Teaching Schedule Updated- May Classes In Virginia

Please check the "Teaching Schedule" tab to find out about my May classes in Alexandria Virginia at Artistic Artifacts.
I'm excited to be teaching a few classes this summer and hope that you will join me!

I'll be teaching the ever popular Bound By Heart, Made By Hand book class. Everyone is always so excited about the books that they make in this class,
It has started more than one addiction to book making...

Also on the schedule is a Reverse Applique Fingerless Glove class (what a mouthful!). This is an easy, yet oh so beautiful (mostly) hand stitching class. You will leave with the most beautiful pair of fingerless gloves you have ever had!
Class includes instruction in hand stitching, beading, reverse applique along with thermofax screen printing.

The last workshop is the Quarterly Journal Dress (published in the Feb-Mar 2013 issue of Quilting Arts magazine).
 We will create a dress inspired by an antique christening gown and learn to turn vintage (and other) papers into fabric collage sheets, tricks to stitching on paper and how to use acrylic mediums to your advantage.

Check out the Artistic Artifacts website for more details or email them at sales@artisticartifacts.com.

These are all post SAQA events. I do hope that those of you that are in town for that event will stay over for more play with us!
Book your spot before the classes all fill up!

The Nature of Fashion

This will also be posted on the "8 That Create" blog.
Check out the other blog posts there!



Like everyone else in the group, I've been working on the upcoming show in New York.

I chose to incorporate a bit of natures' fashion into my pieces.
I've been working off of the knowledge that nature, just like fashion, dresses herself according to the season.
Her fashionable colors change as well as the way that she clothes herself.

I spend a lot of time observing the fashion show that Mother Nature organizes.
I try to take my creative cues from this show.

Season to season, the colors change.
The emotion changes.
She sheds her autumn foliage for the monochromatic palette of winter.

The fashion of nature sheds light on the nature of fashion.
Meaning that fashion changes with the same cycle as nature.

I created this piece from natural elements - sticks, stones and leaves.
The stitched background is made from real leaves that have been pressed and allowed to disintegrate into tissue paper before laminating them to tea bags and scrim.

You can see the leaf above - it has disintegrated
into the tissue paper that I pressed the leaves on.

I used leaves that I gathered from my home garden
as well as vegetation from the forest near my home.

You might find an herb or two in my fabric...

Petals from garden flowers, especially gardenias and lilies.

You can see the layer of tea bags and scrim on this sample.
I laminated all of it together with acrylic soft gel and matt medium.

I also dipped a couple of the central collage elements into beeswax.

The beeswax makes the tea bag very transparent.

I love the smell!

"Nature's Fashion"

This is a 12" x 12" piece mounted on 1.5" stretcher bars.
Each person in the group of 8 will create a panel the same size.
They will be hung in a grid - like a nine patch - with our signage in the center.

I have created two other pieces of wall art plus a book.

Last April, I helped a friend of mine vend at the Virginia Beach "Art & Soul" retreat.
She had all sorts of vintage items to sell (!) and I was one of the helpers in charge of putting these things out on display (can you believe that she left me there with all that cool stuff?!) (my husband couldn't).
I unpacked a pair of little girls espadrilles.
I immediately saw the potential for a book in this pair of shoes.
Some of the group used women's shoes to create a piece of artwork out of.
I chose to use this well loved pair of shoes for one of my projects.
Here's what I came up with.

"The Sole Book"

"Sole Book"
front view

I spent a lot of time painting, staining, crackling and waxing each page
before adding them to the book

I love the crackle pages.
They look like an old sole (or soul, for that matter).

I used a glaze of acrylic paint to bring out the crackles on painted paper

Time Flies When You're Busy (or not)

I can't believe that it's been a week since I posted anything!
I've been working on a project for the new group that I am thrilled to be a part of ( "8 That Create" - check it out!).
If you head over to the blog, you'll see that we are all documenting our progress on our work.
We're telling the good, the bad and the ugly as we create pieces of art.
For someone like me, somebody works in a really intuitive manner, that is kinda difficult.
Sometimes I don't know why I do what I do...I just do it.
I'm trying to take lots of photos to share, showing the horrid messes that I make and the ways that I cover them up or revel in their existence.
So far, I've written two posts on the new piece "Empty Spaces".
I'd love for you to take a look and let me know what you'd like for me to talk about or address during the process.

