I have exciting news - I've taken the step of seeking out gallery representation! This move has been in the making for some time, I wanted very much to find a gallery that not only suited my paintings, but also was supportive of my printmaking and letterpress work as well.
I am delighted to partner with Bluerock Gallery in Black Diamond, Alberta - they have an amazing collection and great curation. Every time I step foot in this space, there is a buzz of colour and energy. There are many artists also represented with this gallery that I feel honoured to share wall space with. Check out what work of mine they are carrying here. Thank you, Bluerock! This has been a week of wrapping things up - finishing that little press, Heritage Park is now closed for the regular season and I have one more teaching trip in British Colombia before winter makes driving over the Rockies unpredictable and precarious. It has really been a good year on many fronts and to be tying up loose ends and turning a page to a new chapter feels really good. The class I am teaching is at the Kelowna Art Gallery - a wonderful maker space that is well stocked with all sorts of materials and treasures. We are going to focus on beginner's watercolour - a great way to dip your toes into painting! I've been working more and more lately with incorporating watercolour into my notes, en plein air and mixed media work so I am really looking forward to sharing the basics this weekend. Here is all the registration information, the class still has room last I heard. All the contact information to register can be found below: Kelowna Art Gallery: Introduction to Watercolours Workshop
Sat, October 14, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Supplies included Cost: $105 (Members $90) | Students $80 This workshop will teach students about the types of paints and paper they can use, how to prepare their materials, and the variety of stunning effects possible with watercolours. Whether experienced in other forms of art making or trying it for the first time, this class will give students what they need to start creating watercolour masterpieces on their own! Space is limited and registration is required. Please visit Kelowna Art Gallery or contact them at 250-762-2226 to register. Some of you might remember my summer Letterpress confessional style update - new presses, restoration, Heritage Park, yadda, yadda, yadda (you can read it here if you are just coming across this now). Anyways, there is an addendum to this story, which I am really excited about. Way, way, way back, the original person who got me into letterpress did so by giving me his press. Not because he was wanting to get rid of it, but because he was moving. I know that had to have hurt more than a little bit. While I am very thankful he passed it along to me, I have always kept my eyes out for a smaller, more portable replacement for him. This summer, it showed up! The funny thing about this little press was I knew it was meant to be for my friend the second I laid eyes on it. It is the exact type and brand of press he gave me, only one size smaller and a whole lot more portable.! One catch with this press though was that it was unusable - the clamp that held the chase and chase bed in place was broken off, an earlier brazing repair to the roller arms was done crookedly (so the rollers would not have traveled in a straight line across the ink plate) and there were all sorts of missing or loose bits to hold it together. Luckily, I have access to an amazing shop and a friend to help with repairs! After giving a good clean, we started chipping away at this a little while ago. I did the smaller stuff, prep work and painting while my friend did the jobs that required a higher level of skill like the brazing and fitting work. Check out the pro clamp repair: Anyways, I'm overjoyed that we could rescue this sweet little press, give it some love and send it to a new home where I know it'll see a lot of use! I feel like there has been a full circle made in this story now!
I am so happy to have a chance to sneak a trip in to the Lower Mainland in British Colombia before the mountain roads get super unpredictable. I do have my winter tires on, just in case though!
This weekend I have three demos at Opus Langley - an amazing art store that has been a part of my life for over 20 years! The two Saturday demos are all about Acrylic based products and how you can use them together in a variety of ways to create your art. The Sunday morning demo covers mixed media printmaking and some different approaches you can take to get striking results. There is room in the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning class for sure - it is not too late to register (see below for registration info). I'll have along some interesting examples, lots of products and my usual enthusiasm - it would be amazing to see you if you can join me. Also, I have received some inquiries already about bringing flour sack clothes and artwork for purchase to save on shipping. If you are wanting anything in particular or have questions on what is available for early Christmas shopping - please contact me by Thursday night and I can let you know what is available, prices and arrange drop off at your place. I accept Visa, Mastercard, and cash, receipts are no problem as well. (I might even throw in a little discount as well!) Here are the descriptions: Opus Art Supplies, Langley: Intermixing Acrylics with Flair and Ease Demonstration Sat, September 30, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Sat, September 30, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Cost: FREE Join Michelle Wiebe as she explores the versatility of intermixing various types and brands of acrylic paints and mediums. From ink, fluid, spray and standard heavy body paints, she will demystify the differences between them and give you ways can breathe fresh life into your work. She will explore some techniques on paper and canvas that will combine these products in inventive ways so you can bring together new body and textures for your own signature style. Space is limited and registration is required. Please visit Opus Langley or contact them at 604‑533‑0601 to register. Opus Art Supplies, Langley: Breaking Boundaries in Mixed Media Printmaking Demonstration Sun, October 1, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Cost: FREE Add colour to your linocut printmaking through a variety of mediums and techniques. Join Michelle Wiebe as she covers a number of approaches one can take with mixed media printing. Demonstration time will cover basic linocut carving, inking and printing skills as well as how to use them with other art materials. Emphasis will be placed on utilizing other dry and wet media with your carved block in a number of different approaches to create one of a kind art with a few simple tools. Space is limited and registration is required. Please visit Opus Langley or contact them at 604‑533‑0601 to register. One thing I really love about instructing is that I often will create work to illustrate a point or technique. To prepare for my upcoming workshop at Leighton and demonstration at Opus, I decided to noodle around with some hand coloured linocut prints.
