Upcoming Classes

Here is a list of classes and workshops for paper and fabric marbling, all taught by Galen Berry.

Most of these classes are for beginners, though intermediate and advanced classes are occasionally offered. All materials for classes are supplied -- all you have to bring is a pen and paper for notes, and an old towel for cleanup. Each person will get an individual marbling setup, no sharing with other students will be necessary, so you can marble as many papers as you want; most people make from 12 to 15 per day. Each person will also get to make a sheet or two of marbled fabric. We only work on smaller pieces of paper in the beginning classes (9½" x 12½"), since that is the easiest way to learn. Once you learn the basics in class, you can graduate up to larger sizes on your own at home, if desired.

Ten or more different patterns will be taught in the beginning classes, including the Peacock, French curl, Spanish wave, Feather, Italian vein, Figure Marbling, Nonpareil, and Stone marble. Complete instructions are given for using all the various marbling tools and ingredients, such as carrageenan, alum, and gall. In the intermediate and advanced classes several more patterns and techniques are taught, such as the Overmarble, Moiré, Fantasy marble, Ripple, Antique spot, Thistle, Birdwing, and Masking.

No artistic ability is necessary -- anyone can marble, even children. It's actually quite easy to learn, and lots of fun! You'll be able to produce professional-looking papers right in your first class; unlike many artforms, it doesn't take years of practice to get good at marbling. However, it has so much variety that you can spend a lifetime exploring all its possibilities! All classes contain at least 5 hours of instruction and work time per day. Some classes cost more than others, depending on the sponsoring organization, or on how far I have to travel to get there. Some classes charge a materials fee for supplies used.

For more information, you can call the instructor at (405) 949-1239, evenings only. To register in a class, call the appropriate number below:

Oklahoma City Museum of Art
415 Couch Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73102

This will be a one-day beginning class. Tuition: $50.

This is always the most inexpensive marbling class of any that I teach, since it's here in my home town and I don't have to travel.
The OKC Museum of Art is a very fine new museum downtown, with some nice classrooms and great exhibits.

Burlington, Vermont
Beginning Classes: Thursday, June 28 and Saturday, June 30

Advanced Class: Friday, June 29
9:30 am - 3:30pm

The Vermont Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show in the northeastern states, attracting up to 11,000 participants each year.
These three classes will concentrate mostly on fabric marbling. We will be working on cotton cloth, and each participant will be able to make 15 to 20 sheets (10" x 15" size) to take home (in a classroom situation such as these, it is easiest to learn by making small sheets). Instruction will be given on how to make larger sheets too, so that you will be able to make fat quarter size sheets back at home after taking the class.

The Thursday class and the Saturday class are both for beginners, so you can just sign up for whichever day fits your schedule best.

If you have already done some marbling, or you took the beginning class in 2010, you may sign up for just the Friday advanced class. You may also sign up for Thursday and Friday both.

For more information, see the Vermont Quilt Festival's website: http://www.vqf.org/

Registration is at St. Michael's College. The classes will be held at the Champlain Valley Exposition Center. See a map here.

Carolyn – “What a great workshop! All of the participants told me how much they enjoyed it. Galen is an excellent teacher and everyone was pleased with the papers they did.”

Betty – “What a great time I had taking Galen Berry’s class! Galen is so well adept at teaching, he kept us continuously busy and looking forward to the next “new” thing to learn. He is a very personable young man and he made the class very enjoyable.”

Marty – “I want you to know how much I enjoyed Galen Berry’s marbling class. It was an opportunity of a lifetime to have such a good teacher brought to us. He spoke to us as if we had known him for years. He gave us clear instructions, tons of information, and his demonstrations were simple and easy to understand.”

Trudy – “Galen’s demonstrations and classes are very informative and easy to follow. He is very likeable and his technique is easy for the novice to follow.”

Ann – “This past weekend's paper marbling class with Galen Berry was wonderful. He is not only a master expert in his field but also a master teacher. I have attended many workshops and courses in my career as an art educator for 38 years and I really appreciated the calibre of this professional. I hope you can have him again next year and I will tell all my colleagues here about it.”

Bette – “I arranged for a workshop that was held at the New Hampshire Institute of Art with Galen Berry. It was fully subscribed (as was last years’ offering) and we all had a blast. Everyone went home with the knowledge to make many different patterns (12-14). Galen comes to workshops with absolutely everything — the students just show up with pencil and a notebook and an old towel for clean up. He is a wonderful teacher who has taught more than 4000 students. He has been professional, fulltime marbler for 20+ years. Another aspect of Galen’s marbling that I particularly appreciate is that it is low on the toxicity scale. He uses acrylic paints and the other elements (carrageen, alum, gall) are all benign too.”

A student at Oregon Book Arts Guild “Entertaining and efficient teaching; balance between demonstration and work time; orderly and well-timed, but with support for individual expression.”

Comments from a class in Ann Arbor MI – "I loved this class! Galen was a great teacher and took time to show us how to do each step! I never dreamed I could make marbled papers that were so beautiful. Time flew by!" "This was a delightful class. Galen Berry is a charming, experienced speaker, and a good teacher. His setup for students is excellent." "I liked Galen's easy, encouraging attitude and how clear he was with his instructions." "He was very generous with his knowledge and time. His ability to inspire creativity is also a great asset."

“What a super teacher, everything explained and shown very carefully, and whenever help was needed there it was. He is so talented and knowledgeable, paced the class perfectly and brought all necessary supplies to share or purchase. Having taught himself he knows his subject thoroughly, with its pitfalls and the simplest ways to success. He presented the projects in an interesting and successful way, an art that I thought would be intricate, somewhat difficult and time consuming -- nothing was further from the truth.”

“I enjoyed Galen very much, rather than overseeing he seemed to enjoy being a part of everyone's creative process -- and the colors are to die for. Everything is a success in some way or another.”

“Galen was a wonderful instructor, and made a complicated art seem simple and easy to understand. His style was approachable and friendly, and his knowledge of his art is amazing. I really enjoyed the informal atmosphere and the ability to work at a comfortable pace without having every minute structured.”

“Regarding the workshop....Tons of information and Galen -- just a great combination. I like most that I just learned so much and it was taught so well/thoroughly that I can do this on my own. I finally understand how to do all these types of marbling, and I never could have learned that from a book (I know -- I tried before).”

“Galen Berry has the patience of a saint and was an excellent instructor. He never implied to his students that anything was too hard or too difficult for us to succeed at. The lack of a negative word and his expectation of good outcomes was key to everyone attempting all techniques without reservation and then succeeding beyond our dreams. We completed the full range of marbling designs -- no design/marbling “secrets” were withheld (or so it seemed). Galen was attentive to how everyone was doing. He was very under-stated about his expertise as an artist and as an instructor (definitely not full of himself!) Only after the workshop does one realize what he knows and how much he prepared for class. He made marbling seem easy. Easy isn't the impression one gets from reading the marbling how-to books which make the whole process sound like a temperamental experience that may or may not work due to a myriad of factors. Galen put a great deal of behind the scenes effort into the workshop before we got there. All the alum, paint, sizing for trays, and drying racks were in place and ready to go when we arrived in class. There was enough of everything. It was nice to find organization and attention to the details. He was also prepared to sell supplies which I was appreciative of due to the expense of shipping and sheer convenience and ease of going home knowing I could start marbling without first scrambling for supplies.”

Please visit my other websites:

Calligraphy, which shows some of the calligraphic work
that I have done over the past 25 years.

Nature's Arches and Bridges, which tells all about my hobby of exploring the desert states
for beautiful natural arches and bridges.