Meet our Gelli Arts Artists!

Tracy Weinzapfel

Tracy Weinzapfel Studios – Your Artful Journey

Tracy Weinzapfel is the GelliArts Artist Coordinator and is known for her whimsical, bright and bold work inspired by nature.  She is known for lots of florals/bold patterns and is a published multi-medium artist with a unique and personal approach to marketing and education. She represents manufacturers as an Art Educator and Artist Brand Ambassador. Her work and art studio have been featured in various publications. Tracy paints on just about any medium she can get her hands on such as; art journals, denim, clothing, canvas, wood, and of course wine barrels.  She is co-founder of https://www.yourartfuljourney.com/ along with being a member of the Association for Creative Industries and Society of Decorative Painters.  

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tracyweinzapfelstudios/

Instagram: @twstudios

Webpage: https://www.yourartfuljourney.com

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/TracyWeinzapfelStudios/video

Phone 760/522-787

Email: [email protected]

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Birgit Koopsen

Lead Brand Ambassador
Birgit is married to Erik and a mom of 3. She lives in a little village called Winsum in the north of the Netherlands.

Birgit started scrapbooking in 2003 but then fell in love with mixed media and art journaling. Her favorite things to do right now are art journaling, mono printing and layered collage art. She loves to get her hands dirty and experiment with paints and inks and all kinds of mediums. Birgit’s art is mostly bright and colorful and with a lot of layers and details. She loves to combine colors that are very contrasting and works a lot with stamps, stencils, inks, acrylic paints and markers.

Birgit teaches and demonstrates in her own studio at home as well as in craft stores and at (international) mixed media events. She is also working as a freelancer for magazines and manufacturers and taught a couple of online classes like Creative JumpStart (2012 to 2017), Art Journal Summer School 2015 and 2016 and Wanderlust 2016.

Teaching brought Birgit all over the world. She had the privilege to teach in the US, Canada and Israel but also closer to home in France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Austria and the UK. She loves to travel, see new places, meet people and explore different cultures. She considers it a huge bonus that she is able to combine that with her love of teaching and inspiring people to create art.

Since 2014 Birgit has her own product line with Carabelle Studio for whom she designs stamps, stencils, art printing plates and embossing folders.

In 2016 Birgit joined the Gelli Arts® Creative Team for which she creates monthly videos and blog posts.

Website/Blog: http://www.birgitkoopsen.nl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-scrappin-life
Instagram: http://instagram.com/birgit_koopsen

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Marsha Valk

Lead Brand Ambassador
Marsha is a freelance craft professional from the Netherlands, who creates craft (video) tutorials, writes blog posts and magazine articles and teaches online classes.

She loves printmaking and mixed media art journaling, but she’ll just as easily have a go at kids crafts, crochet, jewellery making, porcelain painting, candle making, glass etching, stamp carving or paper mache.

Bright colours make her happy and her inspiration comes from anything from a walk around the block to films, books, magazines, patterns, materials and works of art.

Website: http://marshavalk.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/marshavalk
Instagram: http://instagram.com/marshavalk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marshavalkpage

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Giovanna Zara

Coming from a family of makers and crafts(wo)men, she believes the ability to make ‘something’ out of ‘nothing’ runs in her blood. She has also been interested in art history, modern art and photography for as long as she can remember.

 Links:  http://giogiocraft.it

https://instagram.com/giogiocraft/

 https://www.facebook.com/giogiocraft  

https://www.youtube.com/c/giogiocraft

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Tania Ahmed

My name is Tania Ahmed, and I am a crafts tutor, blogger and creative from Hertfordshire, UK. I am grateful to be able to contribute to the crafts industry in my own little way!

I love working with people and at the moment I produce creative content for magazines and craft manufacturers and teach at independent stores, craft shows and for local charities. I am passionate about sharing the joy of creating and I am so excited about joining the team! On my days at home you will most often find me covered in glitter, glue and paint :).

Blog: https://taniaahmeddesigns.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaniaAhmedCreative/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taniaahmed/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TaniaTalatAhmed

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Drew Steinbrecher

Recently my art has been inspired by the controlled chaos and dichotomy of urban environments. Cities are controlled and regulated, yet they can be very chaotic and organic. These dichotomies inspire my art. 

I’ve enjoyed working with my hands and being creative from a young age. I have a university degree in graphic design and have worked professionally for 20+ years. I currently live in Cincinnati.

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Robyn McClendon

Robyn McClendon is a mixed media artist and a Gypsetter, “I love to travel as it provides me with an incredible amount of inspiration for my work!”. 

