June 24, 2012

what are you doing in July?

Want to come play in New Jersey? I'll be in Somerset at the Create Retreat teaching four workshops on July 18th and 19th. Come on over and join me and other creative spirits and play with some art supplies!
Right now I am knee deep in my scraps basket making samples for a new 3-hour workshop called Window to Your Art. If you've been following my art making for a while on this blog or my website you might have caught on that I love making window themed art. Usually I make windows with St. Petersburg, Russia in mind and using photos that I took myself while on travels there. And usually these are large artworks, at least 12"x12" (one of my favorite sizes). But sometimes I enjoy making small (tiny) windows from scraps using Russian fairy-tales as inspiration. Fanciful or whimsical are two of the words that can describe these creations. 
One of the reasons I enjoy making these is instant gratification. They are fast and easy to make and are tiny visual feasts. Sort of like eye candy. Just a bit of machine stitching and voila! Another reason is the reduction of my scraps stash. I cannot seem to throw out even the tiniest scraps left from other projects and this is the perfect way to keep the baskets from overflowing.
So what do you do with these tiny work of art? Why you put them into a frame of course! But the frames need to be made special too and satisfy my urge to paint and decorate. So I take out my paints and markers and go to town on those frames. In a few hours I have a new artwork and lots of satisfaction.
~Will you join me? I'll be teaching this workshop on Wednesday evening July 18th from 6 to 9PM.

4 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Sounds like a delightful class Natalia!! Unfortunately I won't be able to come I will on vacation on Cape Cod and nothing pulls me away from that!! Hope that you will share pictures though!! have a great time!!

Lynn Cohen said...

I wish, but everything here is so beautiful and fun. Students WILL come and be so fortunate to be there. I am visualizing your classes filling to the brim like your stash baskets!

thank you too for the wonderful postcards you sent me recently. They are on my desk for me to see daily! They might enjoy frames too. good idea! thanks for that too. ;-))

Anonymous said...

Maybe sometime you'll do a nationwide tour...

Vivien Zepf said...

Wish I could -- these are GREAT tease photos!