Radiantly Gothic

On Saturday I got to combine two of my favorite things:  taking a class with Lynne Perrella, and spending time with friends.  Pat, Heidi, Michele and I headed downtown to Westbeth's classroom to take the Ink Pad sponsored Radiant Gothic Triptych class.  Say that five times fast.

I've lost track of the number of classes and weekend workshops I've taken with Lynne.  Sometimes I'm asked if I don't get tired of it.  Short answer: NO!  Explanation:  I always learn something new.  Always.  And I just love the sense of community that Lynne promotes in every class.  As she always says, "you have to find your tribe."  If your friends and family don't understand your art, find some people who will.  Your tribe.

The current issue of Somerset Studio just so happens to have a full article by Lynne, in which she explains how the triptych came to be.  Our class project is based on the piece she did.  Check it out if you can.

We began with a wood triptych (unassembled at this point), which we sanded and painted.  We applied gothic images that we colored with oil pastels, added trim, gems, and a whole lot of stenciling.

 

 

I am not really great at photographing shiny stuff, and the bling and metallic paint are causing some glare.  The colors are way richer in person, and I am really happy with the way this came out.  I'm also thrilled to have figured out how to attach the hinges so they aren't visible from the front.  Don't ask how long that took.  My brain is just not wired that way.

 

 

While it really isn't necessary to decorate the backs of the three pieces, I decided to anyway.  I kind of like the way the triptych looks partially closed, with just the face peeking out, and I wanted the side panels to have a little something on them.  Lynne had given us extra images, so that's what I used.

 

 



 

Check out the fabulous stenciling on the back of the center panel.  I finally got to use the fleur de lis stencil Michelle Ward did for Stencil Girl.  Isn't it fabulous! I overlayed it on top of another stencil in a different color of metallic paint.  Very cool effect.  (And you can also see how the hinges were attached).

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Michelle Ward and Lynne Perrella, they are teaming up to teach a three day workshop called Far Away Places.  It is happening in May at the lovely Interlaken Hotel in Connecticut.  I know I'll be there.  How about you?  Details are on Lynne's site, and I believe there may be some spots open.



 

 

 

 



 





Arting With Friends

Yesterday I headed to Westbeth for a journaling class with Diana Trout.  With me, some of the usual suspects in these events, Heidi, Michele and Pat.   I always enjoy the classes that The Ink Pad sponsors at Westbeth, because it's a nice large space and we each get half of a long table to spread out on.

Diana is a fun, down to earth person with a very loose and carefree style that I am very drawn to.  No measuring, no over thinking, no rules.  Yea! 

We started with a warm up exercise that Diana calls journal spilling.  I think a lifetime ago it might have been called stream of consciousness writing.  We just wrote and wrote and wrote without thinking or planning until Diana told us to stop.

Then Diana demonstrated some of her background techniques, which involved a lot of water.....appropriately called paint spilling.

After which we proceded to cover up all that writing, and that was a process I enjoyed very much.

Other exercises involved drawing lines.  This was my favorite.  Put your pen down on the paper and start drawing, and don't lift the pen or stop drawing until time is called (or the page is filled, whichever comes first).  Also, don't cross over any of the lines.

I'll be filling that with color at some point.  Here is another page I worked on.

My art pals, getting all inky and painty.

Michele and Heidi

 Pat

 Heidi's hands, smooshing the paint

After our lunch break we made paper dolls.  I don't know about you, but these crack me up.  Here are the girls:

 Most people did two sided dolls, with different outfits and accessories on the backs.  Look closely.  I did not.  LOL!

We were joined by some other friends.

Play nice, ladies!

Although the workshop was geared a bit more towards beginners than I'd expected, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and was introduced to a new supply which I absolutely love......Derwent Inktense pencils.  They are watersoluble ink pencils.  So, they react with water as watercolor pencils do, but when dry, they are permanent, because they are INK, not paint.  Very rich beautiful colors, and I think I need to get a larger set.