The endangered Devils Hole pupfish is significant to me given my interest in aquatic environments and water related species. There were only 131 Cyprinodon diabolis recorded in the biannual count conducted in September 2015. My watercolour painting focuses on a limestone shelf that measures 3.0 X 6.3 metres, which the pupfish depend on for spawning and for much of their diet. The pupfish eat primarily microscopic diatoms, a type of algae that clings to large bright green filamentous algae. Other species found on this shelf are tiny invertebrates: amphipods, spring snails, two types of beetles, and flatworms. The Devils Hole pupfish are considered the rarest fish in the world; they measure one-inch long and are so named, as they seem as playful as puppies. In this artwork, I enlarged the pupfish and took artistic license varying the scale of the microscopic world that surrounds them.

WORKSHOPS

April 20, 2016 in Teaching, Workshops, Mark making, Sketch Books, Mixed Media, Collage

I am teaching 4 workshops in July and August 2016

VANCOUVER ISLAND SCHOOL OF ART

The Vancouver Island School of Art is a learning community dedicated to the advancement of art education through comprehensive programs and presentations for adults of all ages. The focus of the courses and workshops offered by the school is on technique, personal expression and contemporary context.

All workshops can be taken for credit towards one of VISA'S PROGRAMS (Certificate or Diploma).

Unless noted, all workshops have materials included and are suitable for beginners.

Mixed Media: Surface Textures (MMED w136)

This workshop will introduce you to ways of creating texture in drawings and paintings using acrylic pastes and grounds. Light molding paste, fibre paste, absorbent ground, gesso, fine pumice and acrylic ground for pastels will be explored. You will learn a variety of techniques including resists, rubbing, lifting, scraping, incising, veiling and burnishing. You will work on watercolour paper, cradled panel and stretched canvas. The workshop includes demonstrations and hands-on practice and will provide you with endless ideas and approaches for drawing and painting projects. The workshop is suitable for all levels of experience. Material fee covers specialty materials and surfaces.
Jul 1 - 3 Friday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Jill Ehlert
Tuition: $295.00 (18 hrs) Material Fee: $25 (materials included)

Sketchbook Development (DRWG w132-6)

This daylong workshop consists of a series of fast-paced exercises to get you comfortable with working in your sketchbook. A wide range of ideas, materials and techniques will be explored. Backgrounds, mark-making explorations, sketching, drawing and writing will also be covered. You will leave this workshop inspired to make your sketchbook a part of your daily practice. No experience necessary. All materials are provided, including a sketchbook and pens for you to take home with you. No experience necessary.
Jul 17 Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Jill Ehlert
Tuition: $150.00 (6 hrs) (materials included)
Image Page

Drawing: Pen & Ink and Found Tools (DRWG w167)

In this workshop, you will create a personal visual language of marks and textures, beginning with making marks with a traditional dip pen with a variety of nibs using India and walnut ink. You will learn ways to hold the pen as well as how to control movement, speed, pressure and spacing. You will build on your vocabulary by making your own unconventional tools, beginning with a "Cola" pen, a handmade dip pen/nib, and then you will transform found objects into drawing tools that you will use with ink. "Found" tools will include sticks, twigs, cotton swabs, fingers, toothpicks, dried plant material, bamboo skewers, string, seedpods, feathers and wire. Surfaces to work on will include: Mylar, Stonehenge, tracing and rice paper. The workshop includes demonstrations and hands-on practice.
Jul 29 - 31 Friday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Jill Ehlert
Tuition: $295.00 (18 hrs) (materials included)

Mixed Media: Creating Backgrounds (MMED w152)

The focus of this workshop is on making a variety of surfaces that can be used for drawings or paintings, or as works of art on their own. You will learn how to create backgrounds using a variety of mixed-media techniques with resists, washes, gesso veils, ink runs, rust printing, stamping, folding, crumpling, rubbing, burning and waxing. You will use new and found surfaces to work on, such as Mylar, Yupo, watercolour, printmaking, rice, and tracing papers. The workshop includes demonstrations and hands-on practice. This workshop will give you a compilation of ideas and approaches to use in drawing, painting or collage work. All materials are included but you are encouraged to bring an assortment of surfaces to work on, such as cardboard, book pages, commercial papers, plastic and newspaper.
Aug 12 - 14 Friday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Jill Ehlert
Tuition: $295.00 (18 hrs) (materials included)

NEW WORK

February 18, 2016 in Studio, Mark making, New Work

Working in the studio today with fire and smoke!

