Home Depot vs. DIY Academy

Two cities; two days; two workshops

Which class teaches you “How to paint a wall” better?

Originally published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel March 6, 2010

The Home Depot class started out badly. First, the manager couldn’t allow me to take pictures. This was expected since I had forgotten to call ahead for corporate clearance. But then they didn’t start on time. The instructor seemed harried and put out. She was the only one working in the paint department on a sunny Saturday morning, there was still a long line of customers, and although she apologized, she wasn’t sure how soon the class would start. So I roamed around the store, and finally, 20 minutes later, she had set up a table and supplies near the color chip display, and was ready to begin the Interior Painting class.

Then things started to get a lot better. First, I was the only student in the class, so she asked me exactly what I wanted to learn—basic painting or faux finishes?--and she was willing to teach directly to that. Second, she shook off the distress of a busy morning of paint mixing, and expressed a very real enthusiasm for paint. “I’m really passionate about color,” she said. Kristina Revetria has worked in the Watsonville Home Depot paint department for 2 years and really knows her stuff. “I pretty much live here,” she said. When another shopper asked if she could join the class and learn about faux finishes, Kristina very willingly added specific decorative painting techniques to her basic demonstration.

By the end of the one-hour plus class, she had opened 6 gallons of paint, 2 containers of spackling, 1 pint of glaze, used several brushes, rollers, sponges and paint trays, and had answered every question her two students could come up with. She had clearly learned a lot about paint and painting from personal experience, but also from teaching the class itself. “The cool thing is, I get contractors in these clinics and they show me a whole new way of doing things.”

Not only did I learn the basics of painting a wall, but I also learned some painting tricks such as:

• Although sponging creates an interesting decorative texture, just using a simple plastic bag for dabbing on a paint looks even better
• Although you can buy expensive textured rollers for faux painting, you can also simply wrap an old t-shirt around a roller, fasten in on with rubber bands, and create similarly great effects
• If you have a gallon of paint in a color you’re tired of, you can bring it back to Home Depot and have them add new tints to create a new color you’d rather have
• From fellow student Judy Kirker: If you’re not sure what color will look good on your walls, the Buena Vista Landfill in Watsonville has a recycling center with cans of paint you can take home and try out for free (you can also bring unwanted cans of paint there for someone else to try)
• As work permits, Kristina is willing to set up impromptu classes to answer customer questions with a demonstration

I took the Home Depot class to provide counterpoint to another class I took earlier the week called “Paint Like a Pro,” offered by the recently opened DIY Academy in South San Jose. This small, strip-mall facility offers classes in a number of home-improvement areas, including painting, tiling and wiring.

The fun thing about DIY Academy is that its classes are completely hands-on. Their website (www.DIYacademy.com) says “expect to get dirty,” and so everyone shows up in their grubbies and is assigned a partner and a tiny room to “finish” by the end of the class. The Drywall a Room and Trim Out a Room classes had obviously happened before ours, since there were nails to be set, holes to be filled and sanded, and gaps to be caulked before we could start priming and painting—just like in real life. Each team was given just the right amount of time to master each technique in their room, before gathering for the next demonstration.

The class was taught by a veteran paint contractor, Santa Cruz native Chad Buckner, with 17 years of experience. The two Academy founders, Jeff Vasek and Steve Gross, were also on hand to help late arrivals catch up, answer questions, and wash brushes and buckets between primer and paints. The class was geared to beginners, but even a somewhat experienced painter might be surprised by all the time-saving techniques practiced by professionals—things as elemental as using the appropriate brush or roller, or properly loading a brush or roller with paint. The instructor had a more efficient way of doing just about every step.

My favorite part of the class was learning how to clean a brush. I’d always considered buying expensive brushes a waste, since I could never wash out enough paint to keep the brush flexible for the next job. But in this class, the instructor recommended buying the $15 brush, and then showed you how to property wash and store it to keep it like new indefinitely. (Sorry, you’ll have to take the class for this trade secret.)

You can see a complete listing of classes and schedules, and enroll, on the DIY Academy and Home Depot websites. Some of the DIY Academy workshops, like Basic Home Electricity and Tile a Bathroom Floor, are all-day weekend classes, while others, such as Tile a Backsplash and Paint Like a Pro, are half-day or evening classes. By contrast, Home Depot usually teaches one-hour workshops that are repeated every weekend, and sometimes geared to the seasons.

