This Sunday afternoon is bright and cheerful The sun has been shining for two days now. It is amazing how much I miss the sunlight when the days are grey and cloudy. The bright sunshine is such a reminder to cherish the joys of each day. Whether it is a glimpse of a bright cardinal, a walk while bundled up for winter or a sip of a perfect cup of tea, savour the moments! I am taking a few moments this afternoon to give another January update on the blog. I just finished teaching Belles Nouvelles Lettres for The Gentle Penman online and I am loving the student work that is being produced. I see new ideas being explored as people really take to the possibilities of Art Nouveau letterforms. This morning I finished a V that I wanted to demonstrate in class, but 2.5 hours each class is just not enough time to do everything. The letter mixed Daniel Smith Wisteria and Daniel Smith Lavender. Rather than creating an infilled letter, I let the shadows around theletter help define the shape. The V could almost be turned toward the left to create a P.
These letters are subtle and relatively quick to do and I will continue to explore them and see what else evolves with them. As I concluded the workshop, I was asked to talk about the upcoming Valentine special edition class called Charming Cherubs. I had a few minutes to show the work that will be explored but I wanted to share a bit on the blog about the process of creating a workshop. Although these courses are presented in a relatively quick fashion, this particular class has been years in the making. Like so many of my courses, there is a root in Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts. My illumination teacher Debbie Thompson Wilson was the first one to introduce me to the possibilities of painted angels and cherubs. I would spend time perusing illuminated manuscripts to find examples I could study in detail. I worked on faces, hands, wings, hair, folds in fabric. Each study had a lesson for me to learn and I loved trying to recapture the vision of the original illuminator. Although I love illuminated manuscripts, my heart is in the Victorian era and studies of Victorian scraps and cards will lead you to very charming cherub designs.
Many of the Victorian cherubs look more like children with wings and the illustrators had a wonderful time putting the cherubs in any settings you could imagine.
As I continued to study and glean from historic sources, I did not want to copy or re-do that which had already been done. I wanted to put these little cherubs into either flourished settings or acanthus settings. Over the years I created several miniature paintings and flourished cherubs that have found their ways to their new owners. Some were created as portfolio pieces and sold and others were created as special gifts for friends and family members. Cherub Dance was the first flourish that I did which incorporated a little cherub.
I continue to reproduce this card design even though I know my skin tone for the little cherub is far too pink. I still love the dance of the cherub. The thank you note that is included with the purchase of a Held Pen is my Cherub With Quill design. Again, it incorporates my love of offhand flourishing.
My very first Angel of the Acanthus design was created for one of IAMPETH's silent auction. It was my first attempt at integrating a Victorian acanthus setting with the cherub.
Evan's Hope was created for a local child who did not have long to live. Our little village here is St. George celebrated Christmas early in October for Evan. As a village, we put up our Christmas lights early and even had our Christmas parade in October so he could celebrate his favourite holiday one last time. I still get emotional when I think about this and I created his cherub design as a memorial card.
When I was asked to create a Valentine workshop that incorporated some kind of cherub design, I realized that I did not have any of my original pieces left to share with the class. I do have digital images that continue to be reproduced as cards, but it can be tricky to produce handouts when so much the original artwork is in private collections. When I considered the project for the class, I had to recognize that three hours for a class is very little to share something that I have been practicing for years. Usually, the drawing and painting of cherubs is reserved for my private students so I can take more time with some of the nuances of the designs. This Charming Cherub class will take the students through the painting of the skin tones, the nuances of the wings and will touch on the folds of the fabric, twisting ribbons and beautiful roses. The cherub is strategically hidden behind a scroll design to accommodate the restricted time frame for the class.
Even with hiding part of the cherub, this is an ambitious class to try to present. My hope for the class is that it will spark an interest and maybe spur the students on to trying to add figures into their work. I have watched private students and the small Ardington class students add figures into their illuminated letters and flourish designs so I am hoping that this will continue to happen. Much of the foundation of the design is built up with pen and ink.
It could be left at the inked stage or brought to life with watercolour. The notes for the class will glean from some of my special Victorian trade cards and I do my best to fill the notes with lots of pathways for interested students to continue to study. Registration is open now through The Gentle Penman if you are interested in this single session course.
Years of personal study have gone into this class and I know that I will just be able to skim the surface of the possibilities in this class. But, the course notes will also really help me as I continue to teach a more involved cherub for my private students. Creating courses and workshops is a long and tricky path to navigate. I feel like I learn so much along the way. I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of some of the background for the course. Each course takes so much time and research to prepare and then it seems like it is over in a blink of an eye. But I hope the lessons and the inspiration from each course lingers on for a long time. Happy Sunday dear friends.
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