Little Books, the NMA, and Ravioli for Easter

The Teaching Table with examples, my sign, and my board!

The Nevada Museum of Art is a great resource for the local community. Gaining national and international recognition by facilitating exhibits of famous artists including Raphael, Pablo Picasso, Ansel Adams, John Audobon, and many more as well as up-and-coming artists the NMA also provides classes through the E.L. Cord Museum school. Teachers independently contract with the school to teach workshops and classes, like life drawing, watercolors, and ceramics. This June there will be an Egyptian exhibit coming to the NMA from the Brooklyn Museum of Art and inspired by that I will be teaching a workshop called Carve a Cartouche! We will learn about heiroglyphics and cartouches, maybe get some inspiration from the exhibit then carve cartouches, a pictographic representation of one's name, for ourselves or someone else with basic relief techniques.

the block and my woodcutting tool kit

Wearing my Oxbow Press shirt at the NMA

There was a "Meet the Teachers" night at the Museum on Thursday,  and I brought a wood-cut I've been working on to demonstrate a relief substrate. This block is the center of a 9 piece exquisite corpse. Originating with the surrealists, the exquisite corpse is the concept of several artists working together to create one image but without seeing the art of the others who are involved. For this project I was given a board with several black lines, I knew I had to keep those lines but I could do anything else I wanted within or outside them. When we all fit our boards together at the end it made a very large bee! We had to use a truck to print it because the image all together was about 4'x6' - too large for any press to which we have access.

recycled materials now tiny books!

archival tiny books!

The Indie Reno train is rolling out of Fair station on the super fast crafting track! Today the Handmade Hustlers had a great meeting and made sure everyone participating was well informed. We learned about how the cashier and receipts will work (the VSA is taking care of sales tax and credit card fees for us!) and where we will each be located in the Lake Mansion or at the Pavilion next to the Mansion. Find out more about the Indie Reno Craft fair at the website or the facebook page.

Ravioli my family and I made for Easter!

I get the library! This is very exciting, but also daunting. In order to fill an entire room with my merchandise I'm going to... need more merchandise! The next couple of weeks will be packed to the brim with crafting for Rachel-Fingers. Add Easter and the Rocky Mountain Printmaking Alliance Symposium to the mix and we have one chunky time-management cookie. Somehow I will manage, I just need to print cards and journal covers while finding the time to bind said journals, finish my coptic books, and cut the cards to fit in the envelopes I bought.

Congratulations Handmade Hustlers!

If you're new to hand-crafting travels online you may not have heard of Etsy.com - the website that caters to cottage industry in a new way. Only a few years old, this site allows artisans, crafters and small business owners to sell their handmade or vintage wares (or supplies) on the internet. Essentialy Etsy is like an eternal craft fair!

Beyond providing this service, which does cost a little money (but not a lot!), the people at Etsy strive to share the culture of crafting and Do-It-Yourself with everyone who happens upon it. Etsy teams are made up of vendors who have common goals, locations, or motivations. For example, my team - The Handmade Hustlers - are all from the greater Reno/Tahoe/Sparks area and meet in person to talk about selling strategies, successes and failures, and all kinds of other things that are involved with trying to sell things that made by hand in an online environment. Last November our team worked with VSA Arts of Nevada, The Waldorf School, and other non-profits to put on an independent holiday craft fair at the Lake Mansion where there were booths for non-profits and part of the fees for participating were donated.

Our team leader applied for a grant from Etsy to help fund that fair, and we have been lucky enough to receive another grant for our spring fair: Indie Reno May Day! We were even written up in the Etsy Blog.
So thanks to Etsy for helping promote local and independent small businesses! Come see what cool things we have at May Day.

April is a Big Month

To say that I was surprised to find that April had a lot going on in my calendar is a bit of an understatement.

April 9th, Saturday: Assist with Screen Printing Workshop (a few spots still available - only $25 including materials)
April 10th, Sunday: Oxbow Press Monitor Meeting, then Board Meeting
April 14th, Thursday: Take down current show at Oxbow Press Gallery - Birds and Cats
April 15th, Friday: Finish wood block from RMPAS for a truck print today at TMCC
April 26-28th, Wed. Th. Fr.: Attend the Rocky Mt. Print Alliance Symposium
April 30th, Saturday: Assist with Engraving Workshop
May 1st, Sunday: Indie Reno May Day Craft Fair
May 7th, Saturday: Derby Day with the Reno Chamber Orchestra ( I know, these last two are technically in May but I will be preparing for them (or I SHOULD be!) all this month)

The Screen Printing workshop will be a blast. Check out a couple pictures from the last class:

This is a screen and this is how it works!

student Jordan makes her first print

Shannon demos screen-printing

washing out a screen with filler in it

Students had a great time and produced some really cool work. I can create items for my the May Day craft fair at this workshop, or at least things that will become saleable at some point. The wood block I really should have started when I first got it a few days ago, but I seem to be nothing if not a procrastinator. So, true to form, I have all of 10 days left to finish cutting my block so that it is ready to print by the 15th. Luckily I already have a few ideas.... now I just need to carve them into the wood, too bad that's the hard part (or at least most time consuming.) Stationary and other cool stuff will be made - there is no question! Books are also on my list, I'm making lots of tiny little books to give away in the swag bags. Don't miss it - be among the first 25 and get free goodies.