Finishing the Katazome class

Here are some more images from the Katazome class with Akemi Cohn. I have two pieces all finished but can't wash the rice paste out of the fabric for three months. Check back then!

Katazome - first day

Today we cooked some rice paste and used a paper stencil to stencil the fabric. I did a piece of heavy silk, supposedly Vera Wang but who really knows. After the rice paste was applied, the fabric is stretch and hung out to dry. That is what you are seeing here. Akemi showed me photos of her home, the traditional Japanese screens and a shroud she made for her mom's burial. It brought back memories of my love affair of Japan.

Akemi Cohn is a very nice and thorough teacher. She is organized well and really knows her stuff.

I have a learning curve with natural dyes. Where oh where are those chemistry classes from high school? Long time ago, for sure. Now I am on to a new adventure.

Katazome with Akemi Cohn

Anyone desire a little art getaway. Pippa Drew has these wonderful workshops in the Upper Valley of NH-VT. Just a couple of hours from home for me. How lovely is this place?

A beautiful lake nearby. Lovely views of mountains - nice farm market nearby.

The weather is just lovely. Cool nights warm days. Maybe fall is coming?

Floorcloth SALE - closing out of the old stuff

Yep - it is time to move on. This is your opportunity to buy a cool floorcloth for your hardwood, tile or lineoleum floor. These are designed to go on any hard surfaced floor.

Bargain prices. They are all on ETSY. http://www.etsy.com/listing/50256950/faux-candy-tile-handpainted-canvas

Check them out. There are 14 of them for sale.

My process is that I cut my own canvas, prepare the canvas for the floorcloth, handpaint each piece individually without any patterns. Upon completion, I use a special floor covering varnish which lasts 10-12 years with just a wet wipe - nothing harsh.The floorcloth is stain-resistant, durable and great for any room - especially a hard surfaced floor.I am selling my floorcloths at close out prices because I am closing them out. No special orders, please. Final sales. I have more than twenty years of painted floorcloth experience in the arts. I know how well these are made and how long they will last.

More information about me as an artist is at www.lipmandesigns.com.

Have fun shopping!

Garbage Journals!

Ever hear about a garbarge journal! This is it! Art Studio garbage is what the journal has.

Each page is a piece of art. No real theme - Just 8 pages and 8 paper pages for journaling!

This is the front cover. Created by Beth Lipman, my daughter, in college in the early 1990's. The others are my creations - dyed fabrics, an old Needlepoint, paper cloth collages, etc. The cocoa pod is from that delicious chocolate, Burdicks' in Walpole, NH.

This is the perfect thing to create when Life gives you lemonade and any thing you do is Dark. This allowed me to feel better during a difficult time in my life. And I have used some lemons!

Hop on over to Etsy http://www.etsy.com/your/listings?show_panel=true to check it out.

Text on the Surface

I have been a guinea pig for a pilot project Susie Monday is doing. She accepted the SAQA (www.Saqa.com) challenge for a visioning project.

Poor dear, her computer crashed, she had other emergencies but the 20 or so of us are trying to carry on. Here is a collage using paper cloth

and words - one of our test projects. It was a coincidence that my paper cloth was already done. The S letters on the left were part of Lesson 1, using letters to create a composition. I used a transfer method to create those letter in this collage.

I like the paper cloth idea and will definitely do more of it.

After the big S, which I just painted with puff paint, dries, I hope to mat it and sell it on Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/your/listings?show_panel=true

Introduction to Katazome

Karen Miller (http://nautilus-fiberarts.blogspot.com/) is traveling across the country this summer.

She and her husband will travel by car/truck and a motor home stopping in various places to teach "the Art of Katazome", the art of Japanese Stencil Dyeing. Fiber Art at its best!

We are fortunate to have Karen coming to Keene, NH to do a workshop here on July 17 and 18, 2010. A two day workshop in our backyard. And Karen isn't charging us for her travel time! Therefore, the cost to us has been reduced to only $300.00 per person for the two days.

Email me if you are interested. Put your phone number in the email so I can call you.