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Handmade Shopping roundup

There are so many craft fairs this year! In the spirit of getting more people to shop locally for handmade things, here is a roundup of the events I know of.

12/5, 6, 7 -- Davis Art Center Holiday Sale, 1919 F St., Davis

12/6 12-3:30pm -- The Market presented by Tube Magazine at Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St.

12/6, 7 12-4pm -- GOOD Street Food + Design Market, 1409 Del Paso Blvd

12/9 6-9pm -- Create in Cal at Hot Italian, 1627 16th St.

12/11 5-9pm -- Crocker Museum ART|MIX Holidaze at the Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. 

12/13 1-4pm -- A Handmade Holiday Pop-Up, 2319 K St.

12/13 3-7pm -- Holiday Trunk Show at Delta Workshop, 2598 21st St.

12/14 10am-6pm -- Nevada City Craft Fair at the Miner's Foundry Cultural Center, 325 Spring St., Nevada City

12/20 11am-5pm -- Beatnik Handmade Holidays at Beatnik Studios, 725 S St.

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New things: Monogram Notecards

Letterpress notecards printed with wood type on Crane's Lettra paper, packaged with kraft brown envelopes. A 5-color set of 5 notecards is $10.

Letters A, B, J, K, L, M, R, and S are in stock, and other letters are available upon request (allow 2 weeks). 

Here are some shots of the process:

Awesome for gifts, or all the holiday thank-you notes you'll be sending!

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How to: Make Thanksgiving place cards with image transfers

Whether you're hosting or not, having place cards on the table makes it feel like more of a special occasion. 

If your group is the sharing-kind, after dinner, guests can write something they're thankful for on the inside of the card, then hang them together as a unique way to share gratitude with the group.

Making place cards with image transfers:

If you're using text or an image that needs to go a certain way, you will need to reverse the image to make it read backwards on your printout.

2. Lay your image face down onto the paper you want to transfer onto.

3. Using a blender pen, go over the back of the image.

4. Use a bone folder (or your fingernail) to apply pressure to the entire image-area. Hold it in place and lift up a corner to check to see if it's transfered completely.

Once it the image has transferred, let the paper dry completely.

If you know the guest list in advance, you can include names in the transfer too.

Inspired by the excellent book, Playing with Image Transfers by Courtney Cerruti.

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Artist Interview: Micah Brenner

Collages by Micah Brenner will be up in the gallery until Sept. 7. Micah was kind enough to answer some questions about his work, and give some insight into the process of making these complex assemblages. More images of Micah's work can be seen at his website.

One Year Old Meadow, 2011

In building a collage there is an even balance between first thought/best thought decision making and deliberate consideration of different possibilities. I try to push a composition to a cohesive stopping point that still leaves room for questioning. My greatest satisfaction is finding surprises along the way. Sometimes when flipping a piece of paper over to apply glue, I'll find the reverse side is actually more intriguing.

How long have you been making art, and what made you start?  I studied design in college in the early 90s, took painting and drawing classes while living in New York and San Francisco, and through exposure to mail art/Ray Johnson/Joseph Cornell, gradually gravitated to collage and mixed media. 

I was drawn to collage's ability to quickly produce enigmatic relationships and to make connections between everyday materials and handmade marks. It's important to me to create with my hands in a manner that is completely oblivious to keyboards and screens, and I like the practicality of collage with regard to space required, simple materials, and minimal clean-up.

What materials do you use, and why are you drawn to them? Earlier collage work was centered around imagery/figures, but more recently I'm interested in abstraction and ambiguous forms that reference landscape/structure.

Within abstraction, I'm interested in using paper -- whether printed or hand altered -- with colors and textures taken out of context. The castoff scrap of inadvertent color from labeling, packaging, mail, flyers, sidewalk detritus etc. and accidental texture from peeling/ripping previously adhered papers is more intriguing to me than art papers or finely printed materials.

I often reuse parts of old paintings and drawings as well to combine handmade marks into my works.

Describe your studio/workspace.  It's still evolving in our new abode, but right now it's a desk in a 5' by 5' corner of our office. The desk has a fold-up work surface so that I can leave a mess and not have to worry about the four little hands in our house finding my scissors/exactos, glue, and works in progress.

