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

In 2008 I joined a group of bloggers having All-Hallow's Eve blog parties. I gave my own blog party. It was such fun.
That year I also had held a 2008 birthday ATC give-a-way. People from around the world sent me birthday wishes.
Last year I had a 2009 birthday blog party where I not only partied heartily with friends far and near, but gave out party favors.

Today, from Noon to 5 o'clock I am having a real Grand Opening Party/Birthday Party at Sunne Spot Studio. You are all invited. Well, I guess that works out best for all you local friends. So this year, I continue my world-wide party tradition and invite you to my blog birthday party this coming Wednesday. Stories, lovely birthday cake, friends from all over, art play, and, of course!!, party favors. It is a special year: I am starting the business of my dreams: Sunne Spot Studio, a community art studio. Drop-in or take a class. Make some art and find your heart. I have wanted to be an artist in business since I was at least 11 years old. I am coming home. Many blessings have gotten me here. Many challenges have made the journey a rich one.

Last night I went to a concert where 140 people sang about how it takes a village to raise our children. Well, quite a few tears later I am home and I am building my business in this village.

Join me.

New Journal!

Oh! Lucky me. I have a new journal. I have needed one for months, but have been so busy with plans for Sunne Spot that I haven't taken the time to make myself one. I have little stacks of writings and pictures everywhere that have been my journal on the run.

So, finally: a journal home.

I started by painting the inside of a file folders box. There are lots of spare pieces of cardboard around here as I unpack various shipments of supplies.

**As a matter of fact I have a great corregated cardboard, potential book cover here at Sunne Spot which will go to the first person who comes in to ask for it. I will give you ideas for decoration and binding too, if you need it. **

Then I got out the gold paint and did some stencilling and texture painting on top of that base.
And as long as I was painting I pulled out some previously painted pages. Here is, I'm not kidding, gessoed and acrylic painted plastic bag with stenciled letters on top.A piece of pulled waxed paper. (I will be showing this technique in the July journalling class. (Keep an eye out here on my website for the calendar of classes.)More pulled waxed paper with letter stencils.So, do you get the idea that these were all headed to be pages in the new journal? Here is paper that is layered in the way "cloth paper" is made but I layered dictionary pages over plain old tissue paper, painted and sprayed it with acrylic paint and then more stenciling.Same paper method as above but with play money instead of dictionary pages.

The dried papers got cut, very generally, to size and bound into the cover ...

and here you can see the painted papers mixed in with old calendar papers and tracing paper.

That red paper is actual "cloth paper". It is a lovely, juicy journal.
I have already started to write in it. O! Happiness! Next, I get to start making little medallions and decorations for the pages. Little badges of art glory.

I think that I have 6 people coming in to the Studio today, that I know of anyway. All Moms and children. Sunne Spot is beautifully set up for this. Lots of space for children to work, lots of ideas to get them going, giving Mommies a bit of breathing space to imagine their own worlds of color and texture. Happy all around.

Today is the last day of free week. Everyone still gets their first hour free starting next week, but this morning you and your friends and family get the whole morning free.

Drop-in hours: 8:30 - Noon, Monday - Friday.