She specifically studied Paper making, Printmaking and Bookbinding in the tradition of Apprenticing as these disciplines were dying art forms in the 80’s and only being revived by artists.  She subsequently taught in Universities and Museum systems as an Adjunct Professor, often times setting up the programs in the Art Departments of these Schools nationally, as the discipline of “Book as Art” was becoming recognized as a significant art form.  She also developed and taught in the Book Binding department at the Smithsonian Institution.  She has exhibited widely nationally and internationally.

“I discovered the Gelli plate 9 years ago, and found it to be the perfect studio tool to bring my passions together without the expensive set up of a traditional printmaking studio. Plus it travels easy!  My goal was to develop high quality techniques to encourage it’s use by artists of all disciplines”.   RobynMcClendon.com

Also here are my social media links:

Website:  robynmcclendon.com https://www.robynmcclendon.com/

Instagram:  @rarebirds https://www.instagram.com/rarebirds/

Youtube: Robyn McClendon  https://www.youtube.com/user/RobynMcClendon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynmcclendonFacebook Group: “Clarity Thru Color” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1817308201844186

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Mollie Weston

I have a degree in illustration/graphic design and trained as a primary school teacher 20 years ago. I specialised in art (and music) a few years ago. Because of the lockdown in March, I was made redundant from my job as a Head of Art at an independent school. The silver lining to this event, which was a very sad experience, was suddenly having lots and lots of time, and more importantly energy to devote to my own work. I had already experimented with my gelli plate for a few months, seeing it as a tool for art lessons. Suddenly I saw it as something I could use to create for myself. I was incredibly inspired by the plants in my garden and the ones I saw on my daily exercise, which at the time was the only reason we were allowed to go out other than food shopping. I photographed interesting leaves and flowers in people’s front gardens and picked leaves from my own. I began making stencils and discovered the joy of gel printing.  I haven’t looked back since. I absolutely LOVEit !!!

Follow Mollie on Social Media:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/artwithmollie

https://www.instagram.com/artwithmollie

https://www.facebook.com/artwithmollie  https://www.pinterest.co.uk/artwithmollie

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Cathy Nichols

Cathy Nichols is a mixed media artist specializing in lush florals set within lyrical layers of text,pattern and color that combine to create dreamlike landscapes for the viewer to explore. Her goal is to promote a vision of kindness, love and interconnectivity in her work using paper, paint, archetype and, always, a bit of magic.

A lifelong teacher, Cathy adores nurturing her students and helping them to unleash their creative vision. In addition to teaching painting workshops and courses, Cathy is the author of Storytelling Art Studio: Visual Expressions of Character, Mood and Theme Using Mixed Media, the founder of the online Joy of Painting club, and Painting Modern Expressive Flowers course.

She is also the creator the of several popular oracle decks used to enhance inner vision and imagination. Her love of stories and passion for teaching began while earning her Master’s degree in Literature from Colorado State University.

Recently, Cathy fell in love with France while serving as an artist-in-residence at the Chateau Orquevaux, and she has designed a set of stencils for StencilGirl products inspired by Monet’s home and gardens outside of Paris. While not dreaming of eclairs, she sells her paintings to collectors worldwide from her studio in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC, and lives in a house filled with music composed by her partner and two teens.

Follow Cathy on Instagram @cathynicholsart and Facebook @cathynicholsart

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Tara Axford

As a mixed media artist working with monoprints, collage, fibers, and photography, Tara draws inspiration from her surroundings – both natural and urban. She seeks patterns, textures, imperfections. The forgotten, the weathered, the discarded appeal to her. Tara has a background in graphic design and worked as a magazine art director for many years this experience means she often creates her artwork with a graphic approach, playing with a combination of art and design,

Her current practice is to explore her surroundings, a sense of place. She likes to ‘zoom in’ on an environment and work with that. That could mean photographing found objects, ‘foraged’ natural elements – arranging them to be seen in a different way. She enjoys abstracting the essence of a place to create something new. So the viewer can also experience something they may have previously overlooked, with fresh eyes.

For more visit: taraaxford.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tara.axford

Email: [email protected]

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Mary Beggs Bosley

I’m a mixed media artist and private children’s art teacher with a BFA in graphic design from the Savannah College of Art Design. I enjoy exploring a variety of wet and dry media, and combining them in colorful layered works. My self-published children’s book, Somewhere Right Now, was illustrated using gel print collages of animals and creatures. My current artistic obsession is exploring all the possibilities of botanical gel printing. I’m always on the pursuit for new creative ideas and art projects to inspire people of all ages.  I have an adult son and daughter and live in Orange County, California.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marymakingart

Blog: http://marymaking.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100047634823209

Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/MaryMakingArt

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Sarah Matthews

Sarah Matthews is a MA Art & the Book graduate from the Corcoran College of Arts and Design at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  Mrs. Matthews also received an MBA with a Marketing Concentration in 2005 and a BS in Sociology in 2000 from Bowie State University in Bowie, MD.

