As part of Upstairs Downstairs – works of art from the penthouse, a series of demos and workshops was scheduled to invite visitors to meet the artists, learn more about their processes, techniques and media, and try their hands at creating their own artwork. The first scheduled event, three art talks by Carolyn E. Lewis, Connie Bloom and Bradley Hart was nearly snowed out. A couple weeks later, in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, Cari Miller, Terry Klausman and I presented a Be My Valentine Make & Take on a less snowy Saturday afternoon. Cari uses a lot of recycled materials in her colorful creations, so it was no surprise that she came prepared with an assortment of papers suitable for collage.

I supplied linoleum blocks, ink (red and white, of course) and supplies for monotypes. The monotype process was kept simple: apply ink to the block, embellish with a design and pull a print.

Once dry the little print could be affixed to card stock for a one of a kind Valentine.

It didn’t take long before everyone was combining materials into some fabulous heartfelt creations!

Cari caught a lot of the fun in her photos below. Check out Cari Miller’s art at Sunthing Special on Facebook.

workshop participant images above courtesy of Cari Miller, all rights reserved