Starting with Art

It's never to early to get started with expressing yourself in the visual arts. You can clearly see this from the above photo. (Liz, is that you?) Rainer found this photo from the "wayback" machine. It's about 12 years old. Just a couple of gingers having fun at the art table in my old studio. It seemed like a good photo to post for my big news ....

I wanted to announce that I have another book coming out next year - just for the littles. Here's the link for now to the placeholder at Amazon.  Rainer designed the cover for this book and I think it embodies the joy of making art at this age. We certainly had a blast making this book together with Quarry. Can't wait to share more with you all soon!

Art lessons:: at Illustration Friday!

Happy Tuesday! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... and the natives are restless! Why not blow off some steam with a fun art lesson in marbleizing? I posted one over here at Illustration Friday Kids! Just in time to make some fabulous gift cards, tags or simply beautiful swirly art. Go take a look!

Let it snow!

Feeling a bit under the weather today but happy that we were able to get out and get a Christmas tree despite it all. The preoccupation of phones and photographs from you-know-who sometimes captures sweet moments. And so it goes. Lights on, flakes are falling, school delays, lots of details hanging in the balance... must be December!

Swingtime! by Carol Roll

Fabulous new work in the gallery by folk artist Carol Roll. I adore this swinging sweetie. The details and work on this piece is incredible. $150. A steal! The whole piece measures approx 11x10 inches with a depth of 4 inches. Sweet! Available in the shop too ...

Tiny Art

Here are some new tiny  doodles from me...

4x4 inches each: ink on monotype grounds

this one is called silent.

I hope to get them into the shop. Want one? drop me a line.

Letterpress Workshop!

Good times at the Shaker Village print shop with the amazing Jim McNab and friend Megan Bogonovich. We made some great prints -- mine is here for sale.

Life in Pictures

Berkeley Early Morning September 13

Sunday at the Eric Carle Museum

the museum

This way!

come on in!

it's colorful in here!

even my grandmother made a monster ....

pick a color

texture plates make bumpy looking texture

so much room and light!

A rainbow in the window!

It was a great time at the Eric Carle Museum  this past Sunday as you can see from the photos! Click through here to the Museum's post about the workshop! Fun times in Western MA.

Eric Carle Museum Workshop on Sunday

I am thrilled to be holding a workshop at the Eric Carle Museum this Sunday from 1-4 p.m. We will be doing Monster Mash collage straight from my Art Lab for Kids book by Quarry Publishers. Join us in Western MA with all your little ones! Can't make it? Buy the book right here signed by me!

October Days

Chasing clouds, dodging raindrops and making a lot of art has filled these October days! It's been a busy crazy time but all so positive that who can grumble? Not me! The painting above "Cloud Chasing" is one of the 28 new works which I finished up for October's exhibit at artstream.  I sent a dozen more to New Palz NY to Treehouse gallery and have some ideas for new works for my upcoming exhibit at Main Street Art in Newfields, NH. Finishing up my second book has been occupying some of my days too ... here's  a little preview at amazon. More on that later!

Perks of being an art teacher

Perks of being an art teacher:

Get to make art everyday - good, bad and ugly - who cares?

Interact with others making art.

Get to wear your messy clothes and apron.

Paint is usually involved at some point.

Can be involved with the most joy your student has experienced that day.

Having permission to express yourself to your own self in a visual way.

If paint is not involved, clay usually is... bonus points.

Clean up means color mixing in the sink.

People around you are happy.

Kids adore you as you are keeper of the materials.

Magical things happen to those around you spontaneously.

Most days involve lots of smiling people.

You can buy glitter any day of the year.

People give you things "because you are an art teacher" and you could find them useful.

You are a knower of adhesives (ripped straight from Lady Linoleum)

You are allowed to have paint on any clothing you own. And your hair.

Your students make things for you often.

 ... like the beautiful corsage that Sol Robinson made for me in the photo above. 

Happy Monday!

News, newsy and very exciting...

Evening Tide mixed media 12x24

It's been a hectic week now that we're back at home - but with all good stuff. New classes opened this week at artstream and I have been preparing for them along with some other new beginnings! First off I

am thrilled to announce that I have a new print at the Working Proof.  It's called Evening Tide and is also a new painting that  will also be included in our upcoming exhibit Beautiful Decay. This exhibit will go up next week and open in our newly refreshed main gallery.  Rainer and I are now the sole owners of artstream and we have been working on a new look for the gallery, a new website (stay tuned!) and personally I have been putting the finishing touches on a series of paintings for this show and another in Portsmouth, NH's 100 Market.

I hope that you all will stop by either online or during our Art Stroll to see the sights! Oh yes, and it's not too late to pop into one of our classes either - we get off to a rolling start! Give us a shout!

