Dear Everyone ~
It’s a joy to be teaching again, albeit via Zoom. I’m grateful for the technology, and I find that the “remoteness” doesn't take away one i-o-ta of the experience. Although I suspect that most people would prefer to be sitting at the big table in my studio, I actually think that students have a better view via Zoom than they would in the studio, thanks to the overhead camera and the ability to zoom in and out. I love that with a few clicks I can alternate between face-to-face & overhead to show my entire work surface. Voilà, students can watch my hands!
For me, it’s very meditative to be working alongside (albeit virtually), my students. When it became certain that the Shelter Season was going to prevent Cat Bennett from coming to Chicago to teach a trio of new workshops at the studio, she and I immediately began to muse on how we could offer Cat’s teachings in combination with a bookbinding workshop. We are beyond pleased to announce that we will co-teach a live 4-week Zoom workshop, Bookful of Art, starting in September.
The first session, you will make an exposed casebound book with me. The following two Saturdays, Cat will guide you through creativity exercises to fill your sketchbook with beauty & positivity. And the fourth session will be a Q&A and show-and-tell with both of us. Cat and I will alternate being your “social-media secretary” so that you can ask questions via Chat in real time during the workshops.
The class fee includes the materials (but not the tools) you will use to make your book: 40 sheets of Cat’s favourite drawing paper (9 x 12); 2 pieces of St-Armand for the covers (9 x 14); 1 yard of ribbon; and 1 spool of waxed-linen thread. I also offer a 20% discount on any tools you order for the workshop (via refund after your purchase). In the class listing, you can read about the tools you'll need, and see all five palettes, in delightful detail.
For those of you who haven’t yet experienced a workshop with Cat, allow me to rave about her teaching. I credit her with helping me develop my style of drawing. She encouraged me to experiment and to draw more naturally. Her wisdom continues to give me great joy. Cat has also written three books: The Confident Creative, Making Art a Practice, and The Drawing Club of Improbable Dreams (lovingly signed copies available in our shop & online). Earlier in her career, Cat was an illustrator for 25 years, for clients including The Montreal Star, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, and The Atlantic. She now makes art, teaches drawing in Watertown, Mass. and also exhibits in group shows.
Cat and I will also host a private Facebook group to post your work, share your ideas, and ask any questions. We will both monitor it daily. This is something that students have found very enjoyable on my two online bookbinding videos produced by Sonheim Creative. I was pleasantly surprised by the volume of engagement this forum inspired.
Bookful of Art: A new four-part workshop
Zooming right along, Bari