Mrs. Matthews’ work has been exhibited in the US and is a part of the permanent collections of Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, George Washington University’s Gelman Library, University of Puget Sound, and Samford University.

Mrs. Matthews is currently the Alma Thomas Fellow at the Studio Gallery in Washington, DC. She also teaches bookbinding and printmaking.

https://www.iamsarahmatthews.com/
http://www.maryruths.com/
https://youtube.com/c/SARAHBEME

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Kirsten Varga

I am a wife, mother, artist and elementary art teacher. I have a Bachelors of Fine Art from the University of Arizona. I worked as a graphic designer and taught art classes to adults before my four sassy daughters came along. Nowadays I get to teach art in a classroom filled with little artists. They inspire me and I learn so much from them!

I enjoy using vibrant colors, bold patterns and yummy texture in my artwork which incorporates both found papers and my own handmade patterned papers. I draw inspiration from the ideas of home, family and self. I create many different types of art from paper, fabric, bookmaking and three-dimensional artworks. I love to learn and try new techniques!
Blog: http://smilingeyestudio.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smilingeyestudio/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirstenvarga/

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Mansi Bhattia

I’m Mansi (phonetic spelling: Maan-see) and I love exploring techniques for stamp-creation, portrait-transfers, collage-making and abstract-printing using the Gelli Arts® gel plate and various mediums, including acrylics, alcohol inks, distress inks, pigments and watercolors. As a kid, I’d spend hours transforming photographs into watercolor paintings, losing myself in another world. There were no expectations, no parameters, no pressure … it was just me, my paintbrushes and my tubes of color. Today, I create art, not just for myself or for media consumption, but as a tool to teach people worldwide how they can tune inwards and introduce pause into their lives. I’m helping people reconnect with their carefree inner child, listen to their intuitions and learn how they, too, can just be. You can explore my self-paced online classes here and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for quick crafty bites. 

Best,

Mansi.

Creator

MansiMakes

Educator

Online CoursesFacebook | Instagram | Youtube

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Julie Anderson

I am a mixed media artist in Oregon, currently focused on abstract expressionism. I discovered the Gelliplate in 2018 and fell in love with it! Being able to easily create layers of texture and color helped my art explode in a new way. I like to innovate with different  materials and use the gel plate to create speciality papers to collage onto paintings, furniture, wire sculptures and objects. My work is filled with “Biology Rising” themes emerging in circles from conception to death and beyond.

Website: https:/www.juliejulie.co (without the “m”)

Instagram: Instagram.com/JulieJulieArt/

Facebook Art Page: https://m.facebook.com/JulieJulie-Art-349781139170555/?tsid=0.7885174883761965&source=result

Twitter: Twitter.com/juliejulie  LinkedIn- LinkedIn.com/in/juliejulie

Lou Simms

Hi crafters. My name is Lou Sims & here is a little bit about me.

I’ve been crafting now for just over 11 years & started out my crafty journey card making after buying a card making kit. The lure of stamping called to me next & I quickly began collecting ranges of stamps, embossing powders, papers, pens & pencils. Next came die cutting and the collection of dies & stencils rapidly followed.

Gradually I began to look around for inspiration to extend my crafting knowledge & discovered paints, mediums & sprays, which then led me off to mixed media, art journaling & journaling. From this, I was introduced to the wonders of the Gelli plate. I am relatively new to the Gelli plate but am hooked! I love how you can create your own backgrounds or even enhance a paper design. The layering of colours, design & texture is limitless.

From my adventures playing with my craft stash or should I say craft mountain, I have been very lucky and have been approached to be on various companies design team. This surprisingly led to an audition on “selly telly” & before I knew it, I was representing different companies on Hochanda TV sharing my love of everything crafty. My hobby has now become my employment.

What inspires me? Anything & everyone. They are so many talented artists/crafters out there sharing their knowledge, which is just one of the many things I love about the crafting community. Also I would like to inspire people to use everything that have in their crafty stash to create, create & create some more. Mix all your crafty stash together & not pigeon hole it in to one catagory.

