big things and a little help

It's ridiculous how long I'm going between postings these days. I guess Instagram in its simplicity and immediacy has my heart. But I want to share some big happenings here, professionally speaking.

In August I was granted a book deal. A BOOK DEAL!!! I am currently writing my first book on paper flowers. It's crazy. What a dream come true. The title is (for now) Papel: The Fine Art of Botanical Paper Craft, which pretty much says it all. Guess what? That giant peony tutorial many, many visitors to my blog come here for will be in the book, as well as dozens and dozens of wonderful, magical flowers and projects to use them for. I could not be more excited about this!

In September I attended my very first artist residency in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Best eight days of my life? Pretty much. As an artist and as a mother, to get that kind of solace and time to focus was just incredible, and to have it on my home turf, even more amazing. Eternally grateful to the people at Olde Orchard Farm and my family for giving me that opportunity.

In October I moved into my first art studio! If you were following me at all in 2014, you would know that my giant botanical work was not fitting in with small apartment living, and that it was a daily struggle. I cannot tell you how much better it is for all of us to not have the mess here, to not have to clean up after myself when I am done for the day, the space we've gained here at home, and most importantly, I've gained some sort of work-life separation and balance. That probably won't be true much longer as my work load is HUGE for the next eight months, but it's been great up to now!

In November I started my fundraising campaign to help support the work I am bringing to a major art museum in San Francisco next May. Not sure if I mentioned this here on this blog, but I have been awarded an artist residency at an incredible museum for all of May 2016. Incredible. Still can't believe it. I am also bringing as much work as I can create between now and then to exhibit. I have big plans. Those plans mean no more working on commission and teaching workshops for the next five months, which is extremely hard on me financially, but the only way I can have the time needed to create enough large scale work. (Each piece is taking me upwards of 200 hours to complete now.) This is such a huge honor, and along with exhibiting, I will be working with the public daily on a SUPER big floral piece. It's going to be so fun, so exciting. 

So, I am seeking help, turning over every stone, asking every friend and client and anyone else I can think of, and you, my readers, who probably are not the same readers I had three or four years ago when I was just getting started with the paper art and was mostly blogging about donuts and my family. I am fiscally sponsored by San Francisco's Intersection for the Arts, which means donations to my project are tax deductible. I am going to post the link here, just in case there is a chance anyone reading is interested in supporting this project, and here's a little bit about the project.

By the way, anyone who contributes gets their name on my donor plaque at both exhibits, and my eternal gratitude! 

In short:

This project supports "Nature Constructed", an exhibit and interactive artist residency occurring at a major art museum in San Francisco for the month of May 2016. (This exhibit will also travel to the east coast for an exhibit outside of Boston, MA in August 2016.) Through both the artist residency and the exhibits, I intend to address some of the effects of our changing environment in an aesthetic and thought provoking way. I have a large, built-in audience at both venues, and through public exhibition, daily in-studio discussion and creation of three-dimensional artwork with the public, my goals are to research and represent through my sculpture select effects of the breakdown of our environment on botanical elements of nature, and equally as important to me, to learn about the public's tolerance of the representation of these deformities and irregularities when portrayed in art.

And the donation link:

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1442843

Be sure to find "Tiffanie Turner/papel SF" on the pull-down menu if you choose to donate to my project. 

I think that's all for now. Well, there is even more, but those are things I can't talk about yet. I love having things a year or more out in the hopper, always something to look forward to. 

I hope you have a very happy holiday season, and a joyous and wonderful new year! Thanks for reading!

xoxo 

(Photo by Oliver)

 

art for your ear

It's been forever since I wrote here, again. I have been busy, VERY busy. I'm on a plane right now returning from eight AMAZING days at an artist residency in New Hampshire, where I had an entire GIANT, beautiful barn all to myself. It was incredible. I go so much done. I documented it all on my Instagram account (@tiffanieturner) if you'd like to see. It was truly a highlight of my life.

