Category Archives: Art

Cover Your Journal or other Notebook in Style! Workshop March 19

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The more I make these samples the more ideas I get for using them.  Right now I’m working on a cute cover for a collection of recipes.  Also in the works is a cover that’s perfect for a knitting or crochet diary.  Keep records of what you made – type of yarn – needles used, and so on.

Here are a couple more that are suitable for just about any topic.  One of the benefits of these particular covers is that when your composition book is full you can slip it out and replace it with a brand new one.

Birds and ribbons

The cover shown above was made by Betsy Farwell and features a collage of nettiing with colorful ribbons and an unique toggle closure.Dream Cover

I made this cover from a colorful batik and embellished it with a collage of cheesecloth, lace, silk pod, and decorative hand and machine stitching.

Call Baron’s in Woodland Hills for details about the Journal Cover Workshop scheduled for March 19 from 6 until 9 PM at Baron’s Sewing Center in Woodland Hills.  Call 818-224-2746.

Journal Covers – See Class Samples

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Hot off the presses!!!

We just dropped off 2 embellished journal covers at Baron’s. “How to create an embellished/collaged fabric journal cover” Workshop is scheduled for Saturday March 16 and repeated Tuesday March 19. Call Baron’s to register or for details.

This cover fits a composition book approximately 9 inches high by 7 1/2 inches wide.

Collaged Fabric Journal Cover

Collaged Fabric Journal Cover

This is the size we will be making in class.  We will provide the composition books in the purchased supply kit.

This cover was adapted to fit a spiral bound art journal measuring approximately 5 1/2 inches by 8 inches. We will provide guidelines for adapting directions for other sizes.

Journal Cover for Spiral Art Journal

Journal Cover for Spiral Art Journal

An Exciting Foray Into Watercolor

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About a year ago I signed up for a watercolor class at the local Y – not being an avid watercolor fan especially, but being very eager to take a ‘formal’ class in one of the Fine Arts; to learn art technique and principles from that perspective.

Well, I was not only presented with all kinds of wonderful information, I became fascinated with using this form of paint.  I love the transparency of watercolor and the ability to subtly layer color upon color.   It is so exciting to put down a swipe of color on a wet surface and to coax it gently in the direction you want.  The color has a mind of its own and often does more interesting and exciting things than your original idea.

I’ve worked on various kinds of projects to learn different skills – most of these are still unfinished.  Some will remain unfinished – some I am still working on.  This street scene is probably my favorite completed piece thus far.

Street Scene, Downtown ChicagoWatercolor by Guila Greer, Feb 2013

Street Scene, Downtown Chicago
Watercolor by Guila Greer, Feb 2013

Celebration Art Cards

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As the year is winding down I’m busy getting my act ready to take on the road for 2013.  A new workshop being offered is Celebration Art Cards.

This is one of my favorite things – creating small mixed media pieces – combining colors and textures as I go to achieve a special look. It’s all about color – movement – mood – and most of all letting those creative forces loose and having FUN!!

Here is a preview:

celebration art card 2celebration art card 3celebration art card 1

Workshop being offered at Baron’s Sewing Center Friday January 18: 4 PM until 7 PM.

In addition – I will be demo-ing this technique at the San Fernando Valley Quilt Association’s annual Quilt College, Monday February 18, 2013

New Workshop Page On Blog

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Finally!  I’ve created a stand alone page that is devoted to Class Descriptions.  On the page now is a list of classes that have been scheduled between now and the end of the year.  Next, I will add additional workshop descriptions for classes that I teach but are not currently scheduled.

Just look to the headings across the top of my blog and click on Workshops to see it all.  And           ***MOST IMPORTANT – I am asking for feedback.

WHAT ART QUILTING RELATED CLASS TOPICS ARE YOU INTERESTED IN?   Please let me know as we plan our future workshops.

Thanks to all of you for your support

Guila

Art Journaling Basics to Get You Started | Art Camp for Women

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This is one of the best overviews of art journaling that I’ve read.  It gives you some ideas of what supplies are needed and how to go about putting together some simple pages to get started. It is from the Art Camp for Women blog.

Art Journaling Basics to Get You Started | Art Camp for Women.

Phases of the Moon

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The prompt word for February’s Haiku Art Challenge was “Moon.”  I thought of all the different sayings that we have to describe the moon: some quite descriptive, others turned into common expressions and a few quite fanciful.  So much folklore and romance has evolved from our common experience of viewing this orb in the night sky. called

  Blue Moon, Green Cheese Moon and Harvest Moon
Chameleon moon
many faces to delight
changing yet constant
Phases of the Moon

Phases of the Moon

 

Challenge for January: Exhilaration – Haiku and Art

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The Haiku Art  prompt word for January was Exhilaration.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines “Exhilaration” as    “The state of being stimulated, refreshed, or elated.”
Sometimes all it takes to experience these feelings is to step outside on a sunny day.
The Haiku
scent of new mown grass
sunbeam caresses my cheek
living…feeling…aaaaah…
For the art work that I was preparing to go with this haiku – I didn’t want to be too structured.  I wanted to indicate an almost childlike feeling of exhilaration with my composition and color choices.
At the same time, as a developing art quilter, I wanted to incorporate a couple of new techniques and see “what if”?
First off I used a “blah” pastel print in lieu of plain muslin as my base. I didn’t mind that it partly “showed through” – just felt it added some interest.
I felt that color was of first importance in this piece – so before doing anything else I painted my background using acrylic paint.  In order to add some texture to the piece I used some Golden Light Molding Paste to parts of the grassy area.    
I quilted the piece extensively with heavy thread. 

A is for Art (what makes it art?)

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 I have an old dear friend who blogs regularly and did a series last year that was prompted by the alphabet. I thought then that it would be fun to try.  (Thank you Marallyn! )   And it just so happens that “A” is perfect for something that I’ve been wanting to talk about here.

Last semester my husband showed a video to his Biological Anthropology class that portrayed a chimp painting.  The chimp seemed to be enjoying the process and he made some colorful pictures.  They weren’t representative of anything in particular – just colorful blobs of paint.

One of the students raised a question:  Was the work that the chimp produced “Art”? Why do you think it might be?  If you don’t think so, why not?

This remains a hotly debated topic in today’s Anthropological, Philosophical and Art circles.