Handmade Brushes: Crafting Tools for Unique Mark Making w/Juliana DeFrance
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Join artist Juliana DeFrance for a 3-hour, hands-on workshop focused on crafting expressive, functional artist brushes using horsehair, wool, and found materials. Learn how to shape and bind natural fibers into unique tools that inspire bold gestures, organic textures, and fresh creative possibilities.
You will:
Prepare and shape horsehair, wool, and natural found materials into dynamic brush heads.
Build handles from twigs, driftwood, wire, hemp, and waxed thread.
Discover how brush form influences line, texture, movement, and function.
Use your handmade brushes with glaze, underglaze, ink, or paint to explore mark-making and surface variation.
This workshop is perfect for ceramicists, painters, mixed-media artists, or anyone looking to expand their creative toolkit through experimental toolmaking.
Materials Provided:
All essential materials and tools—including horsehair, wool, binding, tools, ink for mark testing, and a selection of found materials will be provided.
Not necessary, but you may also bring your own:
Twigs, driftwood, or interesting sticks
String, twine, thread, or yarn
Fabric scraps or ribbon
Feathers, metal wire, or small found objects
Broken or old brushes/tools to repurpose
Sketchbook, ink, or watercolor to test your mark making
No experience necessary—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to experiment.
Juliana DeFrance - Watercolorist, Oil Painter & Ceramicist – California & Washington
Juliana DeFrance is a multidisciplinary artist working across watercolor, oil painting, and ceramics for over 40 years. Born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County and the East Bay, her creative voice is deeply rooted in the textures, colors, and atmosphere of coastal living in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
From an early age, art was the center of Juliana’s world. Her childhood was filled with multimedia exploration—painting, fiber arts, and hands-on creativity. This lifelong dedication to visual expression continues to shape her practice today.
Her work blends impressionistic and abstract styles, focusing on casual figurative subjects and expressive landscapes. Bold color palettes and abstracted backgrounds bring emotional depth and movement to her paintings. In ceramics, she applies the same intuitive approach to form, texture, and function.
Now living in her forever home in Seaview, Washington, Juliana draws daily inspiration from the coastal landscape. She is passionate about sharing her experience and love of expression with others, especially through teaching children—fostering creativity, confidence, and curiosity in the next generation of artists.
Get Tickets
You will:
Prepare and shape horsehair, wool, and natural found materials into dynamic brush heads.
Build handles from twigs, driftwood, wire, hemp, and waxed thread.
Discover how brush form influences line, texture, movement, and function.
Use your handmade brushes with glaze, underglaze, ink, or paint to explore mark-making and surface variation.
This workshop is perfect for ceramicists, painters, mixed-media artists, or anyone looking to expand their creative toolkit through experimental toolmaking.
Materials Provided:
All essential materials and tools—including horsehair, wool, binding, tools, ink for mark testing, and a selection of found materials will be provided.
Not necessary, but you may also bring your own:
Twigs, driftwood, or interesting sticks
String, twine, thread, or yarn
Fabric scraps or ribbon
Feathers, metal wire, or small found objects
Broken or old brushes/tools to repurpose
Sketchbook, ink, or watercolor to test your mark making
No experience necessary—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to experiment.
Juliana DeFrance - Watercolorist, Oil Painter & Ceramicist – California & Washington
Juliana DeFrance is a multidisciplinary artist working across watercolor, oil painting, and ceramics for over 40 years. Born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County and the East Bay, her creative voice is deeply rooted in the textures, colors, and atmosphere of coastal living in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
From an early age, art was the center of Juliana’s world. Her childhood was filled with multimedia exploration—painting, fiber arts, and hands-on creativity. This lifelong dedication to visual expression continues to shape her practice today.
Her work blends impressionistic and abstract styles, focusing on casual figurative subjects and expressive landscapes. Bold color palettes and abstracted backgrounds bring emotional depth and movement to her paintings. In ceramics, she applies the same intuitive approach to form, texture, and function.
Now living in her forever home in Seaview, Washington, Juliana draws daily inspiration from the coastal landscape. She is passionate about sharing her experience and love of expression with others, especially through teaching children—fostering creativity, confidence, and curiosity in the next generation of artists.
Get Tickets
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