Kristen Gilje Studio

September 18, 2012August 12, 2015

Wild Journaling in the North Cascades

Drawing and Painting the Wild Journal at North Cascades Institute

Amidst the perfect weather of late summer our Wild Journaling workshop went out into the field to immerse ourselves in the grand mountains, meadows and valleys of the surrounding North Cascades.

The mornings were sweater-weather cool, and we hunkered down in our classrooms to practice our drawing and watercolor painting techniques. These skills supported our primary purpose of immersing ourselves in nature and recording the experience in our journals.

Thursday afternoon, our first day, we journaled on the short Peninsula Trail on campus, to test out our resiliency. The next day we traveled by bus with our journals and art supplies 15 miles away to Canyon Creek, rich with mining history. We crossed several foot bridges along a rushing creek to find an old miners’ cabin and barn deep in the forest, and spent the whole afternoon out there. Click on any thumbnail picture below to expand, then follow the arrows:

Sunday was our longest day in the field. We packed into the vans again and drove to a large meadow just under Washington Pass. The day could not have been more beautiful.

My students saw me go nuts with the camera. Here are some of the results. Click on a thumbnail, then follow the arrows. When you get to the end of the first batch, go to the second!

We had spent the 4 days of the Creative Arts Retreat with basket makers and artful mapmakers, and at the end of our time together we laid out our work for others to see.Here’s what our art show looked like:

What a wonderful time! Thanks, everyone, for such a great workshop! Hope to see you next year.

September 14, 2012August 12, 2015

Stained Glass Doors at Grunewald Guild

Kristen Gilje, Grunewald Guild doors from inside

I’ve always liked the idea of the Grunewald Guild as a “sanctuary for art and faith”. When designing these doors for the Guild, I used the Butterfly as a symbol of creation, of creating and re-birth, and of the Creator and all of us creatives artist-types. I used the symbol of the Celtic knot to represent community, and how we create a safe place, or sanctuary, together. The labyrinth is a symbol of the spiritual journey we are all on, in one way or another.

This idea fairly presented itself to me as I was at a loss for some sort of direction for this design. These three symbols, the butterfly, labyrinth and Celtic knot,landed on top of each other on my desk as I cleaned out a file full of used and unused symbols and sketches. It’s one of those things that you recognize when you see it; something coming from outside yourself, something unexpected. I used a version of this design originally for two 30-foot long banners for Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle. You can see that project by clicking here: Plymouth Metamorphosis .

And here is the original silk painting that these ideas grew from:

Kristen Gilje West Coast Lady Becoming II, 28x22, hand painted silk. — ©Kristen Gilje, West Coast Lady Becoming II, 28×22, hand painted silk.

Kristen Gilje Glass doors make color art on entryway walls — Glass doors make color art on entryway walls

Sun shining through the glass makes the entry space joyful with color. It will be even better when the tools are put away!

Below you can see where the doors are located. A porch the height of the doors will be built this fall, with stairs on each end. This porch should make a nice place to hang out, to find summer shade and shelter from snow and rain in winter.

New Grunewald Guild Entry — New Grunewald Guild entry, under construction

Grunewald Guild Doors day — Doors from the outside looking in: Daytime

Kristen Gilje Grunewald Guild Doors from outside — Grunewald Guild Doors from outside

Kristen Gilje, Grunewald Guild doors at night — Grunewald Guild doors at night

Joe Hester and I collaborated on several stained glass projects, some of them very large. This is one of my favorites, perhaps because the project was really a gift to Grunewald Guild from Joe, before he died this year.

Joe Hester was a friend and teacher of mine for many years at the Grunewald Guild. Joe died unexpectedly this year, from a brain tumor. Before he died Joe encouraged me to enter stained glass design contest, several of which I won, and collaborated with me on other stained glass projects. I miss Joe. Thanks Joe, for everything you gave to me.

Joe Hester working with sketch for the glass doors

August 21, 2012August 12, 2015

Carey Institute Silk Painting Workshop

Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

Carey Institute is on the campus of the University of British Columbia. It’s a beautiful location, on a peninsula surrounded by woods, hiking trails and beaches. I found this out AFTER our class….we were all too busy painting to do much exploring. Although our hosts introduced us to authentic Chinese food and bubble tea.

We had a group of 16 students, some from Vancouver BC and surrounding area, but also some that traveled from Alberta for the workshop.

