Count Down to UFO (unfinished fiber object) Workshop

The last UFO workshop was a blast. Unlike most of the workshops that I facilitate out here at El Cielo, this one is "user designed." Artists bring a project that needs the benefits of the studio, a weekend of work, technical advice and tutorials, space and time to spread out and work with concentration, a bit of peer critique to pull a piece (or two) together -- or all of the above. This was really fun last fall and I've offered it again at the request of several artists-in-arms -- but there is room for a few more RETREATEES. Dates: Friday night optional pot luck, June 3, work sessions with tailor-made tutorials, June 4-5. We usually wrap things up around 3:30 or 4.

Even if you aren't working on a fiber project -- it could be watercolor, collage, mixed media or any other art work that you feel needs a jump start or a jump to finish. Or maybe you just need some time to sit and think and look and listen to your artist's self. This weekend is your opportunity.

You are welcome to bring fabric to dye (with advice included!), designs for thermofaxes (at cost, $14 each), stamps to carve, fabric to print through the inkjet, stuff to sew (I have 3 machines or various vintages), canvases or watercolor pads to set up for plein aire work or any other activity that comes to mind.

(The deck is finished now! The pool is fabulous this time of year.)

The cost is $165, with a $15 discount if you sign up before the end of this week. Accommodations range from a private room with bath for $30 to shared room or sofa (comfy I promise) for free. ANd there are beds in the studio (with bathroom) if you are a night owl and want to work into the wee hours.

Call or email me through the contact form on the sidebar if you are interested, and I'll send more details. 

Art Play Day Number 1

 

Pat Schulz demonstrates the basics.

A small group of fiber artists and mixed media artists have committed to monthly (more or less) play dates, no end product in mind, but a time to explore different media that perhaps one or more of us has never explored. The first hands-on meeting was last week and we went head-to-head in Pat's Beacon Hill studio to experiment with tissue paper fabric (or is is fabric tissue?). The number has been limited to four, since that makes it possible for us to meet in each others' studios, most of which are fairly small and compact. We're taking turns organizing and teaching, and also play every fifth meeting to be a show and tell session where we each bring back one or more pieces of work that use one or more of the techniques explored in our sessions.

Whatever its name, this is a dry process (unlike the wet process using gel medium or glue that I was familiar with). Using Steam-a-Seam (best because it has a tackiness that holds the initial layer in place) or WonderUnder or another fusible webbing, ltissue papers and collage materials are layered between two fused web layers, then the top surface painted, then the whole sandwich of paper and fusible is ironed to a fabric "liner." One can make subtle and distinctive layered images that can be either treated like a paper collage, or if bound to fabric, stitched into other fiber media.

The end results (and some shots of the participating artists):

Beautiful experiments from Liz Napier

 

Pat Schulz's experiment with pattern paper and tissue...

Sue Cooke hard at work.

 A cactus from tissue and pattern paper, fused to a gallery canvas frame 12"by 12", one of my projects. Think there's a little series to be found, as I am fixated on my cacti these days. 

May is Artists Soul Retreat Month

Thanks to dear friends Robin and Emily for the color-coordinated orchid! In honor of the recovering Linda. And the current chief chef and bottlewasher. And to those looking for a little visual treat where ever you are.

Just a reminder to you, me and all of us. (As I post more than one blog entry today to try and "catch up," that impossible and daunting task.) Here's an excerpt and some links from the CREATIVITY PORTAL by artist and coach Chris Dunmire:

"Self-care coach Linda Dessau was the first on Creativity Portal to write about the Artist Retreat, a kind of vacation that helps artist's (of all kinds) to get outside of their usual routines, connect with other artists, and contemplate their creative dreams in a larger context. In her article 10 Signs You Might Need an Artist Retreat Day, Linda encouraged awareness for signs of creative burnout and showed how we can incorporate elements of a retreat into our daily lives.

"My first retreat came 20-some years into my working life and consisted of two weeks alone in a rented cottage in the Arizona mountains where I had no creative expectations and took replenishing daily walks and naps. I focused on being "unplugged" from work demands and spent important "me" time reconnecting with my body — and myself — under cool starry night skies. I did some creative things and read a lot, and discovered the new joy of snail-mail art. I came home to a full inbox and lots of work waiting for me, but that stuff is always there. The nourishing gift of a retreat, however, is not.