While I was there I recorded a podcast with my friend Danielle, aka The Jealous Curator, for her Art for your Ear series. We talked about what I'm up to (A LOT), how I got started and what's coming next. I loved doing it, and I've been getting some nice feedback on it. If you like to take a listen, you can find it HERE. And for all of the rest of this series, go HERE. There are so many fantastic and inspiring conversations.

More soon! xoxo

free time!

My paper flowers on some beautiful and very old French ticking
from French General in Los Angeles.

I have about a million things going on right now, including but not limited to: contracts, proposals, grant writing and more. I have big and small news. I have a lot to share! But, a miracle has happened. I also have planned ahead and will be taking most of July off from working. The kids need me, and I need them, and I managed to leave a giant hole in my schedule before things go bonkers over the next year. So, four weeks of summer, then I'm off to the races again.

I have written about a few extremely exciting goings-on over on the main page of my website. You can head over there if you're so inclined by clicking here, and you can always find me on Instagram as @tiffanieturner.

I do have several great workshops coming up later in the summer here in the Bay Area and in Salt Lake City, then in New Hampshire in September and Los Angeles in November. SO excited about all of that. I will be working on listing those workshops on my website over the next week, and will post links here as well when everything has been settled.

Have a wonderful Monday and a wonderful week. I'll be back soon!

xoxo

upcoming workshops!

Paper Bougainvillea Workshop

I hope you all enjoyed your Mother's Day in one way or another. Today is my wedding anniversary and we are returning from an overnight trip to a treehouse. Everyone here (besides me) wants to live in a treehouse when they grow up, so I though I'd give them a taste of it. I'll let you know how it goes!

I wanted to let you know about three great workshops I have coming up in May and June. The first is "Paper Bougainvillea", at Handcraft Studio School in Emeryville, CA. I will teach how to make paper bougainvillea in two different styles and in a giant array of colors. The bougainvillea petals and blossoms can be used in wall hangings, wreaths, in your hair or wherever you'd like.

PAPER BOUGAINVILLEA

Handcraft Studio School (Emeryville, CA)

Sunday, May 31, 2015

10:30-1:30 p.m.

Register HERE

1920s-Inspired Mock-Vintage Metallic Floral Headpieces

I love this workshop, and hope to hold on to the piece I make in class this time. I end up giving them to girlfriends and don't have one for myself anymore. Have you seen the headpiece Kate Hudson wore to the Met Gala this year? I am thinking about how to create that more draped look for this class as well. Either way, they are gorgeous and great for summer weddings!

1920s-INSPIRED MOCK-VINTAGE METALLIC FLORAL HEADPIECES

Makeshift Society (San Francisco)

Monday, June 8, 2015

6:30-9:00 p.m.

Register HERE

Paper Rose de Granville

Finally, my rose de Granville workshop. This was great fun when I ran it earlier this year. The students all went away with beautiful specimens they had made in the class. Fun fact: I taught myself to make these as samples for Dior Paris. I have an agency there who gave me the opportunity to make these as "free gift with purchase" for Dior cosmetic counters in France. I don't know if it was my price point or something else, but after lots of rushing around I never got a definitive answer and have no idea where my samples are now. Learning lots of lessons along the way these days. But come make some with me, you won't regret it!

PAPER ROSE DE GRANVILLE

Makeshift Society (San Francisco)

Monday, June 29, 2015

6:30-9:00 p.m.

Register HERE

I have some really exciting news to share, but I am waiting to get a few more of the details before I post about it here. Will do so very soon. Have a great week!

xoxo

upcoming workshop

Look at me, I'm hitting the once a week posting mark here! I wanted to let you know there are just a few spots left in my next paper flower headpiece class at beautiful Handcraft Studio School in the East Bay. (Emeryville, to be exact.) The class is Sunday, April 12 from 10:30 to 2:30 p.m. We will be making roses, godetia, bougainvillea, carnations, dahlias and some rudimentary Icelandic poppies, and attaching them to headbands and crowns. I hope you can join us, this class is always fun + hard work + rewarding!

You can register for this workshop HERE, if you are so inclined.  

