Cover Girl!

I was asked by Janine Vangool at Uppercase magazine to design the cover of issue 41 coming out in April. This issue includes the surface pattern design guide which is one of my favorite, so I was even more thrilled to do this particular cover. I did have a little anxiety about creating a piece of abstract art as a commission because I am usually very spontaneous when I do these little collages and I try not to engage my brain too much. Janine had a very good idea of the feel she wanted for that cover and I had to do a few before I got to this one. My brain decided to play graphic designer and got a little too involved at first and the collages were lacking playfulness and seemed a bit tight. I decided to work on a bunch of collages at the same time instead so I wouldn't get too attached or precious about them. I presented a few of my best options to Janine and she picked this one! And I love it! And now it's the cover of Uppercase Magazine!

This is what Janine said about the cover in her newsletter: "I liked the idea of creating a cover with found patterns (plus a few from past UPPERCASE covers). It's abstract with a nod to mid-Century shapes, and the dimensional shadows make you think that the elements are still at play. (Don't sneeze!)"

*Uppercase is designed and printed in Canada and distributed worldwide. You can get 15% off subcriptions and renewals with discount code lucie15 

New Collage Class on Skillshare

I just published my second skillshare class last week: Collage and Go: Explore paper cutouts + mixed media. This is a super fun class and it seems to appeal to a lot of people as I already have 130 taking the class after only a week and a lot of amazing reviews. It makes me so happy to be able to inspire people as other artist have inspired me over the years. 

The class project is really easy and fun and you can use it as a little creative exercise or a warm up. As they say, a collage a day, keeps the doctor away, right? So grab your glue, paper, scissors and GO!

If you are not on skillshare, you can use my link to get 2 free months of membership. Here's a little preview of the class in this youtube video below. Thanks for watching! See you in class!

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New Adventures!

This last year has been a whirlwind with our move to Victoria, BC so I kind of neglected my blog but I will try to keep you updated a little more often this year. My last post was in May 2017, yikes!

Now that we are settled in our new home in Victoria, I finally did something I have been wanting to do for a long time; teach an online class! I joined the April challenge on Skillshare and produced my first workshop: Watercolor Field Trip: Explore Watercolor + Mixed Media. It came out on April 30th and I already have over 140 people taking the class and I am getting amazing feedback and reviews. What I love about online classes is that you can reach people from around the world!

You can get 2 free months if you subscribe to Skillshare with my link, and you'll have access to my class plus thousand of other awesome classes. And I will send you a hand painted thank you bird! Yes snail mail! But you'll have to let me know and email me your address. If you already have a subscription to Skillshare, just upload a project in my class and I'll send you one too! Hope to see you in class! Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Upcoming workshops at PTSA

Here’s my workshop schedule at the Port Townsend School of the Arts for the next 3 months. My popular Beeswax Collage workshop is happening on May 13th-14th. I am always amazed by my student's creativity in this class, I get so inspired every time. Then on June 3rd and 4th, I am teaching my Monoprint & Collage workshop. If you want to learn tricks and tips on printing with a gel plate, this is the class for you!

And on July 15th-16th, I am bringing back my Gypsy Journal workshop. In this class you will learn a lot of bookmaking and collage techniques to create whimsical journals with lots of personality! I am not sure if I will have time to teach in the fall this year, but I will definitely teach again in 2018. Hope to see you in one of my classes sometimes soon! 

Beeswax & Monoprint

I am so excited to feature my student's work from my Beeswax Collage and Gel Plate Monoprint workshops at the Port Townsend School of the Arts. Opening night tomorrow at Art Walk in Port Townsend, April 1st, from 5:30 to 8pm. Stop over for a glass of wine and listen to Dave and Eric on the ukulele!  See you there!

New workshop this weekend!

I am so excited to finally be teaching my first Gypsy Journals Workshop at PTSA this weekend! I am so passionate about recycling and these journals are the perfect little packages of upcycling goodness! From old books, to fabric samples, used jewelry, old maps, buttons and trims, paper scraps, used stamps, pretty much everything I have been hoarding for years, I can now put in these journals. We will work on stitched journals and spiral bound journals. Can't wait

to share all the work from my students!