Some may call them retreats, vacations, or sabbaticals. I like the idea of combining the best of them all into an Artist's Soul Retreat (with emphasis on self-care of the soul). Let's celebrate May with creativity and self-care!

And, in the same vein, I have rescheduled the Markmaking Workshop to June 10-12, to accommodate home schedules - fortunately, those already signed up could make the switch, but there is still room for a few more participants -- as well as for the other summer El Cielo retreats. Here's the text version descriptions:

Sign up early (at least 30 days in advance with a $25 deposit) for a $15 discount on the $175 fee. Email me susiemonday@gmail.com for details. Workshops generally start with an optional Friday night potluck and fun activity or two, then continue through 3-4 pm on Sunday afternoon. Most supplies included.

UFO WORKSHOP June 3-5

UFO, “unfinished fiber object.” Bring along work that needs finishing, needs one more layer, needs some concentrated time and attention (or work that’s stuck for need of constructive critique). Enjoy the resources of the studio and the advice and support of peers. We’ll customize the techniques to the tasks at hand.

CHANGE OF DATE
MARKMAKING, MAKING YOUR MARK  June 10-12

Markmaking can be what distinguishes one person's work on paper or fabric or any medai from another's - their personal style. Using color, line, shape, rhythm and textures, students will explore traditional and new media as well as techniques for personal markmaking. Techniques to be covered include deconstructed screenprinting, stamping, using paint sticks and monoprinting with gelatin plates. No matter what your experience level, you'll gain confidence in working with layered media and find your strongest media for the marks that make your work unmistakably your own. 

PLAY, ART AND ATTENTION   July 29-31

Making time to play with odd-ball materials; learning to focus upon artful tasks at hand -- sounds like opposite sides of the coin? At this exploratory and full-of-play weekend, we’ll explore the relationship between the time, play, art and focus. Where does time management intersect with open-hearted fun? Expect bubbles, playdough, sparklers, jello, yoga and seeing the world from new angles and attitudes. 

BURNING WOMAN WORKSHOP  August 19-21

Embrace your inner goddess of summertime. Design and make a small art quilt “altar” for kitchen or dining room with tools and materials that depend on heat, sunlight and passionate delight: sun-printing, vegetable prints, fusing, hand and machine stitching and “found” fabrics from attic, thrift store or kitchen closet. We will recycle napkins, tea towels and other like objects and design a thermofax featuring a meaningful symbol, favorite fruit, icon, saint, culinary heroine, angel or other meaningful design as the centerpiece for the altar. (This workshop has an additional $12 fee per person for the altar boxes that the quilts are stretched upon.)

This spring and summer I also will be teaching occasionally at the Southwest School of Art: June 18-19 - From Photo to Fiber (using various techniques to design art quilts from photographs), August 1-5, mornings, New World Kids: for parents wishing to nurture creativity in their children.

OTHER POSSIBILITIES:

Flying or driving in from afar for one of these weekends? Or just want some solo supported work time in the studio? Add one or two days of instruction in the studio for learning techniques that you are interested in. Each custom designed workshop and night’s lodging and meals costs $225 per person. Limit, 2 artists per session Many of Susie’s workshops go on the road! Please write for available dates and fees.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS SAY: 

“A workshop at Susie’s is always money well spent.  I learned techniques I have read about but never tried ... I also now feel confident that I can make art quilts!”

“This workshop was a fabulous, uplifting, nurturing environment to create in. The journaling was particularly helpful, I would definitely recommend it to a friend.”

“This weekend was totally awesome! I am humbled by Susie’s talents, her teaching abilities and her hospitality. I will come back as often as possible.”

Cook Like an Artist, 1

At Linda's encouragement, I'm starting a new "collection" on this blog of posts about food and how I cook "like an artist." I've had lots of requests from those visiting El Cielo Studio for recipes for the food I serve at the artist retreats -- but, hey folks, I don't measure. So its had me stymied and seemed like way too much trouble to slow down and measure. 

But, as I thought about how I do cook, it occurred to me that I cook the same  way I make art, and I could describe some ideas, some techniques that might be fun for others who want to experiment with flavors. At the very least, I'll clarify to myself, how it is I am thinking when I am playing with food, creating new dishes or variations on old ones.

