CQA members get messy at annual "Play Day"

CQA artists at play, January 9, at Bellevue Arts Museum

Splashing paint around was definitely on the agenda as members of CQA got together January 9 at Bellevue Arts Museum for the group's annual "Play Day" to try out a variety of surface design techniques. Many thanks to the Program Committee for the arrangements (Helen Johnston, Nicole McHale) and especially to the instructors/demonstrators for being so generous with their materials and information: silk screening (Colleen Wise), stamping (Margaret Liston), "gelli printing" (Ginnie Hebert), and marbling (Helen Johnston). And thanks to BAM for hosting us again for this, our third year of play days. A good time was had by all! Here's a look at the day's activities, in photos.

STAMPING WITH TEXTILE PAINTS

Some stamps required careful painting. (That's instructor Margaret Liston at left.)

Other stamps could be painted more casually.

Stamping the same design in different colors makes for an interesting result.

Overlaying a different stamp design in a third color adds even more interest.

SILK SCREENING

Instructor Colleen Wise (green shirt) imparts the basics of silk screening on fabric.

Leaves proved to be a popular design for silk screening.

This silk screen for a pattern features both orange and purple paint....

...for a very  interesting two-color result.

Silk screening patterns, rather than objects, was also popular...

...as in this nice contrasty result.

MARBLING

In marbling, drops of paint on a jelly-like surface can be swirled for free-form patterns...

...with this attractive result.

This multicolor marble paint pattern will have spectacular results.

An interesting swirl pattern in neutrals. The blue and yellow "masks" in the background have holes that confine the paints and provide interesting patterns [see photo below].

Very unusual results were achieved with the use of a mask with many open "holes."

A bright marbled design.

Marbled pieces: The one at the left used the "mask" with holes; the one at the right was free-form.

"GELLI PRINTING"

Monoprints, many with textures from pattern forms (right foreground) were achieved from fabric paints applied to "gelli" forms such as the circle, right background.

Daubs of paint were applied to the gelli forms (this one a rectangle), then spread out with a brayer, so that fabric could be placed on the paint to achieve the desired monoprint design.

The paint was given this design on the round gelli plate...

...fabric was then placed over the paint and firmly rubbed....

...so that the painted design is offset onto the fabric.

Twin designs from the gelli plate were achieved directly (left) and with a stencil (right).

...AND SOME MORE FINISHED PRODUCTS:

Products achieved through silk screening and gelli printing, above and below.