Barbara Stevens, retired head of the art department at Cloud County Community College, will be the featured artist at Studio Friday hosted by Colby Community College on Nov. 6. The event will be held from 9:30 a.m.– noon and from 1-3 p.m. in Ferguson Hall, rooms #502 and #503. 

Stevens will be teaching Gelli Plate printmaking.  “We will learn the basics of using a Gelli Plate to make simple prints, textures and backgrounds,” she said.  “There will be examples of how to use the prints on their own, in a collage, or as a background.  I will also show how to layer paint and if time permits, how to transfer the layer designs onto packing tape.”

Participants who do not have a Gelli Plate should prepare two packages of chilled gelatin (unflavored Knox gelatin or any flavor of Jello) in a 9”x13” cake pan. The gelatin needs to be at least an inch thick in the pan. The gelatin needs to be at least an inch thick in the pan.

According to Stevens, supplies participants should take to Studio Friday include: a pan of one-inch thick chilled gelatin; acrylic paints (liquid and fluid); textures such as cheese cloth, burlap, doilies, screen (with no wire poking through), leaves, corn cobs, brushes, stamps, or other items that leave a texture on a painted surface; 25 -50 sheets of white card stock paper; packing tape; and any items or media that that could be used for a collage.

Stevens taught outreach classes at Cloud for 20 years prior to accepting the full-time position in 1999. She retired in May 2013.  Her works may be viewed at http://spiritstudio1.blogspot.com.  

Studio Fridays are held the first Friday of each month. There is to charge to participate.  For more information, contact Rebel Jay at 269-7065.