Studying Gyotaku

My fellow artist Margaret Morley and I recently attended the Nature Printing Society's National Conference in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  We spent HOURS rubbing fish! 

One day was spent in a class based on the direct method.  Inks are applied directly to the fish and paper is placed on the fish.

The second day was spent on the basics of the indirect method.  After preparing the fish, fabric is carefully placed on the fish.  Tampos are used to apply inks--many tampos and many, many, many taps.

The highlight of the trip, the reason we went to Colorado, was two days of study with Japanese gyotaku master Mineo Ryuka Yamamoto of the International Fish Print Studio, Saitama, Japan .  I had planned to go to Japan, but the tsunami disrupted that plan.  So I was thrilled to find that Mineo Sensai would be in Colorado.

These were intense days with HOURS AND HOURS of tapping tampos on our fishes, but the resulting artwork was unbelievable!

Interested in a workshop?  Email Grace at grace.mckee@live.com.

Acrylics Class at The Art Studio at Arianna's, July 28, 2011

We had such a fun time this morning at The Art Studio at Arianna's!  Now that I have settled into my studio there, I am beginning to teach classes again.

These two young ladies, Julie and Julie, joined Margaret and me for an acrylics adventure.  You can tell from their faces that they are happy with their beginnings.

We are planning to get together again and invite others to join us. 

Here's the plan:

We are meeting at my studio at The Art Studio at Arianna's (across from MiraBay) on Monday evening, August 8, at 6 pm.  Bring a canvas, gel medium (your choice of matte or glossy), a palette, acrylic paints, brushes and a palette knife.  That wonderful Golden's Retarder will help to keep your paints wet.

Bring multiple photos of your favorite subject, whether person, place or thing.  Bring laser printer copies in black and white (grayscale) in various sizes to arrange on your canvas to help with your composition.  We will wet these and attach them with the gel medium.  Then, we will paint over them to create a multi-media piece of art.

It promises to be a great time with creative juices flowing.

To join Margaret, Meg, Julie, and Julie, give me a call at 813-766-5040 or email me at grace.mckee@live.com.  The cost is $35 for a two-hour class.  (And plan to stay longer as it seems we always get caught up and continue until we reach a good stopping place.)

NOTE:  Margaret and I are headed to the Nature Printing Society National Conference in Colorado on Sunday and will return the following Saturday so emails will probably not be read during that week.

Essence of Ybor Art Show - June 4, 2011

Planning My Display Beforehand in The Art Studio at Arianna's

Inside the Chapel at Ybor Square across from Spahetti Warehouse

Essence of Ybor Art Show in Ybor Square

Loose Woman Who is not Afraid of the Dark

I have been working on two aspects of my painting:  getting looser and using dark darks.  I have become a "loose woman who is not afraid of the dark."  lol

Not finished, but moving right along....

More Tendrils and Growing....

Painting in My New Studio at The Art Studio at Arianna's

FEELING WONDERFUL!  I have painted four mornings out of the last five.  My new studio space in The Art Studio at Arianna's is so quiet, cool, comfortable, secure.  I go there in the mornings before Arianna's opens for the day and stay until about lunchtime.  Fantastic!

Here is the 30" x 40" version of Banyan Cathedral I have been working on.  It certainly is not finished, but it is coming along well. 

You may have seen the smaller version.  It is 16" x 20" and was juried into a show at Art Center Sarasota.  I had it printed on small notecards as well.  Our friends Vicki and Ross Elsberry used these notecards along with ones with Mullet Couple gyotaku for their son's rehearsal dinner at Little Gasparilla Island.  Happy life together, Sam and Melissa!

So you can see that the larger one needs lots and lots more "tendrils" to come anywhere close.

I am have such fun "growing" those tendrils...with paint, brush and palette knife.

Check back later for the finished painting.

