Shh...It's a Surprise! Birthday Hamsas

I've been hedging my bets and working on two versions of the hamsa design. Both are in process. Hope at least one gets done!

I'm on the road tomorrow. Back to Savannah to celebrate Mom's 80th! She is an amazing woman, still playing tennis and golf and involved in her community. Hope those genes got passed on to me!

Arresting Resists: Student Work Part 2

Susan Prytherch: Sampler of resists with overprinting (before removing resists)

Here are some more samples of student work from my Arresting Resists class which finished up last Wednesday.

Susan Prytherch

Susan Prytherch

Susan Prytherch

Susan Prytherch

Floris Flam: Confectioner's Sugar

Floris Flam: Colored White School Glue

Floris Flam

Floris Flam

As with every class I teach, I notice that each student truly has her (or his) own style that seems to come out over the course of the class. Whether it be recurring motifs, sense of color or bold design elements, by the end of a class, I can pick out each student's work.

Arresting Resists: Student Work Part 1

Avital Oriol

Last Wednesday, was the last Arresting Resists class. This class focused on adding layers of painting and printing to fabrics still covered with resists as well as rescuing less successful pieces from previous classes. Students had the opportunity to cut or tear freezer paper for masks, create stencils from freezer paper, make additional blocks with adhesive craft and screen print.

Here is a sampling of some of the students' work.

Avital Oriol

Avital Oriol

Betty Ford

Barbara Eisenstein

Barbara Eisenstein

Barbara Eisenstein

I will post more student samples tomorrow.

You may have noticed, that I have a Newsletter Sign Up at the top of the right column. On May 26, the first issue of Julie B Booth Surface Design News will be sent out to those of you who wish to receive it (it's free, of course!). The focus is on Kitchen Surface Design. The first issue will discuss my list of favorite tools. Subsequent issues will focus on exploring all areas of the kitchen for surface design. Those who do sign up will also receive my list of Ten Kitchen Surface Design Ideas. Hope that is enough of an enticement!

Needing to Dig Out

OMG I can't believe I'm showing you all this!

 It feels like it's been a crazy month. Lots of weekend travels. Too many classes to prepare for. Too many projects on my mind.

The studio, as you can see, is in a total state of disarray. My Mom would cringe, if she could see it! I really need to dig out..excavate down to those lower layers. Put things away. Throw things out.

 And yet... we are leaving again this Thursday...this time back to Savannah for my Mom's 80th birthday celebration. It seems likely that it won't all get completed by then.

Which brings me to my gift dilemma. I have designed this hamsa for my Mom. As it is a special birthday, I thought I would stitch this hamsa. So, I created two pieces of cloth and because I couldn't decide, I started stitching on each one. Then my neck and shoulder started to really hurt and the prospect of really stitching (and my friends know what I mean by really) seemed like it might be an impossibility.

Mom's hamsa design in process

First piece of background fabric painted and printed using a doily.

Second piece of background fabric painted and printed with a doily.

So now I thinking...should I do this in colored pencil? Should I carve a block and print it? Should I just stitch it as an outline on the fabric in a contrasting color...should I do more than one thing?

The finished design with hidden hearts and Star of David.

I am having trouble with decisions...my mind seems about as cluttered as the studio.
And of course, the bathrooms need cleaning and the garden needs weeding.....

And...the bead goes on...

Beaded beads

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to be working at Star's Beads during the first day of...the beads go on...trunkshow. We've had this shop from Virginia Beach set up a booth in our store twice before. Everytime they come I become a true beadaholic.

They are best known for their vast selection of Hill Tribe Silver.

Hill Tribe Silver

Though it is impressive, I have to admit that it is the color, texture and variety of the other beads that suck me in.

Wooden prayer beads

Beautiful beaded bracelets

As you might have guessed from my obsession with hamsas, I also have an obsession with eye beads...those beads that have dots or actual eyes on them and are also protective symbols. I found myself spending a lot of time in this little corner of the booth eying the eye beads!

Eye beads!

I was also captured by the textiles, that Amy (from ...the bead goes on...) brought with her this time.

Amy from ...the bead goes on...

I noticed that Roy (of Roy G Biv) was also hanging out with us for the day.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to live in the Vienna, Virginia area...the trunkshow continues through today...who knows....I might fall off he wagon again and stop in...

A Visit to Artistic Artifacts

Batik panels

Yesterday, I made a trip to Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, Virginia. It's been a while since I last visited. I know the owner, Judy Gula, through our fiber guild and cooperative gallery. I saw the business in its fledgling stages and was excited to see how it's grown since then.

Artistic Artifacts or "The Annex", is housed in a warehouse-type building. As you walk through the door, you are transported into a world of colorful fabrics, yarns, paints and the ephemera used by mixed-media and quilt artists. You can get lost looking at all these goodies.

Hand dyed textiles

A great supply of bonding materials. I bought some of the Mistyfuse.

Surface design products: Shiva Paintstiks, texture plates, markers, stencils

Colorful batik fabrics

Artistic Artifacts carries the Stewart Gill Paint line

A nice selection of hand dyed yarns

In addition, Judy recently bought Batik Tambal. I was amazed by the colorful Indonesian textiles and batik panels along with a great selection of copper batik stamps. This fish panel was a real beauty!

I loved this batik panel!

A large selection of copper batik stamps

I've been asked to put together some proposals for teaching at The Annex, in particular a class in doll making. I can imagine what fun it will be to incorporate some of these amazing textures and fabrics into my dolls!

Searching for Roy G Biv: RED

Detail of Red Chair by Julie B Booth

Today is the start of the Searching for Roy G Biv Challenge. Here's my RED:

Small set of carved wooden drawers

Coral beads from Star's Beads, Ltd.

Cardinal carved by Carl Hill of Chincoteague, VA

Printed uncooked wheat flour paste resist by Julie B Booth

Be sure to visit Jennifer Coyne Qudeen's blog for more RED photos.
If you are playing along in the Search for Roy, please leave me a comment with your blog, website or Flickr info and I will link this post to yours.

Next month's Challenge color is ORANGE on Thursday, June 21st (third Thursday of the month).