I am also packing to ship supplies and artwork to Artistic Artifacts for a two day book making class that I am doing there.
The class is Feb. 24 & 25 in Alexandria, Virginia at Judy Gula's shop "Artistic Artifacts".
The day after my class, Liz Kettle is teaching her "Metal Magic" class. I can't wait to take this one! She will be talking about using metal in fiber work as well as covering different patina's that you can use on it.
There is a kit for this class so you don't have to bring any supplies.
Woo Hoo! My kind of class.

We will be going to "Art & Soul" at Virginia Beach, Virginia to help Judy in her mobile shop there.
I will have a vendor table the last night, so drop by if you're in the area.
I'll be offering original artwork, prints, rust media packs, handmade books and a couple of other goodies.

I also want to tell you about a (fairly) new site called "Seek Your Course".
Jess Greene (an amazing mixed media encaustic artist) started this site up to gather all the classes, workshops, conferences and retreats into one cohesive place.
It's an amazing site, with tons of options. All you need for choosing your next creative learning experience.
I've included my classes there as well.
Check it out!

More Messages From The Universe, New Classes

My tea bags continue to ply me with bold messages.
In some ways, I do feel like I am getting younger instead of older.

I am hard at work in my studio! 

I have several things going at once -

working on a new piece for the group "8 That Create", 

preparing samples for two new classes I have scheduled while I am in Colorado.

Oh! I forgot to post them, didn't I?!

I will be teaching two one day classes at "Blue Twig Studio" in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 3 and June 4.

One class will be "Whimsical Mark Making" and the other will be the blast of fun class "Background Painting" (check the "workshop" tab at the top of the blog for descriptions).

I'll post the order of them as soon as we figure it out. Both of these classes are so much fun and everyone is always so surprised at how well their work turns out in class.

I am also working on handouts for the June "Art Camp For Women" book making class. 

That is going to be a fantastic class! I am loving all the colors of waxed linen thread that I bought just for class! No plain old black, brown or burgundy for these campers!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I am working on samples for the class at Judy Gula's shop "Artistic Artifacts" in Alexandria Virginia on Feb. 24 & 25. Check out this link for the class description.

It would be great (and you'll get a discount) if you signed up for my two day class and Liz Kettle's one day class there ("Metal Magic"). Three days of foot stomping fun (where did that come from?!). But it will be a lot of fun and think of all that you will learn!

The book class that I am teaching there is a great class for new book makers as well as experienced ones. After two days, you will leave with a one of a kind treasure. And you'll be armed with all the info that you need to make more.

So - back to work.

I tend to be a workaholic on creative things. 

I can spend hours and hours in  my studio, effectively ignoring any other errands or jobs that I need to do...

My husband is so very supportive of my desire to show women how to express their creativity.

He has seen how making art, how allowing my creativity out has healed me in so many ways.

It's much better than any medications my doctors try to make me take. 

And I want other women to experience this healing balm.

Stretch that creative muscle!

Artistic Artifacts

I am going to be heading up to Virginia this February - to an wonderful mixed media fiber shop called Artistic Artifacts.
I am teaching a two day book making class called "Bound By Heart, Made By Hand".
Someone ask me why I call the class this so I'll explain here.

A lot of my recent work (the last three years) has revolved around the death of my mother.
When I was cleaning out her house, I found so many keepsakes type things that I had forgot about, had never seen or couldn't remember the story attached to them.
There was a lot of vintage linens from my grandmother as well...she was a doll maker and a quilter.
Oh, and also a doll doctor. She had been certified to do "reconstructive surgery" on all types of dolls -wooden to ceramic.

I found myself the owner of a ton of family keepsakes.
And not an idea of what to do with them but store them like my mom did.

But, a couple of things kept nagging at me.
I didn't want my son to find all these things after I died and wonder about them...or throw them out.
And I just didn't have the storage space to keep them all.

