Adobe Photoshop CS5 Beta Testing

Recently I was invited to join the Beta Testing team for the new Photoshop from Adobe- CS5.  Like the rest of the prerelease team, I signed a confidentiality agreement, so I can't say anything about the new features or what features I used in the creation of this image, until the software is released.  What I can say is that this version of Photoshop is incrediblel.  There are new features that have so much potential for what I do that I am excited to use them in my work.  

Being on this team has been an awesome experience.  In general the software is faster and improved.  As usual Adobe's team does a great job.  Reading all the information on the forum has taught me a lot. It's just been exciting to be included on this team. 

The news will be out on this software soon, so keep watch for it. Photoshop is something I could not do without and it's always inspiring to get into their new ideas.

At the top is the image recently finished with CS5. The image at the bottom, is the original photo.  The bark photo is a Kauri tree from the Waipoua Forest, on the north island of New Zealand.  

This print will be printed 4 times, each one on different weights of lutradur. .  The base will be a crocheted hemp panel and as the lutradur is heat distressed, the print will be layered and assembled into the crochet.  The study that was done for this piece is on my texture blog. I am still not sure what the finished size will be, but at this time the proposed size will be 24" wide and 96" to 120" in length.  Size could depend on when I run out of hemp.   

Mariposa Grove 3 and this Kauri piece will be the last of the pieces for the Yavapai College Gallery Show that will open this May.  Lots of work to do by then.  All the other work is complete. Loved working with the new Photoshop to complete this image and I am looking forward to continue working with this dynamite program as I get the new Creative Suite 5

Extreme Textural Surfaces at Arrowmont

At the end of May, I will be teaching a 5 day workshop at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg Tennessee.  May 30-June 5, 2010.


This incredible workshop, Extreme Textural Surfaces, has a class description as follows:

This workshop is designed to produce extremely interesting textural surfaces by manipulating fabric, paper and other substrates.  During the workshop we will experiment with some, if not all of the following items:  found objects, metals, twigs, hemp, canvas, paint, thread, recycled items, metal mesh and wire.

Techniques in layering, embroidery, heat distressing, collage, digital printing and alternative bookmaking will be taught.  We will look at uncommon ways to use surfaces, with exercises that stretch beyond where we have been before.  Each participant will bring their special style to the surfaces created.

During the workshop we will explore the use of digital prints on fabric and specialty papers to be used in layers of textural fabric.  You will learn how to print on fabric to be used in your various projects.  We will print student images on a 4” x 6” printer during the workshop.

The materials presented in this workshop will encourage participants to come up with their interpretation of the ideas.  Some sewing techniques will be used and sewing machines are helpful.  For some of the textures we will create machine and hand work.

What the description doesn't tell you, is about the amazing work that is generated by the participants of this workshop. Everyone interprets the exercises in their own unique way, over the 5 day format.  It's a great chance to develop work at a new level.

A catalogue with information on registration for this workshop is available on the Arrowmont website.

You can also contact me, Kathyanne for a supply list and questions.  


See my textural blog for weekly textural surface posts. www.kathyannewhite.blogspot.com

Mariposa Grove 3

Recycled Beverage Can Installation

Since returning from my trip to Alaska, my new project is taking shape.  It was started sometime in February by figuring out what surfaces were going to be put together and how.  Then the print to work from.  Chosen surfaces decided on are: digital prints on beverage cans, digital prints on my hand made amate bark paper, twigs and hemp. 

The strands of the elements measure 10 ft long and around 1 ½ “ wide.  They are fragile, light and will hang in a circular configuration.  Of course that will be subject to change as more and more pieces are created.  Currently, over 400 cans have been printed.

There are around 400 of the small elements almost together, as you can see by the pictures below. Many piles of cans are ready to cut and assemble.  This is a seriously tedious process.  Let’s hope it has the end result I am searching for.  

Digital Mixed Media Fiber Journals

Only one month until my workshop at Hudson River Valley Fiber Workshops in Greenville,  New York. We will create "Digital Mixed Media Fiber Journals" for 5 days and stay at the lovely
Greenville Arms Inn.  One of the marvelous results of working on art for 5 days is the opportunity for fearless creating.  The more you work, the better you get. In a 5 day, retreat situation, magic happens with your art.

The workshop will have a digital element so the participants will learn how to manipulate fabric for printing.  We will precoat fabric,  print images and learn what is necessary to obtain a quality print on fabric.  The fabrics we print will be an added element in our journals or art books.

Pima tex cotton, organdy, watercolor paper, lutradur and tyvec will be among the surfaces printed. Heat distressing some of the printed surfaces, along with other fabrics will give a textural element to our pieces. Working with digital prints and manipulating them into collage makes for interesting journal pages.  Expand your thinking on how to use photographs and images in your mixed media art and journals by printing on these surfaces.

I will have tons of pieces from my stash for everyone to use, even some printed beverage cans.  There will be plenty of opportunity to get private instruction and stretch in you knowledge on digital printing and journal making in every aspect.

Contact Kim at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops  for any further information on enrollment and
accommodations.

If you have any questions about the workshop content please contact KathyAnne.

Alaska Fiber Festival Notes

Just returned from teaching in Anchorage Alaska at Alaska Fiber Festival.  It was amazing and an incredible amount of fun!  The work the students created turned out great!

During the Extreme Textural Surfaces participants stretched and experimented with elements, then developed textures and fresh ideas.

In the digital printing workshop, my little Epson PM 260 printed over 72 prints and all of them wonderful color.  Luckily the assistant that helped with all the printing was fabulous and was equal to the task.  (Thanks, Natalie:)

Then there was the watercolor paper journal class.  Every journal created showed the personality of the artist.

The last 2 workshops entailed freehand cutting and piecing techniques.  This way of working is always a challenge and the participants got it together on that subject..

All in all it was an exciting creative time.  Everyone involved in the festival did a wonderful job.  The fashion show and the quilt show were outstanding.  Glad to have been there.

The subject of textures appears in my work often and after spending 2 days in the classroom working with textural surfaces, I have decided to start posting a texture a week.  This will happen on one of my other blogs- www.kathyannewhite.blogspot.com  Every week a new texture will appear, setting up some of the ideas I working on for my next ebook "Extreme Textural Surfaces".  The more I explore the more I discover, so creating a new textural surface every week will assist me in pushing beyond what I have been thinking and developing with textures.  Of course digital prints will be one of the main elements, but who knows where this will take me.  Check it out today, the first post is already up.

Thanks to everyone in Alaska,  it was great!  You all rock!!!

Studio Matters

It's been an exciting week and there is so much going on in my studio.  Tomorrow I leave to teach 5 workshops at the Alaska Fiber Festival.  This caused a serious problem with packing enough supplies, etc to get my 2 suitcases under 50 lbs each:)   I would love to move my whole studio any time I teach a workshop, but that is not happening.  So I get as many things for the students to use as I can and have to walk away from the rest.

Also this week, Adobe invited me to join the expanded prerelease program for their new Photoshop CS5.  This is the part where you get to see what is coming up, play with the software in a beta version and find bugs and see what makes it crash.  Of course, I already had a full week planned, but I just couldn't resist working with CS5.  Since I signed a confidentiality agreement, I can't share anything about the program. Now my goal is to work on Photoshop everyday to contribute to the process.  The next couple of days will be tough with traveling, but there are some new images in the works and these would be great ones to create with CS5.

  Crocheted hemp, crocheted wire, twigs, textural work in progress.