Marbled Book Cloth Tutorial

Calling all bookbinders and marblers! Turn your marbled fabric into book cloth!

The ever-talented Ali Manning of Vintage Page Designs has created a marvelous tutorial (both video and written!) on turning cotton fabric into book cloth to use on handmade books with hard covers. This is a FANTASTIC way to use your marbled fabric to create unique, personalized books or journals.

Truth be told, I get asked frequently if marbled fabric can be turned into book cloth and my answer has always been, “I don’t know because I don’t know how to make book cloth!” Well, now I can enthusiastically say, “Yes!”

Head on over to Ali’s website for the video and instructions. And while you’re there, check out the details on her Handmade Book Club. It looks like a winner!

First Marbling Class of 2020!

I’m excited to be kicking off the new year at BookArts LA again with my 2-day Introduction to Paper Marbling immersion class February 8-9, 2020.

Want to learn something new (or develop your marbling skills further), play with color and concept, and work hand-in-hand with the elements of surprise, wonder, and awe? Then I invite you to join me in my favorite class where we get TWO FULL DAYS to dive deep into technical skills, traditional patterns (and variations of patterns), techniques, and troubleshooting (the key to any successful marbling session!)...with time for play and experimentation in the tank too. By the time you are done with the weekend, you’ll have the confidence and technical expertise to start marbling on your own at home.

With a maximum of eight students, there is a lot of personal attention! And the best part is that everything is provided for you. You just show up and have fun!

For more details or to register for the class, visit www.BookArtsLA.org or click on the link below. Hope to show you the joys of marbling!

BookArtsLA
Saturday, February 8 and Sunday, February 9, 2020
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days)
11720 Washington Place, Los Angeles

Summer Marbling Class - July 27-28!

Get ready for some summertime marbling fun! I’m excited to be back at BookArts LA again with my 2-day Introduction to Paper Marbling immersion class on July 27-28, 2019.

Want to learn something new (or develop your marbling skills further), play with color and concept, and work hand-in-hand with the elements of surprise, wonder, and awe? Then I invite you to join me in my favorite class where we get TWO FULL DAYS to dive deep into technical skills, traditional patterns (and variations of patterns), techniques, and troubleshooting (the key to any successful marbling session!)...with time for play and experimentation in the tank too. By the time you are done with the weekend, you’ll have the confidence and technical expertise to start marbling on your own at home.

With a maximum of eight students, there is a lot of personal attention! And the best part is that everything is provided for you. You just show up and have fun!

For more details or to register for the class, visit www.BookArtsLA.org or click on the link below. Hope to show you the joys of marbling!

BookArtsLA
Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28, 2019
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days)
11720 Washington Place, Los Angeles

Meet the Marbler: Pat K. Thomas

There are moments in time that you can easily identify as pivotal. They are the ones that shine bright and strong in the deepest pockets of our memories. And they are the ones that immediately stir soulful happiness in our hearts. Taking a marbling class from Pat K. Thomas is one of those pivotal moments for me. Pat was the second teacher I studied with (and whom I ended up taking two classes from because she had that much impact on me) and her calm, confidence, and sense of adventure in the tank is something I admire so greatly. She’s one of the most consistent marblers I’ve seen, nailing traditional patterns and creating unique designs with an elegance, grace, and charisma like no one else I’ve witnessed. She always has a smile on her face when at the tank and energy to match. And it is her ability to break down the nuances of each stroke in a pattern that helped shape the way I looked at my tools, tank, bath, and paints and their relationship to my movements. In fact, as I was working on this interview with her, I realized she has also had an influence on a large part of my teaching style for that very reason.

With over 25 years at the marbling tank, a keen sense of observation, and a fresh spirit, the marbling community is so lucky to have Pat as a resource and ambassador of the art form in both its traditional and contemporary forms. Read on to learn more about her marbling journey.

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Tell us about the first time you were exposed to marbling. What attracted you to the art form and why were you compelled to learn how to do it?

The first live demonstration of marbling I witnessed was in historic Williamsburg, Va. in the late ‘80s. In the Print Shop, a gentleman in Colonial garb was pulling these wonderful patterned papers from a battered, dull copper vat. The papers and the process immediately appealed to me. Unfortunately, this was before the advent of personal computers and the ever-helpful Google. It was difficult to track down the odd materials necessary for marbling.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tenn., which is right near me, offered a marbling class taught by Mimi Schleicher in 1990. I was hooked immediately! There was no turning back! Mimi’s mother, Patty Schleicher, traveled to the class to teach an impromptu book binding session. I still hear her voice telling all of us to brush glue from the middle gently out to the edges of the covers of our first books. I had always been attracted to letter forms, old books, and all things paper, so marbling encompassed all this for me.

After Mimi’s workshop, I ordered the elusive materials: ox gall, watercolor marbling paints, carrageenan, and aluminum sulphate. I mixed it all up and remember standing behind a brand new wooden tray and wondering, “What do I do now!?!?” Eventually, after much experimentation and many terrible papers, a rhythm developed. Stones, Gelgit, Nonpareil, adapt, repeat. The steps were comforting, the consistency of results was encouraging, the range of colors and patterns were seemingly endless, the reoccurring air bubbles were continuously frustrating.

How has the art form changed from the days when you first started marbling? What is the most noticeable difference in marbling today from when you first started marbling?

Marbling is one giant science experiment. I made a transition from the paints I learned to marble with to Golden Fluid Acrylics. I dropped the nasty ox gall to the new equivalent of Golden’s Acrylic Flow Release, which I believe has been renamed as a Wetting Agent. I never did like the stirring the clay bodies that settled at the bottom of the open jars. I prefer my paints in plastic squeeze/shaker bottles. The acrylics stay suspended over time (except for the blues).

How would you describe your marbling style (i.e. traditional, contemporary, experimental, modern, etc.) and why do you approach the art form that way?

My marbling style is all across the spectrum. I am happy marbling traditional patterns all day long. Some days, I am ecstatic to create lots of border white space and marble just the essence of a contemporary interpretation of a pattern. I marble paper, silk scarves, leather, three-dimensional objects. I’m always expanding my expertise for my own growth and for the students I teach.

After the Storm

Trio in Red

Essence

New Morning and Silver Moon

Mulit-axis Moire

Panache

Rockscape

One of the things I really admire about you is the way you bring marbling into other creative endeavors. You recently taught a class at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts on marbling on alternative surfaces (beyond regular paper). In addition, you’ve incorporated marbling into your contemporary fine art pieces. How does marbling on non-traditional surfaces and for non-traditional uses (beyond bookbinding) change the way you approach the marbling tank? In other words, how is it different for you than marbling on paper? Walk us through your thought process.

Marbling Alternative Surfaces is a workshop I developed because of woodturners’ interest in marbling their 3D wood pieces. Whenever Rudy Lopez, woodturner and instructor, and I taught the same week, we marbled wood pieces. I’ve given several demonstrations to woodturner groups, so it was time to offer an official class. I’ve taught the class twice so far and am amazed at the variety of alternative surfaces students tried: shells, shoes, bisqueware, cork, leather, wood, leaves, lampshades, papier mâché. Great fun! I imagine a 3D object flattened out, like the old orange-peel maps of the world in the back of social studies books. This estimate determines the size of the tray. I use square planters, 10" x 10" x 10" for small objects and 16" x 16" x 16" for larger objects. Simple patterns such as Stone or Gelgit translate best on 3D objects. For wood, I prefer earthy colors and metallics. Marbling 3D objects requires a lot of size to be made since the marbler needs depth as well as surface.