Burning holes, smoke drawings, piercing and punching holes, folding, cutting, melting beeswax, stitching and embossing.

WORKSHOPS

February 03, 2016 in Teaching, Workshops, Mark making

I will be teaching a 2-day workshop March 5th & 6th - 10am - 5pm

Drawing: Creating Marks Through Actions

I will be teaching Creating Marks Through Actions at the Vancouver Island School of Art in Victoria, BC. This workshop focuses on unconventional ways of creating marks on paper using traditional tools such as pen, ink and graphite, as well as more unconventional ones such as an awl, smoke, needle, thread, hammer and nail. A range of movements and actions such as puncturing, smoking, burning, rubbing, cutting and sewing will be explored as drawing gestures for mark making.

All samples below are by Jill Ehlert © Click on thumbnails below to see large images in slideshow.

WORKSHOPS

January 29, 2016 in Teaching, Workshops, Sketch Books, Mark making

Sketch book development workshops I will be teaching at VISA.

I will be teaching this one-day workshop at the Vancouver Island School of Art [VISA] located in Victoria, BC Canada.

Sketchbook Development gives a series of fast-paced exercises to get you comfortable and working in your sketchbook. A wide range of ideas, materials and techniques will be explored in your sketchbook. Backgrounds, mark making explorations, sketching, drawing and writing will also be covered. You will leave this workshop inspired to make sketchbook work part of a daily practice. No experience necessary. Book through VISA.
Sunday March 20, 2016 10am - 5pm

Click on first thumbnail below to view larger images in a slideshow.

COLLECTING - BIG BEACH, UCLUELET, BC - DECEMBER 23, 2016

December 16, 2015 in Collecting, Flatlay photography

Collecting - Green - December 16, 2015

There is so many greens to choose from here on Vancouver Island. This time of year it almost seems like the land of Oz. I decided to focus on the unusual, I found several different types of lichens, in the categories of the mantles and the hairs. I found an interesting website: Lichens

I added in the seed pod and the two silver green leaves from a Dusty Miller plant for contrast.

In the image below I included my found objects from the same walk. I have to say the country roads I walk on are very clean as I really have to look and scout about for any garbage. I couldn't believe that I came across a green cigarette package as a few days before, it definitely wasn't there. I found an invitation printed on green card stock that cars had driven over so many times that holes were worn in it and I had to pry it off the road - it took on a look of the green "mantle" lichen. A bottle cap with a forwards and backward "F" and the name"Fermentorium". A white plastic straw with a yellow stripe, pull tab, red candy wrapper, a stone with a greenish tinge to it and one red berry. I have said this before but it is amazing what I see and discover when I am focused on one colour; there are so many things that I would overlook otherwise. Give it a try!

Collecting Neutral Colours - December 15, 2015

December 15, 2015 in Collecting, Flatlay photography

On my walk today, I found different types of mushrooms. I am amazed how many I see tucked her and there; types I hadn't noticed before. The plant to the left is unknown to me and it was really deteriorating, it is an interesting contrast to the mushrooms.

Collecting Yellow - December 9, 2015

December 09, 2015 in Collecting, Flatlay photography

Well, I never guessed that it would be hard to find yellow. It really took a lot of sleuthing on my walk today to find yellow. There is yellow orange, and yellow green but to find just yellow was hard this time of year. I found a mushed up phone book that someone had driven over dozens of times in their drive way, I brought it home for the yellow pages, but decided not to use it. I found a small yellow Rona Hardware bag - the kind you put nails in and that was it for found objects. I did a lot of editing, so there was some material gathered that didn't make it to the final cut.

All of the yellow collection with the phone book yellow pages and the Rona bag - [December 10th] after everything has dried out.

Collecting Orange - December 7,2015

December 07, 2015 in Collecting, Flatlay photography

Challenge on today's walk was to find objects that were orange. Five minutes into my walk I found an orange balloon - couldn't believe it. Turned around and across the road was the remains of a pumpkin - probably from Halloween, it was mushy buy I could pull the skin off in several pieces; felt very pleased with that find, even pulled off the short stem. Other finds today were a orange cigarette butt, a pink plastic circle with a hole in it - kind of like a life saver shape; and a metal washer. I was really pleased with the orangey rose hips and even two orangey roses in not too bad of shape but really on their way out. I found those at a little park. It is really interesting that once you put your focus on something how that particular colour just pops into view. I know the balloon and pumpkin had been there for a while but I hadn't even noticed them. This is turning out to be a really fun project and it gives a whole different feel to my walk and what I look at and notice. I love it!