I made the decision to use them.
Not in the intended manner but in an artistic manner.
I put aside the ones that held special meaning or were in the best condition.
Then I began using them as art supplies...yep, cutting them up, adding them to books that I made, attaching them to fiber wall art...just generally enjoying them.

And I found that all of the pieces that I added to artwork held more meaning to me.

They began to bind my heart to the work that I made by hand...
Hence "Bound By Heart, Made By Hand" was born.

And in my classes, I show everyone how to use those vintage linens (whether hand-me-downs or not), old clothing, copies of hand written letters and anything else they choose to bring in their artwork.
The books are so textured with all of the different linens, homespun and hankies inside (and outside) of them.

The books have so much more meaning and sentiment when you use personal items.

And you can bet that your kids won't throw these away when you're gone!

I've had women create family recipe books, wine tasting books, memory books for family or friends, and art journal books.
Sketchbooks.

Here's a few photos of the ones that I have made.

I love painting the pages inside then going back and sketching or writing in them.
But I also love viewing the book as a piece of art in itself.

The class will be held at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria Virginia.
It's a two day class and almost everyone goes home with a completed book!
Sometimes two books if you've planned ahead.

Contact Judy Gula at the shop for prices and payment options.

Oh - class dates are Feb. 24 & 25.

My buddy Liz Kettle is teaching a one day workshop the very next day (Sunday Feb. 26) called "Metal Magic".

Judy is offering a $10 discount on both (either or) classes if you sign up now!

We could make a weekend out of it...just think - hanging out with me, Liz and Judy all weekend!
A girl's weekend...with great art making too!

Back Home

Hi everyone!

I'm back from Colorado Springs at Textile Evolution.

What an awesome retreat!!

I personally had so much fun and was so inspired & fulfilled by all the creative work done there.
The atmosphere was not only inviting but safe.
Safe to begin at where you are.
Safe to push where you want to go...

We had creative spirits there that ran the gamut - young women that had no idea of what they were getting in to all the way to grandmothers that we just finding out that they HAD a creative streak.

And they all LOVED it!

Yummy healthy food that was catered in.
A section of the room had piles of supplies to use in our art journals (all free!) with daily demos of different products and techniques (some brand spanking new ones- barely in the stores yet!).
Lots of heartfelt conversations, laughter, some tears (of pain, self discovery and growth) and most of all - lots of support and friendship.

Women need these relationships in their life - we need unconditional support and the love of each other.
We need a strong shoulder to lean on at times.
These types of relationships and support systems are built at this retreat.

It's a great place to learn a new technique or make a great project but it's an even better place to add to your self confidence and build your tribe.

Next years dates are already booked even though I can't remember them right now.
I do know that it will go back to the Sept. date next year. I'll post it as soon as I can find out.

I do have some photos but I'll have to find my camera first.
Now where did I put that new indigo shibori tee shirt at...?

Journal Work

I've been writing and drawing inside of one of my handmade books here lately.
I have written other posts about it (here, here and here). My "plan" is to use this as my everyday journal...just to draw in, write in, a place to hold all those things that elbow around in my head everyday.
And just like anything else, this requires a commitment or it does for me anyway.
Other things are habit for me - drawing, writing- but not in THIS book. I have been using a different book to write in and another one to draw in.
I have read in a few blogs how other people approach this issue. Some use totally separate books for each different practice. Others use the same book for all of it.
It really doesn't bother me if I mix it up. The only thing that I need to consider is the drawing part...if I draw something that I decide to make a thermofax screen from or use it in a different manner, I need to be able to scan or copy it. And that could prove to be difficult if it's in a book with other "things" on the pages around it...I'll just have to be aware of that and try to work around it.

Anyway - thought I'd share a couple of pages that I've been working on.

This is the first page in the journal (paper page that is...I have a couple of fabric based "pages" before that).

Now, who knows - I may choose to spread out some gesso on that page and re-do the entire thing.
That's one of the things that I love about journaling, about working in a book.
You can scrap it and start over...just like that.

