Thursday News

First: I made a collograph plate here in the Studio the other day. Now to print it in the traditional way I would ink it and press or rub a sheet of paper on top. So far I have only used it with crayon rubbings - to lovely effect. I want to try water-based oil pastels next ... then I will varnish it to prep it for some ink/paint printing.
Next: I want to show you some acrylic painted/printed papers that I made - or started to make yesterday.

Just delicious, I think. I may work some more on them, more layers, more colors...

I think that these will end in some new book structures. I was rambling around in my library at home and found a fabulous book by Michael Jacobs called Books Unbound. He is a very precise artist (unlike moi) but has some wonderfully complex book structures that include fold-outs with multiple spines, portfolios and pockets, and very exciting closures.

This morning I will be experimenting with some watercolor techniques from a book called Paper Transformed by Julia Andrus. Spraying, staining, blotting, texturizing...

Bring a sheet of watercolor paper and come play with..

Why is art so easy?

I had an interesting thought wave this morning. Where is the pattern and path, the meaning between the so, so simple artwork that I do in the morning open studio and the amazing amount of precise detail I am capable of in my art quilts?

Well, that's the pattern: I teach the easy stuff in the morning. We use lots of (free) recycled items and do easy stuff like paint brown paper (from grocery bags) to later bind into art journals or use as collage material along with the wooden, plastic and metal found objects in my treasure chest of drawers. A kid could do it. Kids do that here. So do their parents. The result being smiles, and pride, and confidence, and hand-eye coordination, breath, brain stimulation and happiness.

So here is my path: I start where everyone can join in ... which turns into my meaning: a daily practice of art is as crucial to our good health as exercise and vegetables. Art needn't be difficult or esoteric - unless that is where you want to go. Collaged art journals can be plenty demanding, or not, but we get brain vitamins either way.

So let me know when you are ready for a dozen yards of 1/16" inch blind stitch applique with size 11 seed bead fringe. That's evening class time and I'm your girl.

New Sign!

Way down there ... past the OPEN flag ... There is a new street side sign at the Rockland Market Place.Sunne Spot Studio. (!!)

Dance class comes to the Studio

I am having a great week at the Studio. A local teacher asked me to help her with her dance camp for teens this summer. She and I plotted and planned and I put together the visual arts part of her week. The girls have travelled to Sunne Spot and I have been walking them through the play and delight of journal making.

(Yeah, yeah, it looks like a mess, but actually) it has been fab, and the girls have been doing some really lovely work. We are going through the ballet that they have been studying, turning the lessons of an age old story into art for a modern day girl. We have painted georgous papers, decorated pages with playful paper punches,and are creating georgous books.

I am delighted to have these prima artistes in my studio this week!

Why make art??

So I have been thinking about my studio a lot lately. Why would I open up my studio to other people? What am I hoping to get out of this? What am I thinking you might get out of this? Well, it is summertime, just like it says in my journal above. I have been thinking that everyone might like to have an art journal. But what is an art journal and why in the world do I keep inviting you all in here to paint, and cut, and glue? Do I think that you all should put your great artistic ideas down on paper to impress us all?

Nope. I think that you could put your great and even meager art ideas down on paper because it makes people feel good, and because it is fun to play with color like this, and because when I teach you to do something and you do it slightly differently then I learn something too, and because when we work with color, and space, and shape, and texture we are using our brains in precisely the kind of way that makes us really smart, and because not every day in the summer here in Maine is a perfect beach day, and because I feel so cool to walk around with a book stuffed with fabulous colored papers sticking out as if there iS JUST TOO MUCH WONDERFULLNESS IN HERE TO KEEP WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF A BOOK, and because I bet that you would feel this way too if you had a book like this that you had made, and because it is a pretty cheap way to entertain yourself and your children (the spiral binding is about 4 bucks down at Staples), and because while the school year is about books that someone else wrote to tell you all about what they think, summertime might be a very nice time to make a book that had all kinds of stuff in it that told the story of you.

Some August Classes at Sunne Spot

Hey.

New photos for some of the August classes at Sunne Spot.
First, here is the Last Sunday Art Meditation class project: Mola Paper Cut Birds. These are layers of colored papers cut away to reveal the colors underneath. This is way simpler than it looks. Sign up here. The other new photo today show the scrumptious cut paper crowns that we will make for the birthday boy or girl in your life. Also good for anniversaries, graduations, or any event that makes your friend into royalty-for-a-day.

Easy, breezy sign up here on my website.

Painting Girls at the Studio

Today at the Studio I had a couple of teens come by to fill up their morning with something scrumptious. They got to painting some brown paper bags to eventually turn into greeting cards or art journal papers or ... well, we await their decisions. I had them scrape on the gesso and paint. It saves a little paint and it also makes a flatter paper - not so much paint texture to write over.

You can see the stencil one girl cut for her paper at the top of this picture.

Some drying papers... Some work with alphabet stencils...

I like how this stencil turned out:

After this art girl stenciled she traced the letters with paint, stamped the paper with blue circles and white stars, then sprayed the whole with watered blue acrylic paint. I love this and I loved watching her work. My job here at the Studio is so excellent.