What is my style? Truthfully, I’ll give anything a go as my blog testifies. One post could be about die cutting, another stamping, another an art journal page, another doodling, another a mixed media piece … I thoroughly enjoy discovering all the avenues of crafting.

What would I like to try next? Fabric crafts but not sewing per say. I want to learn how to print on to fabrics to create my own designs and begin turning these designs in to covers for my journals.

This is a brief over view of my crafting journey to date & I can’t wait to share some of my projects with you all.

My social media links are as follows:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/simslou/

Blogger – www.lulucardmaking.blogspot.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/LouiseSimsPapercrafter

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lousimspapercrafter or https://www.facebook.com/louise.sims.161/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.co.uk/LouiseMSims

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Sara Ferret

My name is Sara Ferret, and I’m from a town near Barcelona, Spain. Where I live is sorrounded by vinyards, my family have been always involve to wine and cava production. 

I’m mother of two kids. Martí is 12 and Paula is 9.

I started scrapbooking in 2009. But after a while I started Mixedmedia and I felt totally in love. I like useing my hands to paint. 

I like very much all Mixed media world, and GelliArts printing plate, because it allows me to create a lot of backgrounds in short period of time, and then I have several papers to use in future projects. The most important thing is that your papers are unique, no one can’t have the same.

>>Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/651265742

>>Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sara_ferret

>>Pinterest:

@saraferret

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Martice Smith

Hey, y’all! I’m Martice, a multi-media creative, photographer, and graphic designer from Kansas City, Missouri. I have an insatiable craving for all things color and texture! I’d describe my artwork as a visual symphony of bright colors, abstract patterns + florals with a graffiti twist. Sometimes, I like to go off-beat and combine traditional media with digital techniques.  

I LOVE helping artists infuse a playful vibe into their artistic process! I do this by creating online courses, videos, and offering one-on-one creativity coaching sessions. In my free time, you can find me taking care of my tropical houseplants or watching cute panda videos!

I’ve been blessed to have my work exhibited, collected worldwide, and featured in industry magazines and books like Cloth Paper Scissors, ‘A World of Artist Journal Pages’ and ‘Incite 3: The Art of Storytelling’, to name a few.

Social media links:

Website: Martice Smith Fine Art + Design www.marticesmithart.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/msartbox

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marticesmithart 

YouTube: http://bit.ly/MarticeSmithArtYoutubeFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/marticesmithart

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Joan Bess

Co-Founder, Chief Creative Emeritus – Joan Bess
Joan is Co-Founder of Gelli Arts, and inventor of the concept of the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate.

As author of the book, Gelli® Plate Printing: Mixed Media Monoprinting Without a Press, and creator of the Gelli Arts® blog, Joan has explored and provided step-by-step instructions for a variety of gel printing techniques. She has created over 50 Gelli Arts® Youtube videos, inspiring others to learn and broaden their approach to this exciting printmaking process. Projects she has created using gel printed papers, with full instructions, can also be found online at createmixedmedia.com.
Her work in mixed media, collage, fiber art, and handmade book arts have exhibited in numerous group shows, won multiple awards and are included in private collections.
Joan has launched three successful art-related businesses in her 38 years in paper arts. She is married to John and they will soon be spending their time between homes in New Jersey and Florida.

Projects: createmixedmedia.com

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Lucy Brydon

Hi! My name is Lucy Brydon and I am an artist and art teacher living in Scotland.

I love to work in a variety of mediums but monoprinting is my main love! I love experimenting with layers, textures and making illustrative images. I love incorporating nature into my prints which takes me on lovely walks in my local area looking for interesting plants to print with.

Here in Scotland I teach adult monoprinting classes locally and also have used it many many times in school with the young pupils I teach. I have also taught in several online courses to students worldwide, both as a guest teacher and in my own solo courses.

Blog: https://lucybrydonart.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Art.By.LucyBrydon/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucybrydonart/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brydonlucy

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Helen O’Hara

Helen O’Hara is a mixed-media, textile artist and art educator living in Western Australia. Helen is mostly self-taught although she trained as a primary school art teacher before emigrating from the United Kingdom to Australia. She loves combining materials and techniques and repurposing objects, materials and tools in new ways unimagined by their manufacturers. Helen’s art often combines printing of many types with drawing, collage and stitch. Themes include nature, geology, cosmology and architecture represented in abstract ways. Helen also enjoys art journaling as a kind of everyday therapy.

Helen runs art workshops in her local community and is a member of several artists’ groups around Perth including the 84 Contemporary Textiles Group, Textile Arts and Mixed Media Inc, The Western Australian Quilters Association and The Embroiders Guild.