Grace

WYNF Tropical Heatwave Art Show in the Cuban Club

I was honored to be invited to exhibit with fellow Ybor Art Association members during the WYNF 30th Annual Tropical Heatwave event.  About eleven of us showed on the second floor of the Cuban Club from 4 pm until midnight thanks to Moira Shiver who headed up this event.

The photos aren't wonderful; I took them with my phone.  The lighting was not very bright.  However, I am so glad to share a few of these wonderful artists with you.  I wish I could have photographed all, but my phone was dying.  Sorry.

First, my exhibit:

I sold the "South of Rocky Point' acrylic painting - Whoo Hoo!

Crowds slow at first due to rain; then, the floodgates opened!

Jason Shiver with his "Low Country"

Craig Stephen Todd - Self-Portrait to the right

Clyde McLaughlin with "Random Thoughts"

Samantha Churchill with "Grab Ass"

Nicholae with "Grace"

Great exposure.  New friends.  Lots of laughs.  AND we plan to do this AGAIN!

Thanks again, Moira!

Beginning Gyotaku at the Big Draw Studio

This group of "fish rubbers" was delightful!  What a great time we all had.  Check out the smiles.

Vickie

Marie

Jim

Marcia

Mariella

Go to http://www.ruskinbigdraw.org/ to sign up for Big Draw Classes.  Search on http://www.teachstreet.com/ for Grace McKee in Apollo Beach, FL to see what and where she is teaching.

Sunday's Restaurant in Ybor City

Cory paints large oils of orchids.  Pete paints oils on wood with the grain often showing through.

The other eleven are mine:  5 acrylics, 4 gyotakus, and 2 mixed media.

Thanks, Gina, David and Donna!  We loved the artists' reception on April 14.

Our friends who stayed for dinner LOVED the food!

INTERMEDIATE GYOTAKU APRIL 30 AT THE BIG DRAW STUDIO!

I have recently studied with an outstanding gyotaku artist in Sarasota and am ready to share.

All who have completed Beginning Gyotaku with me are eligible for this workshop.

Hawaiian-Style Gyotaku for those who want to eat their fish after rubbing:

Using all natural items for cleaning and printing, we will do a QUICK PRINT in order to keep the fish cold.  Simply wash the fish afterwards and eat 'em up!

Once the quick prints are dry, we will colorize them using various mediums.

To register, go to http://www.teachstreet.com/ and search for Grace McKee in Apollo Beach, FL.

Haven't taken Beginning Gyotaku yet?  I am offering it on Tuesday, April 6, 1 - 3 pm, and Wednesday, April 27, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, at the Big Draw Studios.  Go to http://www.ruskinbigdraw.com/ to register and pay online.

Beginning Gyotaku--Japanese for Fish Rubbing

On March 4 we again rubbed some fish at MiraBay.  Here are a few of the proud artists:

Judi

Charlotte

Liz

This was fun day!  What an enthusiastic group!  And thanks for all your help getting me packed up and out of there.

MiraBay Acrylics Class for March Ended Today

Our series of four acrylics classes for the month of March ended today on a highly successful note.

Karen who is new to our group had never painted before this session.  Look at her fabulous painting of Chihuly glass!  She is proud and we are all proud of her.

We had a drop-in student who was on vacation and staying at Little Harbor with his lovely wife.  He came to the last three classes.  Meet Jim from Troy, Michigan, and check out his cool painting.  Good job, Jim!

Margaret, Martha and Marie (the 3M company) are still working on their creations so weren't ready for photos.

I will be out of town for ten days in April so I cannot commit to every Tuesday as before.
So we will meet at the Big Draw Studios in April for a three-day workshop on using the wipe-out method.  Anyone want to join us?

Ruskin Community Art Project Saturday, March 19, 2010

Dina led us in an exercise to show us how to mix colors and fill in squares to create an enlarged mural.

How?

We each had icing in the primary and secondary colors plus white and a bag of square cookies.  We were also given one square of a pixelated poster that had been cut into 20 squares.