When I marble my mixed-media art pieces, I use half of my 80" x 18" scarf tray. The art pieces are usually 11-12" x 30-36". I use high-quality print paper or watercolor papers. I love to preserve the deckle edges of the papers. The heavier papers allow multiple movements in a multi-axis moiré pattern. Paired with polished sliced agates, bleached shells and corals, or interesting drift wood, the finished wall art is both contemporary and organic.

Initially, I loved my contemporary pieces as large as the paper dimensions and tray would allow, but currently I am adjusting the sizes to a smaller version. The large 24" x 30" pieces are morphing into 9" x 20" and the 12" x 32" size is changing to a 8" x 16". Not everyone has the wall space for the full-size pieces, so I listen and adapt my work.

Recently, I had a dream of another type of mixed-media piece that features marbling as a base and layers other techniques over and over again. In the dream it looked great! I can’t wait to try it!

Each type of marbling is basically the same, with differences to be adjusted according to the material being marbled. I use the same paint and carrageenan mixture for all my marbling. I no longer mix in an additive for fabric after experimenting with one and not feeling a discernible difference.

Fabric marbling class at Arrowmont

Fabric marbling class at Arrowmont

Fabric marbling class at Arrowmont

Fabric marbling class at Arrowmont

Pat's tools for class at Campbell Folkschool

Paper marbling class at Campbell Folkschool

Sumi demo at Campbell Folkschool

As one of my first marbling teachers, I admire your teaching style and have modeled my own classroom style after you. What do you like about teaching?

Teaching is a way to continue the art of marbling to an entirely new group of people. Some may never marble again outside of the class, but many have launched their own marbling careers after taking a one. This is very gratifying to me as a teacher.

You are a prolific teacher, leading a wide variety of classes in many different locations. Where do you teach and what kind of classes do you conduct?

Private or small group instruction is taught in my studio in Gatlinburg, Tenn. and tailored to the wants of the students. I also teach at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C., Arrowmont School of Arts and Craft in Gatlinburg, Tenn., event centers, other regional art schools, and by invitation to various groups and conferences. I teach a variety of classes from beginning paper marbling and silk scarf/fabric marbling to an historic cultural approach to marbling and marbling and bookbinding, including miniature marbling for miniature bookbinding. I’d like to teach a totally experimental marbling class to marblers with experience. We’ll see if that can happen!

Tell us about Cliff Dwellers Gallery in Gatlinburg, Tenn., which is where your marbling studio is located, and your experience with the other artists working there and the public who visits.

My marbling studio is in the 1940s upstairs living room of Cliff Dwellers Gallery. An artist, Louis Jones, built the two-story shop and living quarters in downtown Gatlinburg just as the Great Smoky National Park was established in 1934. He and his wife, Emma, lived upstairs and ran the downstairs gallery. In 1994, the building was moved to the Great Smoky Arts and Craft Community in Gatlinburg and we re-opened in May 1996.

Myself and three women artists cooperatively own the Gallery. We maintain open studios when we work upstairs. Visitors get to see the magic of marbling firsthand and I wind up explaining marbling in fifty words or less to each new group. For most people, this is their first experience with marbling. Some have subsequently been interested enough to sign up for classes.

It makes my day when a visitor is excited to see marbled papers available! To me, my marbled papers are complete when they become someone’s finished art project. It is great fun to hear the wide spectrum of projects the papers become part of, everything from family cookbook covers, fireplace mantels, and background cabinet decorations for Fiestaware dishes to lots of cards and paper projects!

What is the greatest challenge (either technically or mentally) you face when it comes to marbling?

Lately, the greatest challenge to my marbling is finding three days in a row open so I can marble! Life has been busier at the Gallery with fewer workers. The luxury of a whole free week to marble is a thing of the past. Since I am an owner/partner of Cliff Dwellers, I make a range of marbled products for retail sale including full sheets of traditional marbled papers, a variety of books, silk scarves, boxed notecards, my specialty-art wall pieces, and frameable one-of-a-kind contemporary marbling.

What advice would you give to a new marbler or someone thinking about taking up marbling?

My advice to a new marbler is to take as many classes as possible and incorporate the different approaches and find your own voice. Put out the best marbling you can produce because you are representing not only yourself, but a whole history of marblers. Marbling is an archaic art with a rich and varied history over many cultures and centuries. It is my goal to keep marbling fresh and contemporary by re-inventing it for today’s modern, discerning audience. Today’s marblers have the advantage of social media and support groups for questions and inspiration. You Tube is a great teaser, but nothing replaces a hand-on class!

Is there a marbler (or marblers!) whom you admire…and what is it about them that you admire?

I am thankful for Jake Benson, Larissa Don, Robert Wu, and so many others for information and inspiration.

Are you working on any new marbling projects or have any marbling news you are excited to share?

Because of the time commitment of the Gallery and teaching, I only do one major show a year as part of the Foothills Craft Guild I belong to. Recently, I was asked to participate in a fundraiser for the Cancer Support Community in Knoxville, Tenn. What a wild ride that was—speed marbling! Four trays, two 18" x 80" trays and two 24" x 24" trays going every fifteen minutes for three hours with complete novices as marblers! Excellent volunteers were provided as assistants; complete sets of paints in all-new 4-ounce bottles; numbered, pre-determined colorways were selected; and simplified examples of marbled patterns in all the colorways were available to choose from. Forget official names of patterns—enter visual names like feathers, wings, spirals. This event required a tremendous amount of preparation of samples, paints, carrageenan, alummed scarves, directions for the completion of the scarves. But the end result was rewarding!

I’d like to explore publishing my teaching syllabus as a book for my students and the larger marbling community. And there’s that dream I had of the mixed-media apparition that I’d like to pursue…

Anything else you want to share about your experience as a marbler?

Marbling is a state of mind, a lifestyle of color and pattern of past, present, and future. This obscure art form encompasses your waking moments and inhabits your dream world. And I wouldn’t want it any other way!

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Where to Find Pat K. Thomas

Studio: Cliff Dwellers Gallery, 668 Glades Rd., Gatlinburg, TN 37738 (865-436-6921)

Email: seenmymarbles@bellsouth.net

Facebook: SeenMyMarbles

Website: www.patkthomas.com

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Read More Meet the Marbler Interviews

with Erin Pieronek

with Olga Kaurova

with Regina and Dan St. John

Spring Marbling Classes!

The rain has stopped, the temps are rising, and it’s finally nice enough to head into the studio ALL DAY and play at the tank. That means SPRING MARBLING CLASSES have been scheduled! I’m excited to welcome new and returning students to join me at my studio in South Pasadena to explore the wonderful world of marbling.

There is a little bit of everything for everyone, including an OPEN STUDIO (the first in a long time!) option for current and former marbling students. I’m also giving a discount for early-bird sign ups so be sure to register for class by Friday, April 12 for significant savings!

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Open Studio (5 hours)

Date: Saturday, April 13
Time: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Cost: $65 for large tank (20x25), $40 for medium tank (11x14)
The cost includes bath (one time tank fill), up to 10 paints, alum, distilled water, dispersant and retarder, use of tank and tools, and use of studio space. You bring your own paper (or other materials to marble upon…or purchase from me) and extra paint (if necessary). If you need a refill of bath, there will be an additional charge.

Available to my current and former marbling students, I offer open studio time as a way of giving those who don’t have studio space the chance to continue to experience and explore the joys of marbling beyond the classroom ~ and at an affordable price.

Here’s how it works:

• Open studio is a set time frame where you are free to come and go as you please. Stay for an hour ~ or the entire time (the cost is the same). It’s totally up to you.