Alex at Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting

Sarah, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

Edna and Hildie, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

Jennifer's Ice, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop — Jennifer’s Ice, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

We had so much fun and made such good work. Here are 50 pictures for you to see!

Edna and Hildie, Carey Institute Aug. 2012 silk painting workshop

Click on one image to make it bigger, then follow the arrows for the next picture. When you are done with the first batch, then go to the next. There are 3 batches!

Following are just a few of my favorites…There are so many. Thanks for such a good week, students!

Sarah's Stars, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop — Sarah’s Stars, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

Florence's Flowers,Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop — Florence’s Flowers,Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

Setting the Dye, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

Joyce, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

Alex's Fish, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop — Alex’s Fish, Carey Inst. Aug 2012 silk painting workshop

August 20, 2012August 12, 2015

Grunewald Guild July 30-Aug 5

Emily Wagnitz "Labyrinth" Detail, Handpainted Silk, 60" x 11".

Silk Painting Workshop

We had beautiful hot sunny weather at Grunewald Guild this summer. A lovely, lively group of 14 students, from age 12 to ?65? or so, we helped each other make some wonderful silk pieces.

Silk painting workshop,Grunewald Guild, Aug 2012 — The youngest member of our silk painting group, and the scarf he made. Carefully.

Unwrapping Mary Ann's piece, Grunewald Guild Aug 2012 — Unwrapping Mary Ann’s piece, Grunewald Guild Aug 2012

Singing Silk Painters, Grunewald Guild, Aug 2012

Unwrapping Mary Ann’s piece, Grunewald Guild Aug 2012

Singing Silk Painters, Grunewald Guild, Aug 2012

2012 Emily Wagnitz, "Gabriel", Detail. Hand Painted silk, 60x11". Grunewald Aug 2012-5 — ©2012 Emily Wagnitz, “Gabriel”, Detail. Hand Painted silk, 60×11″. Grunewald Aug 2012

©2012 Jane Middleton, Grunewald Guild, Aug 2012

July 20, 2012August 12, 2015

Nature Journaling

Drawing and Painting the Wild Journal

Sept. 6-9, 2012, North Cascades Institute’s Learning Ctr

http://ncascades.org/signup/programs/the-wild-journal/program-registration

Preparations for this 4-day workshop are getting me excited! September is my favorite month to be in the mountains here. The weather is cooler but more predictably sunny, the bugs are fewer, and every plant and animal is putting for a last burst of beauty and wholeness before the early mountain snows and cold winds push them back beneath the surface. High mountain summers are brief and beautiful.

We”ll be brushing up on drawing and watercolor skills in the morning, and using those skills to record our high mountain excursions in the afternoon, the easy way: we’ll be shuttled by van to places our resident naturalists choose for us. When it’s time for dinner we’ll be driven back to the Learning Center for a good meal and a warm bed.

Click on this link for more info on the workshop

http://ncascades.org/signup/programs/the-wild-journal

and click on this one to register:

http://ncascades.org/signup/programs/the-wild-journal/program-registration

July 12, 2012August 12, 2015

Figure Drawing

Recently I’ve re-discovered my love of figure drawing. July 6th I was invited to draw portraits of visitors to the Whatcom Museum here in Bellingham, in conjunction with the Ray Turner show “Population.” I brought my easel, a 6B pencil, sketch book and kneaded eraser, and drew 10 quick portraits in 2 hours. I was exhausted but satisfied.

I’ve also been attending 2-1/2 hour life drawing sessions at a local art school, Bellingham Art. Here is one drawing:

©2012 Kristen Gilje "Youth" 24x18, graphite — ©2012 Kristen Gilje “Youth” 24×18, graphite

July 5, 2012August 12, 2015

Manasquan, NJ banner finished

©Kristen Gilje "Servants' Entrance" hand painted silk, 28x94 inches.

Here’s a new banner to hang over the sanctuary exit of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Manasquan NJ.

The symbol is of a butterfly, resurrected from the dark of the cocoon into a thing of great beauty. Maybe the sanctuary is like a cocoon, resurrecting us into things of beauty, ready to be servants in the world.

April 16, 2012August 12, 2015

Philadelphia Red Banners Finished

Kristen Gilje, Philadelphia Seasonal Banners, Red

Commissioned by Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia’s senior class of 2012, these red banners will complement and add to the set commissioned last year. I just got back from photographing them, in the same place as last year, an office building with lots of tall open spaces with convenient balconies. In my photos the colors never come out exactly like the real colors of the silk, but this gives a fair idea. I see the colors as less orangey, a deeper scarlet, and more nuanced. You’ll just have to wait and see them yourselves!

