This past May I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a workshop taught by Jill K. Berry at Whispering Woodlands. This time instead of teaching at Whispering Woodlands I was able to be the student.
This is how I first met Jill.
I had hosted several fatbook exchanges through a yahoo group. As I was looking through all the fatbooks for artists to invite, to contribute to my book, I was consistently impressed with the art of Jill K. Berry. So I asked Jill if she would be willing to be a contributing artist. The challenging part was developing the ideas while asking the artists to create them without being able to look at the book :) Jill was an active, enthusiastic, and prompt member of the group of contributing artists. Her work is a beautiful, inspiring addition to my book! In addition, it is constructed well and finished looking on all sides (something the viewers of my book aren't priviledged to).
I also knew that she was an art instructor. So when I was planning my first RAEvN's Nest Art Retreat for 2008, she was a teacher that I was interested in and to my good fortune she agreed to teach! I had not taken a class from her previously but in working with her I was confident she would do an excellent job. And she did! I received rave reviews from her students!
Jill's class "Painted Storybooks" is actually the first class that I have had the privilege to participate in as a student. I had no doubt that she would be a good teacher and that I would like the class. What I was blown away by was her beautiful painted pages. Pictures just do not do them justice. They don't capture the depth and subtleties that can only be viewed in person. Not only are the papers beautiful to look at but after layer upon layer of acrylic paint they still are soft and flexible - they still feel like paper. As many of you know, once you apply several layers of acrylic paint to a surface you are limited to the media that you can write on top with. This isn't the case with Jill's technique. These papers are especially ideal for calligraphy or to journal on.
Jill sharing one of her great stories :D
Some of our papers hanging out to dry. We added more layers to some of them later in the workshop.
Jill also taught us how to make several amazing book structures from the papers that we made. In the above posts are some of mine.
If you happen to ever have the chance to take a class from Jill I would highly recommend her. It just so happens Jill will be teaching the following classes at RAEvN's Nest Art Retreat October 23 & 24, 2009 :)
The Visual Journey, Inside and Out
Make a Scene
5 Books in One Day: Chapter 2
I was lucky enough to win this set of tags by posting a comment on Teresa Yates blog. Aren't they adorable. Thank you Teresa! I am looking forward to using them!
I have been working on several assemblage pieces lately and thought I would share one with you. I bought this metronome at a friends auction several years ago. There were so many neat and wonderful things at the auction but I have been t r y i n g to buy only what I am going to use. The eye on the pendulum is from a tattered 1800's book.
The metronome was broken and missing parts when I bought it. This is a perfect piece for assemblage as I feel I am not wrecking any antique for art's sake. It also gives me some design problems to solve, of which I love the challenge. Making something look like it was always meant to be that way.
To balance the brass piece on the other side I made up this brass plate and verse "Time knows no boundaries, and with the beat of majestic wings I am transported." by Kim Rae Nugent.
A few weeks ago I bought 24 empty drawers for $20. Now this is an excellent deal if you actually use them. Determined not to let them sit in the pile of possibilities I sorted through our scrap lumber to see what kind of chest I could build to house them. With the wood widths and lengths of 3/4" plywood that I had, a 3 x 8 drawer configuration was a possibility. Luckily my husband is adept at the use of a table saw ( One of the few power tools I am scared of) and I was able to talk him into cutting the boards for me. I started assembling the chest but I was having a hard time holding the boards in place while turning in the screws (Usually I hammer my projects together with nails but I was anticipating a lot of weight per drawer) Mark again to the rescue. Now to fill all of the drawers with my assemblage treasures :) Did I mention? "I love drawers!"
The class is based on my book "Interactive Art Workshop - Set Your Mixed Media in Motion". Pull tabs, spinning circles and textures aren't just for children's books anymore. I'll teach you how to bring sophisticated style, meaning and movement to your art by learning how to create books with interactive components. With demonstrations and exposure to a variety of samples, I will share my passion for the creative process while guiding you through color theory, working with a limited palette, composition and background techniques. Quotes and embellishments may be added as time permits. Expect to take home an original art book with several interactive features.
Come join the fun!
I sent my sister Jodi a present.
Surprise Jodi! I can finally post something about her pin.
Featured are her chickens which she refers to as "The Girls".
The back view of the pin.
I finally finished my necklace last week at Jill's studio. Thank you Jill for all of your help! The necklace portion is actually made from a boxing jump rope that I found at a rummage for 50cents. It is actually about 3/8" thick leather. Jill had been using leather cording for some of her necklaces and this is what sparked the idea for me. (Yes I did share the leather cord with Jill :)
This past May I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a workshop taught by Jill K. Berry at Whispering Woodlands. This time instead of teaching at Whispering Woodlands I was able to be the student.
Jill's class "Painted Storybooks" is actually the first class that I have had the privilege to participate in as a student. I had no doubt that she would be a good teacher and that I would like the class. What I was blown away by was her beautiful painted pages. Pictures just do not do them justice. They don't capture the depth and subtleties that can only be viewed in person. Not only are the papers beautiful to look at but after layer upon layer of acrylic paint they still are soft and flexible - they still feel like paper. As many of you know, once you apply several layers of acrylic paint to a surface you are limited to the media that you can write on top with. This isn't the case with Jill's technique. These papers are especially ideal for calligraphy or to journal on.
Jill sharing one of her great stories :D
Some of our papers hanging out to dry. We added more layers to some of them later in the workshop.