Since the 1-hour Home Depot class was free and the 3 ½-hour DIY Academy class was $150, I was afraid the former would pale in comparison with the latter. But, they turned out to be two very different classes that actually complemented each other in content and style. I would recommend the Home Depot class if you have a very specific question about a painting technique or product, and the DIY Academy class if you want to improve your painting skills overall and become a more proficient painter.

Van Gogh and Vinyl

The risky business of making art

As published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, February 6, 2010

Royal Talens, a Dutch manufacturer of artist materials, makes a line of student-grade paints, pencils and pastels under the brand name of the famous Dutch Impressionist, Van Gogh. “All Van Gogh products,” one vendor advertises, “are non-toxic—perfect for use in the classroom.”

Art supplies in use today that may still contain lead pigments include inks, dyes, paints and pastels, wax crayons, and colored glazes for pottery or glassware. Leaded solders are also still used in stained glass and enamel manufacture, glass-blowing, and jewelery-making.

Of course, lead isn’t the only hazardous material found in artists’ studios. The toxicity of chemical solvents, silica dust, and heavy metals contained in art supplies or in fumes produced in art processes, is well-documented, and art suppliers are required by law to label their products with warnings of acute or chronic health hazards (but not necessarily a list of ingredients). Wise artists take seriously the recommended precautions such as gloves, mask, goggles, and a well-ventilate workspace, when they choose to use potentially hazardous materials. But what happens when there is no warning label or material data safety sheet?

Today’s artists are not afraid to use all manner of unconventional materials in their work. For example, encaustic and fiber artist Daniella Woolf—whose large-scale pieces are currently on display in the Rydell Fellows exhibit at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History—has incorporated the humblest of items—tea bags, eucalyptus leaves, carpenters’ shims, drywall tape, and all sorts of found papers—into her work, often in massive quantities. Does she worry about exposure to toxic materials—especially undocumented ones?

“Yes, it’s a huge concern of mine,” she says. “In the 60s and 70s, before very much was known, I worked with resins. I dyed 100 pounds of jute sisal without a mask or gloves. I used to blow my nose and purple would come out. I feel lucky to be alive,” she says.

“There are some things that don’t leave your body. I have high cholesterol and no one else in my family does. So I went to an acupuncturist who said, ‘You’re an artist. You’ve been around toxic chemicals your whole life. Your liver is probably screaming.’”

Today, she’s very careful to use gloves, work in a well-ventilated room, keep her heated materials at safe temperatures, and avoid anything her nose, body, or someone knowledgeable tells her is unsafe. She admits that it’s a risky business, but “I know how to keep it safe,” she says.

I started thinking more seriously about the relative safety of certain art materials when I considered making crafts from recycled vinyl. I came across a how-to sheet on sewing a vinyl-pocketed charging station at Jo-Ann Fabrics; and then stumbled upon a series of beautifully painted bowls made from heat-shaped vinyl records at http://eyepopart.blogspot.com/. As I ventured father into the possibilities of vinyl, I discovered that there’s a whole section of differing thicknesses of vinyl for sale at the fabric store (what do folks make with all this?) and numerous tutorials online for making bowls, hair bands and clocks from vinyl records. But is crafting with vinyl—an extremely controversial, yet ubiquitous product—a safe thing?

Vinyl, also know as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), is an inexpensive plastic so versatile, the list of products made from it is exhaustive. Over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction—in everything from window frames to rain gutters to wall coverings to flooring to plumbing. The rest is in your clothing, your car, your kitchen, your office, your backyard, your children’s toys, your doctor’s office—even in your back pocket (credit cards). It’s impossible to avoid the stuff.

But, if you’ve ever seen the film “Blue Vinyl” you know that the production, use and disposal of PVC are not without inherent risks to human health and the environment. The California Assembly even approved a bill last June (AB 1329) to reduce PVC in plastic packaging. Reusing vinyl—as in keeping all plastics out of the landfill—can be a good thing. But what if, in the process of heating the vinyl (to mold a record), you were exposing yourself to harmful gasses?