I keep source material in ziplock bags. In the process of starting a collage the bags invariably get emptied and the random piles and heaps become part of the process. I like finding chance combinations in the rubble. 

What do you find inspiring? My kids (almost 6 and 2) and their use of color, form, line, and space in their drawings and creations.

Hiking...Pt. Reyes, Tilden, or just exploring neighborhoods in North Oakland/Berkeley.

Transitions in nature...music that evokes these moods and spaces as well as music that propels my creative energy: John Fahey, Glenn Gould, Neu/Faust/Can, Sun City Girls, Sibylle Baier, New Zealand bands, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, The Dirty Three...

Who are your influences? Artists, music, places, nature, anything… Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Hoch, Julius Bissier, Ray Johnson...

Who are some of your favorite artists or designers? Simone Shubuck, Lance Letscher, Leslie Shows, Jane Cornwell

What is something you've always wanted to learn? How to grow moss on a bunch of rocks. How to make granola.

Anything else? Thanks to Bridget for giving me this opportunity!

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August newsletter

My New Maple, mixed media, 2014

Collages by Micah Brenner

Opening Reception: Second Saturday, August 9th • 6 to 8pm (with live music from Semi Kazakgascar)

Micah Brenner is a mixed media artist living in Oakland, CA. He combines printed and painted paper with drawing to open connections between self-expression and the remnants of everyday life. Repurposing discarded materials like handwritten scraps, junk mail, and packaging, his pieces evolve through a process of instinctive choices that reveal unexpected relationships.

Crocker ArtMix: INK

Thursday, August 14  5pm - 9pm Crocker Art Museum Delta Workshop is joining other artists and creatives for an evening celebrating INK!  Come pull a print on our tabletop press and enjoy a Thursday evening in the museum courtyard. More information is available on the Crocker Art Museum website.

Here's a peek at the classes we are lining up for fall...more details will be posted on the website soon:

Caffenol Film Developing with Bridget Lewis

The Business of Art & Beyond with Kate Farrall

Creepy Critters! Halloween Needle Felting with Leslie Stair

Cable Knitting workshop with Samantha Garcia

Knitting Socks with Samantha Garcia

Letterpress Holiday Cards with Bridget Lewis

We are back to normal hours! 

Wednesday - Saturday 11am-6pm Sunday 11am-4pm

Hope to see you soon!

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Project: Dyed picnic blanket

Tie Dye has kind of a bad reputation. Sure, rainbows are beautiful, but maybe you don't want everything to come out looking like it's 1969.

Materials needed:

old or new flat sheet (100% cotton will work best)

sink

apron

gloves

5 gallon bucket (or other similarly large container)

measuring cups and spoon (get a cheap set for craft projects so you don't need to use the set from your kitchen)

fiber reactive dye (Dharma Trading is a good source, the color I used for this project is called "Blueberry")

soda ash (optional)

rubber bands

It's best to get everything ready before you start, and you may want to do this project in the garage or laundry room (and wear old clothes).

Put on your apron and gloves.

Mix up dye in your bucket according to the package instructions, adding soda ash if you like (you can read more about the effect of soda ash here). I used 2 gallons of water (and the corresponding amount of dye) for 1 picnic blanket.

Fold your sheet. There are a million ways to fold for dyeing...I used an accordion fold to get a shibori-like effect, but you can also do a spiral, a bullseye, or even just tie it in knots.

Secure the folds with rubber bands

Place the folded item in the dye, following the package instructions (mine soaked for 1 hour).

After the time is up, remove the item from the bucket and place it carefully in the sink. Rinse it until the water almost runs clear, removing your rubber bands while rinsing.

Run the dyed sheet through the washing machine, by itself with a little detergent.

Hang it up or throw it in the dryer and you're done!

For more information on the tie dye technique, check out Tie Dye: Tie It, Dye It, Share It by Shabd Simon-Alexander. This book has great modern take on this traditional technique.

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Book Review: Sign Painters

This is the book by the makers of the Sign Painters film (side note: how can we bring this movie to Sacramento?).