I hope you have a great week!

xoxo

dead paper flowers

I thought I'd start the week off sharing some pieces I've done that are near and dear to me. I have fallen hard for making dead and dessicated paper flowers. Some with tea stained lighter paper left over from my giant dead peony piece entitled "For Shame", and some with a deep tan colored crepe paper.

To study how a flower decays is to understand where it begins to lose its structure and how it is put together in the first place. The gaps between shriveled petals tell the story of what is at the center of a flower and the mechanics of the petal's attachment. And they are so beautiful in their own right. I couldn't bear to let go of any of these little gems right now, but I would like to create many more to wear in my hair.

carnation

 twelve-year-old peony (from my wedding)

dried up rose

another shot of the wedding peony

More to come. Have a great week!

xoxo

books on flowers

Even though I am currently working in three dimensions, botanical illustration and floral still life painting are something I know I will return to one day. This feeling was reinforced during a recent visit to the de Young Museum here in San Francisco. Out of every wonderful exhibit the museum had to offer, the one that literally had my heart racing and gave me that special electric feel was the still life room. Slowly moving around the room, I stopped at every piece, quickly shooting off texts to myself of these artists: William McCloskey, Alexander Pope, Thomas Hill, William Harnett. All dead men, by the way. 

I admire the way still life uses reality to tell the story, even a story of death or decay, in such a plain and approachable way. I love it. I feel there is some connection to what I am doing now in my straight-up, no-fantasy-flowers-allowed approach to my paper flower pieces. And when I have the time and space, I want to bring the angling and arrangements found in still life painting to my three dimensional work, so that my large scale pieces are not always meant to be viewed head on.

I digress, a little. What I'm really posting today is a short list of my favorite books on flowers, some in straight botanical illustration style, some a little more fantastical and some purely graphic. Some in the form of still life, many not. I've given smaller bookstore links where I could find them. I love these books and reference them quite often. I'd love to hear what other books you can't do without, when it comes to flowers. I'm in the market for a few more, I think!

Heritage of Flowers

Eleanor Bourne/Alan Baker

Even after giving out several copies of floral-minded friends, I still own four copies of this book. The illustrations are wonderful. It's been easy to snap up cheap used copies online.

New Book of Flowers

Maria Sibylla Merian

This was gifted to me by an ex and I've lost the beautiful jacket, but I keep it around because it is 100% gorgeous.

 Flowers: Charles Rennie MacKintosh

Pamela Robertson

A collection of many works by Scottish architect and artist Charles Rennie MacKintosh. I have always loved his style. He is like the Egon Schiele of flowers, to me.

The Macmillan Wild Flower Book

Clarence Hylander/Edith Farrington Johnston

I found this book on the street many years ago. Although I am not into creating paper flowers with just a few petals, in general, the plates in this book are very well done and I love looking at them.

The Roses: The Complete Plates

Pierre-Joseph Redouté

If you love roses and love to make roses, you have to get this one. I think we purchased this one in the de Young Museum gift shop long ago, can't remember if it was exhibit-specific. Redouté's work is fascinating to look at, and you will understand roses much more after studying this book. It's a beautiful book from Taschen.

Note: Do NOT purchase from Amazon, the price is about 14 times higher than the original selling price.

 Plants and Their Application to Ornament: A Nineteenth-Century Design Primer

Eugene Grasset

Here you will find spot-on representations of several plants and flowers as well as images of plants used in repetitive and stylized patterns in the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau styles. The nasturtium on the front cover gets me every time. I believe my dear friend Bridget was the editor on this one. Kudos, Bridget!

Nature Morte

Michael Petry

This book was pointed out to me by my artist friend Bob Larkin as I was working on my Dead of Winter show in January. Loads of interpretations of the destruction or death of natural elements, with many great pieces of floral art. I love this photo by David LaChapelle the most. 