One green writer, Umbra Fisk, recognizes the dilemma between the relative positives of reuse vs. the potential for harm on her website “Grist.” After reading lots of anecdotal and scientific evidence on the Web, I’m inclined to agree with Fisk when she says, “Can I find out if heating the vinyl enough to reform it into a bowl is harmful to the crafter or the eater? No. But from what we know about vinyl, its ability to offgas, and the poisonous additives that may or may not be in records (lead!), I'm persuaded that vinyl fruit bowls are a fun item we can do without.”

That said, (and please feel free to consider me stupid), I did go ahead and make a vinyl record bowl. I opened all the kitchen windows, turned on the range fan, used the second (mostly dormant) oven, washed every tool I used (hands, mittens, cookie sheet, metal bowl) in hot soapy water afterwards, and won’t use the record bowl to hold anything edible. In retrospect, it may have even been wise to cover the cookie sheet and molding bowls with foil, which could have been discarded afterwards.

Of course, whether the acrylic paint I added to the surface is also hazardous when heated is another question. The point I’m belaboring here is, do your homework, take precautions, work smartly and safely. You’ve got a world of information at your (gloved) fingertips that Van Gogh never had.

A Beginner's Guide to Aromatherapy

The Healing Power of Plants

Originally published January 16, 2009 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

I’ve always associated the word “aromatherapy” with the fragrant booths at street fairs, displaying an array of scented soaps, candles, incense, potpourri or perfumes. When younger, my daughters would be drawn to these vendors, pressing the colorful products to their noses to determine their favorite scent. The sweet, pungent odors of coconut, gardenia, and pine were appealing, maybe even stimulating, but were they also therapeutic?

I’ve since learned that the source of these enticing aromas at street fairs was probably fragrance oils, which are not typically associated with aromatherapy. Aromatherapy makes use of essential oils, which are also fragrant, but used to treat a wide range of ailments, including migraines, PMS, hot flashes, arthritis, motion sickness, high blood pressure, A.D.D., asthma, depression, stress, and more.

Therefore, to understand the aims of aromatherapy—using plant oils for psychological and physical well-being—it’s helpful to know a little more about various oils.

• Essential oils are extracted from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, seeds, or other parts of a plant. They are thought to contain the true essence of the plant and its immune system, in a highly concentrated form. By inhaling or applying diluted essential oils to the skin, aromatherapy seeks to provide valuable psychological and physical therapeutic benefits.

Essential oils are generally more expensive than other oils due to varying production costs and yield requirements. For example, it takes 10,000 lbs. of rose petals picked optimally at sunrise, to make 1 lb. of essential oil, compared to lavender that only requires 150 lbs. for 1 lb. of oil. As a result, rose absolute essential oil can cost 10 to 20 times as much as lavender oil.

• Carrier oils are derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually from the seeds, kernels or the nuts. Carrier oils are necessary to dilute essential oils prior to use. Some carrier oils are odorless, but generally speaking, most have a faintly sweet, nutty aroma. Commonly used carrier oils include olive oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, and jojoba oil.

• Fragrance oils are made by synthetic means and/or with synthetic materials. Fragrance oils are typically used in perfumes, cosmetics, scented candles, soap and incense. They do not claim to offer the same therapeutic benefits as essential oils, and are usually less expensive.

At this juncture I should also add that there are important warnings and disclaimers typically associated with the use of essential oils. In their potent, concentrated form they can be harmful, and some even toxic, and therefore should never be ingested. For external use, they should always be diluted and tested on the skin for sensitivity. They should also be kept away from children, not be used near the eyes, and the dosage cut in half for use by young children and the elderly. Finally, essential oils are not a substitute for professional medical care.

If your approach to healthcare is more holistic, homeopathic or if you’d just rather see natural products in your skincare regime rather than a long list of unpronounceable synthetic additives, there are a lot of great books and websites that show you how to make your own bath and beauty products. You can use essential oils to make massage oils, lotions, mists, bath oils, bath bombs, liquid soap, and more. You can also simply add 6 to 12 drops of essentials oils to a warm bath.