Our challenge:  To mix the colors we saw in the pixelated square and ice our cookies.  We then attached our iced cookies to a 12" x 12" square of cardboard.

Upon completion of the squares, they were placed on the floor in order to create an enlargement of the original poster.

My pixelated square - 1/20th of the poster

 

My iced cookies





Pixelated poster cut into 20 squares

So...what is it?  Why, Betty White eating a hot dog and Mike Tyson eating an avocado, of course!

I'm proud of my cookies; see my square on the left; my cookies on the right.

Fun way of learning to mix colors and to enlarge the original.  THANKS, DINA AND MIKE!



Thank You to all My Friends Who Stopped by Booth 46 Today!

Had a wonderful time participating in the Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts.  Sold a painting and lots of notecards.  Made lots of contacts and recruited lots of folks for my art classes--especially gyotaku--at both my Big Draw Studio and at MiraBay.  Visited with many old and news friends.

Thank you, Margaret for helping me set up.  Thank you, Mike, for transporting all my things from the studio and ESPECIALLY for the tear-down and returning stuff to the studio.  And thank you to Sandy for helping.

Thank you, Nancy, for the company and the lunch.  And to Lee for the breaks.  And to Grace and friends for the water deliveries.

And always to Archie for his constant support.

View of Booth 46 from the front.  End of the row allowed lots of access and views from three sides.

Left side of my display

Right side--VERY fishy!

Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts

After swearing that I would never do another outdoor art show, I will be showing this coming weekend at the

Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts

Be sure to stop by for a visit and a look at my latest work if you are so inclined. 

Oh, and I have a few free tickets; I'll reward anyone who actually reads this blog and emails me of this offer:  grace.mckee@live.com.

BTW some of you are aware that I have moved into studio space at the BIG DRAW STUDIO in Ruskin.  How wonderful to have a place where I can make a mess and leave it out.  Of course, Archie will tell you I did that in our home!  lol  I still have a studio at home for those middle-of-the-night inspirations.  But now we can actually have guests over again!

SOUTHERN GRACE ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW Feb 19, 10 am - 3 pm

Artist Grace McKee presenting $460.60 to Denise Downey of Tampa Crossroads
for the Athena House transitional housing for female veterans

As a result of the SOUTHERN GRACE ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW, the SouthShore Arts Council received $120 for the Firehouse Cultural Arts Center and the Tampa Crossroads received $460.60 in donations earmarked for the Athena House, transitional housing for female veterans.

We had truly magnificent weather and a constant crowd.  This FIRST ANNUAL show was such a success, there should definitely be a SECOND ANNUAL.  Contact Frances Hereford at 813-645-0004 if you want to be on her list.

POST:

A friend of mine, Frances Hereford, owns Southern Grace Inc. in Ruskin. She is having an art show with proceeds to charity and has asked me to invite creative friends to participate.  Not just 2D artists; writers, sculptors, singers, dancers, all the arts.

SOUTHERN GRACE ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW

Southern Grace Inc.
301 Hwy 41 South, Ruskin, Florida
Saturday, February 19, 10 am - 3 pm

$20 entry fee for a 10' x 10' space will go to SouthShore Arts Council earmarked for the Firehouse Cultural Arts Center
Must bring your own tent, table, et cetera.

20% of sales will go to the Athena House for homeless female vets in this area

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Facts-About-Homeless-Veterans-Video

New Legislation covers homeless female vets and children:

http://www.nchv.org/news_article.cfm?id=809

If you have questions, call me, Grace, at 813-766-5040 or Frances at 641-0004.