The bulk of the book is made up of profiles of sign artists, and there are several photos of each person's style. Lots of inspiration for lettering, layout, and color.

There's also an appendix of sign and show card lettering:

This book not only contains valuable historic information about hand-painted signs, it also champions the future of this art. In fact, this project was one of the reasons I made the choice to hire a sign painter to do the sign at Delta Workshop.

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July newsletter

Hello Summer! Please note our July hours: Friday & Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm. We'll return to normal hours in August.

Upcoming classes

Complete Screen Printing August 10 & 24

Knitting Circle August 13 Starting in August, there will be a Knitting Circle on the 2nd Wednesday of every month!

Painting with Acrylics August 16 & 23

Upcoming events

What do you think about Delta Workshop? Take this brief, anonymous survey to share your thoughts:

Tell us what you think!

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Everything you need for a summer afternoon...

New in the shop:

Handmade totes from Hello Again Hello

Handpainted leather bracelet from Son of a Sailor

Earrings from Witt & Lore

Short Stack editions recipe-zines

Ceramic necklace from Witt & Lore

And some links to inspire things to make, read, & do:

MAKE

Wood & neon necklaces

10 DIY Projects for your next picnic

Lumi kits - I just discovered this way to make prints with the sun on fabric and paper and I'm dying to try it

READ

Well, OK, listen: Serious Talk. Seriously. A new Sacramento podcast!

DO

Join a summer reading club

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Artist Interview: Chelsea Greninger

Chelsea Greninger is the artist behind Chelseafish Ceramics, and Delta Workshop carries many of her beautiful pots. Her studio practice includes so much more than ceramics, though.

Read on for more about her process, installation and performance pieces, and her work as an art teacher in at the Natomas Charter School.

Describe your work. I know a lot of artists these days say this, but I do a lot of things! If I had to categorize these "things", I would say that they fit into two main categories: Chelseafish Ceramics which is my pottery business and mixed media installation/performance art. Chelseafish Ceramics is an exploration and collection of nautically themes terra cotta and porcelain cups, bowls, platters and vases. I am currently expanding into the realm of custom tile and tree of life sculptures. I find great joy in making functional items that are both beautiful and useful to people in their everyday lives. You can find me at GOOD street food & design market, Indie Craft Fairs, CAST and Delta Workshop. 

My mixed media installation/performance art has come out of working at my studio at Verge Center for the Arts. In the past 3 years I have become very interested in mixing installation art, digital art and performance. This interest comes from a yearly production that I do at the school that I teach at; Natomas Charter School. The production is a combination of theater, visual performance art and installation. I consider this direction and creation of these productions part of my art practice. Last year we did a remake of Georges Melies's "A Trip to the Moon" and this year we did "Gulliver's Travels". 

A TRIP TO THE MOON (Natomas Charter School's version)

Images from Gulliver's Travels

We are lucky enough to have a beautiful stage with a quality screen, projection/lighting and sound equipment. With this equipment and over a hundred students we create a digital animation that is projected onto a 9'X15' screen. The actors move behind the projection in shadow and interact with the digital animation to narrate the story. There is also a certain amount of stage set design, costume design and lighting design that we do. 

These productions have informed my personal work. 2 years ago I did a performance piece at Verge Center for the Arts titled "Versed in the Fragility of Love in this Intimate Technology". This performance installation was funded by a grant from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. I built a large enclosed structure (20'x40') out of wood and semi-shear fabric. One end looked like a front porch and the other end looked like a cross between a geodesic dome and a fox den. I projected an animation inside on the "front porch" of the structure that both myself and Ilah Rose Cookston interacted with inside the structure. The animation was a narrative tale divided into chapters with text bubbles and animated creatures such as bees and foxes. The theme of the piece focused on how one navigates the tricky activity of finding intimacy and love in this technological age.