• Your marbling station is set up (bath and alum is already made for you!) and ready for you to use. You just need to mix your paints and alum papers (if you haven’t done so already) and you’re off and marbling!

• Choose what tank size you want to marble in (11×14 or 20×25). This will be your dedicated tank the whole time. No one else will use it.

• There is no formal instruction, however, I will be available to answer questions.

• Open Studio is available ONLY to former or current students of mine. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please be sure to read the Open Studio guidelines on the registration page for complete details.

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Introduction to Paper Marbling Immersion Class (2-days)

Date: Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days)
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT (sign up by April 12): $385 (includes all materials)
Cost after April 12: $435 (includes all materials)
Minimum 4 students, maximum 7 (lots of personal attention!)

In this 2-day comprehensive class, students will learn the nuts and bolts of the art form, dive into traditional pattern making (foundation and advanced patterns) using the large marbling tank (20x25), and have time for creative exploration. We’ll spend a lot of time discussing troubleshooting, the key to a successful marbling experience. We’ll marble on alternative materials (vinyl, cork, natural materials, and 3D objects) and play a bit with additives. You'll leave with a robust understanding of the art form, dozens of marbled papers and other marbled materials, and the confidence to start marbling at home.

This class is fast paced and packed full of information. It is also physically demanding…we are on our feet all day and constantly moving from one end of the studio to the other. We also will be working both inside and outside of the studio so you will be exposed to the elements for brief bits of time (like sun!). But most of all, we have A LOT of fun.

Everything is provided for you—carrageenan bath, mordant, distilled water, paints, use of tank and tools, paper and other materials to marble on, and handouts—just show up and have fun!

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Beginning Paper Marbling (6 hours)

Date: Saturday, May 4
Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (includes BYO lunch/break)
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT (sign up by April 12): $195 (includes all materials)
Cost after April 12: $225 (includes all materials)
Minimum of 5 students, maximum of 8

In this hands-on class, we will walk through the marbling set-up step-by-step from making the bath and mordant to mixing paints and preparing paper. We then will work in the medium tank (11x14) to learn the five foundation patterns and venture into advanced patterns as time permits with shared access to the large tank (20x25). By the end of class, you will have the knowledge and confidence to start marbling at home…not to mention many beautiful marbled papers!

The class fee includes EVERYTHING—paper, carrageenan bath, mordant, distilled water, paints, use of tank and tools, and handouts—just show up and have fun!

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Marbling on Fabric (7 hours) — prior marbling experience necessary!

Date: Sunday, May 5
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (includes BYO lunch/break)
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT (sign up by April 12): $265 which includes all materials except your fabric PLUS one-year access to my Marbling on Fabric eCourse (a bonus gift valued at $99)!
Cost after April 12: $295 which includes all materials except your fabric PLUS one-year access to my Marbling on Fabric eCourse (a bonus gift valued at $99)!
Maximum of 4 students! A very small, semi-private class!

In this full-day adventure, each student will work in their own marbling tank large enough to marble individual fat quarters. There will also be a group tank that will fit scarves up to 17x73 or a regular quarter yard of fabric. We will learn how to properly prepare fabric to be marbled upon, cover advanced techniques such as overmarbling and masking, discuss strategics for design, learn troubleshooting solutions, and review post marbling curing techniques. At the end of class, you will have approximately 10-15 marbled fat quarters and 3-5 silk scarves.

Prior marbling experience is a prerequisite. You must have taken a class from me or another professional marbler to attend (self-taught marblers must talk with me before signing up to assess level of marbling skills). There is no beginning marbling instruction provided in this class.

PLEASE NOTE: All your fabric must be prepared for marbling prior to class. This includes washing, alumming, and an optional ironing. Instructions will be sent to you beforehand and can be done up to two weeks prior to class. The time it takes to prep your fabric varies on quantity but for what you will use in class, you likely will need 6 to 8 hours.

Everything for this class will be provided for you EXCEPT your fabric: tanks and tools, bath, acrylic paints, prepping and post-marbling curing instructions. You just need to bring your prepped fabric and your creative spirit! You also get one-year access to my Marbling on Fabric eCourse (a bonus gift valued at $99)!

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Remember…register for class
by Friday, April 11
to receive Early Bird Discounts!

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email.

Hope to show you the joys of marbling and play in the tank with you soon!

Meet the Marbler: Erin Pieronek

One of my goals for Meet the Marbler is to not only spotlight professional marblers but also to feature students who have gone on to become avid marblers themselves. They, like me, were bitten hard by the marbling bug and could not resist the call to go deeper into their marbling practice, often incorporating marbling into their existing creative adventures. To watch my students flourish at the tank beyond the walls of the classroom is nothing short of pure joy to my marbling heart.

I’m really excited that my first “student” feature is Erin Pieronek (though she is well beyond that classification now!). When Erin is in the room, you’d have to try really hard not to be affected by her enthusiasm and infectious smile. As a teacher, having her in class is such a gift because she approaches learning with zest, deep curiosity, and enthusiasm. She sees marbling as a constantly moving target that isn’t meant to be conquered but rather something to surrender to…a brilliant strategy any serious marbler will tell you is absolutely necessary for one’s sanity. She is currently mashing up her letterpress skills with marbling and wowing me with her work.

I’m always intrigued by people’s marbling journey and Erin’s is no exception. Settle in and enjoy her marbling story.

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You have taken an in-studio class with me as well as private lessons and have rounded out your learning with one of my marbling eCourses. What attracted you to the art of marbling and why were you compelled to learn how to do it?

I have always been fascinated by marbling. I once bought a copy of a Martha Stewart magazine that I held onto for years. It gave step-by-step how to do it but it seemed so over whelming I never tried.

A teacher and friend had recommended I look into classes at BookArtsLA. One Saturday night, I looked it up. Your class was listed for that weekend. I followed the linked to Clouds on Water and watched your video several times. I couldn’t get enough! I had to finally try marbling. Sadly, that class was the very weekend I was looking at the website. I’d missed it! So I emailed you and waited until the next class you had. I haven’t looked back since.

How would you describe your marbling style (i.e. traditional, contemporary, experimental, modern, etc.) and why do you approach the art form that way?

I would describe my style as experimental. It is rewarding to have a classic pattern turn out but I usually want to alter or disrupt it. Some of my favorite pieces are from what I thought was a mistake so I went one step further in experimenting with nothing to lose.

Most of my work now is combining letterpress with marbling. I print a number of different words or phrases so I have options to work with. Once I create my pattern on the bath, I select the phrase I believe best suits it. Other times I add the letterpress after I marble. Each one is different with its own personality. You said when I took my first class with you not to worry if I didn’t like a piece today; look at it again tomorrow and you will find something amazing about it you missed the first time. You’ve been right many times.

Prior to learning how to marble, you already were a talented letterpress artist and graphic designer. How have you incorporated marbling into your existing creative practice?

I wouldn’t say I was a talented letterpress artist first but I was a designer. I had taken a class but the two art forms have really evolved side by side. I’ve always been a creative person and my choice of medium has changed a number of times. I laughingly say I am a serial monogamous artist. My BA is actually in Theatre Art though I always dabbled in applied arts even then. Starting in 2000, I did a lot of mosaics for a number of years. I also enjoyed scrapbooking during the same period. I taught scrapbooking, card making, and stamping for Paper Source. It was during that time that I fell in love with the art of letterpress but it was still a while before I actually learned how to do it myself.

