Ayako will be teaching participants how to make Toro, a traditional Japanese square wood and paper lantern.  During the Obon festival, the lanterns are released into the river at dark to appreciate, pray for, and honor one's ancestors. At the time of this annual summer festival, hundreds of Toro can be seen floating like a host of fireflies on the rivers and lakes of Japan. 

Ayako will be teaching participants how to make Toro, a traditional Japanese square wood and paper lantern.  During the Obon festival, the lanterns are released into the river at dark to appreciate, pray for, and honor one's ancestors. At the time of this annual summer festival, hundreds of Toro can be seen floating like a host of fireflies on the rivers and lakes of Japan. 

Ayako will be teaching participants how to make Toro, a traditional Japanese square wood and paper lantern.  During the Obon festival, the lanterns are released into the river at dark to appreciate, pray for, and honor one's ancestors. At the time of this annual summer festival, hundreds of Toro can be seen floating like a host of fireflies on the rivers and lakes of Japan. 

Do we have a treat for you! A few of our top Art in Bloom floral designers have offered to teach workshops in creating artful floral combinations. In these workshops, you will learn valuable tips from these master artists and, at the end of the session, take home a stunning arrangement - that you created!

Do we have a treat for you! A few of our top Art in Bloom floral designers have offered to teach workshops in creating artful floral combinations. In these workshops, you will learn valuable tips from these master artists and, at the end of the session, take home a stunning arrangement - that you created!

Do we have a treat for you! A few of our top Art in Bloom floral designers have offered to teach workshops in creating artful floral combinations. In these workshops, you will learn valuable tips from these master artists and, at the end of the session, take home a stunning arrangement - that you created!

In this workshop, you’ll create various binding styles using handmade mulberry paper, with a rustic twist – weaving a naturally beautiful twig into the spine stitching in different ways.

Long-stitch is a simple but strong bookbinding technique, with signatures sewn directly to the cover. In this workshop, you’ll make two books – a softcover book using the long stitch with a wrap-around ribbon tie with beads, and a hardcover book using a different style of long stitch.

Create books using cover papers of your own design! You’ll learn the secrets of making paste paper, creating patterns using numerous everyday tools, like a plastic card, a bottle cap, a comb, even your fingers! 

Looking to get more organized? In this workshop, you’ll make several books designed to help you with a variety of planning tasks. 

Basic Bookmaking Bundle (prerequisite to other workshops)

Explore the basics of bookmaking and make three different books. You’ll learn fundamentals of bookbinding including: the parts of a book; selecting papers, threads, and glues; using bookmaking tools; and much more. 

A Watoji book is a classic style of Japanese book that is bound with thread. Since the late 1100’s, Japanese have used Watoji style book as diaries, albums, sketch books, notebooks, textbooks, account books, textile catalogs, and tantra (religious scriptures) to name a few. In the first half of this Workshop, students will learn and create a number of classic Watoji style bound books. In the second half of the workshop, we will create Artists’ Books incorporating Watoji style bindings and more.

Just as musicians practice scales every day to remain limber and agile at their instrument so, too, artists should practice every day.

Dancers, singers, all the creative artists must practice- every day!

Scribbling with charcoal, crayon or graphite on newsprint or even butcher’s paper allows the artist to loosen up, to make a mess with no judgement as to how it looks and no great expense in materials. Drawing without looking at the paper reveals interesting perspectives and builds confidence. To feel the stroke of the line as it expresses gesture is an exercise in building skill regardless of the artist’s level.

We will not necessarily work up a sweat, but we will have a great workout and lots of fun!

Suminagashi is a very fun and meditative way of marbling paper (making marble-like designs on paper) using an ancient Japanese technique and Sumi-Ink. Drop-by-drop different colors of the special Sumi-Ink are floated on the surface of a water basin. The ink spreads over the surface of the water like oil in concentric but random forms. A piece of paper is lowered carefully into the basin picking up the floating Sumi-Ink design. For many centuries, the Japanese have used Suminagashi to make decorative paper for their scrolls (Makimono), books and stationary. In this workshop, we will create beautiful designs on paper that can be used as stationary, envelopes or be mounted as works of art themselves. The process is fascinating to everyone from the creative type to the engineer, and anyone can do it, so everyone can produce beautiful art in a Zen-like, stress-free environment.