Birds & Blooms of the 50 States

Dutch Door Press

I accidentally left this book out of my opening book pile shot, but this little gem by another dear friend, Anna Branning (and edited by the above-mentioned Bridget) of the birds and blooms of the 50 states is a total gem. Illustrated in Anna's iconic and signature style, it is beautiful to look at, as well as being a great reminder of fifty flowers you may have forgotten existed. I am always trying to remind myself what other flowers are out there that I can explore, and this is a go-to book for that.

Please, what am I missing? Let me know!

recent specimens

How I've missed this place! Looking to return to a regular schedule here, after I learn how to put myself to bed before midnight every night first. In this career of my choosing I have found no balance, but there has been so much work lately that things might start to swing towards being able to hire a sitter every now and again, and with that will come better work days and more sleep, and that's a wonderful thing.

I've managed to post a snap of each new bit of work I do to my website in a section entitled "RECENT SPECIMENS". These are usually taken right from my Instagram feed, but it is wonderful to see all the work in one place, like a garden blooming.

I hope you are well and having fun and feeling good. Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

a workshop this sunday + what's new

Just a little note to mention there are a few spots left in my Rose de Granville workshop this Sunday morning at Handcraft Studio School in Emeryville. I'm excited to teach this single subject class. There was a lot of interest in this class, so look for more single flower classes in the spring, I'm thinking ranunculus!

Lately I have been trying my hand at some new smaller scale flowers, like a better ranunculus and David Austin and other garden roses. I just spent a week making headpieces for San Francisco Magazine that may or may not make it into the final spread of an editorial photo shoot they shot in Carmel earlier this week. I hope they use at least one of them, they were a TON of work! Until I make a page for my smaller work on my papel SF website, you can always scroll through my Instagram feed to see what I'm up to, if you are so inclined! I am @tiffanieturner. Those headpieces are now back and up for sale in my Etsy shop, if you want to take a gander. 

Next week I am preparing for my teaching trip to L.A. The all-day workshop at French General is almost full. I am very excited to get away and also to see French General. I hope I don't spend ALL my earnings there. When I return I am going to see about doing some fundraising through Kickstarter or some such thing to help fund an exhibit I've been invited to do on the East Coast this summer. I am horrified of making a video for the campaign, but I really cannot go much further with my work until there is a little money behind it.

Finally, for anyone still reading, I am talking to a friend about doing a book. A paper book filled with flowers and more. I think it's time. Apparently, the more public support I have behind this idea, the better I will do when submitting my proposal. So I am taking screen shots of every wonderful comment on Instagram and saving the emails I get requesting me to teach from all over the place, building my case. Those comments matter, I guess! Maybe this would be a good time to see if you would be interested in a flower (and other) paper art book written by yours truly. I'd love to hear from you, and it can only help!

Okay, that's all for now. Have a great weekend, and thank you as always for reading! 

xoxo

the paper playhouse winner!

Happy Monday, everyone! I just ended a brutal week of non-paying work (what's new) that will hopefully turn into something great, but no guarantees. I am looking forward to resting my hands for one day here after a nice 12 hour sleep last night. I hope you are all doing well!

We have a winner of my giveaway of Katrina Rodabaugh's beautiful new book, The Paper Playhouse. Generated by an online random number generator, the winner is "Emily Marlise". I have no information from you, Emily Marlise, but I have a sneaking suspicion I might know you. So, send me an email at sfcornerblog at hotmail dot com and we'll get the book sent off to you pronto!

Thank you to all who entered. I'll be back soon, lots to share.

xoxo,

T

los angeles workshops!

I am really excited to announce that I have THREE Valentine's Day themed workshops I will be teaching at French General in Los Angeles on February 6th and 7th. I cannot wait to finally visit Kaari, Robert and the gang and see all the beautiful wares there. I will probably spend all the money I make teaching there before I leave!

If you live in the area, I would love to see you! And, if you have friends in Los Angeles that you think would enjoy these great workshops, spread the word! It would be great to fill these classes to make the trip even more worthwhile.

Here are the links to register for each of the three workshops. Also, I will be teaching the rose de Granville class at Handcraft Studio School on February 1st. You can sign up for that class HERE.