I’m not sure that all these creative practices interact with each other but each is certainly an expression of my obsession with color. Colors make me happy. I use to do needle point (and cross stitch and knit) and the best part, outside of finishing, was gathering the pretty threads to start the project. All those beautiful threads saturated with color. I think there is power in color to create beauty and joy. The best complement someone can give me of my art is it makes them happy, inspires them, or makes them smile. In marbling, it seems like every color goes together which allows for greater freedom. In letterpress, I work with either polymer plates, which are very clean and exact, or wood type, many of which are 100 years old. The wood type may have been used at different shops maybe all over the nation. It’s the sentimental side of me but the same wood type I use could have announced important events. Many are dinged up from dropping them, poor storage, or misuse. Again each has character, so often I pick the ones with the dings. Funny enough, I print most in black and navy because when I marble of top of them the metallic paints shimmer and I smile.

After going back to school and learning the digital skills I wanted for Graphic Design, I suppose it’s not surprising that I am back creating most of my work by hand.

Do you have any rituals, habits, or practices that you do before you step into the studio to marble?

My studio is a couple miles from my home now so I always bring my dog, Pi. She often sleeps at my feet in a box with clean rags. She is very quiet but keeps me company. Every once in a while I don’t bring her and I miss her. I love putting on my apron…it’s like a sign to begin. I sometimes listen to music but mostly I listen to podcasts.

Through marbling, what have you discovered about yourself?

Voltaire’s old saying is true, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” I can’t be a perfectionist when I marble because there are too many variables: the weather, that color that won’t seem to really push today, or when something goes wrong with the piece that seemed just right. Each time is an opportunity for me to start over or re-imagine my plan.

What is the greatest challenge (either technically or mentally) you face when it comes to marbling?

My own expectations are my biggest stumbling block. When I can’t seem to create exactly what I want, I shake it off by just getting out some plain paper. I play and reconnect to the mystery.

You have taught marbling to friends and family, including your children. What does it feel like to share the magic of marbling with them? How has it changed the way you marble or think about marbling?

I love to see the excitement as people pull their first paper off the bath. Marbling is always magical, but the excitement of someone new to the art form brings me joy. Now that I have been marbling for a nearly three and a half years, when I teach someone, I realize how much I’ve grown. I also know I still have a lot to learn and more I have to discover both at the tank and about myself as an artist. Both my kids are carefree and fearless and their work is beautiful. I’m trying to embrace that fearlessness more in life and at the tank.

What advice would you give to a new marbler or someone thinking about taking up marbling?

Don’t plan too much and enjoy the magic.

Are you working on any new projects, marbling or otherwise?

I have been working on new cards that have a clean and simple letterpress greeting on the front and the inside is marbled. They are surprising and mysterious just like marbling. The funny part is some people are afraid to write on them. I am working on wallpaper for my powder room. I am equal parts excited and nervous about it as I alter my artwork digitally to be printed. It will be a hybrid project as an outside company will be printing it for me.

I’m new to selling my art work. In the past, I always created for myself and gifts. It is both exciting and scary as I explore this new world. I have been in sales for a number of companies but selling my own art makes me feel more exposed than I ever imagined.

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Where to Find
Erin Pieronek

Instagram: @epieronek

Etsy: ExudeJoyWithErin

Bio:

I’m Erin, a Los Angeles native and creator. I love to make beautiful things and I believe the glass is always half full.

A few years ago I went back to school for Graphic Design. I had been designing for years but always had to ask for help when it came to anything digital. I wanted to learn to create what I saw in my mind’s eye, so I did. I still use some of those digital skills but coming full circle I am back creating mostly by hand.

I had always been mesmerized by marbling but it seemed like a lot of steps, and it is. In 2015, I happened upon a video of a local marbling artist and teacher and never looked back. I’ve been making the world more colorful ever since. I actually combined my letterpress with my marbling by sheer luck. I had run out of paper and went digging through my stash looking for more and I found some of my old letterpress projects so I prepped them for marbling.

I love the community of the lab press studio at Otis where I print and find constant inspiration. This is happily balanced with my quiet studio work where I prep, marble, and mount my pieces with the company of my dog Pi. For me the magic and beauty of each medium enhances the other. No piece is perfect. There are too many variables, but there is a freedom in imperfection or maybe they are each perfect just the way they are.

JUST ADDED: Another Marbling Class in March!

Ready to jump into spring with some creative fun? Want to learn something new (or develop your marbling skills further), play with color and concept, and work hand-in-hand with the elements of surprise, wonder, and awe? Then I invite you to join me at BookArtsLA for my 2-day Introduction to Paper Marbling immersion class on March 16-17, 2019!

As I’ve said before, this is one of my favorite classes to teach because we get TWO FULL DAYS to dive deep into technical skills, traditional patterns (and variations of patterns), techniques, and troubleshooting (the key to any successful marbling session!)...with time for play and experimentation in the tank too. There is a maximum of eight students so there is a lot of personal attention! And the best part is that everything is provided for you. You just show up and have fun!

For more details or to register for the class, visit www.BookArtsLA.org or click on the link below.

BookArtsLA
Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17, 2019
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days)
11720 Washington Place, Los Angeles

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(And don’t forget, I’m also teaching the 2-day Intro to Marbling class at CREATE Center for the Arts in Palm Desert, Calif. on March 9 and 10, 2019. Head on over to their website to check out the details. Only 2 spots remain!)

Meet the Marbler: Olga Kaurova

I am so excited to share this interview with Russian marbler Olga Kaurova. I have watched her grow and evolve as an Ebru artist since my early days of marbling (in fact, we both took up the art form around the same time!) and I immediately fell for her calm but confident hand at the marbling tank. She is such a devoted practitioner of the traditional form and her personal approach with a modern spin sets her apart. When she started working with musical performers on stage, it was thrilling not only to watch her creations reveal themselves in a dance with the notes, but also to see how beautiful marbling collaborations can be. It was truly inspiring.

The beginnings of Olga’s marbling journey was not an easy one. Finding it challenging to learn about the art form in Russia, she had to turn to the birthplace of Ebru, Turkey (and had to learn how to speak Turkish!), and when she did, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. She’s been nonstop ever since. Her firm belief in “going deeper” into her Ebru studies, something I admire greatly, continues to propel her. I also respect the way she embraces impermanance, specifically when she’s working on stage.

Olga’s enthusiasm and passion for marbling really comes through in this interview and she is such a delightful person to talk with. I hope someday we can be in the studio together. In the meantime, I’ll continue to enjoy her style and work through her videos and images.

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Olga, correct me if I’m wrong but I believe you are the only artist in Russia specializing in Ebru, and if not, you’re definitely one of only a few. How did you first discover/learn about the art form, what attracted you to it, and why were you compelled to learn how to do it?

I’m not the only Ebru artist in Russia. I have some wonderful colleagues who create professional and good artwork. While there aren’t too many people who do real Ebru in Russia, it is starting to become popular in my country. I discovered Ebru for myself at 2009. I was searching some videos on YouTube about making paper and it showed me some videos about Ebru. I was shocked in that moment! I couldn’t believe it was possible to draw on water and then print the picture on paper! I started to research more about it but couldn’t find anything because at the time in Russia, nobody knew about this art form. I found something in English but it wasn’t enough. After, I started to learn the Turkish language in order to understand what Ebru is and how to prepare materials.

Take us on your marbling journey…how did you learn how to marble? Did you take a class and if so, from whom? Are you self taught? Did you learn from a book or video/CD?

All that I know and all that I make, I learned by myself. I didn’t have any teacher who could help me. I tested everything that could be suitable for marbling in Russia, but when I visited Turkey, Ebru opened up to me – paradise!! When I bought my first colors and kitre*, the road from the golden brick to the emerald city was opened for me.

