Recovering from Workshop

I've been home from the monotype workshop for almost a week now. I'm waiting impatiently for a few supplies so I can work on the pieces I started there. Rather than write this several times and upload a lot of pictures, I'm including a link to two web pages I set up for the workshop. Note there is another link at the bottom of the first page.
http://www.cherylmcclure.com/pokrassoworkshop.htm

It was certainly a rewarding experience. I know that down the line a lot of what I learned will show up in my work....all it takes is one or two things to make a lot of difference in the progression or evolution of your art.

Now that I'm home, I started back to work on the mixed media pieces I left behind on the easel. I hope to have them finished in another week and then start on the monotypes and some large easel paintings.

Off to Santa Fe and feeling like a jet-setter

I haven't had a spare moment to post anything since leaving for Santa Fe. I had the great good fortune to have my daughter and her friend Paulo fly me out in his plane. It was quite an experience to be arriving in a private plane....what a treat. I took a few aerial pictures but I'm having problems with the computer "finding" my camera connection for some reason. If I can figure it out I'll post some pictures but it may have to wait until I return home.

There are quite a few of the artists attending the Ron Pokrasso Monotype workshop staying at the same place so we're getting acquainted and traveling back and forth to the printmaking building at the American Indian Arts Institute south of town.

There is just SO MUCH to learn. It's so exciting to be learning the ins and outs of another means of enriching my painting and collage work. Ron is a super, energetic, knowledgeable teacher and so generous with his time with all of us. There are some who have done some printmaking in the past but several of us haven't. We come from all over, California, Connecticut, Florida, North Dakota,Texas (me), Arizona and several live here in Santa Fe.

We are all working hard.....standing all day is a given. This workshop is sponsored by Making Art Safely ...www.makingartsafely.com and they strive to have as few chemicals used in the studio as possible. We are using oil based inks but clean all the plates, brushes, palettes, brayers, etc. with a product new to me SoySolv. I'll be sure to get some if I continue to use oil based paints and inks in the future. We use Gamsol only as necessary and I haven't been bothered with the smell at all.

We spent a lot of time today learning about adding chine colle to the monotype. I got two that I like a lot more than the three I started with yesterday. They definately will have more work done on them before they're finished. Of course, some may never see the light of day anywhere :>). You have to have a few duds now and then and they serve their purpose of learning a new process.

Well...gotta got put these swollen feet up and rest up for tomorrow and another day of discovering more about monotypes.

hanging in there

I've not been doing a lot with the collage these past few days. I've been getting my gear ready for a trip to Santa Fe. Every time I go in the studio, I look at all of them...add a little bit more here and there and decollaged a lot on one. I had every intention of having these pieces finished before I left town..........so far, intention hasn't gotten me very far. It's amazing how long it takes to do such small pieces........I could have probably finished two large paintings in this time and these are still not there yet. Maybe tomorrow..........