First, the ground rules. No exact measurements. I'll be general, but usually, the way I cook, you can do a bit more or a bit less. Its why I am NO BAKER. You will find no cakes in this collection. Baking is as much a science as an art, and it takes exact (or more exact) measurements.

Second, think of the color wheel. I cook with a mental "flavor wheel" in mind that kind-of is the taste/smell equivalent of the color wheel. I mix, match and come up with complementary flavors and textures and "notes" that are kind of like mixing and matching and using color in a piece of visual art. I'm not sure how well this analogy will carry throughout, but it's how I'm starting out. For example, an earthy ingredient always needs a spark of the opposite spicy or sour or fruity to bring out the flavor. I always try to have something light, intense and a high-note, with something rich or heavy and meaty. That's why barbeque sauce works.

Think of the "colors" on your flavor wheel as these broad categories of taste: salty, spicy, bitter, sour/acidic, sweet/fruity, earthy, meaty, grain/carbo -- yeah. there are a few more here than the "formal" ones of salty, sweet, bitter, sour, umami. And technically, earthy and meaty are probably both dimensions of umami -- but in my brain, they operate a bit differently. And grain/carbo is as much a texture as a dimension of flavor-- but I didn't promise scientific consistency here.

Texture operates in cooking a bit like value. Intensity exists in flavors, too. Color is color, both literal and flavorful. Let's see how this analogy plays out in the sauce and ravioli I made last night:

Red Ravioli for a Rushed Wednesday

This is a monochromatic sauce with various intensities all in the RED family, with little zaps of green herbs to complement and lift the flavors. 

Sauté in about 1-2 teaspoons good quality olive oil: (Whoops-- basic cooker techniques will slow me down, so look at this link if you don't know what saute means -- and go to this wikipedia outline to find out all you'll ever need to know about cookery techniques) the following in quantities that are interesting to you -- the amounts are just what I did last night, and I'll probably never repeat the dish. I

FROM MEATY RED: 1/2 large homestyle pork/beef smoked sausage, chopped

FROM SWEET/FRUITY RED: 1 large red bell pepper, chopped

and 6 or so chopped sun-dried tomatoes, (if not packed in oil, reconstitute first by soaking in warm water for 10 minutes) IF you only have fresh tomatoes, cut into eighths and add them the last 5 minutes of cooking.

FROM SPICY NEUTRAL/INTENSE: 2 cloves or more of garlic

and SPICY RED/INTENSE a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (or use a splash of Tabasco, black pepper, cayenne)

COMPLEMENTARY FLAVOR FROM GREEN: a handful of chopped herbs, nothing too noted intense or highnoted- -- I used Italian leaf parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, 2 small sprigs of basil (also all from the garden, easy to grow!)

a couple of green onions from the garden, sliced, including tender green tops

Sauté for about 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occassionally so it doesn't burn, but browns a bit, crisping the herbs. Meanwhile, as the sauce sautes,  cook the ravioli according to the package in boiling water.

At the last 2 minutes of so of sauce cooking, throw on one more RED flavor, smoked paprika, about a tablespoon full, adding EARTHY RED.

Toss with your ravioli and serve with a complimentary green salad including some bitter-sweet-spicy spring greens like arugula or swiss chard or endive, a citrusy vinegar olive oil dressing (more on salad dressings later) 

Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese into large flakes or curls for a garnish, along with another couple of sprigs of parsley.

The way I see it, if you stayed with the basic idea of RED, with a bit of green to complement, you could do this same recipes with lots of different RED meats, different SWEET FRUITY REDS and SPICY reds and serve it on a wide range of carbo/grains.

You can substitute other meaty flavors, or serve it with a different kind of grain/carbo flavor, but I made the sauce to toss with frozen cheese ravioli (one of the freezer staples from Costco). Other ideas -- serve the same tossed with couscous or brown rice, or any other kind of pasta. Or top a big bowl of greens and beans with it.

If you are a vegetarian, leave out  the sausage or add in a red smoked type soy version, or use chicken thighs or  red spiced chicken or turkey sausage if you don't eat pork or red meat.

For example: next week I might try the same formula but using chopped chicken thighs with fresh tomatoes, red onion, earthy brown mushrooms, red peppers and the same spices and herbs. OR it might be interesting to try with sauteed plums instead of tomatoes. Since that's a real fruity flavor, it might need a bit of cinnamon or allspice, too. On couscous or egg noodles, or maybe on spaghetti squash!