Acrylic Printmaking with a Gelli Plate: Demo & Mini-Workshop Sept. 18 by Sharon Giles in Farmers Branch

Sharon Giles will demo and and teach a mini-workshop on Gelli printing for the Farmers Branch – Carrollton Art Association (FBCAA) meeting on September 18, 2018. Guests are welcome for the demo 10:30 – noon. The mini-workshop is $10 and runs from 1-3pm.

To sign up for the workshop, contact Bess Saloman at besstek@yahoo.com.

Location is the Craft Room of the Farmers Branch Senior Center. For more about FBCAA, see their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/farmersbranchcarrolltonart

Acrylic Printmaking with a Gelli Plate
Gelli or gel plates are the permanent silicone version of the old-fashioned and perishable gelatin plate. It’s also possible to make your own permanent gelatin plate and Sharon will explain how to do this.
And best of all, expensive paper and paint are not required to get wonderful results. Plus you already have some of the tools to get started or you can find them around the house or yard.
Sharon will demonstrate the major techniques: mark making, layering, and using stencils, stamps, masks, and found objects. Plus a newly discovered way to use magazine pages as resists.
Gelli prints can be framed or serve as the basis for a painting or mixed media work or just as part of your artistic process. They can also be used as collage in art journals, ATCs, cardmaking, and mixed media.

Workshop: (Limit: 8 students)To sign up for the workshop, contact Bess Saloman at besstek@yahoo.com.

Put the fun back into your art! If you’re perfectionistic or have a fear of making a wrong mark or ruining a piece of art paper, gelli printing will definitely remove it. You will make lots of art! And it will be messy, but fun.

Basic supplies and tools will be provided: Acrylic paint, paper, brayer, water container, spray bottle, Gelli plate, stencils, masks, paper towels and other tools. (Sorry, you don’t get to keep the tools, just the results.) Artists will also receive a summary handout on techniques.

You can bring additional supplies if you want to: Stencils, masks, mark-making tools, letter-size or 9×12 paper, and your favorite colors of acrylics in any brand. If you have a gelli plate and brayer, please bring those. Bring an apron or wear grunge clothes.

For information on Gelli Plates, see http://www.gelliarts.com and https://gelpress.com

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Sharon Giles 
SWA SWS TxN

A former medical librarian and online researcher, I have always been interested in art. There’s two major parts to my life: the artistic side and the techie side.

My artistic training includes basic courses in college and local classes with with prominent artists: Cecy Turner, Naomi Brotherton, Maureen Brouillette, etc.  Plus numerous workshops with local and nationally-known artists.

My art interests include water media, collage, mixed media, marbling and printmaking (usually with a gelli plate.) I’ve also experimented with oils, encaustics, and pastels. I’ve taught classes and workshops in my major interests.

I’ve been awarded Signature Status from the Society of Watercolor Artists, Southwestern Watercolor Society, and the Texas & Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition. My artwork has also won numerous awards in local competitions.

My art has been on exhibit in such venues as the Trinity Arts Guild Gallery, Fort Worth Central Library, UNT Health Science Center Atrium Gallery, Jaycee Park Center for the Arts, the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Center Gallery, Irving Arts Center, the Eisemann Center Gallery, and many others.

As a librarian, I was fortunate to be immersed in information technology from the beginning of the digital age. I worked primarily as a database searcher for libraries in the University of Texas System: Southwestern Medical Center and UT Arlington.

When the internet age dawned, I taught basic HTML to help people create web pages. Then over time, I replaced coding wth more sophisticated front ends for programming (like WordPress).

I’m currently the webmaster (along with Nancy Friedel) for ArtNewsDFW.com, a visual arts resource for the North Texas area. The website is devoted to news of art events hosted by nonprofit visual art groups in the North Texas area plus news about local artists. Find out about exhibits, meetings, art instruction, art festivals, and opportunities for artists. You can also subscribe to daily or weekly email newsletters for free. We also have a Facebook page, a Facebook group and a Twitter feed (@artnewsdfw).

I am the longtime webmaster for the Irving Art Association. I have also provided web support for the Society of Watercolor Artists in Fort Worth, the Southwestern Watercolor Society in Dallas and Texas Visual Art Association (TVAA) in Dallas.

For more about me and my artwork, see my website: SharonGilesArt.com.