*Editor’s note: kitre is known as tragacanth, which is used to make the marbling bath.

How would you describe your marbling style (i.e. traditional, contemporary, experimental, modern, etc.) and why do you approach the art form that way?

My style is modern, but I also always use traditional elements. I like to draw traditional Ebru patterns and flowers but I prefer to create live pictures. I create a water show and my pictures change every time as the colors dance on water.

One of the aspects of your work I greatly admire is your collaboration with musicians. You marble live on stage while musicians perform and your work is projected behind them. What is the process behind that collaboration? Do you practice with the musicians ahead of time or is it completely spontaneous on stage? And along the same lines, what style or type of music/musicians do you work with? (classical Russian, pop, jazz, etc.?)

Yes, as I said earlier, this show is my main type of Ebru work. Everything that people see on the stage is 100% a live show. Of course, I prepare and have a plan of what I will draw and which pictures I will create, but when I am on the stage, I can change my program very easily. Sometimes I have such big inspiration and high energy, I decide I want to create something very different [from the plan]. And so I make it! I have lots of experience working with almost every musical style: classic, pop, electronic, rock music.

Russia has a rich arts culture that includes literature, ballet, architecture, and the visual arts. How well known is the art of marbling in Russia and how do people perceive it or respond to it when they first learn about it?

Well, it is very strange to me that Ebru still is not popular in Russia, but I think that is because it is really difficult to study Ebru. I talk about the traditional art form. Acrylic paints are now available and it is not a problem to buy them and start to draw. People like to look but don’t like to study. They want to have an immediate result, but that is not Ebru. You need to study very hard to learn this art deep. But today, the biggest problem is that people don’t want to look deep.

What are your long-term goals as an Ebru artist? Do you want to continue to teach/continue to collaborate with musicians? Do you want to expand into other opportunities? Do you have a dream project?

Ebru is my life. It gives me energy and power! And I have grandiose plans to develop myself as an artist. I have two dream projects, but now they are a secret. I hope very soon you will hear about them!

Is marbling a full-time job for you? How often do you get to marble, both professionally (like teaching and working with musicians) and personally (just for fun)?

Ebru takes all my time. I’m working every day. Marbling for me is job and also rest time. Confucius said, “Choose a job for yourself, and you do not have to work a single day in your life.” But I’m training very often. Marbling for me is like a sport: you need to repeat every pattern again and again to be the master!

What type of marbling tools do you work with? For example, what are your whisks/brushes made of? Do you make your own rakes/combs? What type of stylus you use? Do you have a favorite, go-to tool? Do you have any “non-traditional” or “out of the ordinary” tools (for example, I use the back of a plastic soup spoon to create funky shapes!)

I use traditional brushes, which I make by my hand. My favorite stylus is a porcupine needle! Combs I order in Turkey. Ayan Ebru [a retail store in Turkey] makes the best tools for Ebru!

Do you have any rituals, habits or practices that you do before you step into the studio to marble?

Sometimes before go on stage, I close my eyes and stay absolutely quite for several minutes. It helps me to forget reality and enter into my colorful world.

“Painting by Music,” with classical guitarist Artur Bochkivskiy.

What is the greatest challenge (either technically or mentally) you face when it comes to marbling?

The greatest challenge for me can be when I get some unusual orders. My clients can be very creative. One time I was asked to draw an elderly surfer! And I had to show that he is a very, very old surfer!

What advice would you give to a new marbler or someone thinking about taking up marbling?

My advice to beginners is very simple: work hard and look deep.

Are you working on any new projects that really excite you right now?

I have two new projects. One is that I will take part in a light festival in Portugal soon and I am very busy preparing for this event. The second project I will keep in secret for now.

Is there a marbler (or marblers!) that you admire and why?

I know a lot of great marblers. I admire Garip Ay, Hikmet Barutcugil, Firdevs Calkanoglu, Mahmut Pesteli. They are my favorite Ebru artists.

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Where to Find Olga Kaurova

• Web site: www.okebru.ru

• Instagram: @okebru_art

• Facebook: facebook.com/okebru

• More great marbling and music videos by Olga:

  • Olga working in the tank, creating a Lily of the Valley

  • Illustrating the story behind the Petersburg Angel

  • Creating alongside Armenian duduk musician Argishty

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas (Tim Burton style)!

  • Illustrating a fairytale!

  • Marbling a car (projected) at a car show!

Get Ready to Marble: 2-day Introduction to Paper Marbling Class in March

My first class of the new year will be at CREATE Center for the Arts in Palm Desert, CA. I’m really excited about being able to teach at this beautiful facility with lots of natural light and a spacious studio for individual marbling stations. And I’m thrilled to bring the joys of marbling beyond the LA area and into to the desert!

This is one of my favorite classes to teach because we get TWO FULL DAYS to dive deep into technical skills, patterns (and variations of patterns), techniques, and troubleshooting (the key to any successful marbling session!)…with time for play and experimentation in the tank too!

If you’re looking to try something new (or develop your marbling skills further!), play with color and concept, and work hand-in-hand with the elements of surprise, wonder, and awe . . . then this class is for you!

For more details about the class or to sign up, visit the CREATE Center for the Arts website.

Introduction to Paper Marbling Immersion Class (2-days)

Date: Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, 2019
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days)
Location: CREATE Center for the Arts, Palm Desert, CA
Maximum 8 students (lots of personal attention!)

Fall Marbling Classes!

Finally…the temperatures are starting to cool off some so that in-studio marbling classes are a possibility! I’m excited to announce the following options for those wanting to explore the world of marbling in-person with me at my studio in South Pasadena.

There is a little bit of everything for everyone, including a new MARBLING ON FABRIC class! I’m also giving a discount for early-bird sign ups so be sure to register for class by Thursday, October 11 for significant savings!

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Introduction to Paper Marbling Immersion Class (2-days)

Date: Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days)
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT (sign up by Oct. 11): $375 (includes all materials)
Cost after October 11: $425 (includes all materials)
Minimum 4 students, maximum 6 (lots of personal attention!)

In this 2-day comprehensive class, students will learn the nuts and bolts of the art form, dive into traditional pattern making (foundation and advanced patterns) using the large marbling tank (20x25), and have time for creative exploration. We’ll spend a lot of time discussing troubleshooting, the key to a successful marbling experience. We’ll marble on alternative materials (vinyl, cork, natural materials, and 3D objects) and play a bit with additives. You'll leave with a robust understanding of the art form, dozens of marbled papers and other marbled materials, and the confidence to start marbling at home.

This class is fast paced and packed full of information. It is also physically demanding…we are on our feet all day and constantly moving from one end of the studio to the other. We also will be working both inside and outside of the studio so you will be exposed to the elements for brief bits of time (like sun!). But most of all, we have A LOT of fun.

Everything is provided for you—carrageenan bath, mordant, distilled water, paints, use of tank and tools, paper and other materials to marble on, and handouts—just show up and have fun!

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Beginning Paper Marbling (6 hours)

Date: Saturday, November 3
Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (includes BYO lunch/break)
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT (sign up by Oct. 11): $235 (includes all materials)
Cost after October 11: $255 (includes all materials)
Minimum of 5 students, maximum of 7

In this hands-on class, we will walk through the marbling set-up step-by-step from making the bath and mordant to mixing paints and preparing paper. We then will work in the large tank (20x25) to learn the five foundation patterns and venture into advanced patterns as time permits. By the end of class, you will have the knowledge and confidence to start marbling at home…not to mention many beautiful marbled papers!

