Book Arts Workshop in San Miguel de Allende

Here are some Pics from my workshop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. My students did a fantastic job with their handmade books! Congrats and many thanks to all who spent the day painting, stamping, stenciling, mark making, and of course drinking Margaritas! ....ok...some of you!

Back in the USA.....

We've just returned from San Miguel de Allende after teaching a week long Mixed Media retreat,  with my Amigas. What a week it was with laughter and  good times had by all! My students created incredible accordion books with amazing images and colors. The city was singing with lights and festivities for Holy Week. It's hard to get back to reality........we'll return in 2012!

Diane Uke, Laurie Mika, Lynn Leahy, Me!, and Jane LaFazio

Tesoso del Corazon.....Mexico!!

I'm still packing my bags for San Miguel de Allende...lots of goodies for art making that have taken over my large suitcase....clothes?...well...they are stuffed in between wherever and however......I'll be back on April 20 with more Mexican treasures that I can jam into small spaces....of course I won't have as many art supplies on the return trip.... so there!

Joseph Raffael!

Imagine my elation when I stepped into a gallery filled with huge Joseph Raffael watercolors! Today my art buddies and I drove up to see the exhibit at Soka University in Aliso Viejo, CA. The exhibit closes soon....April 15th to be exact. This is the artist who first inspired me to paint in watercolor back in the early 80's....I saw wild bits of color yet thoughtfully marked....wet into wet approaches with blooms! What a breakaway from the mediocre works I had seen before by other watercolor artists.

 What a glorious colorful experience it was.... as you can see I was dancing with joy. The only other time I've seen his work was in New York at the Nancy Hoffman Gallery.

 Here's  a detail from the blue background painting behind me "Blossoms and Sky" 54 1/4" x 89 1/4"........look at the incredible detail and  the color outlines of the shapes...reminiscent of Wayne Thiebaud's works.

This piece is called "Biography: Interior-Exterior, Exterior- Interior"   49 1/2" x 72 3/4". The painting also had incredible details in each inch of the work....small broken color brushstrokes with transparency and brilliance.