Dear Everyone ~
We are delighted to announce our September theme for Club Artful: Hand-folded Envelopes + Loose Watercolour Flower Drawings. We will explain below in glorious detail what you’ll be making… but first we’d like to share a few lovely emails we received almost instantly after August’s Club “adjourned.”
Gabriele in Austria (where it was almost midnight when she completed her artful ensemble) wrote: Thank you for the wonderful (nighttime) class. I made several boxes and decided on the small one for my collection of mini portraits. The smaller size of the box was dictated by paper size and I think it fits perfectly. And I could not really imagine painting on those minute paper squares -- way too small -- but then I just could not stop and filled all 30 of my prepared squares. And had a lot of fun doing it. Looking forward to September.
Gouri in Maryland (who flew into town the day after Artful, and here she is visiting BZS) said: This class was a delightful opportunity to be creative in multiple ways. Time flew by, and I just had a lot of fun!
Mariska in California (an appreciative newcomer) enthused: That was a fun time to get out of your head by drawing heads with Cat Bennett … and folding boxes (so calming) with Bari during club artful.
Karen in Connecticut (who wins great guffaw for her subject line: They’re Multiplying!!) shared her creative delirium: I’m obsessed! Taking a mental health day today and did a little art therapy. These are made with Christmas-themed 12 x 12 papers. Can’t wait to make some with nicer paper.
In our next Club Artful—which convenes Sunday, September 7—we will hand-fold an envelope without a template. It measures 4¼" x 6¼", a perfect size for holding a postcard or two. We will also learn to neatly line an envelope with a piece of decorative paper. Cat will lead us in painting & collaging whimsical botanical images for our postcards. They can be mailed as postcards (with a seabreezy sailboat stamp, or a thematic autumn leaf) or in a hand-folded envelope. Or maybe you won’t part with your botanicals just yet, and will prop them somewhere you can enjoy them & bring a smile to your heart.
Cat shares her inspiration for her botanical theme… “ Summer will be on the wane when we meet for our second Club Artful—a perfect time to make whimsical flowers to keep the sunshine feel alive as we head into fall! We’ll look at real flowers for inspiration, perhaps from your garden or a potted plant. Or you might have books or postcards with flower images to have by your side as we work. We will not be making literal renderings but taking elements from what we see to make playful images—exaggerating the shapes and colors, even making things up. We’ll be using watercolor, colored pencil and gluing bits of ephemera into collaged flowers. Our focus will be on imagination and how we can draw and paint with a sense of freedom. ”
Speaking of postcards: our trio (Van Gogh, Hockney, Delaunay) for Club Artful subscribers recently arrived from the printers and are now winging their way to Everyone, in our hand-folded Varese envelopes. Here you see Ruby at our center table, smiling in the creative act! Love stamps all ’round!
Let us re-remind Everyone: you do not need a specific kit of materials for the Club Artful projects. This is an opportunity to use papers you’ve collected and art supplies you have on hand. We will provide a list (right after you register) detailing exactly what you will need paperwise, including dimensions, and what supplies and tools we will use during the session.
That said, we couldn't resist trimming & assembling an assortment of papers for September’s project! Plus we’ve received numerous requests from students who would appreciate having their papers pre-cut. Our perfect project packet includes a double binder’s dozen (26!) of paper: one sheet each of 24 patterns & 2 sheets of Cat’s favourite drawing paper for practice, all pre-cut to 8" x 10¼". This is the exact size you’ll need for hand-folding an envelope to hold a botanical postcard or two. But wait, there’s more! The perfect project packet also includes a stacklet of 24 pre-cut pieces of Stonehenge measuring 4" x 6".
Club Artful
Perfect Project Packet
See you soonish in September, Bari & Cat