The class fee includes EVERYTHING—paper, carrageenan bath, mordant, distilled water, paints, use of tank and tools, and handouts—just show up and have fun!

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Marbling on Fabric (7 hours) — prior marbling experience necessary!

Date: Sunday, November 4
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (includes BYO lunch/break)
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT (sign up by Oct. 11): $255 which includes all materials except your fabric PLUS one-year access to my Marbling on Fabric eCourse (a bonus gift valued at $99)!
Cost after October 11: $285 which includes all materials except your fabric PLUS one-year access to my Marbling on Fabric eCourse (a bonus gift valued at $99)!
Maximum of 4 students! A very small, semi-private class!

I’m very excited to offer this new in-studio Marbling on Fabric class. In this full-day adventure, each student will work in their own marbling tank large enough to marble individual fat quarters. There will also be a group tank that will fit scarves up to 17x73 or a regular quarter yard of fabric. We will learn how to properly prepare fabric to be marbled upon, cover advanced techniques such as overmarbling and masking, discuss strategics for design, learn troubleshooting solutions, and review post marbling curing techniques. At the end of class, you will have approximately 10-15 marbled fat quarters and 3-5 silk scarves.

Prior marbling experience is a prerequisite. You must have taken a class from me or another professional marbler to attend (self-taught marblers must talk with me before signing up to assess level of marbling skills). There is no beginning marbling instruction provided in this class.

PLEASE NOTE: All your fabric must be prepared for marbling prior to class. This includes washing, alumming, and an optional ironing. Instructions will be sent to you beforehand and can be done up to two weeks prior to class. The time it takes to prep your fabric varies on quantity but for what you will use in class, you likely will need 6 to 8 hours.

Everything for this class will be provided for you EXCEPT your fabric: tanks and tools, bath, acrylic paints, prepping and post-marbling curing instructions. You just need to bring your prepped fabric and your creative spirit! You also get one-year access to my Marbling on Fabric eCourse (a bonus gift valued at $99)!

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Remember…register for class by Thursday, October 11
to receive Early Bird Discounts!

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email.

Hope to show you the joys of marbling and play in the tank with you soon!

Meet the Marblers: Regina and Dan St. John

I could not be more thrilled to have Regina and Dan St. John (Chena River Marblers) as the first interview in the Meet the Marbler series. The St. Johns are the real marbling deal. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have taken a marbling class from them (you can find the rest of their 2018 teaching schedule here). Generous in the sharing of their technical expertise and historical knowledge and deeply passionate about the art form, their enthusiasm for unearthing old-school ways and interpreting them with modern twists is a true gift to today's marblers.

While taking in their interview, it became obvious to me that all their adventures contribute significantly to the soul of their marbled papers and the spirit of their classroom. And by that I mean: when you hold a marbled paper created by Regina and Dan or are at the marbling tank alongside them, the air VIBRATES with their love for the art from that has been shaped and molded by their unique life experiences, sense of curiosity, and joy of discovery.

I hope you find their marbling story as fascinating as I do. It is such a fun and intimate look into the marbling journey of two of the most multifaceted marblers out there.

(Note: this interview was conducted with Dan, who affectionately refers to Regina as Genie.)

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You have been marbling since the 80s, back when the art form was relatively new to the US and was practiced by only a handful of curious and patient artists. What attracted you to marbling and why were you compelled to learn how to do it?

We have been marbling since 1984, shortly after returning home to Amherst, Mass., after 15 years of teaching in rural Alaska. The energy came from Genie. She had bought a greeting card with a strip of hand-marbled paper pasted on it wondered if many people were still doing the craft. Well, Amherst is near Northampton which is listed as #1 in Small Art Cities. It was particularly strong in all manner of book arts and she was able to locate a practicing production marbler, Faith Harrison. After one short class, the die was cast. That was all she wanted to do in life! I was sucked into it all. Very occupied teaching physics and chemistry in a local high school, I had to take some woodworking classes so I could build her tanks, combs, and craft-fair display furniture. Then I had to study some bookbinding so I could help make products to sell from the piles of newly marbled paper. Then I had to make a 10-foot long tank with full sets of combs and spend weekends bustling around applying paints and holding the other end of three yards of silk for making ties and scarves to sell at a growing number of craft events. So that's how Genie was attracted to marbling and how was I compelled to learn how to do it!

Polishing Papers

Italian Sister Pattern

Tiger Eye Pattern

Fiesta Pattern

Possum Run Pattern

Stormont Pattern

The Hilda Pattern

Tiger Eye Pattern

Dan makes all the watercolor paints for their Classic Watercolor Marbling class.

Dan also makes red and black acrylic paints for the Acrylic Marbling Class.

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One of the things I really like about the two of you is the way you bring the science of marbling into the studio and the classroom. You have researched and experimented with additives and formulas dating back centuries into the world of traditional marbling. Which came first; the interest in marbling which lead to the science or the science which lead to an interest in marbling?

Genie and I taught for many years in some of the most remote villages in the United States. We taught on St. George Island, Ala.—2600 miles from Fairbanks and right in the middle of the Bering Sea—for three years. We taught two years in the Village of Allakaket, an Athapascan/Eskimo Village straddling the Arctic Circle on the upper branch of the Yukon River. We were both awarded Ford Leadership Fellowships which paid us for a year of travel and study to places in the world which might help us better function as Alaskan educators and specifically to learn how to teach science and math in a more creative, hands-on manner. That year, we spent several months traveling to the Mountain View Environmental Educational Center in Boulder, Colo., learning centers on the Sioux Reservation at Pine Ridge, the Navaho Reservation, Folk Centers in Georgia and Tennessee, village schools in rural England, and a big trip to Siberia!

In our years of teaching, we always tried to incorporate what we had learned from our Ford year into our activities. Returning and readjusting to life in Amherst was challenging for both of us. Massachusetts did not recognize our Alaskan teaching credentials and we both had to go back to college to get certified. I got certified in teaching Physics and Chemistry and Genie got an elementary teaching certificate but did not like the school environments (she also had four school-age children at home!).

In 1992 we decided to join forces and become a marbling company. I left off teaching and we spent our life savings on having the house modified to serve as both a marbling and bookbinding studio. Genie emphasized marbling and I emphasized bookbinding and we both worked very hard making and selling products at as many as 30 craft fairs a year and supplying dozens of small shops.

Around 2010, Garret and Gretchen Dixon walked into our booth at a four-day craft fair and our life changed. They gave us a fistful of the most beautiful Classic Marbled Papers we had ever seen: Tiger Eye, Shell, Stormont, Italian Vein, etc. and they invited us to spend a few days with them in their small studio in the basement of their house in Pennsylvania. The unique combination of physics and chemistry involved in producing a Tiger Eye pattern brought it all back to me. This is where art and science meet! Since that time, I have dropped almost all other pursuits: bookbinding, woodturning, etc. and devoted myself to the study and practice of Classic Marbling as it was in the 19th Century and earlier.

Reverse Bouquet Pattern (Fabric Marbling)

Marbled Silk Tie

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You also are experimenters in the studio, making funky tools or coming up with interesting techniques that influence modern marbling. Can you share an example of something you created for fun and the story behind it?

I have been interested in the way Galen Berry created the “Balloon Pattern.” Some 20 years ago, I made three combs which seemed to work: I sold two and kept one at home on the shelf. Recently, while teaching an acrylic marbling class in Ashville, N. C., it just so happened that Mimi Schleicher, the author of the text we teach from, was in the class. It turned out that she still had one of those combs. She brought it to class and in the last hour, I tried it out. Lo and behold! I produced a complete, full Balloon Pattern. I have just made a better comb and had a friend laser cut me a track for it to ride on. In the near future, I will demonstrate it on Facebook and show everyone the secret!