This is a page that I had already done some stitching on. I had brushed some watered down acrylic paint on the background. Then later drew a couple of sketchy flowers...then added a thermofax flower screen over that. I still have more plans for this page.

This is a little painting (watercolor) that I did in preparation for my "Whimsical Drawing Class" at Textile Evolution next month.
I'll be showing everyone some tricks and short cuts that I use as well as sharing how I draw. It may not be the Correct Way but it's my way.
Run over to the retreat web site and sign up for that class! I would love to see you there.
Last year we had a blast...just a blast!
Judy Gula (from Artistic Artifacts) will be teaching there as well as vending (oh boy!). She and I are flying out a little early to spend a few days with Liz (we're supposed to be helping but I'm thinking we're going to be playing and laughing). Either way, it is sure to be fun.

And one last page with a whimsical tree on it. I actually left a space to journal on this one! I used Derwent Inkense Watercolor Pencils on it along with my trusty Pitt Pen.
Don't forget to check out the Sketchbook Challenge blog site for this month's theme. Lyric Kinard is the featured artist this month and she had chosen the theme if
"Element".
There are already a lot of great posts illustrating that.

And I am going to be teaching a book class in Greenville SC next month!
I am SO excited about this!
Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville has asked me to teach there. I'll be sending out a newsletter to all of the local people about this class.
I'll put details on the side bar but you can email me at carolbsloan@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
The quick rundown is this -

"Bound by Heart, Made by Hand"
Aug. 8 & 11, 2011 from 10:00am-3:00pm
$135 for both days, an optional $20 kit from instructor
At Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville (AGGG)

864-239-3882

200 N Main Street
Suite 104 Ivey Square
Greenville, SC. 29601 (inside the lobby at Atlanta Bread Company) 

You can see samples inside the gallery (beginning tomorrow) and may sign up there.
You may also email me to sign up.
If you are considering taking the class, better call or email quick as the size is very limited!
The space is smaller but I wanted to keep the class small so I can give everyone lots of attention.

Have a great day everyone!

Textile Evolution/Colorado Springs

Going back to the retreat that I taught at in Colorado...
I forgot to add a link to the retreat center that we were playing at...I mean working at.
If you go the their website, you can find lots of photos to show you around the place - but I'll add a few of my own for you.
True to nature, I've loaded them backwards from what I really wanted to...and I'm too lazy - too busy- to go back and change them.

All the instructors stayed up at a separate building, so each morning we had a beautiful and inspiring walk (a short one) to the main building.
I really wanted to show the family of deers that ran (almost) right up to Liz and I the first morning - but they will be last in line.
This shot was what I saw behind the building that Judy Gula (from the filled to the brim with goodness store Artistic Artifacts in Virginia). She taught a dyeing class. Her students had the MOST fabulous fabrics to show each day. I do believe that she will be teaching next year...you should grab that class if you want to learn the fast and easy way (or down and dirty) on fabric/fiber dyeing.
Aren't those just great colors?

Here is our group joining back up for dinner one night (probably the first night since my pics are backwards!). The rooms were huge in this place - very well laid out and lots of room to play (work).
Liz set up an inspiration area - provided stamps, dye, inks, pens, fabric, paint, journals, glimmer spray, mistyfuse...you name - she provided it for everyone!

Here is the mountain that we saw each morning when we walked to the main building - maybe Mount St. Francis?

The building to the right of the photo is the classrooms that Laura Cater Woods and Judy Gula used.

Okay, here is the "Family Photo" from the first morning walk! This mom and two babies came running up to Liz and I.

I was on the telephone with my husband at the time. The scene from that movie where the dad and kids are lost in the woods came to mind - you know, the one where the deer has red glowing eyes and begins to beat the dad up...

Hmmm...well, it was a while back...

"My, what big ears you have"...

Here is a side shot of the building that we slept in - a fabulous rock building.

And look at the texture of the tree bark to the right of the photo!

I got a couple of close ups of that for later use.

Okay - that ends my update for today.

We are packing up for the West Greenville Arts Festival.

There is also the US Cycling Pro Championship in downtown Greenville this weekend.

If you attend that event, be sure to drive another couple of miles to the arts festival.

Booth #26!