April 5, 2012August 12, 2015

New Red Banners for Schaeffer-Ashmead Chapel

LTSP Red in Progress-37-2 — Painting in the living room

I’m honored to be making another set of banners for Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia this year. The graduating class of 2012, LTSP, has chosen to commission a pair of banners to continue the set ordered last year by the class of 2011.

Last year’s banners were also in pairs: Green, purple, and gold/white. You can see two of them in the picture below.

Philadelphia-2 — Two of 3 pairs of banners from last year’s gift hanging in Schaeffer-Ashmead Chapel at LTSP

Here’s a peek into the process:

I start with white silk pinned to a wooden frame the size of the banner, which my husband has made. This frame is 16 feet long and 45 inches wide. We set it up in the living room and adjacent shop area, after moving all the furniture away.

First I experiment with the colors I’d like to use, see how they mix together. Then I mix up a batch big enough to cover all the silk.

I use techniques similar to watercolor painting when I do these nice loose silk paintings. The silk is made damp first, so that the dyes will move and blend into each other softly. Then I apply the dye with sponge brushes.

LTSP Red Banner in Progress — Detail First Red Banner: this process is very much like watercolor, only on a large scale

LTSP Red in Progress-6-3 — Dry silk banner ready to be rolled in paper

After the silk is completely dry, usually over night, I remove it from the frame, lay it over newsprint paper, and roll it up in the paper.

Here you can see the whole first red banner, with paper underneath, extending from the living room into our shop.

Next I roll the silk and paper up together, drill a hole into the top of the roll (avoiding the silk of course), and stick it into a piece of stove pipe.

LTSP Red in Progress-2 — Steamer for “fixing’ the dyes

The silk roll then hangs vertically down in the center of the stove pipe. I top the pipe off with newspaper and a towel as a lid.

I carry the stove pipe outside and put it into a big pot full of water, with a propane burner underneath. After sealing the pot to the stove pipe with aluminum foil and masking tape I light the fire. The water boils, making steam. The moist heat chemically bonds the dyes to the silk.

The silk steams for 4 hours. After letting it cool for a while I bring the pipe back into the house and unroll the silk. Usually the colors are brighter after they are steamed, so it’s always a pleasure to see what’s inside. Very much like opening a potter’s kiln, to see what the new pots look like!

For these banners, I cut the bottoms into an inverted arch, to match the arches in their new home. Then the hems are hand-stitched, so I can control the tension of the thread. This way they hang better.

All that’s left now is to finish the hemming, pack them into cardboard tubes, and send them off!

March 21, 2012August 12, 2015

Workshop Schedule 2012

Students at Grunewald Guild Silk Workshop 2011

July 30-August 5, 2012, Grunewald Guild, near Leavenworth, WA

Liturgical Arts Week: A Spiral-Shaped God

Students Working — Proud students at Grunewald Guild 2011July 30-August 5 Grunewald Guild, near Leavenworth WA

Jan Richardson with Garrison Doles: Advent Portfolio: To Illuminate the Season
Kristen Gilje: Silk Painting in the Season of Creation
Gilly Sakakini: Looking Back, Looking Forward: A Fresh Approach to Creative Prayer in a Changing Culture
Laurie Richardson, Artist in Residence

Haimish Guild 2011 — Feasting at Liturgical Arts Week 2011

August 13-16, Carey Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Carey Worship and Arts Summer Schoo l: A Creative Exploration On the Psalms

I believe my friend Reed Carlson, from Icicle Valley Photography, will be one of the other teachers, as well as possibly a calligrapher. I’ll be teaching silk painting. Stay tuned.

September 6-9 near Nwhalem, WA

North Cascades Institute Environmental Learning Center: Creative Arts Retreat

Kristen Gilje: Painting the Wild Journal
Jocelyn Curry: The Artful Map: A One Page Journal
Melinda West: Designing an Artifact: Weaving an Artistic Basket

Holden Lake Trail — ©2005 Kristen Gilje “Storm on the Way Home” watercolor 10×14

In our Wild Journal workshop we’ll start the morning with some basic drawing and watercolor skills, to prepare us for our outings to high mountain meadows with our journals.

September is one of the best months to be in the mountains. Come and join us!