My Latest Post on the Highline Blog - Live in the Moment

It has been awhile since I wrote a blog post for Highline but I had one posted a couple of days ago. It is called Living in the Moment. It has already garnering some facebook likes, tweets, and positive feedback, including one interesting comment that I needed to think about overnight before responding. If you would like to read the post, the comment, and my response, please do. And I could love your feedback! Cheers :)

365 Days with Kiddos - #36 - Spend an Afternoon Coloring

I spent hours and hours AND HOURS coloring as a child. While I grew up to make art every day, I didn't have many opportunities to simply color until I had my own kiddos. The enjoyment I used to get from coloring all came back to me when I started to do it with my girls. They have both been coloring since they could hold a crayon, long before they could talk. I really enjoy spending time with them an watching how their skills change as they get older.

My eldest, Quin, who is 5.5 years, is very creative when she colors. She likes to stay within the lines (which in my mind is not required) and she often uses several colors instead of just one in each segment of a coloring book page. Her creations are beautiful! She will use crayons but she prefers pencil crayons (colored pencils) and markers. She spends a lot of time on these creations, and we keep the ones she likes the best in a folder.

My youngest daughter, Emmanuelle, is just 2.5 years old. She has had the benefit of watching her older sister color. As a baby she would clamour to color and didn't spend much time using crayons.

She totally skipped pencil crayons. Her instrument of choice has always been markers. She used to scribble all over the page but recently we were pretty shocked when she started coloring in the lines. Her hand can suddenly control the marker and go exactly where she wants. She now spends up to an hour just filling our coloring books with glorious color. Amazingly enough, she seems to be very adept at color combinations, which I can't say I taught her, she just learned by looking and trying things out.

There are several benefits of coloring that I have seen in my children first hand. They have developed better concentration, their color awareness has grown, Emmanuelle has been able to learn the names of colors, it has helped them to develop their fine motor skills, and I can see that overall it helps them to be more artistically creative, to have better imaginations, and to help them to express their thoughts and feelings.

If you would like to try making recycled crayon cakes from your old crayon bits, please see this post...

The Next Craft Cafe - Come Revamp a Trucker Hat

It’s a long haul on the open road… Ever wanted to design your very own hat? Come make one-of-a-kind hand stitched trucker hats featuring your own choice of a vintage stitched fabric panel. These unique hats have so many ways to stylize them… add funky fabric, recycled buttons, feathers, gems- the sky is the limit.

Come out and craft on Friday, January 27th, from 7 - 9 PM, at Wild Flour Bakery in Banff (201B 211 Bear Street in the Bison Courtyard). Remember to bring any of your own favorite patches, or neat fabric to up-cycle! The Wild Flour will be open for delicious snacks, and drinks. Cost: 30$ Please sign up and PRE-PAY at the Wild Flour or request a Paypal invoice from Tiffany. This activity will fill fast. Space is limited. Spread the word and bring a style-savy friend. Remember, if you bring a new participant you get a $5 discount or can give it as a donation to the YMCA. :) Contacts: Sheena sheenz6@hotmail.com Tiffany oldesage@hotmail.com

Birdhouse Pendants - Craft Cafe

The last Craft Cafe was a hit! We had lots of moms with kids who wanted to join in, but it was on a school night... so we have decided to have a kid's birdhouse making pendant night :) Here are some photos so you can get inspired and share in the fun.

Calling All Bow Valley Kids & Teens for a SPECIAL Craft Cafe - Birdhouse Pendants - Friday, January 20th, 2012

Birdhouse pendants by Tiffany Teske

Calling all Kids and Teens to come to a Craft Café Workshop especially for you (and your parents)! Come out and craft the cutest little wooden birdhouse pendant.

This event will be held on Friday January 20th, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM

There are so many neat ways to get creative and customize your necklace. Remember to bring any of your own images, beads etc to upcycle..

This workshop is open for kids from 5 to 18 yrs. Kids aged 5 to 9 yrs please bring a parent to help you complete your project. Kids aged 10+ are welcome to come solo, bring a parent or come craft with a friend.

Cost: For this workshop, (with thanks to the Banff Community Grant) we are pleased to offer a reduced Craft Café rate of 20$ per participant. Additional pendants can be made for $15 each. Please sign up and PRE-PAY at the Wild Flour or request a Paypal invoice from Tiffany.
Contact us if you have any questions about rates.

The Wild Flour will be open for delicious snacks, and drinks.

Bring a new participant and you’ll get a $5 discount on a future craft cafe or can give it as a donation to the YMCA. :)

Contacts:
Sheena sheenz6@hotmail.com
Tiffany oldesage@hotmail.com

Always Dream Big 2, A Commissioned Collage, Goes Home...

Always Dream Big (2)

Mixed Media Collage/assemblage

9x12"

By Tiffany Teske

SOLD

I completed this piece on Friday. It is based on Always Dream Big, a similar collage that I made for my solo show at the Wild Flour this past June. I have received not one, but three requests for commissions on that piece and have decided to do a series of six pieces based on it. This one has been safely delivered to its new home. Thank you so much, Courtney!

If you are interested in seeing the other pieces I will be posting them here, but you can also leave a comment below.

And remember to always dream big!!