One of my favorite books on making bath and body products is actually aimed at girls—“The Girls’ World Book of Bath & Beauty” by Allison Chandler Smith. One of its best features, besides lots of intriguing recipes, is a list of ingredients and where you will most likely find them (which can be challenging), be it a pharmacy, grocery store, craft store, health-food store or online. Although “The Girls’ World…” has its own recipe for bath bombs, I had more success with this one from one of my favorite DIY websites, www.instructables.com

What you need and where to find it

8 oz. Baking Soda

4 oz. Citric Acid (Seven Bridges Cooperative in Santa Cruz)

4 oz. Corn Starch

4 oz. Epsom Salts (drug store)

¾ tsp Water

15 drops* Essential oils (Elizabeth Van Buren or Monterey Bay Spice Company, both in Santa Cruz)

2 ½ Tbsp Light vegetable oil

2 drops Food Coloring

Whisk, bowl, jar, wax paper, cookie sheet, mold (opt.)

* Adjust essential oil quantity if using strong oils like geranium and be sure to avoid oils that are strong skin sensitizers like cinnamon (or be sure to only use a drop or two of such oils).

What you do

Blend the dry ingredients in a large glass bowl to a smooth consistency.

Blend wet ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake to combine.

Slowly whisk small amounts of the liquid into the dry ingredients. If the mixture starts to foam, you are adding the liquid too quickly.

When all the liquid has been added, test to see if it clumps together like wet sand when you squeeze it. If not, add more wet ingredients, a tiny bit at a time.

Press the mixture into 4 to 5 round balls. You can also try using a mold such as a melon baller, candy or soap mold, or ice cube tray.

Let dry overnight, then store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for storage up to 6 months.

When ready to use, drop in a warm bath and relax. The bomb will fizz slowly because of the combination of citric acid and baking soda, and the oils will disburse.

Suggested Essential Oils

Arthritis - Angelica Root, Coriander, Juniper. Asthma - Roman Chamomile, Clary Sage, Cypress, Lavender, Petitgrain. Bronchitis- Bay Laurel, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Hyssop, Ravensara, Tea Tree, Thyme. Immune System- Bay Laurel, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Niaouli, Peppermint, Ravensara, Tea Tree, Thyme. Indigestion - Angelica Root, Coriander, Fennel. Insect Bites - Cedarwood, Lavender. Muscle Pain - Cajeput, Camphor, Ginger, Peppermint, Rosemary. PMS- Geranium, Lavender. Rash- German Chamomile, Roman Chamomile, Rose. Reduce Appetite Fennel, Patchouli. Sore Throat - Cajeput, Cypress, Lemon, Niaouli, Tea Tree.

A Place of His Own

Learning to build with no prior experience

Originally published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, December 19, 2009

“We make our buildings and afterwards they make us. They regulate the course of our lives.”—Winston Churchill

All around my home are small and large scraps of paper with lists of words like “gutter spikes,” “shims,” and “Z-bar flashing”—terms I might not have even recognized four months ago. These were my weekly shopping lists, accumulated over the last three months as I built my husband a writing studio for Christmas.

Actually the “I” in that last sentence is a bit of a stretch—I actually had lots of help, but I did select the design, order and purchase the plans and materials, and do about half the cutting, carrying, lifting, hammering, etc. The other half of the construction (and all the heavy lifting) was done by my strong husband. And because neither of us is very handy or has the least bit of building experience, there were a myriad of others who came through when we had a question, a problem, or a disaster (remember that huge storm we had in October?)

So, for my fellow wannabe builders, I’d like to share what I’ve learned from this experience. Apparently anyone can put together a sound structure—the studio in our front yard is proof of that—but it’s going to take a lot of patience, friends, and bent nails before you really begin to know what you’re doing.

Another company, San Francisco-based Modern Cabana, offers pre-assembled panels to speed up the installation of their small, stylish buildings that they say can be built by two adults with construction experience (and fatter wallets) in a few days. By comparison, our Summerwood studio, which was basically built from scratch, took us three months of weekends.

The first order of business was settling on a design that included building instructions. There are books on building everything from a storage shed to a three-bedroom home with plumbing and electricity. The two that I found most helpful were, “Sheds—The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders” by David and Jeanie Stiles, and “Habitat for Humanity--How to Build a House” by Larry Haun. What we were striving to build was something the size of a shed, but more permanent and inviting, like house, so these books helped us meld the two concepts.

