Sarah Z Short Driftway Studio New Work For Artists Blog 2026 Workshops Hello Reader, My sketchbook practice began on the floor of my living room, working on an old cafeteria tray, making collages with vintage magazines and a glue stick while I watched TV with my son. These simple compositions helped me learn to love working small and quickly, without any pressure to make them perfect. These little studies began to influence my studio practice, and I haven't stopped making them. Scraps: A Tiny...
28 days ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Notes from the Driftway Yesterday, we put out the bird feeders, and I'm watching the birds discover them, thinking about how thrilled they must be. And I'm just as happy, because enrollment is open for the course I’ve been working on for months. It’s a strange feeling—part excitement, part nerves because I have so much of myself in this class, as I share my complete process from collecting papers to framing gallery-ready art. If you’ve been collecting vintage papers and are...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Notes from the Driftway Hello, Reader For months, I've been creating a new online class. But before I tell you about that, I want to answer the question I get asked most often: “Where do you FIND all those vintage papers?” On the blog, I have a new post that answers that question: Vintage Papers for Letterpress and Collage In this post, I share: my favorite sourcing spots, what makes “good” paper for printing and collage, and how to build a collection on any budget This guide...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Notes from the Driftway Odd Number, 20" x 16" Hello Reader, I lifted all the plants off the cedar chest, regretting my choice to move the massive jade by myself. Inside, wrapped in newspaper, were all the china and glass bits that I’d collected, but never used. Somewhere, there had to be a china tea cup and saucer, and I had to unpack most of the chest before I found the cup. No saucer, but I found one of those in the cupboard. I was on a mission to make myself a proper cup of...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Driftway Studio Blue Notes, 36" x 24" on a 1.5" panel Hello Reader, Tumbling surf.Jazz made visible.A celebration of typographical forms. Choose your own way into this piece, composed of letterpress-printed vintage book pages.. This collage invites multiple readings—perhaps you'll first notice the abstracted letter fragments, or maybe your eye will follow the flow of paper waves cascading across the composition. Each vintage page, printed with wooden letterpress type, moves you...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Notes from the Driftway Ice Pops, 10" x 10" Hello Reader, We got to the hotel in Lake Placid, NY and I carried in the tote bag that held my business notebook and collage sketchbook. I put it on the floor, where it slumped against the wall, and never touched it until it was time to pack the car for the drive home. We were too busy swimming, paddling, and climbing a mountain. At this point, my sketchbook has become my creative security blanket—I need it with me, even if it stays...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Notes from the Driftway Hello Reader, The parents were told to stay behind the yellow line while our kids dug for gems in the gravel bed of the mine. The lights were off, and the thin beams of light from headlamps on plastic mining helmets illuminated the dig site. I lasted only a few minutes before bending down to have a quick dig in the gravel. My feet were behind the yellow line, even if my hands weren't. Using my cell phone flashlight, I found a rough piece of quartz and...
10 months ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Driftway Studio Hello Reader, When I created Tracks and Not Lost, Looking, the black and white pieces seen above on the gallery wall at The Ah Haa School for the Arts, I kept imagining them on the same wall - how a collector would move between them, discovering how the papers create one larger narrative. Here's the tour I'd give you if you were standing in front of both pieces in your own space. What you're seeing: The bold graphic impact - stark black lines creating geometric...
10 months ago • 1 min read
Sarah Z Short Notes from the Driftway While walking in the woods, on a nicely groomed trail, I started thinking about what a difference that trail made. Instead of wading through grass and clambering over fallen trees, I was moving quickly and letting my mind wander. And it wandered to art studio organization—because I realized your studio should be like that groomed trail. Instead of wading through clutter and clambering over supply piles, you should be able to move quickly and let your...
10 months ago • 1 min read