After painting with a limited palette for months, it sure was fun to add splashes of colour to this variable edition of one of a kind prints. I've been playing around with Daniel Smith watercolours and they sure pack a punch with rich, vibrant colour. These are titled "Made of Stars" and will be available for purchased, framed and unframed fairly shortly. Contact me if you have any questions or want me to put one aside for you. Confession, this is not really a "new" painting in the sense that I just started and finished it recently. Rather, it is a painting I was working on during the earlier part of the summer that got placed on a shelf waiting to be finished. So it waited... and waited... till today. I finally took a little time to do the finishing touches while I worked on another still life.
Sometimes a little time away from something is just what you need to gain the perspective it takes to continue on with purpose. Even though this sat around for a few weeks, I was busy painting in my head - the physical changes took barely any time at all. One thing I struggle with is naming paintings. I stop short of "untitled 1, untitled 2 etc" only because that is a little too barren (and is a catalog nightmare). I hesitate to get too involved with titles as well - sometimes I wonder if artists come up with a clever name and then paint a work to fit it. Often the title guts me a little as I try to give further meaning without being too fancy or pompous. Today was easy. though - I looked at the piece and knew immediately. I called this work "Blue Music" because I love painting patterns. When I look at the blue lines on these plates, they are like a dance. I can hear their music in my head. I'm in the process of adding details and availability to the works in my portfolio - I know with Christmas coming up that people are starting to get their shopping started. If you see something you like, please contact me and I can give you all the info you need! I'll be taking my available work to a few Christmas art sales this year, so stake your claim early! I'm excited to be able to offer this class as part of the Impressions series of workshops that go along with the printmaking exhibit of the same name. The exhibit comes down this weekend as well - it was great fun to check out my pieces up next to all the amazing Alberta print makers represented.
Leighton Art Centre, Calgary: Mixed Media Printmaking (two day workshop) Sat, September 23, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Sun, September 24 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Cost: $135.00 (Leighton Members receive a 10% discount) Add colour to your linocut printmaking through a variety of mediums and techniques. Join Michelle Wiebe as she covers a number of approaches one can take with mixed media printing. Class time will cover basic linocut carving, inking and printing skills as well as how to use them with other art materials. Emphasis will be placed on utilizing other dry and wet media with your carved block in a number of different approaches to create one of a kind art with a few simple tools. Students will leave class with their own carved block, several one of a kind mixed media prints, and the skills to keep incorporating printmaking into their art practice. This workshop is open to beginners with no prior experience to linocut printmaking as well as to artists with a printing foundation who wish to explore a different approach to linocut. Space is limited and registration is required. Please visit Leighton Art Centre or contact them at workshops@leightoncentre.org to register Where to begin? Fall is here, kicking and screaming and I finally feel like I've had a chance to come up for air.
Studio Expansion: My garage is now officially a core component to my studio practice. Late July, we welcomed a third press to our family: a Chandler and Price Old Style platen floor model. Some good friends helped us load and move this along with a paper cabinet, composing table, type cabinet and full sized paper cutter. I am truly blessed. The flip side to this is making room and extra clean up. Almost all of my open studio time in August has been spent puttering away in my garage doing glamorous jobs like scraping old labels, sanding, painting and degreasing. We are in the homestretch now which is good - winter is coming and my car needs it's shelter for parking! On a side note, paper cabinets are a beautiful thing. With 25 shallow drawers, this is for my art supplies like what the wardrobe is for Narnia. Things feel so in reach and organized! Current Projects: I'm in the early stages of some small still life and landscapes for the upcoming Christmas season. I am also busy printing all sorts of letterpress goodies for market as well. Add in some collaboration involving a laser engraver, block printing more flour sack cloths, instructing as well as the aforementioned studio expansion and I am a busy girl. Website Update: I've cleaned things up and added some greater detail on events and workshops. I've been planning this out in my head for a while and finally sat down long enough to get it all up on the web. I still have loads more pictures and details to add, but this should suffice for the moment. I have a love hate relationship with digital tinkering. Plein Air Postponement: My deepest apologies to all of you who have expressed interest in further plein air meetups - this has been on my mind constantly. I had a domino effect happen with that equipment acquisition that affected too many areas of my household. Add in multiple extra weekend bookings for August and I couldn't make it happen. Stay tuned for spring though - I have some alternate ideas I'd like to try out with plein air! Have I told you lately how much I love living in the foothills of Alberta? Every day I get to go out onto the local path system and either walk, run or bike through the wild beauty of the Cochrane area. This keeps my cup pretty full.