Although “Sheds” and a few websites provided plans for various sizes and styles of small buildings, I liked Summerwood, a Canadian company with an interactive website, from which you can order plans and instructions, with or without materials. From their selection of outdoor structures I chose “Urban Studio” and used their custom design feature to help visualize placement of windows, doors, and other add-ons.

Most of the big items (lumber, windows and a door) we purchased from Big Creek Lumber in Watsonville. The rubber roofingcame from Flat Roof Solutions in Tennessee; the redwood bevel siding came from McKinnon Lumber in Hollister; and the regular doses of inspiration were gathered from Michael Pollan’s book “A Place of My Own—the Architecture of Daydreams” about his own experience of building a writing house in the woods of Vermont. (You can view his beautiful studio at michaelpollan.com).

Pollan was especially helpful in bolstering my belief that my building was going to be more than just a shelter. I could have gone out and bought one of those inexpensive, easy-to-assemble shed kits if all I wanted was a roof and four walls. But this was going to be my husband’s oasis, a place where his imagination could flourish and his writing would take flight. It had to be more than just practical, and I was willing to spend a little more to make it so.

Pollan admits his 14x8 ½ foot cabin took 2 ½ years to build and cost “somewhere on the far side of $125 a square foot.” Since we’ve only finished the exterior, this is not an apples-to-apples comparison, but so far we’ve spent $54.26 per square foot on our building. I know it could have been done more cheaply, but we’re happy with the results (although, I’ll admit, my husband hasn’t actually seen the VISA bills lately).

So, three months after sawing the first piece of lumber, here’s what I’ve learned in a nutshell:

1. There are five ways to do just about everything—watch all the YouTube videos on installing windows if you don’t believe me.
2. You’ll need about 10 times as many nails as you think.
3. Lumber is not always straight.
4. Two people can have very different ideas about what’s good enough. One person’s “anal” is another person’s “sloppy.”
5. A 2x4 piece of lumber is actually 1-1/2” x 3-1/2”.
6. Building supplies/techniques used in Canada do not always make sense in California.
7. Buy or borrow at least two 8-foot ladders.
8. Invest in a good framing hammer, a tool belt, a longer level, a strong crowbar, numerous small drill bits (you’ll lose ‘em), a plumb bob, and a new blade for your saw(s).
9. Keep a steady supply of Band-Aids on hand.
10. Find/hire an experienced carpenter willing to serve as your construction hotline—as you build, you’ll have questions that need quick answers before you can go on.

As essential as it is to have one expert willing to act as advisor, there will be many others who help make your building a reality. To give you an idea of the depth and breadth of those we enlisted every step of the way, we’d sincerely like to thank:

• All those at Ace, Orchard Supply, Home Depot and Lowes who shared their know-how and pointed the way to the right box of nails
• Francisco at Big Creek Lumber, who patiently helped me order and reorder the right materials for the job
• Grant, for going over the initial plans and designing a solid foundation from pier blocks and pressure-treated wood
• Dan and Chris, who rushed over to help us lift our way-too-heavy first wall
• Seal, for lending us his ladder and showing us how to tie his tarp over our roofless walls in the midst of a drenching gale
• John, for installing the door and windows, and providing lots of ideas and encouragement
• Mike, for being on call day and night, whenever we needed him.

Thank you one and all and especially to my husband. We did it together.

Retro-crafts

Could a lost craft be the next big thing?

Originally published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel November 14, 2009

Without a doubt, the most popular crafts in the U.S. are knitting, quilting and scrapbooking. The number of books publish

ed and space devoted in craft stores to these pursuits far exceeds the other contenders. So, with all the creative possibilities in the world, what makes these three so appealing?

To begin with, the materials and tools are very available and inexpensive. Knitting, for example, can be done with just three things: knitting needles, yarn and scissors. What could be simpler?

Secondly, the materials and tools are portable and don’t demand a dedicated workspace. They aren’t bulky like woodshop machinery or messy like paints. They can be done in your home—at the kitchen table or in a comfortable chair.

Finally, knitting, quilting and scrapbooking have socializing appeal—all three can be done communally in regular gatherings and workshops (actual and virtual) with other devotees.