Have you always been a wife and husband marbling team or did one of you influence the other to start practicing?

Genie and I have been together for 54 years since we met in a Summer Russian Class at UMass in 1964. She was so interested in marbling, I was afraid I would lose her if I didn’t somehow join in!

How has the art form changed from the days when you first started marbling?

The art has significantly declined over the years. Many of the older generation have passed away or just stopped being active marblers. The books are written but all have long gone out of print. There is no wonderful Ink & Gall* being published. Conferences are hardly held anymore. The last one in the US was some 15 years ago in Gatlinburg, Tenn. The 2016 International Ebru Congress in Istanbul, Turkey was not attended by many marblers from the US or the rest of the world: 32 foreign marblers, none from England or Germany. In England, paper marbling is considered “a critically endangered heritage craft.” We do see that Ebru is very much alive and supported by the government in Turkey. We see a lot of interest in marbling in Eastern Europe. The 5th World Ebru Day was held in Prague in the fall of 2016. There is a lot of interest by people to learn how to marble and we do the best we can to help.

*Editor's note: Ink & Gall was a printed marbling journal published by Polly Fox and Dexter Ing from 1987 until a fire destroyed their studio in Taos, New Mexico in 1991.

Edge Marbling

Edge Marbling

Edge Marbling by Students

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How would you describe your marbling style (i.e., traditional, contemporary, experimental, modern, etc.) and why do you approach the art form that way?

Our marbling style is all of those things: it is very traditional in that we go back to the very roots of marbling. We have an extensive collection of books on marbling which we refer to constantly and try to make available to people. We publish Mimi Schleicher’s books and sell them. We encouraged Diane Maurer to republish her book, The Ultimate Marbling Handbook, and help her sell it. We help Antonio Vélez Celemn sell his book, El Marmoleado. We have made copies of Fichtenberg, Woolnough and Halfer* and make them available (we are helping Oak Knoll Press sell the new addition of Richard Wolfe’s book and his new version of Halfer). I have written a manual describing Classic Marbling and Genie will be working on a book on acrylic marbling as soon as time permits. We have plans to study Turkish Ebru in Istanbul with a master artist there. We follow the work of Jake Benson who is doing important groundwork in studying the origins of marbling in the Middle East, Central Asia, and India.

We are very experimental in our marbling at home and in our work teaching. New combs and techniques are constantly being tested and the old patterns are studied to see if we can duplicate them. All of this energizes us and inspires our students! We keep no marbling secrets and are totally committed to offering workshops and information at the very highest level in hopes that the trade/craft will flourish. Our students constantly discover unique and beautiful patterns using our new equipment. If it is repeatable and they can teach it to us, it lives on. We name the new patterns after them and teach it to future students!

* Editor's note: These are some of the original books documenting the formulas and techniques of marbling. The New and Complete Manual of Fancy Papers by M. Fichtenberg, 1852; The Whole Art of Marbling by C.W. Woolnough, 1881; The Progress of the Marbling Art by Josef Halfer, 1894.

Most modern marblers in the US today use commercially made paints but you primarily marble using paints you’ve prepared yourself. What affect does making your own paints have on the way you approach marbling? In other words, do you marble differently when you use commercial paints versus when you use your own paints?

We use both commercial paints as well as paints we make ourselves. Over the past 34 years, Genie has come to prefer Utrecht paints over others. Because no company sells a solid black, we make our own using the Utrecht Matte Medium as the binder. We also make a dark Cadmium Red and a Studio Red because those important colors are not available or don’t behave themselves. In Classic Watercolor Marbling, I make it a point to make the paints, including the rabbit hide glue/gum tragacanth binders and the beeswax glazing paste which enables us to polish the papers. I do, however, use commercial gouaches by Winsor & Newton to make Tiger Eye in classes because the preferred method by Fichtenberg calls for the use of a very caustic chemical called Potassium Hydroxide. We have found that in certain circumstances you can combine the use of commercial watercolors in acrylic marbling. Gouache Tiger Eyes and Stormont patterns can be thrown down on acrylic paints.

Do you have any rituals, habits or practices that you do before you step into the studio to marble?

Yes.  I have to some extent joined the Steampunk Movement and have purchased some of their apparel. If I am in a very experimental mood and am about to use my mechanical three-roller paint making machine from China, I put on my Steampunk hat and googles! I am not averse to using modern technology.

Is there a marbler (or marblers!) that you admire and why?

Yes! Both Genie and I admire Garret Dixon, a rehabilitation doctor in Franklyn, Pa. In his basement with a tattered original French edition of Fichtenberg, he managed to teach himself to be a world-class marbler. His papers are exquisite! In his generosity, he invited me to spend three days learning his techniques. We learned how to manage surface tension, make our own paints, and become comfortable in doing Tiger Eye, Stormont, French Shell, and others. He reads in great depth in French and German sources. He has helped us in bringing back to life Classic Marbling!

Richard Wolf has to be mentioned also for his scholarship and accomplishments in marbling.

Through marbling, what have you discovered about yourself?

I have discovered that I can be an artist. 

What is the greatest challenge (either technically or mentally) you face when it comes to marbling?

Keeping focused.  There is so much to do: so much to read, so much to try, so many ways to reach out! We focus on teaching marbling now and put that ahead of everything, except our growing family and urge to travel. 

What advice would you give to a new marbler or someone thinking about taking up marbling?

Take a class from a good marbler to get going. It will save you from a lot of frustrations. Books are hard to come by and the quality of the information available on the internet is mixed.

Where does the name Chena River Marblers come from?

It comes from 16 years of intense living in Alaska.  The Chena River runs right through Fairbanks and we lived the last 10 years of our life there on the Chena Ridge Road right above it. From the University of Alaska, Fairbanks you can see before you the Matanuska Valley, and behind that rises Mount  McKinley. Summers brought rainbows that arched across the entire sky and the midnight sun. Winter nights brought memorable cold and the northern lights. Genie and I shared a wonderful Alaskan experience. We worked together teaching in small village schools and raised four children there. Marbling and teaching marbling together are a continuation of that shared working life.

Are you working on any new marbling projects or have any marbling news you are excited to share?

We are working on a number of new marbling projects. We have developed several new combs which are helping us discover a number of new and beautiful patterns. Beyond that there are conversations going on about a possible marbling conference in this country.

One other thing is happening of special interest. We will be hosting Professor Spencer Smith of the Mt. Holyoke College Physics Department. He and an associate are coming here to study viscosity in marbling. In addition, Aubrey Jaffers of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab is coming with a colleague to test some of the assumptions he has made in modeling marbled patterns mathematically. He has just recently delivered some papers at Cambridge University in England on the mathematics of marbling, referencing our marbled patterns on ties he has bought from us over several years!

Anything else you want to share?

Yes! Our daughter-in-law is a professor of Computer Science at Mt. Holyoke College and has received a number of grants to encourage women in the tech fields. They have been funded to build a large “Maker Space” at the college. We think that marbling may find a pleasant home there!!!

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Where to Find the St. Johns

• Website: www.ChenaRiverMarblers.com

• Instagram: @regstjohn

• Facebook: under Regina St. John

Meet the Marbler Series Launches Sept. 4th!

As many of you have heard me say before, my mission is “to bring marbling to the masses.” I love this art form so much and want everyone to experience the wonder and awe of its beauty, magic, and intricacies. And behind every marbled piece, there is an artist that is just as magical and intricate and beautiful.

