Art as a way of life, well for me anyway.

Are things ever really back to normal?

Maybe, maybe not, but I think that since we are always changing, maybe normal changes too.  I'm older, my kids are older, the duties have changed and so have our minds grown because we are all letting in new things at an ever expanding rate.  My daughter who is 14 seems like she is all grown up and my 13 year old son is following in his fashion.  I get to do more of the things I enjoy because I don't have to follow them around so much and just have to "hold the space" as parent, safety net, money dole-er and occasional taxi.  I do my share of talking and yelling too but well, let's not go there now.

I get to do more of the things I love and one of those things is learning.  I have signed up for a bunch of classes this summer and fall and I am excited.  I just finished three classes over the last 2 weeks:

"21 Cards, 21 Techniques" - that one was action packed with C.J. Grossman, a bookmaker, at the San Francisco Center for the Book, my new haunt.  We made a nice box construction to fit 21 (at least) pages made with different layering, stamping, glueing, cutting, weaving activities to name only a few.  I almost managed to keep up.

Then I took another class at the Center called "Board Book with Layering Techniques" from Marsha Shaw.  Here are a few photos of my book so far.  Here is where I used my PMC bookplate and charm I made a couple of weeks ago with the colorful patina.  The book is pretty small and very nice, don't you think?

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I found out in the meantime that my bead shop Beadissimo is closing and I was really surprised.  My PMC class went so well there and I was thinking I had found my spot and would get to be a regular there as a teacher and well, they just closed because they were having a hard time surviving financially at this time of "internet dominated shopping".  I made that term up, doesn't it sound ominous?  Well, it was for my bead shop.  I will really miss it.

SO, because I have my priorities, I took a class at Baubles and Beads in Berkeley, another great shop.  The class was called "Herringbone Ring", taught by a smart and creative woman named Kriss Silva.  I found out she lives in Hawaii and I felt very lucky to get to take this class so close to where I live.  Here are my rings I made in class:

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and also some I made right after class when I got home.  

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Now I could make one with ease and no instructions.  I really recommend this class.  I had seen pictures of these rings and wanted to learn how to do it.  I tried to make one, but realized that the easiest way was to go right to the source of the idea because I didn't want to waste any wire.  I'm just like that.  I hate wasting metal, wire, gems, PMC, unless they are broken or messed up for some reason and I really can't use them.

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 .Please bear with me, I am experimenting with Typepad's layout options.

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The next day I took Kelly Kilmer's class called "Fukuro Toji:  Little Bound Book".  What a fun day!  Here are some pictures of my sweet little construction:

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LOOK!  It's Dori in black and white!

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a cut out foam stamp from the C.J. Grossman class

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Other classes I am taking: 

TOMORROW, Friday, June 20:  "Tiny Linoleum Printmaking"  at the Center for the Book.  We are going to modify a manual credit card imprint machine to make impressions from linoleum cuts and eraser carvings.  The prints are going to be the size of... a credit card!  Isn't that clever?  I can hardly wait!  I got my little credit card machine on ebay a month ago.  We are going to print multiples, trade in class and make a collaborative accordion sampler.  Don't you wish you were in that class?

August 1st:  Tim Holtz is coming here and I am going to take a class called "Assemblage of Flight".  We are going to make winged people with "digital distressibles to create wearable dimension collage pieces".  What the heck are digital distressibles?  I don't know but I'm curious and going to find out.  The operative words that caught my eye in the class description were "wearable dimensional collage pieces", right up my alley!  Going to learn distress ink techniques, aged edging, composition and "MORE" (more?)  - "creative bliss awaits" (I'm ready - love creative bliss) - from "the man" Tim Holtz.  Am I being dramatic enough?

August 8, 9 & 10:  I am going to go to Carol Parks' studio and take the class that Jesse Reno is teaching there.  I am so excited!  Now I know I am not the best painter but I have to say getting to be there and getting to absorb a fraction of what he knows and does is going to be surreal and it can only help me in my pursuit of what I have in my head and being able to express it.  That is my opinion and I am sticking to it.  Plus about 8 of my friends are going to be there too and it will give me a good dose of togetherness to offset the sense of isolation I sometimes feel working alone at home.

August 22-24:  O.K. then I get to do this awesome weekend thing that is put on by ZNE in Pleasanton, Calif, only about 30 miles from me.  The class I chose is Lisa Kaus'  "Gridlocked" and I get to see and learn how she does it.  And they are going to screen the movie "1000 Journals" which I haven't seen yet. Cool eh?

Speaking of journal pages, I just got my hands on a copy of Dawn DeVries Sokol's book "1000 Artist Journal Pages".  IT IS GORGEOUS!  INTERESTING!  and there are FIVE of my journal pages in it.  Pages 102, 103 and 104.  I.am.so.happy.I.am.so.happy.I.am.so.happy. (picture me bopping to a beat and chanting here)

The last thing I have planned out so far is going to Art & Soul in Portland in October again.  I had to do it!  When I read about some of the classes being offered I just jumped off into the abyss (I know dramatic) but here is my list and I'm sure you will agree:

Judy Wise:  So You Want to Sell Your Art

Katie Kendrick:  Poetry in Motion: Painting as Poetry

Juliana Coles:  A Book of Night: Extreme Journalism

Albie Smith:  Journey in Texture & Design

Kisa Kaus:  Be Still My Beating Heart

Is this post getting long enough?  

Well, that's my schedule and you know where to find me.

This summer is my creative shangri-la!  So don't you worry about me.  I am doing just fine!