ZNE Book of the Month Club

Do you love art books? Do you have several ( lol) on your shelf, and you've only looked at the pictures? Have you been meaning to try out some of the projects and techniques? Do you find that your spouse or significant other, or other family members are really tired of saying, "Oh, that's nice!" in response to your asking "Well, what do you think?" As you hold up your latest creation, beaming, and waiting for their glowing response?

I think the dumbest thing I do ( well one of the dumbest, we won't make a list here, today, anyway) is show my dh a stack of ATCs or cards or dresses from a swap, and then ask him "Dear, which one do you think is the best?" He knows it is really code for "Pick mine out of this batch, buddy!" and that he is doomed!

So join us in the ZNE BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB. Each month, or so, we work together through an art book. This month is Kaleidoscope by Suzanne Simanaitis. Each week there will be an assignment posted from the featured book. It will include reading a selection, a writing prompt and an art project. Maybe an extra credit assignment! Then you post your response to the prompts and post photos or scans of your art. We discuss ideas and each other's responses and work on the ZNE Book Club Boards, and then those are edited and posted to the ZNE BOOK CLUB BLOG.

It's a great way to try out new ideas. techniques, meet new friends, and get feedback from someone besides your relatives.

I have been given the opportunity to be, as Chel describes on the Book Club Blog, "The Fabulous Assignment Coordinator" (I'm pretending that Fabulous is included in the title or perhaps she means the assignments are fabulous, nonetheless, I shall use it anyway!!)

You can sign up for the Book Club on the Book Club Blog. There is a special deal for those who were in the last selection's session, so check out the Discussion Boards. Every participant will get a "Party Favor", admission to the ZNE Book Club Room ( Discussion forum, just for registered participants, a coordinated collage kit from the ZNE STORE, and $10 of your entrance fee will go to Bernie Berlin's " A Place To Bark"

Many of you know Bernie Berlin as the fabulous mixed media artist and author of "Artist Trading Card Workshop"

Hope to see you in the Book Room. We go "Live" on Monday, July 7, 2008.


Extra Thanks go to: Claudine Hellmuth for the kind permission to use her artwork, above.

Monday Night is Art Night

Tonight on Circa Arte, "blog talk radio"you will hear Chel interview Claudine Hellmuth, author of many beautiful art books, including "Collage Discovery Workshop."You can join in on the live chat board, or call in and say "hi" at 8:30 PM ( central time). This particular book was a ZNE Book of the month club selection in 2007. Featured here, are a couple of the projects I made for the club. Chel posts an assignment every week or so, and then the participants respond to the assignment on the chat boards and then Chel posts a summary on the book club blog. Check out the book club blog. The project at the top of the page was suppose to be inspired by the cover of Claudine's book. It was to include a vehicle, a map, a monument, and the text, I discovered Claudine's Collage Discovery Workshop. So there it is. Other projects used tips and techniques in the book and we were to make projects inspired by Claudine's work in the book. We rusted metal with bleach and vinegar....be careful....very stinky, and must be done outside and with protective gear. We worked on background images and made some transfer images and an altered tin, and worked on an art journal.


I was inspired by Claudine's work with an altered tin , transfered image and a playing card, see page 80 of her book.