Versed in the Fragility of Love in this Intimate Technology, 2012

What materials do you use, and why are you drawn to them? I am a clay artists at heart. I fell in love with the versatility and fragility of clay at UC Davis as an undergrad. I went on to get my Masters in Ceramics. I am a very tactile person who likes to get messy and experiment. Working with clay and glazes is very exciting to me because the possibilities are infinite. Put 1 more gram of copper carbonate in your glaze and you have a completely different glaze. I love the chemistry and transformation of it. Out of all the art forms, the process of working with clay and glazes is the most satisfying...almost more so than the product. 

I approach my installation and performance art in a similar fashion. My studio at Verge when you enter it looks like a mess of nothing really. But...in that nothing mess l find little bits of inspiration that turn into giant installation ideas. Combining these physical structures with digital imagery projection (moving light) and figures is so exciting! I am creating my own world with this medium and the possibilities are endless. Again...the process is more satisfying to me than the product.

Versed in the Fragility of Love in this Intimate Technology, 2012, detail

How long have you been making art, and what made you start? Cliche again, but I have been making art since I was a kid. I was lucky enough to have parents who put me in art classes at a young age and I went to schools that still had arts curriculum. I recall every one of my art teachers being a hero.  I started "seriously" making art or thinking that it would be a lifelong pursuit in undergrad after I took a ceramics class with Annabeth Rosen. I admired her work, her work ethic, her studio and her passion for what she did. I decided then that I would be an artist and a teacher. I have been an artist and a teacher ever since!

Chelsea's studio

Describe your studio/workspace. What do you like about it? My studio workspace is at Verge Center for the Arts. I recall when I first acquired the space 3  years ago I told myself that the space was strictly for "play". What I mean by that is I was at a stopping point with clay and shipping my heavy and fragile work around the United States. I wanted to be free from the deadlines and stress it was causing me, so I treated myself with a new work space that was designated just for play. And that is exactly what I did in this space. I filled it with items that were collected just because I thought they were beautiful and I strung them up all over my space. I played association games and truly enjoyed the process of it rather than the product of it. The end result turned into installation/performance art. Now I am getting back to clay again and converting my Verge studio into a clay studio for Chelseafish Ceramics but I will still leave a corner for "play" as I am sure that arm of my art making is not done. Switching gears is a forte of mine!

Chelsea's studio

What do you find inspiring? White clay painted on red clay. African masks. Mythical creatures. Dollhouses. Stitches. Animal nature. Human nature. Heartbreak. People being creative. Children's figures and sense of color. Tarot card art. Arches National Park. Casting slip. Tiny homes. Kiki Smith. Cezanne. Bits of fabric and buttons. Colored light projected onto planes. Crows. Blood red clay bodies. Sylvia Plath. Bird's nests. Folk art. 4 year old's drawings. Islamic tile. Boats in rivers. Genetics. Chemistry. Skin. 

Glazed pots awaiting firing

Who/what are your influences? Artists, music, places, nature, anything… You can find me lingering in the African, Oceanic and Northern American art sections of any major art museum. I am very influenced/in awe of the materials (clay, organic materials, body objects such as hair and bones). I love the hand in it...from start to finish the object was made by hand and often the materials were prepared to make the object by hand. There is a physical history to these objects and I find them both aesthetically and spiritually beautiful. I also studied psychology at UCD and often find that observing human relationships and finding metaphors between them and how animals relate to each other to be an inspiration for me.

Nature/travel and music of course are constant companions. Turkey, french countryside, Utah sandstone arches, California coastline, Andrew Bird, Northern lights, Bjork, Montana, Joni Mitchell, Jedediah Smith Redwoods, The Narrows. 

Who are your favorite artists or designers? Clay potter Ayumi Hori has inspired me in her work and her clay business. In many ways I have taken advice from her (metaphorically) as a business woman and artist. My favorite architects and engineers are Islamic. I admire folk art because you can't learn how to do it...it is just done and done beautifully. Frank Lloyd Wright. Ann Hamilton. Ilya Kabakov. William Morris. Viola Frey. Eva Zeisel. Josh DeWeese. The Mad Potter of Biloxi. 

What is something you’ve always wanted to learn? Glass blowing and rock climbing.

Anything else? I think I said it all! Just kidding. I could keep going on and on and on...SURRENDER TO THE ART!

