Five Summertime Art Ideas

With the warm, sunny weather bringing the promise of a beautiful summer, perhaps you are considering what creative ideas you might work on during the next few months?  My summer is going to be very full but I want to make certain to squeeze some fun activities into our time as well. Here's just a few things that might appeal to you!

Kids T shirts and Dye - with four grand children around all summer - sometimes at our house and sometimes not....it's a balance between keeping them busy and giving them time to kick back and relax. One project I have planned is to let them dye their own TShirts. My plan is to presoak them in soda ash and after putting the shirts into plastic basins.... give them squirt bottles of dye concentrate. I think there will be a high child/adult ratio for this! Did I mention it's will be happening in the back yard?

A friend once mentioned that she calls this "granny camp" when the grandies get to do fun stuff with her...I'd like to make this happen for mine as well.

Here's the basic lesson: http://www.dharmatrading.com/gifts/the-spiral-tie-dye-basics.html?lnav=gifts.html 

Mark Making - I've been accepted into the TD Moss St.Paint-In next month, there's usually about 35,000 visitors that day, walking the length of one street! I'm planning to engage people in Making Marks" on fabric that I'll use later in my art. Let's see.....35,000 people painting and marking on fabric....something good will come from this!

Ice Dyeing - I've ordered a couple bolts of PFD cotton for a few mega-ice-dyeing sessions....I'm thinking that a few hours under plastic and "in the sun" is going to make some gorgeous fabrics, don't you? did you know my popular Ice Dyeing Revealed Online Workshop is now "on demand"? You can take it anytime anywhere! Check it out HERE: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/260989622/ice-dyeing-revealed-online-workshop?ref=shop_home_active_1

Make it portable - Summer time can mean grabbing a few minutes of creative time in between trips to the beach or lake. So why not pack a zippered bag of hand stitching for those times when you want to work with your hands but not have a big project in mind?

Learn something new - We have a lot of creative opportunities for learning and while I love being a teacher, I also need time to learn as a students. Check out some online learning opportunities or summer art courses near you. In Victoria, we are fortunate to have the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts and I've registered for two days of Mark Making with my friend Lori Sokuluk...I'm getting excited about being the student for a change! You can see lots of inspiring workshops: https://missa.ca/