Lots of drying wonder pieces:

Oh! We had a great time yesterday at the Studio with Cate Wright, our visiting artist. Cate is a great teacher and taught us how to make the coolest beaded circle earrings.

Here are two of us beading away:

Here is my pair of finished earrings:And here is a picture of another pair.
One of the next classes coming up is going to be so much fun. It is called Art Architecture, will take place on the morning of August 14th, and you can sign up here. So: it is kind of about making dollhouses or Gnomie Homes, but if you are mostly grown up and your dolls already have houses, then maybe you need an altar, or a garage for your pocket sized cars, or a cubby for some special objects?

Check out this village:

Notice the very awesome use of recyclables?? We like to call it Trash Fashionable Housing.Here is the clothespin Lady of the House welcoming you. Come into the Studio any weekday morning to take a closer look at the village. The materials are very inexpensive and the process is pretty simple. A parent and child team may pay as one. Love to see you there.

What Do We Do On Vacation??

What if it is raining? Or pouring? Or what if your old man is snoring??

Come on along to Sunne Spot and make art. Make birthday cards or very personalized thank you notes. Watch your children draw. Make paper figures (warriors, fashion plates, fairies...)

Work on some pages in your summer art journal - Or better yet: register for our July Art Journal Making Class over at http://robinsunne.com/sunne_spot_studio_classes Or register to make these intriguing beaded earrings with visiting artist Cate Wright on Saturday, July 24th.You'll find a pleasant morning awaits you when you bring your current project or let us help you get inspired to make a new work of art.

Classes at Sunne Spot

The list for July Classes is up on my website. http://robinsunne.com/sunne_spot_studio

I am really excited about THE PAINTED-PAGE, HAND-BOUND ART JOURNAL. Space is limited,though, so sign up soon.

And you will love the BIRTHDAY SCEPTER class on the 15th. I am planning a series of birthday preparation classes where we can make the accoutrements of Birthday Royalty for the beloveds in our lives. http://robinsunne.com/sunne_spot_studio

See you at the Studio this or any morning for some drop-in art making.

Birthday thank you

Thanks to all who visited and for the many lovely birthday wishes. The party favors will go out in today's mail.

Guests at Sunne Spot continue to have a great time:

*A sister of a friend came in to help me with my press release and walked away with (my gratitude and) delighted by the several ATCs that she had made for her collection.

*Two friends came in to make some ATCs (which they did) and ended up taking my kids and I to a celebratory dinner. (Thank you again!)

And speaking of ATCs: this Saturday is Art At The Library time again: from 2:00-4:00pm we will be learning a technique that I call "papercut molas" after the Kuna reverse applique. Now those beautiful quilts are done in fabric and we will be working with colored paper. Let me get you a photograph. I have a couple on the Trading Rails here at the Studio.

These are made of cut paper - each layer cut separately. I think that this might sound confusing, but the way that I have devised to do the cuts is actually pretty easy. Everyone is welcome at these Library groups. Anyone not old enough to work with an exacto knife can still make ATCs with scissors.

We hope to see you at Sunne Spot on any morning and at the Rockport Library this Saturday.

Birthday Blog Party - Welcome!

Today is my birthday and you are invited to my party at my Sunne Spot Studio! I am so glad that you are here.
Well, come on in, and get yourself something to munch on...

Come and sit with me ...

... and I will tell you the story of how this Studio came into being.

Years ago as I walked around the track at the local gym I would look at those long blank walls and get to thinking. It started looking like a long opportunity for a gallery. Our part of Maine is just rampant with wonderful craft and fine artists and I got to imagining how it would be if we all got to display our work. Then I realized that I would just want to stop and look at it up close - rather defeating the purpose of the track. (!)

I kept thinking about art though. I looked around at all of the people in the gym gathered in community to make their workouts easier: no one person had to buy all of that equipment which saved everyone lots of money. And there was another benefit too. It makes it easier to drag one's self over there every day because of the encouragement of others doing the same thing. Community is both support and inspiration.

"What about art?" I thought, "Wouldn't art be easier to practice regularly if we knew that we had the companionship of others?"

Have you had your art exercise today?

Well, one thing led to another and what with the general rigors of parenting and the fascination of homeschooling, my dream of a community art studio got back-burnered...

And then it just got to be the correct time:

I found a perfect space and filled it with lots of wonderful mixed media, paper and fiber art supplies.

Now the (Artist Trading Card) ATC Trading Rails are up, filled with the art of several Studio-goers.

Let's take a seat at one of the tables and see what we can make.

So, this is a Birthday Party and it is the custom to have party favors. So here is the deal for our Blog Birthday Party: I have 25 party favors - for the first 25 people to write to my email: robinsunne@robinsunne.com and give me your postal address, I will send out the party favors! I am happy to have international party guests and will send favors to wherever you are. (The email is for address privacy but you can comment here too!)

Thank you for attending my birthday party. I am so glad to see you here.

Love from,

Robinsunne