New Fall Art Classes

Fall is here and so are my new art classes at Castle in the Air, on 4th Street in Berkeley.
If you want to sign up for a class call the shop at 510/ 2049801 or go online here to sign up
I look forward to seeing you and creating together!
all the best,
elisabeth

Silhouette Luminary
Have fun playing with silhouettes, either affixing them to a luminary
to cast flickering shadows or framing them. For the silhouette, bring
to class some profile photos of you or a friend. Make sure they have a
light background. (These portrait silhouettes are more traditional,
but you could actually do a silhouette of almost anything – a bird, a
cityscape, a flower, or the Eiffel Tower, for example.) You’ll learn
how to use a scanner and a simple transfer technique to outline the
resulting silhouette on special, self-adhesive black paper, which
Castle imports from Germany. You’ll then use paper punches, black
Dresden, and decorative papers to create your silhouette luminary or
picture.
Fee: $75; includes materials. Bring a pair of sharp scissors for fine
cutting. Nail scissors work well.
Instructor: Elisabeth Alexander. Limit: 10 students.
Tuesday, October 5th, 6pm-9pm


Whimsical Witches
Here’s a chance for you to be a freakishly fiendish witch for
Halloween! It will be your face staring out from this Whimsical Witch
Halloween collage. Or perhaps you want it to be a friend’s face.
Before class, email the photo you’d like to use to Elisabeth (email to
be supplied). She will transform your photo into a black and white
image properly sized to fit seamlessly on a paper bodice. You’ll have
the fun of creating the witch’s costume from a selection of fabulous
papers, rubber stamps, Dresden, and ribbon. Give your card as a
Halloween gift or keep it for yourself. If you prefer not to use a
photo, Elisabeth will have extra images available for you to use.
Fee: $75; includes materials, but feel free to bring holiday themed
papers and ephemera to use.
Instructor: Elisabeth Alexander. Limit: 12 students.
Wednesday, October 27th, 6pm-9pm

Gilded Holiday Emblem
Inspired to create a more meaningful Christmas celebration, Elisabeth
designed these small holiday ornaments. Each contains a word or brief
phrase to identify something from the past year for which she’s
grateful, or to signify a quality or blessing she would like to invite
into her home and life for the coming year. The simple but charming
ornaments are created with vintage images, paper punches, rubber
stamps, and German glass glitter.
Fee: $75; includes materials, but feel free to bring small images
meaningful to you.
Instructor: Elisabeth Alexander. Limit: 12 students.
Tuesday, December 7th, 6pm-9pm

Meeting Nikki McClure

I have been admiring the work of paper-cut artist Nikki McClure for a while. I bought two of her prints at Giant Robot and blogged about her here. So it was my good fortune to meet her in person, when she gave a talk about her new children's book "Mama, is it summer yet?"
(Thank you, Sarah, for alerting me to the event!)

I loved hearing how she does her paper cuts and seeing her tools, including an ultra-special Japanese sticky cutting mat. Meeting her in person was a delight, because she is such a kind and positive person!

What I'm working on for fall

Girlie Silhouette Collage




Long Berries and Chain Necklace

It's this time of the year: I need to kick some butt and make new things. i am just getting started I am playing around with different media and hope to develop some art classes (to be taught in the fall) and create jewelry (to be sold soon). I am looking for opportunities to teach in the Bay Area and for some cool and stylish stores that would sell my jewelry. Do you know of any? Ideas and advice is welcome.

A modern take on paper cutting by Jen Stark

I saw some of Jen Stark's impressive paper sculptures at Johannson Projects gallery in Oakland. I had seen an image of her work on the inviation card for the show and immediately felt that I needed to see it up close to believe and understand what was going on. Was it really just a stack of paper into which she had cut systemmatical and then bend the paper corners up? And yes, thats exactly what she does. It's simple, but genius. This type of paper cutting is very different compared to the traditional, folk art type that I am usually in love with. For starters Jen's stuff is abstract and colourful, actually bursts of color! The traditional paper cuttings are mostly figurative (or invove at least patterns) and black. I enjoy the aspect of dimensionality she brings to her work and that reminds me of japanese origami. On her web site is a video, where she talks about how she got started, which was on a trip to Europe and she didn't have her art supplies with her. She bought a stack of cheap colourful papers and a pair of scissors and started experimenting.

The art of paper cutting by Nikki McClure

Nikki McClure cuts paper like she would draw with a ink pen. Her images are about the simple, but profound pleasures and wonders of cooking and nurturing and our deep connection to nature. You can see a lovely little video about her life in Olympia, Washington , collecting eggs from her hens, harvesting cherries and hanging up her laundry. All such essential and beautifully simple acts that seem to get lost in our busy city lives. She produces for several years now a calender with her images as well as posters, that she self publishes. Her images are gentle reminder of how to live our lives better and more in accord with nature and the seasons. She is the perfect poster child of the green movement!

Shadow Puppets

1001 Butterflies

I spent 6 wonderful years at Oxford Elementary school volunteering and teaching art to the kids. My favorite art project was a farewell present to the leaving principal Kathleen Lewis. Inspired by the story of the 1001 origami cranes, I set out with the kids to create 1001 butterflies. A group of parents and I pre-cut 1100 butterflies in 4 different shapes and 3 different sizes. The kids decorated the black construction paper butterflies with glittery or flurescent gel pens (which I got for free from the Sakura Gelly Pen Company). For several weeks I went from class to class until all 300 kids at Oxford Elemantary had created 1001 butterflies. My friends Pam and Ellie helped me turn the unveiling of the butterflies into a powerful event. All kids, teachers and the beloved pricipal were present and blown away, by the power of 1001 butterflies!

Window Stars

2 weeks ago I visited Ms. Searle's 7th grade class and brought in an art project that was connected to their learning about historical Islamic culture. We made paper stained glass stars, trying to replicate the beautiful and intricate geometrical patterns found in the mosaics of Islamic architecture. We talked about how their very advanced creation of patterns and arabesques was connected to their religion and the flourishing of science, particularly mathematics. This is another example that proves how close art and science are.Often people don't put the two together and actually think of art and science opposed to each other.
I also liked this project, because it is perfect for the holiday season without being traditional or leaning towards any religious holiday symbols. Its just festive and can be used by anybody.

Ephemeral Lingerie

Ephemeral Lingerie - paper cut out 2003
Showing "Ephemeral Lingerie" and "Forever Sexy" at Balazoo Gallery in the Mission, San Francisco, 2004
Art Opening of Stencilart.org's show in San Francisco 2003

I had the good fortune of exhibiting two of my cut outs some time ago at two art exhibitions in San Francisco. "Ephemeral Lingerie" is very dear to me - not only because it took a long time, but because I like the surreal notion of paper underwear. I always think I should follow up with some other garments.

The queen of papel picado

Margarita Fick is a Mexican artist I have admired for a while. We bought one of her papel picados in Oaxaca. Her work is absolutely exceptional. I found this web site, where she sells her art and you can read up on her.

Dia de los Muertos and Papel Picados

our day of the dead altar in 2004 - the year Johnny Cash died
Our ofrenda (altar) in 2005
ofrenda 2006 with my paper cut out of a rakish Mr. Skull
Dia de los muertos/hallowen dispaly with my paper cut out of "forever sexy" Mrs. Skull in her lingerie

I love papel picados (mexican paper cut outs) , in fact I love all paper cut out or scherenschnitte (as they are called in Germany). I have made a variety of them over the years and like particularly my two big Mr. and Mrs. Skull, that I hang up on Halloween, Dia de los muertos.