Suminagashi is a very fun and meditative way of marbling paper (making marble-like designs on paper) using an ancient Japanese technique and Sumi-Ink. Drop-by-drop different colors of the special Sumi-Ink are floated on the surface of a water basin. The ink spreads over the surface of the water like oil in concentric but random forms. A piece of paper is lowered carefully into the basin picking up the floating Sumi-Ink design. For many centuries, the Japanese have used Suminagashi to make decorative paper for their scrolls (Makimono), books and stationary. In this workshop, we will create beautiful designs on paper that can be used as stationary, envelopes or be mounted as works of art themselves. The process is fascinating to everyone from the creative type to the engineer, and anyone can do it, so everyone can produce beautiful art in a Zen-like, stress-free environment.

The iPhone camera has made its mark on the photo world —lightweight, ubiquitous and sophisticated —it is a powerful device for making images.

In this class, we will start with understanding all the tools available on the phone. From there, we will dive into the basics of composition and lighting, giving ample time to practice what you learn.

By the end of the class, you will have a clearer understanding of your camera phone and ways to use it to take better images of your subject matter.

Have you ever admired those beautiful hand dyed silk scarves and wished you could make your own? Now you can!

During the workshop, you will dye silk scarves with instant set, non-toxic Color Hue dyes. A variety of techniques will be demonstrated and students are encouraged to choose the techniques they want to explore. This class is a lot of fun and very rewarding as participants will go home with lovely finished work as well as a great skill set to share with friends and family (including children!).

All materials included in the fee to dye two scarves. They make wonderful gifts!

Join WNC artist and former elementary school art teach Ruby Bock for an afternoon of experimentation and exploration. You will create several small books that can easily be reproduced at home and that can be used for journals, sketchbooks, scrapbooks, kids’ school projects, and general amusement.

In this workshop we will:

-explore simple yet clever bookmaking techniques.

-review and use basic elements of art and design.

-experiment with a variety of materials (assorted papers and fabrics; pencil, color pencil, ink; washi and other kinds of tape; found objects including tea bags) and a variety of techniques (hand and machine sewing, taping, gluing, wiring).

- and … hopefully … have fun, try new ideas, get inspired.

No special skills are required – all levels are welcome.

A materials fee of $10 will provide everything you need, but you are encouraged to bring special items from home, such as favorite/meaningful papers and fabrics (even very small pieces), beads, buttons, found objects, photos.

painting: where the practitioner attempts to express complex feelings and subjects with simple, minimalistic black Sumi ink (derived from charcoal) strokes. These simple strokes are the key to making an expressive yet tranquil painting.

In this workshop, you will learn the basic process of simple stroke painting from nature in a meditative atmosphere. In addition to teaching how to paint various Sumi-e subjects, Ayako will demonstrate the traditional way of making Sumi-ink as well as the final step of applying a Rakkan, a signature seal stamp. An important aspect of Japanese Sumi art is gaining a Zenlike state of mind and relaxed but focused body in order to reflect your inner self and power in your painting and creations.

In this workshop, you will be making a couple of beautiful Ukranian Easter Eggs known as pysanky using the method of batik - also called wax-resist-dying.  You will also be introduced to a wide range of Ukrainian fold art traditional patterns, designs and symbols and their history.  The designs are made with beeswax whic is melted in the flame of the candle and applied to the egg using a tool called a kistka.  The eggs are dipped into successively darker dyes.  At the end of the process, the beeswax is melted off to reveal the beautiful and colorful design.  You may use the traditional patterns or work freestyle and create your own design.

No experience is needed for this class and all materials are included.

 $65
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