One of my most favorite places is Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. it is less than 10 minutes away from my house. There is something about the Bow River, the grasslands and the copses of trees that make my heart happy. This is what I was trying to capture in this piece. My apologies for not posting terribly frequently these days. I've been swept up in the frenzy of summer, moving/cleaning letterpress equipment and travelling all over the place every week. I'm back in the studio now for the most part so expect to hear from me a little more in the coming weeks! I have some exciting events coming up that I'll post once they are finalized! I do post a little more often on my social media (but not as much detail as my blogs) feel free to follow me for some behind the scenes pictures and updates! Facebook: Michelle Wiebe Art Instagram: @mw.artco Twitter: @Michelle_Wiebe To say I've been busy lately is an understatement. I've had a little side line going besides my usual rotation of art making and instructing, plus a child graduating and the bustle of summer.
If you read this blog semi regularly, you will know that for many, many years I have been increasingly pulled into Letterpress printing. For those of you that don't know what that is, it is the pre-digital, pre-offset method of printing text and images on paper. Commonly used for printing books, posters and newspapers. It dates back to around 1440 and Gutenberg's invention of printing with movable type. For me, it all started ages ago (in the range of 15 years) when a dear friend of mine gave me a table top platen press that needed a little restoration and some parts. I had no idea what this thing was but knew somehow you could use it to do linocut printmaking. So I kept it knowing that I could eventually use it once I figured out how to get it running. I started paying a little more attention to the word "letterpress" when I encountered it, slowly realizing what it was and seeing the possibilities beyond straight linocut printmaking. This period lasted about 10 years. The machine sat idle. Then about 4 or 5 years ago, I saw a workshop posted at a local gallery for beginner letterpress printing. I jumped at the chance. The machine got carried out of the basement and dragged along so the instructor could take a look and let me know what needed to be done to get it working. I started actively looking at letterpress work and tutorials online when the mood struck. Fast forward another year or so, I end up at a museum on a tour and start telling the blacksmith in charge there about my press and wanting to learn how to take apart machines so I could figure out how to fix it. I end up volunteering once a week there (and still do) helping with that sort of thing and working in metal. The press gets fully restored. I start bringing the press to events so I can share this art form with the public. Last summer, through my museum connections, I end up in touch with someone who is looking for a home for her grandfather's press. Desperate to keep this equipment out of the scrap heap she speaks with quite a few Calgary organizations who cannot take this press out of her basement. We figure out a way and remove it successfully. This new press is brought to the museum in August. Coincidentally, during this time, my family moves to a bigger house that can accommodate multiple type cabinets and a full size floor model platen press. Work begins when time allows on restoring and repairing the press. At the same time, I learn that one of the organizations that was interested in this press (but could not take it) was Heritage Park, a huge historical village/museum in Calgary. A light bulb goes on in my head. One of the frustrations I have had over the years is trying to learn the proper way of using the equipment I have. Letterpress information can sometimes be wildly off base as the blind lead the blind in a dying art form. If you do find someone offering a workshop or running a business with beautifully produced work, chances are they don't live near enough to visit often. Video tutorials can help, but don't always show a lot of detail. Old textbooks are a wealth of information, but you cannot ask questions if you do not understand. There can be a disconnect at times from the generation who were skilled tradesmen working a full time printing career to the next generation of artisan letterpress operators that utilize new as well as old technology. I know a few people in artisan camp (and thankfully, Calgary is really blossoming in this area so I am VERY thankful for the camaraderie) but I didn't know any old school pressmen. Until I realized there must be more than a few of them working with the machines at Heritage Park. So I sent a nervous email before Christmas and an off season visit was arranged so I could tour their newspaper building from 1909, The Strathmore Standard. It was great, they were very generous with their time and information. My interest must have been evident, because they suggested I apply for a part time job there if I wanted to learn more an run the equipment. So I did! I've been working 1 or 2 days a week for the past few months and it has been so much fun. I've wanted to demonstrate letterpress for years, especially to children and this has been a wonderful opportunity. I even get to wear a costume! Plus, the team at the Standard is great. We have guys who have worked in the newspaper industry, owned their own print shops and a variety of others who just love the equipment and want to keep it maintained and share it with others. Naturally, this has taken up some of my time (part of the reason my artistic output has been a little leaner than usual - don't worry, this was a planned educational break and I'm already gearing up for my late summer painting binge!) A few weeks ago, the major work was finished on the press (serious props to my blacksmith friend at the museum - I couldn't have done this on my own). It was delivered safe and sound and is in my garage awaiting the last few minor parts. It runs so beautifully and is even sporting a brand new treadle so I can power it by foot! You have no idea how exciting this has all been to me. A gift from a friend who was moving away (who couldn't take it with him) has absolutely transformed a lot of my art and taken me on an adventure of a lifetime. Through this I've learned so much more than I would have about printmaking, machinery, metal working, graphic design, the history of type, bookmaking, and of course letterpress printing. I've made some life long friends (and keep making more) who continue to encourage and guide me. The best part is that I have barely gotten started. The coming months and years hold so much potential and I am so excited to see where it goes. |
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