You will be in good company.  Here are a few early bird entrants:

Fred Rothenbush - Oil Painter

Oil Painting by Fred Rothenbush

Grace McKee - Acrylics, Gyotaku, Giclees and Prints

"Banyan Cathedral" by Grace McKee

Enhanced Gyotaku Print by Grace McKee

Tammy Franco of Beautiful Walls and More - Faux Finishes and Murals

Tammy Franco

Gwen Rollings - Author, WE BAND OF SISTERS - Book Signing

Gwen Rollings - Book Signing

Cynthia Atkins - Fish Lips Hand-Painted Items

Sandy Z. Duran - FireflyHalu Stained Glass Art

Monica Gutierrez - Jewelry

Che Gray - Acrylic Paintings; Tile Paintings

Debby Martin-Cohen - Quilts

Nadine Cooley - Watercolor, Oil and Acrylic paintings

Nancy Coon - Jewelry

Maryanne Wexler - Watercolors and Jewelry

Thanks to reporter Kathy Collins of The Osprey Observer Apollo Beach/Riverview Edition:

Click on the link below, go to page 46, and click on the page to enlarge it for easier reading.

http://www.ospreyobserver.com/digital-archives/2011/2011-02-Riverview/pageflip.html

Look for the ad coming out in The Observer.

Gyotaku at The Art Studio at Arianna's

 Gyotaku at
The Art Studio at Arianna's
Thursday, January 27, 10 am - Noon

 We had five participating artists:  Vicki Elsberry and Iris Mixon (photo to the left), Judy Coleman and Linda Huebert of Apollo Beach Woman's Club and Arianna's co-owner Cynthia Atkins. 

Everyone got a fantastic print on fabric to mat and frame or to sew on something like a pillow, shirt, whatever.  A really fun day!

Photo of Grace below rubbing Elvis.  We decided to name the fish so we could say, once the oderiferous one was gone, "Elvis has left the buidling."

January 22 Gyotaku at MiraBay

Had to share the photo of my HAPPY ARTISTS yesterday. 

Sue had to leave early; Megan and her mom arrived late.  So they are not pictured. 

Scheduled again at MiraBay in late February. 

Gyotaku workshop also being offered at The Art Studio at Arianna's this coming Thursday, Jan 27, 10 am - noon.  If you want to join us, visit Arianna's Rugs and Decor by Tuesday to sign up.  Located across from MiraBay behind the M & I Bank.

Something Fishy Is Going On in Apollo Beach!

What?  GYOTAKU.

What is "gyotaku"?  It is Japanese for "fish rubbing."  Japanese fishermen used fish rubbing to record the size and number of their catch.  Gyotaku has become one type of nature printing.

The direct method calls for ink or paint to be applied directly to the fish.  Fabric, watercolor paper, or Japanese paper is then pressed onto the painted fish to make a print.  Messy?  Yes!  Fun?  Absolutely!

When and where can you get a "taste" (pun intended)?  SouthShore artist Grace McKee will be the instructor for the following events:

Thursday, January 27, 10 am to noon --The Art Studio at Arianna's (across Hwy 41 from MiraBay in Apollo Beach behind the M & I Bank) will host a Gyotaku session . Stop by Arianna's Rugs and Decor by January 24 to sign up. Art supplies and one piece of fabric furnished. $35

Saturday, February 26--MiraBay residents* will be rubbing fish at the clubhouse at 10 am.  Hurry and sign up as the class will fill quickly!  Residents can have a non-resident friend sign up with them on a space-available basis.  Art supplies and one piece of fabric furnished.  $35 

*Residents should sign up by February 22.  Non-residents will be admitted after that.

Hope to see you there!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It is 2011!  Can you believe it?

MiraBay Art Classes resume this week:

Acrylics - All levels
Tuesdays, 2 - 4 pm or 6:15 - 8:15 pm

Drawing with graphite, conte crayon, and charcoal
Fridays, 2 - 4 pm

Gyotaku
Saturday, January 22, 10 am - 12 noon

Sign up by calling the fitness center. 

Not a MiraBay resident?  Maybe you have a friend who is a resident and is taking the class that interests you.  Give me a call and I'll run interference to help with the signing up process.

Hope to see you soon!

Grace