An Arty Play Day

Back in May, our group sponsored an Arty Play Day for interested and available members. It was held in a local high school's chemistry lab, which was perfect - running water and indestructible surfaces. We had plenty of room to spread out and everyone worked on their own project/process for the day. It was fantastic and we all got a lot done while having a great time.

Joyce prepared to wet-felt some fibers together.

Barbara tried her hand at shaving cream marbling.

Ann Louise worked with free-motion stitching and acrylic inks.

 

Martha made some gorgeous gelatin-plate prints.

Debbie painted her shoes - so glam!!

Gail got into a beading project.

 

MaryAnn attached a finished piece to canvas.

 

Nike drew, doodled and journaled

 

Judy painted.

Maxine worked on a beautiful applique quilt.

 

Joanne stamped and printed.

Jane painted acrylic ink washes onto cotton and cotton/silk.

 

The only one missing in the photos is our intrepid photographer, Fran.

We chatted, we created, we laughed, we ate chocolate - we'll definitely be doing this again!

Photography workshop

On Saturday we were fortunate to have the amazing, multi-talented professional photographer Howard Goodman give us a workshop on how to photograph artwork. The six hours just flew by and we learned so much. I think we all feel more empowered now by the knowledge we gained and the practical hands-on experience we had.

It was very much a hands-on class. We learned about PhotoShop Elements 8, including lots of neat tricks (LOVE the new Magic Extractor tool). Howard set up lights, reflectors, a tripod and more so that we could try out our own cameras (both DSLR and a range of point-and-shoot) and he could advise us as to the particular settings our own cameras need to use, where the lights need to be, everything we need to know to get good, clear, correctly-colored shots of our art.

He even showed us how to shoot artwork framed under glass so that there are no reflections. As artists, we are extremely visual people so it was very satisfying to have an instructor show us how to do something, to actually see the process in action and to be able to ask for clarification. Howard has a book coming out early next year - stay tuned!

A most satisfying and educational day!

UPDATE: More photos from the workshop: