Daniella Woolf in the studio!

Daniella Woolf at the sewing machine

How exciting to have Santa Cruz artist Daniella Woolf here in our studio, Desert Paper, Book and Wax, teaching a workshop in Encaustic with a Textile Sensibility. Participants from as far as the mid coast of Maine, Farmington, NM, Palm Springs, CA and way up there in Phoenix :-) joined a number of us Tucson IEA (Int'l Encaustic Association) members: wonderful and talented artists who really made our time together quite stimulating.

Daniella, Rae and Sherrie

Dipping a sewn collage in encaustic medium strengthens and makes the image cohesive. Swoop 1 2 3...

Daniella demonstrated multitudinous techniques that inspired and enriched our technical vocabulary. We started off rather neat and tidy, but as all intense creative ventures should go, the studio gained a wonderfully energizing atmosphere, with lots going on in every corner...


A final wrap up with a walk through to view and learn from each others' art clinched the experience. Thanks so much Daniella!

Artist Beata Wehr discusses her work with Daniella
below: admiring the work of artist Sharon Pettus

Thanks to Sherrie Posternak for all her hard work in making this happen!

Have I ever invited you in?

Our studio!
Desert Paper, Book and Wax and Studio Renfrow all under one roof!

Rob and I are gearing up for a new season of teaching and he just started his first workshop today. Snuck in the back door and took a shot:
I was asked to take some photos by Lisa Pressman for a talk she is giving in June on artists and their studios. Even though she said not to clean up I couldn't help myself....! I won't give them all away, but since there is also an article I have uploaded to our articles section on my creative process that includes studio views, I thought to put a few of them up now. Musings on Art and Nature is the title. Just go to papermakingresources.com towards the very bottom.
Well come on in!

sculpture in lower left by Kitty Wales

How do others set themselves up? I find that stations work well with kindergarteners...and they work great with me! Where I work at two face to face tables: the one on the left is for thinking, drawing and designing, on the right for assemblage and scraping back waxes. A few things in progress:

why do people love to see these messy tables? :-) although I have to admit...'tis a bit straightened up! My painting station:


and to the right, ventilation out the window,

A papermaker might be able to recognize some things...there is a pot full of just cooked kozo waiting to be rinsed on the floor. A dry box tucked under the counter, a little screw press and an encaustic monoprint box. (The large hydraulic press is out on the back porch.) My studio can instantly convert to papermaking...that door on the far right is to the beater room where I store all my fibers, vats and screens, etc, etc... I usually make paper for specific projects rather than production sheetforming. Love to embed painted on Japanese style sheets in wax!
Looking back out into the teaching area from my section...that is also where lots of paper is made! And where we will completely rearrange for Daniella Woolf's workshop on Friday Feb 19th/Sat Feb 20th. All credit and thanks go to Sherrie Posternak of the Tucson IEA for doing all the organizing work!
Robert's darkroom is around to the left. But I just love that he can also make the entire studio completely light free. Turns into one huge darkroom for making huge cyanotypes.

Robert Renfrow, Caterpillar Infestation Cyanotype and redeveloped cyanotype on fabric. 9ft.h x 8ft.w

This work by Robert is incredible in person...made from a life sized bloomed-out agave along with computer generated negatives. Statement on the blading of the desert, the ousting of native plants and animals for new "development". Note the golf clubs that the work hangs from. And if you look very closely, you can see tiny caterpillar bulldozers climbing the agave stalks!

That's the tour!