Rose de Granville at French General

Friday, February 6, 2015

12-3:00 p.m.

Register for this workshop HERE

Egg + Crepe Paper Hearts at French General

Friday, February 6, 2015

6-9:00 p.m.

Register for this workshop HERE

Paper Flower Headpieces at French General

Saturday, February 7, 2015

10-4:00 p.m.

Register for this workshop HERE

the paper playhouse + a giveaway! (CLOSED)

Today is the first day of my New Year! Happy New Year! The opening of my show, Dead of Winter, was wonderful, and I am rested and ready to start preparing for the new things coming in this new year.(Mostly trying to keep papel SF afloat, hate to have to stop now!) I haven't been rested like this in about four or five months. I was in bed all weekend, except for packing Christmas away which felt really good.

I don't know that I have that many regular readers these days, as I am not a regular poster here lately (although I would like to be), so I am not sure how many people will see this, but I have a little fun news and a little fun giveaway for you. This past summer I was lucky enough to become acquainted with a group of Bay Area craftswomen, artisans and artists. They took me into their fold and I was able to learn a lot from them in the few times we lunched and hung out during 2014. Great people. 

One of those great people was Katrina Rodabough. Katrina is an artist, writer and crafter who I admire for her pursuits involving slow fashion and her general aesthetic overall. Katrina has written a BEAUTIFUL book entitled "The Paper Playhouse; Awesome Art Projects for Kids Using Paper, Boxes, and Books", published through Quarry Books. The book has wonderful projects that I have never seen in other places, great original crafts to make from a great range of easy to find paper products. It is a sweet, sweet book. You can see some of the fun projects and beautiful photographs and read much more about the book HERE on Katrina's blog.

My favorite section of the book.

I should also mention that Katrina was sweet enough to include me in the artist gallery near the end of the book. I am so honored! What a thrill for me. So fun to see yourself in print, and wow, I'm in great company in the gallery.

Katrina has offered a giveaway for the book, and you can enter simply by leaving a comment below letting me know you're interested. I will close the contest at noon on Friday, January 23rd and announce the winner Monday morning, January 26th. So go ahead and leave a comment, so easy! Please note, for shipping purposes the winner must have a valid mailing address in the US, Canada, or the UK.

Have a great day, and hopefully I'll see you back here sooner rather than later. xoxo

dead of winter

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your holidays were great. Realizing I didn't make record of our holidays here just now is making me melancholy. I miss those days.

But there's news now. I've been toiling away curating my very first art show. It is called Dead of Winter, and it is a show I am deeply proud of and vey excited about. It runs from January 7 to February 4, 2015 at Rare Device here in San Francisco. It features ten wonderful artists (including yours truly), and in a nutshell, the show explores botany in winter. The work I have received from all of the artists is beyond my wildest expectations. Such diverse media and diverse interpretations of the theme. You can read about all ten artists on the Rare Device blog here.

Hanging the show was such a great experience. I just barely fit all of us on the gallery walls, but I think it looks amazing. AMAZING!

Oliver hung out all day with me while I hung the art, and then again the next day

when I labeled each piece. He is such a great, incredibly patient little guy.

Of course there is one snag. My piece isn't done. I've been waiting for so long for an excuse to work on a decomposing flower head. It's why I asked Giselle at Rare Device if I could do this show! The study of how the head of a flower starts to fall apart is fascinating, and as I remarked on Instagram the other day, I have to check myself each day to be sure I am letting the flower die. I think I'm happy with the results, but I have a few more hours to go tonight before I die of exhaustion, so we'll see what happens. I really want to put it on the wall tomorrow and get some sleep before the opening.

Speaking of the opening, please join us this Friday night, January 9, 2015 from 6-8:00 p.m. at the Rare Device gallery (600 Divisadero at Hayes) for the opening reception. I would love to see you there!

Here's a sneak peek at my piece, entitled "For Shame". And if you are using Instagram, the hashtag for the process work for the show is #deadofwinterRD.