The cycle of crafts

Age-old crafts like knitting, quilting and scrapbooking have enjoyed swells in popu

larity at certain periods in history for a variety of reasons. For example, knitting—a necessary skill prior to the industrial

revolution—declined with the invention of machine knitting, increased during the “Knitting for Victory” campaign during WWII, had a huge boost as greater colors and styles of yarn were introduced after the war years (think twinsets), and then declined again in the 1980s as knitting was no longer

taught in schools and considered old-fashioned.

The 21^st century resurgence is due in large part to the availability of natural and exotic fibers, and novelty yarns, which produce

dramatic results without years of experience. In addition, social networking websites connect knitting enthusiasts around the world, and may contribute to keeping the enthusiasm for knitting alive.

The next big thing: A Retro-Craft?

So, as we close out the first decade of the 21^st century, it’s time to speculate what will be the next big craft? Several books have been published recently about lost crafts, featuring skills like candle- and soap-making, that were necessary for survival for most of history, but have become nothing more than boutique hobbies for the last century or more.

Three books, “ManCrafts” from Popular Mechanics, “The Prairie Girl’s Guide to Life” by Jennifer Worick, and “Lost Crafts” by Una McGovern, challenged me to try my hand at some lost crafts. I had many intriguing choices, such as coping saw carpentry, axe whittling, and fly tying. But others needed to be defined before I could even consider them, such as:

· pargeting (a decorative plasterwork on buildings, sometimes featuring extravagant sculptural reliefs)

· cob walling (wall building with a mixture of subsoil, water and straw)

· rushlights (a cheap candle made from rush pith dipped in melted animal fat)

· Sussex trugs (a shallow, oblong basket made from willow strips)

· tussie-mussies (a small posy of flowers and herbs)

Finding instructions and materials

Of course who’s to say when tatting, thatching, and wheelwrighting might come back into vogue? But I looked for crafts that might have some potential of resurgence—or, at the very least, ones that I could find instructions for on the internet. Since not only the crafts, but the materials needed to produce them are also “lost,” it would take quite a revolution to create a broom-making, wheat-weaving or pomander-making craze. But luckily a small number of vendors in the virtual world still carry broomcorn, long-stemmed wheat and orris root.

Wheat for wheat weaving:

Supplies: blackbeards-wheat.cc; www.franksupply.com

Instructions: www.wheatweaving.com

Broomcorn for broom-making:

Supplies: www.recaddy.com; www.franksupply.com

Instructions: www.motherearthnews.com

Orris root for orange pomander:

Supplies: www.mountainroseherbs.com

Instructions:

Pomanders, like potpourri, are used for perfuming the air and masking odors. From medieval times through the 17^th century, aromatic substances were made into a ball, and carried or worn in a small perforated globe or box as a protection from diseases thought to be carried in foul-smelling air. Modern pomanders generally involve studding a citrus fruit with whole cloves. To make an orange pomander for your home you need:

Navel orange

Whole cloves

Wide rubber bands

Ribbon

1 T. Orris root powder

1 T. each Cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves

Paper bag

Toothpick

Put two rubber bands around the orange from top to bottom, dividing its surface into quarters. The rubber bands will help you make the clove pattern uniform and leave a path for the ribbons. Use the toothpick to poke holes into the orange in a pattern, and then place a clove in each hole, being careful to not break off the heads. When the entire orange is covered in cloves, cut off the rubberbands. Measure the spices and orris root into the paper bag, and then roll the orange around in the spices until evenly coated. Leave the orange in the bag and store in a cool, dry place until dried, about 3 to 6 weeks. Check the orange frequently, and discard if it shows any sign of mold. A finished pomander will feel light and sound hollow. Add ribbons to hang or display in a bowl.

A lesson in values

Blue is the color I love in a quilt

Originally published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel October 3, 2009

Main Entry: val·ue

Pronunciation: \ˈval-(ˌ)yü\

Function: noun

6 a : relative lightness or darkness of a color : luminosity b : the relation of one part in a picture to another with respect to lightness and darkness

7 : something (as a principle or quality) intrinsically valuable or desirable

From Merriam-Webster online

In a bookstore in Seattle this summer, I fell in love with a shade of blue. It’s not a turquoise blue, but it has a hint of green in it. It’s not a gray-blue, but it is pale and lovely. It’s the color of the sky on a clear autumn morning.

