 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.

4) Affordable art! Note cards are only $6.50 each (plus shipping and tax, where applicable). How often can you say you got a one-of-a-kind, high-quality, ready-to-frame, signed piece of art for that price?!

 We recently added new cards to the store and here is a peek at a few of them:

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="9351,9356,9348,9355,9347,9350,9349"]

Head on over to the Note Card Store to see more options. If you're interested in purchasing any, email me (Cheers “at” BarbSkoog “dot” com) and I'll set the order up for you.

April Header

The full image for this month's header comes from the miniature series I worked on a year ago...and as I write this it reminds me I need to get back to the small tank again.

My small tank is 5" x 7" and my paper is 4" x 6" or smaller. Technically, that's not miniature. But it's definitely small. There are so many interesting things you can do in a smaller tank that just aren't possible in a larger one. And when you do do something that is possible in both tanks, the effect is very different. And I like different. In the example above, I pulled a stylus (in this case a straight pin) through stones (more like pebbles). I think that in smaller tanks, you get more bang for your buck with this technique ~ the design is more defined and dramatic.

In my two-day Introduction to Marbling class, students have three different tank sizes to experiment in ~ and the small one is one of them. Since we always start off in the big tank (20" x 25"), it's a bit of a stumbling block for some to switch gears so dramatically. But once they get the hang of it (you really have to pay attention to the amount of paint you are using), they let go and have fun, especially with the stylus.

I rarely name my pieces but this one I did. I call it, "Kelp." When I am snorkeling near a thick kelp bed, this is sort of what you see when you're looking down toward the ocean floor.

And this is what the fish see when they look up:

I think we have the better view!

New Coin Purses in the Store

They're back!

A few more large and small coin purses have been added to my shop. These adorable purses are made by the wonderful fashion accessory designer Jeanie Joe using my hand-marbled fabric. Jeanie is an amazingly talented creator, producing nothing short of high-quality, handmade purses and clutches. And I'm happy to report that customers agree ~ they have been raving about them!

Suggested uses:

• a “pickle purse ~ you know, for band-aids, ibuprofen, things you need when you’re in a pickle”
• storing headphones
• keeping credit cards, lipstick, stamps, change, keys, and other things you don’t want to lose in your purse

Details:

• Large coin purses: $35 + shipping (and tax where applicable)
• Small coin purse: $30 + shipping (and tax where applicable)
• Each coin purse is one-of-a-kind, made with high-quality materials, and washable.
• Large coin purses measure 5″ long at the base, tapering to 4″ at the top. They are just over an inch wide and about 3.5″ tall. Credit cards fit comfortably in them.
• Small coin purses measure 3.5″ long at the base, tapering to 3″ at the top. They are 1″ wide and shy of 3″ tall.
• Black coin purses have a shiny metal clasp.
• Blue coin purses have a brushed bronze clasp.

The last round of these beauties sold out in a day so head on over to the shop to place your order now before they are gone!

~ click on images for larger view ~

Large coin purses:

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="9287,9288,9286"]

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="9291,9292,9293"]

Small coin purses:

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="9295,9294"]

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="9296,9297"]

Totally Cellular

I mentioned earlier this week that the large and small coin purses Jeanie Joe and I have created are selling like hot cakes. Well, I should also mention that this is the last clutch purse we have immediately available! We call her Cellular.

This roomy purse easily holds your cell phone, wallet, make-up, and more. There is also a deep, inside zipper pocket.

Details:

• Cost is $95 + shipping (and tax, if applicable).
• The clasp is shiny silver and easily fits on the hooks of public bathroom doors (very important detail!).
• Each clutch purse is one-of-a-kind, made with high-quality materials, and washable.

Approximate measurements:

• Top of frame is 8 inches (20 cm) long
• Bottom of purse is 10 inches (25.5 cm) long
• Middle of purse is 13 inches (33 cm) long
• Width at bottom is 2.5 inches (6.25 cm)
• Overall height is 5.5 inches (12.5 cm)

~ Head on over to my shop to purchase. ~

Last of the Spring Classes Coming Up

If you want to experience the joys of marbling, the last classes of the season are upon us. Email me at Cheers "at" BarbSkoog "dot" com to sign up! And remember: everything for the class is provided for you and all materials are included in the cost. Just show up and have fun!

Experience the Tank (3 hours, $85) ~ Get a peek into the world of marbling in this hands-on class perfect for those short on time but curious about the art form and wanting to play in the small tank (11″ x 14″).

• Sunday, April 6 (11 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Beginning Marbling (5 hours, $175) ~ Explore colors, learn basic techniques and patterns, experiment with your own designs ~ in this class we’ll marble in the large tank (20″ x 24″) and you’ll gain the confidence to start marbling on your own at home!

• Saturday, April 5 (10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)

Introduction to Marbling (2 full days, $360) ~ Immerse yourself in the world of marbling in this class where you will learn the nuts and bolts of the art form, dive into traditional pattern making, and have time for creative exploration on a variety of mediums including paper, wood, canvas, and more.

• Saturday/Sunday, April 26 and 27 (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. both days)

These are the only classes I've got scheduled so far this year (not sure if I'll be offering fall classes), so jump on board now…and then you can continue your practice with the Open Studio sessions I’ll hold throughout the summer!

Hope to see you in the studio!

Papers from the Arts Crawl

I am usually bone tired after a doing a demo, especially after the South Pasadena Arts crawl which is three hours long and goes until 9 p.m. Afterwards, I have to tear down, drive home, unpack everything from the car, wash up tools and tanks, and put everything back where it belongs in the studio. The last thing I do is put my papers under heavy boards to flatten. Then I hit the sack and sleep right on through to the next day!

It's usually a few days later that I get around to really looking at the papers I made during the demo. I always think I do a "hack" job while demoing mostly because my full attention is not on the tank. And because takes me longer than normal to create a piece because I'm talking through the process and answering questions along the way, the bath starts to get very dusty and very cranky. I try to tell myself to be chill about it all...that people don't notice the dust spots and disintegrating paints and unclean lines the way I immediately do when I pull a paper from the bath. After all, I'm going for purpose here, not perfection. I'm simply trying to share the magic of marbling with others and raise awareness of the art form. Mission accomplished.

When I eventually get around to looking at the demo papers a few days later, I am always pleasantly surprised by what I find. Sure, the flaws are still there but that's not what hits me first. What hits me first is exactly what people watching my demo see when a piece is pulled from the bath: pure, uncomplicated beauty and the joy of making it.

And that trumps dust spots any day!

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