I Will Be Teaching Fuji Transfer, Fuji Emulsion Lift, & Other Photo Transfer Techniques at CREATE Mixed Media Retreat in California

I am very excited to be one of 30 instructors at the CREATE Mixed Media Retreat in Irvine, California, May 30th - June 3rd, 2012! It has been five years, to the day, since I travelled to teach. Back then, I brought my 1.5 year old daughter to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, to teach digital travel photography. Now, I have a 5.5 year old and a 2.5 year old, and I am ready to embark on a new adventure, solo this time, in the company of my amazing friend, Dea Fischer. If you love mixed media and are in the area, or if you would like to take a little vacation in Orange County, check out the 60 courses offered at this amazing retreat. There are courses in book making and art journaling, print making and surface design, mixed media stitch, collage and assemblage, mixed media jewlery... wow! The workshops are listed by order of day and can be seen here. I will be teaching Fuji transfers, Fuji emulsion lifts, and Creating the Vision; Printing and Transferring Your Images (with my wonderful friend, Dea!) If you would like to know more please see examples and course descriptions below.

Fuji Emulsion Lifts
Ha Ling By Tiffany Teske 

Fuji Emulsion Lifts (3-Hour)

Date: Saturday, June 2 Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske

Price: $85.00

Materials Fee: $20.00

Looking for a new way to add your images to your art? Let Tiffany teach you how to make Fuji Emulsion Lifts using Daylabs & Polaroid cameras. Whether you are a skilled photographer or a novice you will learn how to turn your images into one-of-a-kind emulsion lifts that can be displayed on their own or used to enhance your mixed-media pieces. If you have experience with Polaroid emulsion lifts, this class shows you a similar way to work with a more readily available film. Participants will leave with up to 20 Fuji images, on watercolor paper, glass, and metal, to use in other workshops.

Students Should Bring: 90 or 140 lb hot press (smooth) watercolor paper in 4x5” pieces (up to 20), 4x6” prints of photographs to work with and/or 35mm slides, Acrylic gel medium (matte or gloss), a 1" brush for applying medium, any porous or non porous surfaces you would like to put an emulsion lift on (examples: shell, metal, mirror, glass, wood, fabric

 

Fuji transfer

By Tiffany Teske

Fuji Image Transfers (3-Hour)

Date: Sunday, June 3 Time: 9:00am-12noon

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske

Price: $85.00

Materials Fee: $10.00

Do you use your own images in your art? Join Tiffany for an introduction to Fuji image transfers using Daylabs and Polaroid cameras. Whether you are a skilled photographer or a novice you will learn how to turn your images into one-of-a-kind transfers that can be displayed on their own or used to enhance your mixed media pieces. If you have experience with Polaroid transfers this class shows you a new (and different) way to work with a more readily available film. Participants will leave with up to 10 finished transfers on watercolor paper which can be used in other workshops.

Students Should Bring: 10 pieces of 90 or 140 lb hot press (smooth) watercolor paper cut into 4x5” pieces, 4x6” prints of personal photographs to work with and/or 35mm slides

Gel medium transfer on glass 

Maine by Tiffany Teske

Creating the Vision: Printing and Transferring Your Images (6-Hour)

Date: Friday, June 1 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm

Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design

Instructor: Tiffany Teske & Dea Fischer

Price: $149.00

Materials Fee: $25.00

You've mastered the photography and you've created images you love. Deepen your layers of creative engagement by learning to incorporate images of your own creation into your mixed-media artwork. Join Tiffany Teske and Dea Fischer to explore fascinating image printing and transfer techniques that can be tricky to master effectively. You will create cyanotype or "sun" prints from negatives, and practice making gel medium skins and transfers, blender pen transfers, encaustic and heat transfers. You will produce several pieces during this workshop that you can take away to use in your work

Students Should Bring: Negatives (large format if you have them or know how to make them, but we will teach you); photocopies (not prints) of non-copyrighted or self-created material; soft gel acrylic medium; 1" soft-bristle paint brush, blender pen (a solvent-based art marker like Copic with no pigment, available from your art supplier); an old spoon.

If you would like to sign up for any of these courses, or would like to know more about CREATE, please go to the CREATE website by click this link. If you can't make it to California, but will be in Banff, Alberta, or near here, please contact me for a private workshop. Cheers!

The Next Craft Cafe - Bird House Pendants - Tuesday, January 10th

Pendants by Tiffany Teske 

Calling all crafty and nature inspired women to come make the cutest little wooden birdhouse pendants imaginable! There are so many neat ways to get creative with these… envision birds, loved ones, nests and earthy images.

Remember to bring any of your own vintage images or unique jewelry findings to up-cycle!
These make amazing gifts for the nature enthusiast. Participants will have the option to make additional pieces for $15.

We will meet at Wild Flour Bakery from 7 - 9 PM on Tuesday, January 10th. The Wild Flour will be open for delicious snacks, and drinks.

Cost: 25$ Please sign up and PRE-PAY at the Wild Flour or to pay online, please request a Paypal invoice from Tiffany. This activity will fill fast. Space is limited.

Spread the word and bring a nature enthusiast. And remember, if you bring a new participant you get a $5 discount or give it as a donation to the YMCA. :)

Contacts:
Sheena sheenz6@hotmail.com
Tiffany oldesage@hotmail.com