Studio Lines & Splatters

Oh, what joy it is to have dedicated studio space! Here I am free to make messes, to let the paints fall where they will, to let the whimsy of my creative process dance gleefully across the substrate. If you follow my social media channels, you’ll know that over the last few weeks I’ve been working on new water marbled ties. I just love the designs that seemingly appear on the surface of my marbling tray. They mesmerize me.

Oh my, but it does make a mess.

And that’s even with all my careful (ahem) preparations: cover the floor with many tarps, move all the artwork and other products from the splash zone, mix the chemicals to create the “marbling bath/goop” (I mix up four 5-gallon buckets BTW), Set-up the table for the marbling tray (which is 6’long, and heavy), set-up the paints, brushes, rake tools, and dry rack, scour all the fabrics, mordant the fabrics, set-up the rinse bins, pour the goop into the tray, wait patiently for it to settle and for the bubbles to pop and then I can FINALLY start adding colors and creating the swirls and designs I love. Then I can dip the ties (one at a time) and continue/repeat the process until all my prepped fabrics have been marbled. After they are all dry, I let them cure for about ten days. Then I heat set them, then I wash them, dry, press and tag for the festivals and shows I offer them at.

Sounds like fun, huh. Well, even though it might sound like a lot of work, it really is an enjoyable process. All that dipping, swirling, rinsing again and again makes such a mess all over the place, but I love it. It kind of reminds me of when I was a little girl and I’d jump in the puddles after a rain. Splashes all over my legs and clothing. Yep, just like in my studio on marbling days.

Then there’s the clean-up. All the goop gets tossed out onto my lawn (it is bio-degradable, and my plants love it!) everything gets a good wash out & rinse, buckets, etc. are cleaned and dried for next time. The tray gets dried in the sunshine, and I usually touch up any areas that might need more filler in the wood. The tarps are cleaned off and put away, and then the slow inspection begins to look for splatters that may have gone astray. You know; like that time, I found purple and teal paint splotches on the window, and on the ceiling? Yeh like that. Way fun.

This summer is extra busy for me too. I’ve been elected as the new president of the CNY Art Guild, Inc. It’s an honor and I’m very excited about taking on this new role. Over the last week I’ve been learning about my responsibilities and meeting my new executive board members. I’m so looking forward to working together to bring more opportunities to our membership. For more information about the guild, please check out our website www.cnyartguild.org SAVE THE DATE for our fall Fine Art Show & Sale, Nov 8 & 9, 2025, 11am-4pm held at Aspen House, Radisson.

My recent Neurographica workshops at the Art Store have been a huge success and are selling out very quickly. The July “Neuro Rain” workshop was a blast, and I met so many new students. Thank you for trusting me to lead you through the Neurographica method! There is a “Neuro Tree” workshop scheduled for Aug, but it has already sold out too. However, you get insider info and I’m happy to share that I’ll be teaching “Neuro Lotus” workshop on Sat. Sept 27, 2025, from 11am-3pm at the Art Store. Give ‘em a call (315-474-1000) and get registered asap!

For those of you who missed Neuro Rain I have added a class to my website and will be offering it here in my studio on Tues. Aug 19, 2025, from 3-5pm. Register for this one here

Stay cool out there and keep those messy artsy moments happening!