Liminal: The Series

Liminal: of or relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process.
Liminal: occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.

I'm currently on a plane making my way up to San Francisco where I'll hook up with my wonderful friend, Liz Kalloch. One of our pieces from our Liminal Series, created during the two-week collaborative art residency we did last summer, is part of the pop-up abstract contemporary art exhibit TAG, opening this Saturday.

The Liminal Series focused on the idea of “pattern as language” and how patterns have been used throughout time as a practical (and critical) communication tool while at the same time rooted in aesthetic beauty and creative expression. Patterns have been used to teach, tell stories, identify, and claim identity. They have held secrets, history, and vital information. Patterns are in and of themselves their own alphabet.

Native Americans wove creation stories in baskets. The women of the Aran Islands (Ireland) knitted clan patterns into sweaters that not only kept their fishermen warm and dry but also identified them should they be lost at sea. Quilts identified safe houses and laid out routes to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

In creating this series, Liz and I took a “call and response” approach — starting with one artist’s pattern then the other artist “answering” that pattern with her own. The series plays off our mediums (painting and marbling) and reflects designs steeped in tradition but still born from our own voices.

If you'd like to see one of the Liminal Series pieces, it will be on display at Mark Drive Studios (11 Mark Drive, San Rafael, CA) this Saturday from 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. with an artist reception from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Stay tuned for more news from Liz and I about our New Ground Collaboration!

Hand-marbled Papers in the Shop!

Over the past month, I've been adding an affordable line of select hand-marbled paper to my online shop. These are papers I have a particular liking for...they catch my eye in some way: a perfectly executed traditional pattern, a lovely color palette, a stunning unique design. The inventory is always changing and I'm adding new papers once-a-week.

The best part: hand-marbled papers SHIP FREE (in the US)!

I'm excited to be shipping this one out to a sweet customer (who said kind words about my work) today:

Head on over to the store to check out the current inventory.

Marbling Class at BookArtsLA

I'm so excited to be teaching again at BookArtsLA next weekend (March 5-6). The facility is such a lovely place with lots of room and natural light to work in. And I have had such fun students in these classes ~ full of energy and enthusiasm with a fearless attitude toward playing in the marbling tank! I don't know how I keep getting so lucky!

I'll once again be teaching the popular 2-day Introduction to Marbling class. In this marbling immersion class, students will learn the nuts and bolts of the art form, dive into traditional pattern making (foundation and advanced patterns) using the large marbling tank, and have time for creative exploration. You'll leave with a robust understanding of the art form, dozens of marbled papers, and the confidence to start marbling at home.

Everything is provided. Just show up and have fun! To register, head on over to BookArtsLA's website.

Introduction to Marbling
Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
BookArtsLA
11720 Washington Place, Los Angeles

Practice Piece

I always start a marbling session with a couple of practice pieces. I'm testing the bath to see what it's doing and how the paints behave on it. But I'm also stretching my marbling muscles ~ like a singer who does vocal warm ups. Marbling is more physically demanding than most people realize and there are certain techniques that require superb hand-eye coordination so I want my body and my mind to be at the same place when I start working on the real stuff.

The thing is...usually these practice pieces end up being something really good. Something that actually makes me pause and go, "Oh, wow! That turned out great!" even though I'm not trying to do something good. I don't even think that hard about what colors I use, just grabbing the four of five closest to me and running with it.

Today's practice piece is no exception. I love it. I love the colors and how the design turned out. I guess I'm more conscious about my practice pieces than I realize...and that perhaps eight years of marbling experience coupled with not having any expectations from these first few pieces really frees up the creative mojo. And that's when magic slips in.

Available in the store.

A Weekend of Color

Loving these bright colors lately. Can't get enough.

Intersections. Squiggles. Ragged edges.

Weaving with color.

TAG: A Pop-up Exhibition in San Rafael, Calif.

Liz Kalloch and I are thrilled and downright GIDDY to be participating in a curated show opening next weekend in San Rafael, Calif. with two pieces from our collaborative project New Ground.

Liminal #1 (and its sister piece) ~ both created during our residency last summer ~ will be on display in TAG: A Pop-Up Exhibition of Contemporary Abstract Painting opening Saturday, February 27.

TAG curator, artist Joyce Conlon, selected Bay Area artists who are pushing the boundaries within their work and then asked those artists to invite or "tag" another artist for inclusion. Liz and I feel honored to have been "tagged" and are excited to have our work included alongside Sydney Cohen, Joyce Conlon, Ellie Fritz, Kimberly Rowe, and Bill Russell.

