Wet Collage Workshop A wet collage is created by layering colored paper pulp and various textures onto a wet pulp foundation sheet. When pressed together and allowed to dry, the result can be displayed as a complete work of art or further altered with drawing or collaged elements. We will create at least one completed collage, but the potential is there to create more. Instructor: Cynthia Millis Date: Saturday, March 15: 12pm-4pm Level: all levels Tuition: $60 plus $25 material fee
Bookbinding I In this introduction to bookbinding, students will learn the basics of materials (book board, book cloth, adhesives, paper) and techniques (folding paper, cutting, sewing, and applying adhesives). By the end of the class, students will have completed 2 or maybe 3 projects, including a simple sewn pamphlet, flat-back case or journal binding, and a photo album. Instructor: Armando Rodriguez Date: 6 Fridays, April 4-May 9: 10am-1pm Level: all levels Tuition: $270 plus $25 materials fee
Introduction to Letterpress Printing Learn the basics of setting type using the Vandercook proof press. Learn the california job case, set type, use a pica ruler and composing stick, mix ink, ink the press and print. After deciding on a theme, students pair off to produce either a broadside (a one-sheet poster) or card.  We'll pull proofs, make corrections and print multiple copies; then we'll distribute type and spacing, and clean up. Instructor: Suzanne Powney Date: Saturday, April 19: 9am-6pm Level: all levels Tuition: $135 plus $15 materials fee
Printing with Photopolymer Plates Learn the basics of printing with photopolymer plates using the Vandercook proof press. We will mix ink, ink the press and print a series of 4 greeting cards. Using images and type from a collection provided, each student will lay out a Halloween, Christmas, birthday and valentine card. We'll print multiple copies and clean up. Photopolymer plates resources will be provided for you to order your own plates. Instructor: Suzanne Powney Date: Saturday, April 26: 9am-6pm Level: all levels Tuition: $135 plus $15 materials fee
Instructor Bios
Charles Criner is the Artist in Residence at the Museum of Printing History. Charles is the kind of artist that likes to "exhaust" the medium. He "pulls" his prints in black and white, then in color, and on top of that he sometimes adds acrylic over the print to produce original paintings on paper. He, however, is also parsimonious, or rather, enjoys the limitations of using only three colors and no more to make his prints. Furthermore, he is the kind of artist / craftsman who prizes the concrete relationship between himself and his work. Criner always pulls prints himself, never letting other professional printers do this for him. Kathy Gurwell has years experience in the fields of paper and printing, beginning with her graphic arts study in Paris and continuing as a Curator Fellow at Tamarind Lithography Institute in Albuquerque, NM and most recently at the Museo della Carta in Fabriano, Italy. She has demonstrated papermaking in San Francisco, Santa Fe, and Houston, where she now lives. Her artistry in this field was recognized a few years ago when Lord & Taylor invited her to display and sell her products at a show of Santa Fe artists in their principal New York City store. More recently she was commissioned to make a 4’x 4’ piece of paper for the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Melanie Wade Leslie has a BFA in painting from Sam Houston State University and an MFA in studio art from the University of Houston. For three decades she has specialized in hand-pulled transfer processes and has taught printmaking at Houston Baptist University for 13 years, continually researching low toxicity methods and materials for the benefit of her students. She feels that it is important to maintain the integrity of tradition while exploring contemporary applications and finds experimental means of expression to be challenging and rewarding.	Cynthia Millis: Musician, conductor, teacher, web designer, paper maker, book/digital/collage artist, CD author, writer, assistant chair for art, Global Studies committee member, and NEH fellow are some of the roles that identify Cynthia Millis. She grew up in South Dakota and worked there before moving to Houston. She has a B.M.E. from Yankton College in South Dakota, an A.A.S. in Commercial Art and Media Production from HCC, and M.L.A. from the University of St. Thomas, and graduate studio work at Texas Tech in Junction. She combines textures of handmade papers, stitchery, metal, and found objects. She developed a form she calls the Digiquilt, incorporating original imagery and photographs into digital montages, ranging from quilt sized to small as the palm of her hand. Suzanne Powney works as a freelance graphic designer and letterpress printer. With a background in both architecture and graphic design, she has worked in her own letterpress studio for seven years and teaches letterpress workshops at University of Houston and with the MPH Printers Guild. She does printing demonstrations for local clubs to share her knowledge of letterpress with the community. With a love for texture and ink on paper, her passion lies with letterpress printing and design. She currently operates BlackDog Press out of her home in the Heights. Armando Rodriguez was born in Mexico. He received a BFA from the University of Houston in 1982. He works in many media including graphic design, photography, printmaking (etching, lithography, and monotype), and bookmaking. He presently works for the Houston Chronicle, Art League of Houston and the education department of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
Past Classes