Time away, well spent

Dolores Park on a Sunday in September

Rainer and I just arrived back a week ago from a wonderful respite to the Bay Area. I taught a workshop at The Teahouse Studio and enjoyed an author's night with two of the most beautiful talented ladies I know, Lisa Solomon and Mati Rose. They also have books from Quarry which just came out this summer. Lisa's Knot, Thread, Stitch is an inspiring book about alternative embroidery techniques and Mati's Daring Adventures in Paint gets you going again ... I know it does because it helped me get back my flow and restart my painting again!

my Playful printmaking class at Teahouse

Thinking about restart, reminds me of Reconnect - a course that Mati and her friend Willo are teaching right now. You can still get in on this ecourse by registering here!

Author's night at Teahouse

Students hard at work!

Rainer and I enjoyed some days traveling around the city to see the sights, the beaches and the woods surrounding the Bay Area. We didn't see it all, we picked a few places and immersed ourselves in them and each other. If you know us personally - well you knew that it was over due. It was also a "walk about" which is something we do no matter where we go. Sore feet come with city visits! And we welcome them ...

Exploring Baker Beach

Our last days we went to Muir woods. There are no words to express the feeling that I got when entering this ancient place. It was like no other place I have been before and it is a place I would like to go back to again. I feel so lucky to have had this time in such a special place!

Muir Woods!

Classes begin September 17th

Clay bird made in our afterschool art class!

There is still time to sign up with us for classes beginning September 17th! We have a special discount at during our registration days. Click through to our site to view the days and times we are offering them! Get arty with us this year and explore the creative side of YOU!

Summer memories

smiling blooms greet us

heart-y fruit loves us

juicy veggies feed us

Oh summer -- you were wonderful! 

Scribble drawings with college students

My good friend Claude Caswell drops by with his creativity class every year. I enjoy meeting these college students and exploring their creativity in the visual arts. Usually most of these students have not had much experience with visual art and this group was no exception. So off to scribbling we went ...

first time drawing anything

busy group

Some of them had not ever drawn anything and were very apprehensive. But they were all willing to try some scribbling...

They made very individual drawings with each of the scribbles they first created

and all of the drawings were cut out and mounted on black paper to make them stand out even more...

Strange and wonderful animals appeared where only pencil marks began it all...

Even the professor found a beautiful folkloric animal!

Class shot at the end - fun times and lots of happy artists.

Creative Courage with Stephanie Levy

I am pleased to announce that I have been invited to be part of Stephanie Levy's latest Creative Courage e-course featuring 11 other women who I admire. Great company and a wonderful course designed by Stephanie as "a guide to help you discover your own unique path and give you the practical tools you need to start making your dreams real".  I have known Stephanie for some years now as we have had her art  (and her husband's art too!) in our gallery shows in the past 7 years. 

This session will include Alena Hennessy, Victoria Smith, Lisa Sonora Beam, Alicia Paulson, Christine Mason Miller, Heather Moore, Arounna Khounnoraj, Patricia Zapata, Elenor Mayrhofer, Heather Braun-Dahl, Candy Glendening and myself sharing secrets on publishing books, opening stores/galleries, creating workshops, and building online businesses - and much more!

It's a 6 week course filled with inspiration and I am happy to be part of it. The session runs from 9.24 - 11/2 2012 and you can sign up and learn more about it right here. Thanks to Stephanie for inviting me! I look forward to sharing my experiences  with you all!

Portrait by Chloe

fun in Boston!

This week marked a day spent with my very talented daughter Chloe, in Boston. We spent the day together with the purpose of presenting her portfolio to admissions at Mass College of Art and Design. We had lunch at a sidewalk cafe and she snapped this photo of me. And a million more. Something I am not overly comfortable with but with our seriously silly mood going, it was more than a little bit fun.

She came though the review with flying colors. The first of many I am sure! What are you up to for fun and games this weekend?

Giveaways!

There's a lovely review and giveaway over at Wisecraft for my book Art Lab for Kids today! I love Blair's blog and it was so wonderful to see that she noticed a big secret about my book... pop over there and see what she has to say and maybe you will win a free copy there too!

It's our last full week of "no school" around these parts - sunshine abounds - making the most of it! More soon...

August heat

Carol Roll Sculpture (detail)

Lots of hot going on here in New Hampshire - making it a good time to take a swim in the ocean or dip your toe into some creative classes! We have all new workshops and classes coming up and you can register for them right here!

busy kids in the studio!

3D camp for Tweens this summer!

We have had a busy summer around the gallery - lots of new work coming in from Megan Bogonovich, Carol Roll and a new book by Jane Kaufmann!

Megan Bogonovich new work!

You just have to drop by...