Collecting Red -- December 6, 2015

December 06, 2015 in Collecting, Flatlay photography

Walking in the rain today in my neighbourhood of Cobble Hill, BC. I focused on collecting mostly red objects from nature and the manufactured world. Bits of man made objects included, 2 tiny pieces from a red balloon, red tape, 2 small pieces of red plastic. A "Chupa Chups" candy wrapper in red, brown and yellow, [I have never had one]. A white plastic tip from a cigarillo, red plastic bottle cap, 2 white elasticized strings - most likely from a roasted chicken and found in different locations. Various types of leaves, blackberries on a prickly stem that I had to cut with my small red Swiss army pen knife - the blackberries were red, most likely ones that haven't ripened yet, rose hips, arbutus bark, pine cone and pine cone scales, mushrooms. A red blade of grass from a New Zealand flax plant from the front of our property. Salal leaves with their red stems...one was an older leaf that had turned red and two small new leaves. Interesting how they are both red at either end of their life cycle. Love those large brown/red mushrooms with their fancy gills.

Collecting December 4, 2015

December 04, 2015 in Flatlay photography, Collecting

A beautiful sunny morning for my walk -- I picked up lots of interesting things on the roadside. A "Scoubidou" key chain done in a box stitch of pink and red. I used to make key chains like this when I was a kid; that brought back memories. A piece of red plastic string, stems from leaves, a gardening glove, an HB Venus pencil, a black plastic knife, two plastic lids, a plastic ring, tin foil, cigarette pack, cigarette buts, blue plastic doggie bag, thankfully empty, dime, purple flower, two daisy's, pieces of bark, sticks, leaves, mushroom, seed pods, fungus...

Collecting

December 03, 2015 in Collecting, Flatlay photography

On my walk today in Cobble Hill, BC I collected these plant materials on the side of the road. It was a mild but blustery day, leaves were blowing all over the place. Once I started to lay out the materials on my art table I was amazed at the beauty; incredible colour, texture and patterns. A rich source for drawing later today and tomorrow morning.

Weekend workshop "Collecting, Observing, Exploring, a success!

December 01, 2015

November 21 & 22. 2015 I taught the workshop titled "Collecting, Observing, Exploring" at the Vancouver Island School of Art. It was a real success!

A panorama view of the classroom in progress. Everyone was so engrossed with their work over the weekend it was quiet and peaceful like a meditation room. Click on image to enlarge.

EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INSPIRATION AND PROJECTS

Photos and images in the first and second set below by Jill Ehlert © Click to see slideshow

WORKSHOP IN PROGRESS

All the drawings below are by the workshop students. The large drawings (24" x 34") were fast gesture drawings of their chosen plant materials.

The drawings they are working on at the table measure 22" x 30". Dip pen, nib and walnut ink.

Below are blind contour and contour drawings the class did as a warm-up exercise.

Click on the thumb nails to see slideshow:

STUDENT IMAGES

This set of Images are by student Carla Sandfort - click to make larger.

This set of images are by student Susan Rogers - click to make larger

WORKSHOPS

October 28, 2015 in Workshops, Collecting, Drawing, Teaching

"Collecting, Observing, Exploring" - i will be teaching this workshop.

I will be teaching this course at the Vancouver Island School of Art

Nov 21 & 22 Sat & Sun, 10 am – 5 pm

Drawing: Collecting, Observing, Exploring (DRWG w137-12)

This workshop concentrates on ways of looking and working. You will take a walk in the VISA garden and collect objects with lines, texture, pattern and shapes. Back in the classroom, you will study these sources of inspiration to extract information and interpret what you see through mark making. The focus of this workshop is to explore new ways to respond to your “collections” and to discover their essences rather than a direct representation. There will be an exploration into materials, techniques and mark making through sketching, drawing, painting, ink washes, stitching, mono printing, and stamping. A variety of surfaces will be provided: BFK, Stonehenge, Kraft, tracing paper, newspapers, tissue paper, etc. This workshop will provide a great way to get new ideas for drawing, painting and other forms of design. No experience necessary.