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Book Review: How to Make Books

I read this book cover to cover on a day when I had a lot of other things I was supposed to be doing. It's GREAT. If you have ever been interested in making your own books, or curious about how to use handmade books, this book offers many great projects and ideas. The design of this book is also inspiring; the text layout, instructional drawings, and photographs will make you want to grab the nearest piece of paper and start drawing.

There is also an emphasis on using materials that you have around, recycling other materials into books, and experimentation. Handmade things don't have to be perfect, and making mock-ups and practicing techniques with scrap materials can lead to a more beautiful finished product and build confidence.

My favorite part was the mix of clear instruction on traditional book-making techniques, and the adaptation of these techniques into very contemporary and accessible projects.

I can't wait to give some of the projects in this book a try, and I know it will be a book I return to again and again for specific techniques. I hope to carry this book in the shop at some point in the near future. 

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Artist Interview: Interval Press

Second Saturday is the opening of Everything In Its Right Place, a show of new prints by Interval Press. 

The four artists that make up Interval Press, John P. Forrest, Kyle Marks, Benjamin Della Rosa, and Hans Bennewitz, were kind enough to answer a few questions about their studio practice and their work, and give some insight into this exhibition.

Detail of one of the prints from the upcoming show

Describe your work.  Interval Press, being a collective of designers require a point of departure when creating our work. For us our work is an exploration of visual communication, craftsmanship and analog experimentation.

We seek a challenge, knowledge and the unexpected. We embrace a process of trial and error. That process includes the creation of the visual statement before, and while the ink is on the screen. Due to our collective nature our aesthetic expression can vary quite a bit ranging from the concrete to the abstract.

Silk screen during printing

What materials do you use, and why are you drawn to them?

We enjoy this medium as a release from what the production of visual communication has become. Designers have become more and more removed from the final production of their work. The craftsmanship and physical restrictions inherent in producing our own work through this medium gives us a strong connection to the physical act of printing and the joy of the unexpected when ink meets paper.

Ben Della Rosa in with ink, screen, and squeegee

How did the members of Interval Press start working together?

We love music. We love design. We love ink on paper. This has been the driving motto of Interval Press for over the past 5 years. Interval Press consists of 4 partners, all of whom are educated graphic designers working and residing in Sacramento, California.

Hans Bennewitz in the studio

We are a design and printing collective based on the exploration of visual communication, craftsmanship, and analog experimentation. Interval had it's humble beginnings in 2008, when founding members Kyle Marks and Benjamin Della Rosa both Sacramento State Alumni made their dream of screen printing gig posters for local musical acts a reality. For over a year, they worked long, hard nights out of Kyle's residential garage. This eventually led them to bring onboard the help of a Mr. John P. Forrest Jr., Professor in the Department of Design at Sacramento State, whose skill and wise council in the field of design and printing was a catalyst to advancing Interval to where it is today. In 2010, the trio packed up shop and moved to Verge Center for the Arts, where they continue to produce gig posters and high-quality hand-made prints. Hans Bennewitz, Interval's 4th member, also a Sacramento State Alumni was added to the ranks in 2013 because of his endless flow of creativity, strong work ethic, and smooth wit. 

Interval press has designed and printed over fifty posters for local musicians, arts organizations, and entertainment venues. We have been selected for inclusion in multiple group exhibitions in Sacramento and have been resident artists at the Verge Center for the Arts since 2010. In an effort to connect to the community, educate, and share what we do, Interval Press has also conducted live printing demonstrations at the Crocker Art Museum, Verge Center for the Arts, Unseen Heroes Created in California Night, as well as the Good: street food + design market in the Del Paso Design District. We were also recently invited to individually contribute poster designs showcasing musicians performing at Launch, Sacramento’s annual celebration of creativity.

Inside the Interval Press studio

Describe your studio/workspace. What do you like about it?

We have been resident artists at the Verge Center for the Arts since 2010. Belonging to this community has offered us the opportunity to observe, interact with and be inspired by a wide range of creative people. The center also spurred an interaction with the public by giving us the opportunity to give printing demonstrations during the annual CAST Studio Tours.