You can often find Helen’s work on show at the Zig-Zag gallery or at the Quiltwest exhibition in Perth. She is a real collector and hoarder of art materials and scraps and has named her blog “The Hoarders Art Room” after this trait.

Website/Blog: https://thehoardersartroom.blogspot.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHoardersArtRoom/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRqxWD4kOlidH6IFycwuo4A/

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Joanna Grant

Joanna Grant is a Canadian mixed media artist. For over 20 years she has been creating colorful and fun art that incorporates recycled materials. “Keeping even small bits out of our landfills and turning them into one-of-a-kind art for others to treasure is very personally rewarding,” she says.

Joanna draws on her love of music and nature and her work often incorporates quotes especially chosen for their messages of hope and inspiration. She is a published artist and her work can be found in collections worldwide.

Website: www.joannagrantart.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoannaGrantArt
YouTube: https://youtube.com/joannagrantart

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Johanna Lawson

Hi! My name is Johanna Lawson. By (week)day, I’m a fifth and sixth grade Language Arts teacher, by (week)night, an aspiring artist. When not creating cards and prints, I enjoy walking through my Riverside neighborhood, where I find inspiration at every twist and turn. Whether in museums, coffee shops, restaurants, or my own backyard, I am constantly motivated by the world around me.

My ultimate vision for my company, small • batch • cards, is to organize and establish a space where artists – novice to expert – are encouraged to share their personal truths and stories through creativity and art. A place where people in my community can connect, create, inspire, and instruct.

Please visit my website and blog, www.smallbatch-cards.com. Especially see the page I have devoted to monoprinting and my Gelli® plates. I also have several blog posts where I describe different monoprinting techniques. I am not quite sure where this business will ultimately take me, but I am excited and enjoying this artful journey. I look forward to new experiences, making new connections, and sharing art, ideas, and passions.

Website/Blog: www.smallbatch-cards.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallbatchcards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallbatchcards/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallbatchcards
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFrtpJW9Iu99A0OQWRSo50g?view_as=subscriber

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Bob Pennycook

Bob has been a full-time artist for 25 years. He works from a country studio, a little west of Ottawa, creating landscapes in acrylics, oils and prints.

He spent several years in the decorative painting industry creating and publishing 13 how-to books and dozens and dozens of magazine articles. He also taught art classes throughout North America.

In 2008, Bob eased out of decorative painting to spend more time on his fine art. About four years ago he discovered Gelli Arts® plates and his interest in printmaking, an art medium he hadn’t explored since art college, was revived.

He spends his days creating large landscapes and small prints. Some days he teaches in his studio; some days he teaches large classes outside the studio.

He is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists, an elected member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, a Golden Artists Educator, and his work is represented in two galleries in eastern Ontario.
Website: http://www.bobpennycook.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobpennycook
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobpennycook
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bobpennycook
Email: [email protected]

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Catherine Tonning-Popowich

Born in Michigan to artistic parents, Catherine has been creating art her entire life. She has explored many mediums such as china painting, watercolors, oils, pastels, airbrushing, printmaking, and sculpture. Painting and printing with water media on various surfaces is what she is currently working with. She is also exploring and experimenting with vivid color schemes.

Catherine holds an associate degree in commercial art as well as in fine arts. Her experience in both artistic realms resonates through her style, and it is her ability to capture fine details that makes many of her pieces seem more like photographs than paintings. While she is well-versed in painting botanicals and other organic forms, Catherine’s wildlife portrayals have gotten a great deal of exposure.

Her passion and talent for creating wildlife art, created an opportunity for her to be Potter Park Zoo’s artist-in-residence in Lansing, Michigan, where she held wildlife painting classes that were accessible to all ages and she also completed and exhibited a series of paintings of the zoo’s animals in 2013. Among other projects, in 2014 Catherine was asked to spearhead a project at the Ingham, Eaton & Clinton Community Health Facility for their Creative Recovery Program where she designed a mural that was permanently installed in the CMH lobby, created by the community of the center.

In 2017, with a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing she developed the “Art Has No Barriers” program. The program reaches out to students regardless of their age or ability and opens doors for them to share their emotions and stories that they otherwise would not have had access to. Catherine’s intent with this program is to build bridges and encourage students to see commonalities between themselves and others, regardless of abilities.

Most recently Catherine has been working with Gelli Arts to bring the exciting world of mono printing to her students. She is showing them how to make lots of prints and all the fun things they can do with them such as collage art, journal making, card making and framed art just to name a few.

Website: http://catherinetonning.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/C.L.Tonning.Artist
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/catherine_l._tonning/

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