Elsi Vassdal Ellis – Reimagining the humble rubbing

Instructor: Elsi Vassdal Ellis

Number of Days: 2 Days Skill Level: All levels Material fee: $35 Maximum Number of Student: 15

Workshop Description:

This workshop will explore a variety of options for rubbings to create art for artist’s books, collage art, and cyanotypes. On the first day we will embark on a journey of exploration, experimentation, and discovery, as we apply different rubbing media and surfaces onto a variety of papers and substrates. Several types of surfaces will be explored as well as a variety of tools and materials. On the second day we will briefly explore cyanotype applications as well as binding options. Participants will construct a simple portfolio to house their rubbings and select rubbings to bind into a structure of their choice.

Materials/equipment to be provided by students:

Colored pencils (any brand will work for this workshop; a basic set of 12 is more than adequate) Pencil sharpener Crayons (Crayola is just fine) Metal ruler Cutting mat Awl Snap-off blade knife/X-acto knife Scissors Bone/Teflon folder Scoring bone folder Sewing needles Glue stickOptional materials: personal collection of various light-weight papers such as origami and tracing papers

Materials Provided by Instructor:

A variety of text and light-weight papers and non-paper substrates for rubbings, including tea bag papersCover weight paper for portfolio/bookPrecoated cyanotype paperObjects for rubbingsChopsticks/dowels ThreadCuttlebug die cutting machine with various diesInstructions and supply resources Participants may experiment with the instructor’s various rubbing media Prerequisites: 

Instructor Bio:

Elsi Vassdal Ellis is an alchemist and storyteller. She taught design production and book arts at Western Washington University for 40 years. Her narratives are distilled from current affairs, common experiences, memories, and materials to emerge in book form.  As EVE Press she has produced 175 editions (offset, letterpress, inkjet, printmaking) and 145 unique books since 1983 in a well-equipped studio. Her work is permanently housed in over 150 collections including the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, Yale University Library, and The Wiener Library for the Study of Holocaust and Genocide. Website: Instagram: @vassdalellis