The exhibition takes place Saturday, February 27 (3 p.m. - 8 p.m.) and Sunday, February 28 (noon - 4 p.m.) at Mark Drive Studios (11 Mark Drive, San Rafael, CA).

And I'll be there! Yep ~ I'll be heading up to the Bay Area to proudly stand side-by-side with my creative partner-in-crime and chat with folks who stop by to check out the show.

Hope to see you there!

Then this Happened

From the studio yesterday.

Tools and Talismans: Experience and Nature

I don't even know how to put into words how much I am in love with artist Liz Kalloch's project called Tools and Talismans ~ her illustrated journey to document the tools used by 100 women ("creators and healers, thinkers and makers, wordsmiths and visionaries") on their own personal journeys to make things. From her webiste:

Whether we make paintings, write books, heal people's bodies or minds, dance on stages, cook amazing and nourishing meals, teach new skills, or inspire others to dream new dreams, I believe we humans are always Making.

In fact, I believe everybody has a super power and it’s Making.

I’m fascinated with how and what we make and just as fascinated with the tools we use to make. I believe that our relationship to the tools that we put our hands to nearly everyday, our attachments to them, plus how we use them to express what we "make" is a profound piece of our who we are, inside these bodies of ours.

I am beyond honored, and incredibly humbled, to have her illustrate my Tools and Talismans ~ as well as thankful for the space she has provided for all of us to share the stories behind them. Head on over to her website to catch up on these incredible vignettes.

If you want snippets of beauty, wisdom, and well-told stories (imbued with Liz's wonderful sense of humor), be sure to follow her blog and Instagram for a daily dose of color and happiness.

Scenes from the Studio

It was a weekend full of private lessons. I love teaching in my studio where the energy and enthusiasm of students fill every nook and cranny and I can feel the vibes long after they are gone.

Studio preparations.

Never gets old ~ the joy of the first marbled piece!

Working the tanks.

Marbled pages from old photobooks where the pages are actual frames/thick mats. We took apart the binding and marbled each frame. They turned out beautiful.

Marbled pages from a very, very old ledger/journal.

Marbled leather strap.

Remnants

Leftovers in the tank.

Sometimes the thing I'm marbling on is smaller than the actual design in the tank, so when I pull the piece off the bath the leftover paint stretches to fill the gap. And you get something magical like this.

Studio Play

Sometimes I just play in the tank. No expectations. Not trying to do anything specifically. Just moved by color and whatever dance my bath wants to do.

Marbling on Photographs

Photograph by the talented Ann Howley.

Marbling on photographs. Yep. Love it. It's ridiculously fun.

I especially love the one above because of the vibrant, warm colors and how the traditional pattern Bouquet mirrors the shapes of the hot air balloons.

And then there is this one:

Another beautiful photograph by the talented Ann Howley.

I wanted to replicate the feel of the arctic cold, sparse landscape, and floating ice in this image so I chose to do an Italian Vein in cool colors over the top of it. I think I pulled it off since I feel a chill every time I look at it!

You can learn how to create traditional patterns such as Bouquet (and 15 other traditional patterns!) in my Clouds on Water: Introduction to Paper Marbling eCourse. And if you're up for a marbling adventure, check out my Clouds on Water: Advanced Marbling Techniques eCourse where, among many things, you'll learn about additives (used to create the Italian Vein pattern) and how to marble on photographs and other non-traditional materials.

For a short time, I am offering an incredible special on these two courses ~ buy the Introduction to Paper Marbling eCourse and get the Advanced Marbling Techniques eCourse for free!! That's a savings of $129!! Head on over to www.CloudsOnWater.com to register and use the discount code EBRULOVE. There are still four weeks of guided sessions by me on our very active private Facebook page and you'll have access to all the videos, website content, and downloadable handouts through the end of July!

Hope to see you in the classroom!

Continuing to Explore

Detail. WIP

I'm still exploring this particular direction in the tank. It's not always working out ~ and it takes forever to create these images so when I screw up, I feel like I just wasted so much time. It's been a lesson in patience and acceptance ~ and remembering that time is never wasted when you stretch and grow and learn something new (even if it's what NOT to do) along the way.

WIP: The Next Version

At the intersection of Holy Buckets Street and I Can't Believe This Technique Is Working Boulevard, you'll find this piece.

I am loving this direction.

WIP: Back in the Studio

Work-in-progress detail.

Now that this session of Clouds on Water: A Journey into the World of Marbling is underway, I can turn my attention (or most of, it at least) back to projects and ideas that were on hold while we put the finishing touches on the new classrooms. So happy to be back at the tank, playing around ~ especially on this concept I'm developing.