Another Show at the Bishop Gallery

The Bishop Gallery had their artist back out at the last minute so they asked me if I had any paintings laying around, and could I just jump in and be their February artist! So I thought, why not? I am showing a lot of different styles, because I have been experimenting a lot in the last 5 years. Please stop by for a glass of wine and listen to my husband Dave on the ukulele if you are in the area. The Bishop Victorian is at 714 Washington Street in Port Townsend. Art walk is this Saturday February 4th from 5:30 to 8pm.

Gypsy Journal Workshop

Gypsy Journals Workshop at PTSA | March 18-19

Happy New Year! It's been pretty busy so far, I can't believe it's already January 22nd. It looks like I will be teaching a lot this year and I am pretty excited about that! My Beeswax Collage workshop on February 11-12 is already sold out but my Gypsy Journals workshop on March 18-19th still has openings. In this class you will learn how to create whimsical and eclectic journals using various collages, painting and book binding techniques. You will create your own hand painted papers and personalize the inside of your journal by mixing some blank pages with other papers like sheet music, old book pages, maps, colored or grid paper, etc. These books are so fun to make, and they make wonderful gifts too! Class will be held at PTSA in Building 306 at Fort Worden. Join the fun!

PTSA Open House and New Gel Plate Monoprint session

If you live around Port Townsend, swing by the PT School of the Arts Open House tomorrow, October 22nd, from 1 to 4pm. You can meet all the teachers, see their work and find out more about all the cool classes offered in the Fall 2 session. PTSA is at Fort Worden, Building 306. I will be offering another 5 week session of Gel Plate Monoprint from November 9th-December 14th (no class November 23rd) on Wednesday mornings, 9 to noon. Art is so good for you! :)

Post Art Northwest: October

Post Art Northwest | October |  Emily McCann Photography

In July this year, I was contacted by the very talented photographer, Emily McCann, asking me to be part of her Post Art Northwest project. Every month she draws a name from subscribers to her newsletter and sends the winner a snail mail postcard featuring one of her gorgeous image on the front and an original illustration from a PNW artist on the back. I was selected to be Miss October (my favorite month!). Check out her blog post featuring a short interview with me.

Emily also offered to come to my studio to take photographs. I usually don't like any pictures of myself but she managed somehow to take some really good ones! I don't know how she did that. I warned her that I wasn't very photogenic and she just shrugged her shoulders and said: "everybody says that, but that's not true", and she proved me wrong! She does have a very contagious laugh, you just feel like smiling when you are around her, that's the perfect quality for a photographer! Here's a few pictures from the shoot, I will share more later.

Beeswax Collage Workshop

Student work | Beeswax Collage Workshop | PTSA

This weekend I taught a Beeswax Collage Workshop at the Port Townsend School of the Arts. I had a super fun group, everybody in class was amazingly creative. I used to teach that class in California with my friend Diane and it brought back a lot of good memories (yes Diane, every time I smell melted beeswax, I think of you!). In a weekend workshop, we had a little more time to explore this medium (the California workshops were only 3 hours) and we got to work on canvas and panel board and then a free project, like a cigar box, or book cover, etc. This class will be offered again in early 2017, I will let you know when I have the dates. I am so happy to be teaching again, thank you to all my wonderful students for being so enthusiastic and dedicated! 

Student work | Beeswax Collage Workshop | PTSA

25 cents et autres histoires à la pièce

My cousin, Marie-Chantale Gariepy just published another book : 25 cents et autres histoires à la pièce. And we got to design the cover together! It's a collection of short stories inspired by a suggestion box she left for the customers of the Soucoupe café in Montreal. Clever idea, fascinating stories! On sale now in Montreal bookstores.

Port Townsend School of the Arts Open House

Exciting news! I will be teaching at the Port Townsend School of the Arts in the fall! A Gel Plate Monoprint 5-week session (Thursday 6-9pm, Sept 29th-October 27th) and a weekend workshop in Beeswax Collage on October 8-9th. There is an open house this Saturday August 6th from 1 to 4pm. Come by and meet the teachers and check out the first faculty art show. You can also enter a raffle to win a work of art. Swing by if you are in the area!