Due to ongoing construction at Verge we recently relocated within the building. Moving to our new studio has allowed us to reconsider the layout of our equipment and workspaces considering four people working on larger and more complicated prints. We have set up the printing area in the center with the ability for all four contributors to flow around the space fulfilling different aspects of the process simultaneously. While there is a utilitarian aspect to the arrangement of materials, equipment and furniture we also try to transform the space over time to reflect our experiences, influences, successes and failures within the space.

Ink on the screen

What do you find inspiring?

Life. Good designers observe, absorb and are able to incorporate the culture at large into their understanding of what they need to communicate visually. That is a broad vague answer we know, but with four designers that is what you get.

In the studio

Who/what are your influences? 

We are all different. We all pull from a wide array of experiences. We feel this is one of our strengths. 

Screen with a stencil burned into it

Who are your favorite artists or designers?

The list is too long, but we know we are not done looking. We honor the past, revel in the present and keep looking for what is next. What is going to surprise us and make us want to produce even better work.

What does the future hold for Interval Press?

Charles Eames said "Choose your corner, pick away at it carefully, intensely and to the best of your ability and that way you might change the world." We plan on just continuing to work. No aspirations other than producing the best work we can in the moment we are in.

Anything else?

Thank you for the opportunity to share our work.

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Book review: Show Your Work!

My favorite part was the emphasis on the quality of the content you're sharing, and how it is possible (and not difficult) to generate meaningful content if you make it a priority.

(p.s. I found it at the Sacramento Public Library)

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Things to Make, See, & Do / June 6

Eat a donut today! It's National Donut Day. (one of my photos from the Caffenol Film Developing class)

Handmade Scrap Fabric Twine

DIY Concrete Planters -- nice gift for a plant-loving dad

Things to read:

The creative class, cheap living, big money, and Sacramento’s bold and daring art evolution from this week's SNR

10 Second Studio tour of Tattly studios -- these are the tattoos we have in the shop!

Retail Readiness eBook by Rena Tom

Things to do:

Check out the amazing new space and great show at Verge Center for the Arts, hours are Wed.-Sat. 11-6pm, Sun 12-6pm.

Come to Brandon Stahlman's woodblock printing demo, Sunday, June 8 11am-1pm at Delta Workshop!

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Father's day gift ideas

Sunday, June 15 is Father's day...here are some ideas from the shop if you need inspiration for the dads in your life.

Wallets from Heathered Wallets

Bay rum aftershave from Jolie's Herbals

Shaving kit from Son of a Sailor Supply (the shaving soap in this kit smells amazing!)

Beer carrier from Half Iron designs

Guitar and camera straps from Feedback straps

Cards from Panini Letterpress, Dear Hancock, and Rifle Paper Co.

Book plate stamp from Yellow Owl Workshop

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New things this week

How-to books from Microcosm Press, new and restocked t's from Marty May, LOTS of ceramics from Chelseafish ceramics, and new local letterpressed cards from Panini Letterpress in Davis.

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Hand-stamped wrapping paper

*gift tag from Panini Letterpress

Make the wrapping as special as the gift! Here’s a quick easy project that is great for big and little artists alike.

Materials needed: - wood block - string - acrylic paint - plexi glass or cookie sheet - wooden stick or plastic knife  - felt - roll of plain paper

Make your stamp:  Wrap the string around the wood block, taking care not to overlap the string on one side. That will be the side you print with.

Make your stamp pad: Spread some paint onto your plexi/cookie sheet. Lay the felt on top and press your stamp into the felt to get the felt saturated with the paint.

Stamp your wrapping paper:

Practice stamping on some scrap paper a few times to get the feel for it. 

Unroll your plain paper and cut off the size you’d like. 

Start stamping! You can make your lines all go the same way, or use an alternating pattern (like I did). The best part is that it doesn’t have to be perfect—even mistakes look great! 

Have fun with this technique—use more than one color of ink, make stamps in different sizes, stamp on cards, envelopes, and even fabric, like cloth napkins or a tablecloth. If you’re stamping on fabric, just be sure to use paint or ink that is made for fabric.