As I dive deeper and deeper into the world of marbling, I am continuously exposed to so many of the art form’s wonderful contributors. And, wowaz, are these contributors diverse and vast—geographically, stylistically, generationally, creatively, and technically. If I had all the time and money in the world, I would visit every single artist in his or her studio and experience marbling through their eyes and actions. I always tell my students that every marbler does things differently and so much can be gained, even for professional marblers, by working with, or even simply observing, another marbler in action.  

But alas, we can’t visit every marbler so I’ve decided to bring them to us. I’m starting a series called Meet the Marbler where I’ll interview marbling artists—ones I’ve met, ones I’ve taken lessons from, ones I admire from a distance, and even students who have gone on to integrate marbling into their existing creative practices. From the tiny pockets of the world we live in, this is a series dedicated to bringing us together by sharing marbling stories, talking about the ups and downs and pleasant surprises at the tank, getting a peek inside marbling studios, and shining a spotlight on the gems—large and small—that make up this remarkable art form.

And I could not be happier to kick off this series with a stellar interview with Dan and Regina St. John of Chena Rivers Marblers. Stay tuned for the publication of their delightful, insightful story on my blog on Tuesday, September 4.

I have a lovely line up of interviews ready to share every month or so, but I would love to hear from you who you would like to see featured in Meet the Marbler. Send me your suggestions, along with two or three questions you are dying to ask them, to Cheers@BarbSkoog.com.

Happy marbling!

Summer Marbling Class!

So excited that BookArtsLA is having me back to teach my two-day Introduction to Paper Marbling intensive!

In this immersion class, students will learn the nuts and bolts of the art form, dive into traditional pattern making (foundation and advanced patterns) using the large marbling tank, and have time for creative exploration. You'll leave with a robust understanding of the art form, dozens of marbled papers, and the confidence to start marbling at home.

This class is fast paced and packed full of information. It is also physically demanding…we are on our feet all day and constantly moving from one end of the studio to the other. We also will be working both inside and outside of the studio so you will be exposed to the elements for brief bits of time (like sun!). But most of all, we have A LOT of fun.

Everything is provided in this class ~ just show up and have fun! To register, head on over to the BookArtsLA website.

Introduction to Paper Marbling
Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (both days)
BookArtsLA
11720 Washington Place, Los Angeles

Papers that Compel Me to Marble on Them!

Oh, how I love a lovely paper to marble upon.

Yes, I have my go-to “practice” paper that I prefer to marble on. And I always have a wide variety of papers (of varying weights, colors, and styles) available in my classes so students can experience what it’s like to marble on different papers. Then there’s my favorite “professional” paper, the dreamy, creamy one that I marble on for commissions or special projects.

But then there are those OTHER papers, the ones that take marbling to a whole different level. These are the papers that you work WITH and not simply marble ON. You take into consideration their unique properties, be it a color, texture, how it was made, where it came from, or what already exists on (or in!) it.

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Some of the colors I chose to use reflected the "attitude" of the paper. This was a thick, heavily textured sheet with a blue hue that had a very classic, elegant feel to it that reminded me of New England. I used Titan Buff Green Hue, Raw Umber, and French Gray Blue to create this Stone pattern.

And the papers in Vintage Page Designs' monthly paper club are those OTHER papers.

I happened to have the luck of having Ali Manning, the woman behind Vintage Page Designs, in my Clouds on Water eCourse (more on that in a future blog post!). A most talented book artist, I fell in love with her work and have taken a keen interest in all her creative endeavors. When she announced her paper club, I was immediately interested, knowing the papers were not going to be just your every-day-run-of-the-mill variety.

And I wasn’t wrong.

Ali graciously sent me a sampling of papers from her club offerings to test for marble-ability. My batch included very heavy, textured papers in pink, silver, and white and two different medium-weight papers – one with DILL sprinkled throughout it and the other with beautiful blue Larkspur petals.

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The Dill sheet! I marbled a Sap Green and Silver on one side and Sap Green and Gold on the other.

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The Larkspur sheet with an Italian Vein pattern in Violet and Gold.

What a wonderful experience it was to work with all these papers. First of all, the papers are handmade so each one is a piece of art imbued with the love of the paper maker. If you’re a sensitive soul like me, you can actually feel the paper vibrate with artistic energy. Secondly, the gorgeous characteristics of the papers made it an absolute delight to strategize how I was going to marble on them to best bring out or complement their beauty. And while the papers made with Larkspur and dill were stunning, it was the thick, heavily textured papers that stole my heart (there was something about their weight, about all the groves and bumps and topographical personality that appealed to me and resonated with my adventurous spirit). And finally, and most importantly to this girl, all the papers marbled beautifully.

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Here I created large color blocks using blue transparent paint to allow the texture of the paper to come through which had the added effect of making the paper feel "watery."

I can’t recommend more highly these papers as a great addition to one’s marbling explorations. They are stunning by themselves and get a boost of WOWZA with a touch of marbling tossed into the equation. The papers are great for making books, cards, and mixed media work. And if you need help with your bookmaking skills, Ali has some great tutorials to help you put your papers to extraordinary use.

For more info on the paper club, visit Vintage Book Designs' website at www.VintagePageDesigns.com.

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The thicker, heavily textured paper is REALLY strong. This sheet was overmarbled THREE times and it never lost its texture or started to disintegrate.

Marbling Tips for Vintage Books Designs Paper Club:

• The papers need to be alummed. I have found some 100% cotton rag papers don’t need to be but I tested the papers without alum and the paint slid right off!
• Because of the bumps and grooves in most of the papers (especially the thicker, heavily textured ones), I gave them the twice over with alum, alumming once and then again (still wet) so as not to miss getting into the nooks and crannies of the little crevices.
• Let the natural beauty of the paper shine through. There is no need to cover over the papers that incorporate delicate elements into them, such as flowers, leaves, and herbs. Instead, I marbled Italian Vein on them which framed their organic gifts rather than hid them. On the other hand, for the thick, heavily textured papers, I used a combo of transparent and opaque paints, often ending on a transparent paint so the texture of the paper could still be seen.
• Because these papers are thicker/heavier, it’s important to make sure you do not get “ahead of the lay,” meaning make sure you don’t drop the far corner of your paper on top of the bath before the middle part of the paper is laid down…otherwise you’ll end up with air bubbles.
• Consider marbling on BOTH sides of the papers. Most are thick enough that the marbled designs won’t cast shadows or even show through the other side.

Vintage Page Designs Paper Club Details:

• Some quick facts below. Be sure to head over to her website for more details or to sign up for her newsletter.
• All of the paper is handmade by Vermont paper maker Richard Langdell.
• The paper is made from 100% cotton rag and has been internally sized and buffered.
• Each sheet has four deckled edges and measures approx. 19″ x 25″.
• All sheets are nice and thick with an approximate weight of 200-300lb, unless otherwise noted.
• The papers are perfect for making books, cards and mixed media work.
• Six exclusive papers are showcased on the 1st of the month. Orders close on the 10th of the month (unless already sold out) for shipping by the 15th.
• There is no commitment – you can order one month and not the next. Sign up on Ali’s mailing list to be notified of when the papers are selected.

Well that was Fun!

Just a few images of students' work at this weekend's Intro to Marbling class at BookArtsLA. And if you'd like to see a little video of the vinyl LPs we marbled on, head on over to my Instagram account here.

The two-day class was a lovely mix of traditional work and contemporary play...exactly how I love to run my classes. And I was so happy with the way students were fearless in their approach to learning. They stepped up to the tank and didn't hesitate to jump in. As is always the case, I wish we had another day to marble together...or another week!