Summer Sewing Mood

I am in a sewing kind of mood.  I have many projects in the pipeline; quilts, totes, aprons, dresses, etc. And I have a pile of Spoonflower fabric just waiting to be turned into something fabulous. It helps to have a deadline though. I started this dress the night before the opening of my Mixed Media show at a local gallery because I didn't have anything to wear! I even made a belt with a belt kit I got at a garage sale a long time ago, it was super easy. My grandmother would have been proud of me! Even though she was a much better seamstress than I will ever be, I make up for it with enthusiasm. I get so excited when I turn a piece of fabric into anything, even if it's just a pot holder or a simple quilt block. Ok, this is the year I am finally going to finish a quilt, there, I said it...now I have to do it.

Spoonflower/ Bucket feet Oceans design contest

Surf's Up | Spoonflower/Bucket feet design contest finalist

My fabric design made the top 100 in the Spoonflower contest with Bucket Feet and you have until Wednesday, May 25th to vote. The winning Oceans design, chosen from the top 10 by BucketFeet, will be made into a run of limited-edition shoes. Stay tuned for the big reveal on Thursday, May 26th, which was my grand-papa Gerard's birthday! You can see all the entries and vote here!

Bucket feet shoes | Every limited-edition shoe is designed by a different artist

Monoprints + Mixed Media

Nébuleuses | Mixed Media on wood panel  | 18 x 18

I am happy to announce that I will be showing my work at the Bishop Gallery, in the Bishop Victorian Hotel, 714 Washington Street in Port Townsend. My first solo show: Monoprints + Mixed Media, opens tomorrow May 7th, during gallery walk from 5:30 to 8pm. I will also have my new coloring book for sale, and will demo a few coloring/blending techniques. There will be singing and ukulele playing by Dave Parisse (my husband) and my good friend Anne Ficarra. Swing by for a glass of wine or just to say hello if you are in the area. I would love to see you! The show runs until the end of the month.

Monoprints

The West Coast Coloring Book

Yes, it's time to get your colored pencils out again...my new book just came out this week! Another book with a West Coast vibe: The West Coast Coloring Book will take you down the winding Pacific Coast Highway through crashing waves, high cliffs and sandy dunes, bountiful orchards, lush forests and all the spectacular scenery the West Coast has to offer. Stop along the way to go surfing, camping, fishing, whale watching or wine tasting! Discover Port Townsend, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Hollywood or San Diego. The book offers 30 illustrations and a thumbnails section in the front with a small paragraph describing each illustration like in a travel guide book. I had so much fun illustrating it, I hope you enjoy coloring it too. Click through westcoastcoloringbook.com for more info or to order your copy.     

Spoon Challenge Contest: Watercolor!

The theme picked for the Spoon Challenge Contest is Watercolor! That works out pretty well for me because it's one of my favorite medium for fabric design. So I just sat down and painted a bunch of birds (although they kind of look more like chicks, which would make it an excellent Easter print!) But they are actually plump little birds, very well fed, but who can't keep a secret. They have been tweeting and gossiping away with their colorful chirps. You can see all the entries for the contest and vote here! Happy early Easter!

A little bird told me | Spoon Challenge Contest | March 2016

Spoon Challenge

Have you been following the Spoonflower Design-a-Day Spoon Challenge? It started on March 1st and it ends on March 15th. It's been really fun to follow tips from all of my favorite designers talking about their styles and process. Spoonflower asked me to do a post on Pen and Ink illustration and you can read all about it here. At the end of the challenge on March 15th, they will be choosing one of the 15 prompts as the theme for the next contest. You will have just 48 hours to tweak your design and enter it into the contest by March 16th. Voting will open to the public on Thursday, March 17th mid day. Have fun!

Book Signing in Seattle this Thursday!

Hello Seattle! I am doing a book signing event at Portage Bay Goods this week! Such a cool shop and our very first store in Seattle. They started carrying our coloring book right after it came out in November and they keep selling out every month since then. So I am pretty excited about the book signing this Thursday, February 18th from 5 to 8pm. You will also have a chance to win the coveted PNW Coloring Book Gift Set! Stop by for a glass of wine or just to say hello if you are in the Fremont area!