It was featured prominently in a book called “Patchwork Style” by Suzuko Koseki, with all kinds of quilting projects—mini bags for special occasions, potholders and aprons too nice to risk staining with spaghetti sauce, and of course, quilts. It was the blue in the quilts that made me buy the book and then search out fabrics on my way home from Seattle. I carried the book into fabric stores in Ashland and Arcata and held it up to bolts of fabric. When the right fabric was $9.95 a yard, I bought some anyway—I had to have that blue in my life.

Let me say from the outset that I am not a quilter. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about color and color combinations the way a serious quilter would. But, of course, this sudden obsession with sky blue and how to make it a part of my everyday life, made me think more about the magic that real quilters perform on a daily basis.

I went to the Santa Cruz County Fair two weekends ago and spent an hour talking with several quilters who were demonstrating their talents. I asked them how they make decisions about colors in their quilts. Jenny Hibberd, who teaches quilting techniques, says a successful quilter thinks about values (the relative lightness or darkness of a color) when designing a quilt. “It doesn’t matter what the colors or the prints are, for the most part you’re looking at the values. You can have a fabulous quilt even with random fabrics.”

So, I learned, a quilt made with only sky blue fabrics wouldn’t sing at all. It would look flat and the pieced patterns would be lost without adding fabrics of contrasting value. It wasn’t just the blue I fell in love with—it was the blue in relation to other color values.

I noticed that a lot of the quilts I was attacted to in “Patchwork Style” combined sky blue with lots of white (a lighter value than sky blue), fire engine red (a darker value), and midnight blue (a much darker value). I was beginning to see how it was all coming together.

For some more thoughts on color, and since Open Studios ArtTour 2009 begins this weekend, I talked with a few artists who stand out for their use of color.

Mike Bailey, a watercolorist who paints ocean bluffs that look like radiant stained glass, says that, “Reds seem to draw me in more and more and more over time.” Like Jenny Hibberd, he admits that color may seem like the star of the show, but it’s the combination of colors and contrasting values that makes a painting work. “Value and composition do the work, but color gets the credit,” says Bailey, quoting a well-known painting maxim. He also allow his moods to dictate his palette. “I have spurts of brazon, crazy color, followed by six months of painting in more muted tones,” he says.

Photographer John Gavrilis captures the colors of the natural world with his large format camera and transparency film. The colors in his landscapes are not digitally enhanced, but so captivating and vibrant that viewers often question their veracity. “If you use digital photography and push colors beyond what’s real, you can’t call yourself a nature photographer,” he says. For Gavrilis, the test of his color combinations lies in their truth—they must mirror reality. His photographs demonstrate his love of low light and earthtones--the red-oranges of late afternoon sunlight bathing mountaintops or catching the crest of an ocean wave.

Beth Shields links her use of colors with her changing emotions. “Kind of like a lot of moods in life—sometimes you’re very centered and calm,” she says. At those time, she might paint with a neutral like buff. “Then there are times of more intense emotions,” more appropriate for painting with black and red. Although she was trained in the formal rules of traditional, representational art, when she creates her expressive, abstract works in oil, wax and graphite on canvas, she says her process is intuitive. “Because I work on instinct and emotion, I’m basically trying to bypass the logic portions of the brain. I have days when I’m so at peace with the world and I have days when I’m just the opposite. All these feelings are essential to my authentic self.” The truth of her colors lies in their ability to reflect that authentic self, in all its nuanced and disparate tones.

You can tell by Maggie Renner Hellmann’s exuberantly colored landscapes in oil, that she doesn’t have a favorite color. “I love them all, like a kid when you get the big box of 64 crayons. It give me so much joy just to see all the colors on my palette when I go to paint.” She associates her impressionistic, rainbow approach to painting with her innate sense of optimism. “I tend to be kind of a happy person.”

Making thoughtful color choices and combinations is probably second nature for these seasoned artists. But for the beginning quilter like me, I’m still carrying my sample book into the fabric store and wrestling with what works and why. If when I’m done I can say, “It gives me so much joy just to see all the colors in my quilt,” I’ll know I’ve succeeded.