March Artist Trading Card: Crocus Sketch

Sketched a bouquet of white crocuses from the cover of a magazine--reminded me of spring in Holland. Added framing and a wash. I'm having fun with Spencerian handwriting.

January Artist Trading Card: Napkin background

Collage created in a workshop with Veronica Phillips.  Sketch was first drawn while my car was being serviced--I went for a walk and picked up a fallen leaf, then sat and drew a contour. For this project I re-created the sketch on bleedable tissue and glued it over the collage.

Upcoming classes: May

Updated class listing:

Latest ATC

 This ATC is adapted from one of my journal pages.

•  Background created by collaging torn pieces from security envelope liners.
• Gesso is unevenly applied to mute. 
• Floral contour drawn with Micron brush pen, then scanned and reduced. 
• Brush lettered verse--my words--was lettered with a Pitt brush pen, scanned and reduced. 
• Contour and words were layered in Photoshop, then printed on the background. 
• Golden watercolor ground was applied in the upper-right corner area and allowed to dry completely, then a watercolor wash applied.

Menu for San Francisco Wedding

Menu designed and created for San Francisco wedding. The tags and cards arrived very late, so my friend, Debbie, helped with the place cards. I did create the cards for the people I knew, such as Michele, to my right.

For the escort tags, I printed the table names (S.F. streets), then hand-lettered the guest names. These were attached to lanterns, which illuminated the glasswear--beautiful!

The wedding was held in a Victorian-era mansion. We chose traditional copperplate to go with the Victorian theme.

Free Program at the Riverside Main Library

The Society for Calligraphy serves sprawling southern California. To that aim, we have re-started the Inland Empire Regional Group. This is our second program and our aim is to introduce a variety of calligraphy styles, tools, and techniques, as well as complement the classes available through UC Riverside extension.

Letterpress Collaborative Book

I have so many projects that I haven't posted here--I'l try to catch up a little at a time. Life's been busier than ever.
   In late July, Marjorie and I had the last-minute opportunity to participate in a letterpress workshop at the San Francisco Center for the Book. Since our friend, Debbie, had the car, we walked miles each way to attend. I had blisters on my toes, after all those inclines, but it was well worth it. Now, I'm much more familiar with the process.
   There were six in the class and each of us was assigned to design and print two pages. Theresa, vacationing from northern England, and I, designed the title and half-title pages, which aren't visible in the photo of Marjorie and I. I think Marjorie was on the team for the colophon and maybe for the cover. Mary Laird was the enthusiastic instructor. We would highly recommend a class with her.
    Marjorie, Debbie, and I would like to arrange a trip with all three of us taking another L.P. class.
    This was just one of several heavenly activities over a 15-day road trip.  I'll post more soon!

May's Artist Trading Card: Three Pears

This month's ATC is devoted to Annie Lawrence, the Society for Calligraphy's retreat director, who is moving to Paradise, California. I painted the pears several years ago. They're from Billy Showell's book, Watercolor Fruit and Vegetable Portraits. I discovered the book, in Dutch, in an art supply store in Bruges. I couldn't really read the technical writing, so the text was no help. I later found the book written in English.
   I'm just back from our six-day retreat trip, where I incorporated the lettering with the painted pears. I gave an ATC to each of the 31 retreat attendees. In return, several others decided to make cards to share--lots of fun.

Hedgehog Silhouette ATC

Our little Fuzzy passed away after a long bout with cancer. She was with us a little over four years. During the first three, she was very prickly and not overly friendly. After we discovered she was sick and took her to the vet, who helped her feel better, she suddenly became a very loving animal, pressing up against us (ouch!) and wanting to come out of her terrarium to spend time with us at all hours of the day and night.

Over the years, Dennis took very good care of her, building her a large wheel, on which she ran for hours each night; as well as a little house, which she loved; a bracket for an overhead heater that kept her warm in cooler weather (she used to lay directly under it on winter afternoons); and other little accessories for her yard. A favorite memory of ours was after we fed her and put her back for the night, she would ecstatically bounce and flip in her sand--reminded me of a jumping bean--gaining some real lift. This was always in the darkened room--she was nocturnal, after all, so, unfortunately, we never filmed it. She also purred--she loved other food treats, but only worms provoked that enthusiastic sound. Gobbling her favorite scrambled eggs did generate some squeaking sounds--sounded like a tribble, as featured on one Star Trek episode.

Dennis says "No more pets!"--he gets too attached. We both miss spending afternoon naps and evening TV time with her. I created this past month's Artist Trading Card in her memory.

2015 Spring University of Riverside Extension class series: Copperplate