Mixed-Media Art Workshop: Leather Art Floral Design on Greeting Cards

Explore the dynamic world of mixed-media collage as Elena demonstrates her signature 3D leather layering techniques and shares the design principles that bring her pieces to life (www.elenamuruart.com/mixed-media-3d-artworks). Then, shift gears to greeting-card creation: learn how to translate collage concepts into elegant, tactile cards with curated materials and finishes (www.elenamuruart.com/greeting-cards).

During this session, you will:

• Discover methods for cutting, texturing, and assembling leather off-cuts into dimensional collage forms
• Learn basic composition and color-mixing strategies to make your designs pop
• Apply mixed-media approaches (paper, leather, metallic accents) to a small-format greeting card
• Begin your own card project with Floral Design Elena’s guidance, from sketch to first layers

Prerequisites (recommended):

• Basic sketching ability: comfortable drawing simple floral shapes on paper
• Familiarity with scissors and safe cutting techniques
• Experience using adhesives (glue) for paper and leather
• Willingness to experiment with textures and materials
• Patience and attention to detail for precise cutting and layering
• Basic sewing skills: comfortable using a needle and transparent thread to attach decorative beads

All materials provided. Register and come ready to dive into texture, form, and color. If you are left-handed, please let us know at [email protected]. We will discuss getting the proper scissors for you for the workshop.

The Triton Museum may cancel a class, camp, or workshop due to weather, health, an emergency, or low attendance. In those cases, the registered attendee will be notified of the cancellation as soon as possible and will be offered a refund or credit for the class.

The Triton Museum reserves the right to use photographs taken during classes and workshops for publicity and media purposes. This includes but is not limited to the Triton website and social media. If you do not want yourself or your child included in these photographs, please notify Triton staff at the time of enrollment.

Questions? Please contact [email protected]

I was born in 1975 in Moscow and fell in love with drawing early on. By age 15 I had completed three years of art school, and in 1998 I earned a degree in Fine‑Art Criticism from the Glazunov Academy of Art. Since 1996 I have taught art to children—a calling that still keeps me close to fresh ideas and honest reactions. In 2013 my husband and I moved with our three children to San Jose, California, where I continue to teach within the Russian‑speaking community and grow my own studio practice.

I work mainly with gouache, acrylic, ink, and collage. Hand‑cut paper and leather let me build bright flowers and landscapes, while decorated wine bottles and framed cards bring art into everyday objects. No matter the surface, I look for simple, direct ways to share color and texture.

What inspires me? Books, movies, and songs form long chains of stories, people, and surprising links that move me both emotionally and physically. Those feelings fade with time, so I begin creating while the first spark is still fresh. The pieces you see capture those first and strongest impressions.

My goal as an artist is to make work that connects people with nature and helps them notice beauty in ordinary moments. I keep trying new approaches—bold colors, layered materials, mixed media—to stir a sense of wonder and respect for the world around us.

Since 2019 my paintings and decorative pieces have appeared in solo and group shows across Northern and Southern California, both in person and online. I continue to explore new materials and techniques, sharing my evolving vision of everyday wonder with viewers and students alike, experimenting, hoping each new piece invites viewers to pause, feel, and look more closely at the every day.

Website: www.elenamuruart.com

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Avenue, Santa Clara, United States