Nature Makes an Impression workshop in Southern California

I loaded up my little Fit with four roasters, tons of paper, chems, botanicals, pipes and metal plates.  It made it over the Grapevine. I got to my first stop at DeAnn Singh's in 6.5 hours, even with a short detour when my Waze shut off.  The workshop began the next morning so I prepared the tables and stuffs with the help of DeAnn in the evening. All the students were there to begin at 9 sharp. We had a full two days of fun. The next stop was in Tarzana at Jann Marks home. I really needed that free day between classes to get ready for the 16 new students. Both homes had shaded work areas, so the heat wasn't bad. Here are photos of some of the work done;

The work of Sylvia Kowal

Carolyn Bremer's logwood blanket pieces

Carrie Imai's piece on Kraft Tex

Joan Hawks and her lovely silk scarf

Anne Bystrom's  piece

Janet Martorello's wrinkled iron blanket piece

Marian Oshiro's iron blanket piece.

Cut It Out

Society for Calligraphy, Orange County, invited me to teach this class that I had come up with a few years ago. I was inspired by many artists, David Winkler, Takako Stevens, Scott Macarney and others. The class was full with 19 students, one extra student by error but we made do. Two full days with no time to spare. I was treated so well by Barbara Close, who was my hostess.
Here is a report made by Sylvia Kowal, a guild member. She made the report for their journal. The Cut it Out logo was designed by me for their flyer and my handouts.

Calligraphy in Blossom with Marina Soria

 Marina Soria from Buenos Aires, Argentina, through the Society for Calligraphy, came to Pasadena to inspire and pass her expertise in developing letter forms from nature and flowers. Nineteen creative participants and I were lucky to be able to take this three day workshop.  Magic happened for all of us with our brush and pen strokes using sumi ink, walnut ink, and watercolors.  By the third and last day, we all made our garden books with our developed letter forms.  Everyone was successful.

Our first letter 'd' samples, after our initial stroke practice of an ikebana arrangement.

Chris and Janet doing their pieces

Chris Ewen's

part of JanetTakahashi's beautiful efforts

Marina showing Victoria suggestions

Victoria Kibildis

Sabina Bronner and her piece

Stephanie Chao with her piece

Nancy  Kazanjian piece

Jane Kim to finish

Audrey Kincaid's piece

Michelle Cabala's beautiful texture letter forms

Carrie Imai's work in progress...

smiling Debbie Powell and Kristi Darwick

Debbie Powell's piece

Kristi working on her piece

Barbara Close's garden book

Carole Johnson's piece

Wendy Watson-Dietrick

One of Britta Brice's pieces..she made three!

This is Audry Kincaid's piece...

My book with front cover I painted and wrapped with seam binding

back cover umwrapped

my letter forms with my attempt at haiku...gold brittle grasses cracking to the earth, another broom...

opened accordian..with a verse of mine..sew a thread of golden words to weft and warp of a paper loom, spin a yarn and weave a tapestry of collected memories....

Beautiful ladies who got to play with Marina Soria.  Muchas Gracias Marina!

LETTER'S CALIFORNIA STYLE

This was the  first time for me to attend this conference in Pomona, California.  The Society for Calligraphy puts on this event annually.  It was wonderful.  The selection of teachers, the venue and the camaradarie were perfect.  I took the Randy Hasson class, The Personality of the Letterform.  He was a great teacher and I really learned a lot.

This was the first of the Mongolian letterform I chose.  My first page that was later washed away.

This is the way we dried our pages in our journals made of Nujabi watercolor paper from India.

My study of one of the Mongolian letter forms and it's structure.

My second study of another Mongolian style script.

A mix of the two and using walnut ink, gesso and gel medium.

  There is my name tag on the left and my the final outcome of the above piece.

With canvas board that Randy gave to each of us, this is my piece.

Close-up of the letterforms I developed from the Mongolian Script.  It does say something and you may be able to read it.

I decided to finish the study pages with crackle medium, gesso and gel medium on my forms of walnut and sumi ink.  But it still isn't finished.  I must go back to it someday and finish it....

Randy gave us cotton muslin tote bags to design so that we had something to take all our stuff home in.  My name is written in the Mongolian script style with my own letterforms.  You may be able to see d o r o t h y  y u k i  t s u y a k o. 

I thought it would be a good idea if everyone could do their letterforms they were studying and use it as their signatures on the bags of other student's totes.  This is the back of my bag with my logo of the dot inside a square and the signatures.