At CREATE in Seattle, WA October 22-26 2014, I will be offering seven playshops:
CREATING THE VISION: IMAGE CREATION FOR MIXED MEDIA (6 HOURS)
You will leave with... some finished images to use in your future mixed media work, some exposed films to process and your pinhole camera to build at home to further your mixed media experiments.
Description: Creating your own photographic images for your mixed media work doesn't have to be complicated, expensive, or require a lot of fancy equipment. Join mixed media artist Dea Fischer to learn how to use low technology methods to create your own images. You will have the opportunity to experiment with low-tech cameras, and cyanotype ('sun') printing with negatives and objects, and you will receive a kit to build your own pinhole camera at home. You will also explore fascinating image printing and transfer techniques that can be tricky to master effectively. You will practice making gel medium skins and transfers and heat transfers. You will leave the workshop with some finished images to use in your future mixed media work, some exposed films to process and your pinhole camera to build at home to further your mixed media experiments.
MAGNIFICENT MARBLING (6 HOURS)
You will leave with... an understanding of two different marbling techniques and a number of finished marbled papers for use in further creative work.
Description: Don't let the intricacy and beauty of a marbled paper fool you. Those ripples of color may look hand-painted or machine-stamped, but they're actually created by liquid paint. Marbleizing, which involves using absorbent papers to pick up ink or paint from a water bath, dates to the twelfth century, when it was practiced in Japan and possibly China. Join Dea Fischer to make your own rich and vibrant designs by marbleizing paper to use in your mixed media projects.
PAPER QUILTING (3 HOURS)
You will leave with... a small collage piece on which you will experiment with quilting techniques on paper and board using threads, ribbon and wire.
Description: When working in collage, we are always looking for ways to add depth and interest to our surface. One way to build layers, depth and surface interest is to quilt your papers, or adhere embellishments with stitches or wire. In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to experiment with quilting techniques on paper and board using threads, ribbon and wire.
THESE LITTLE WONDERS: MINIATURE BOOKS (3 HOURS)
You will leave with... a tiny mixed media book less than 2" high to wear as a pendant or hang from your Christmas tree, and an introduction to bookbinding methods for further creative work.
Description: What is more delightful to the eye and the hand than a small and perfectly formed miniature book? Join book artist Dea Fischer to create a deliciously tiny mixed media treasure less than 2" high to wear as a pendant or hang from your Christmas tree.
ARTIST'S BOOKS: YOU-CAN-DO-IT STITCHED BINDINGS (6 HOURS)
You will leave with... two beautiful stitched book forms: a Japanese stab bind and a long-stitch, and an introduction to stitched bookbinding techniques as a springboard for further creative work.
Description: This workshop introduces participants to stitched bookbinding techniques as a springboard for further creative work. Participants will learn how to create two beautiful stitched book forms: a Japanese stab bind and a long-stitch. A wide variety of materials will be incorporated into the book projects, including decorative papers, fabrics, book boards and text pages, as well as collage, ephemera and embellishments. Many examples and visual aids will be on hand to help participants appreciate the materials, techniques, and resources available for bookbinding and journal making.
RECYCLED READS: THE ART OF THE ALTERED BOOK (6 HOURS)
You will leave with... an altered book begun and progressed in the workshop, along with an understanding of the principles of altering books, from selecting and preparing a book for altering to a variety of altering techniques for transforming an old book into a journal or a work of art.
Description: Altered books is an art form in which existing books are reworked into works of art. The existing book becomes the canvas for the new ideas and images, and is a wonderful alternative for art journaling. We will learn everything from selecting and preparing a book for altering to a variety of altering techniques for transforming an old book into a journal or a work of art.
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS: ENRICHING YOUR COLLAGE SURFACE (3 HOURS)
You will leave with... a completed small collage piece, and an understanding of some collage layering techniques using a variety of materials from translucent papers and fabric to acrylic mediums, and building the surface through quilting, stitching and adhering embellishments with stitches, ribbon or wire.
Description: The success of collage work often comes in the complexity and visual depth of its surface. Glimpses of images or words, translucent layers, texture and colour all come into play in creating a visually intriguing and stimulating collage surface. In this workshop, we will explore collage layering techniques using a variety of materials from translucent papers and fabric to acrylic mediums, and building the surface through quilting, stitching and adhering embellishments with stitches, ribbon or wire.
Here are some great images from CREATE Orange County:
Here are some images from 2012 workshops: