Last week I packed up my warm weather clothes and hopped on
a plane. I was commissioned to
hold a fiber arts workshop in Tuscon, Arizona. I left a foot of snow on the ground with a hopeful suitcase
full of shorts and light clothes to match predicted highs in the mid
eighties. And Tuscon came
through! I had a fabulous time at
the workshop, and the beautiful high desert setting didn’t disappoint either. I’ve never been to a climate like that
before—it’s so distinct from anyplace I’ve ever been. I’ve seen cacti in New Mexico, but never stands of saguaros
and dense fields of cacti. There
were even saguaros in the medians of the highways! I was amazed!
I
found it fascinating that there were no trees or bushes taller than about
fifteen feet. Somehow that makes
the sky look even bigger. The
days were wonderfully warm in the mid eighties every day. Even better, the group of seven people in
the workshop were just an enthusiastic bunch, bringing varied backgrounds and
experiences.
Some had done
extensive workshops in tapestry and were used to being very rigid and
structured and exacting. I tried
to push them out of their comfort zone and into creating organic shapes with non-conventional
materials. They mixed different
weights and types of yarns and it was interesting to watch them evolve and grow
into their more relaxed and reflective creations.
Others had never woven in their lives, so the idea of
creating fabric from yarn was novel and exciting. They were all ready to try new things and take on challenges. That made it even more rewarding for
me. When I teach workshops I never
begin with a preconceived notion of what the art should look like at the
end. I never hold paint by number
workshops—I try to be very much open as to how the process develops.
Every hour or so I introduce a new
technique, approach or combination that people may incorporate or explore as
well. Every couple of hours we
have a stretching fest where I get all of the participants to stand up and move
their bodies [I’m thinking of you, Darrelyn]!
The participants and I then walk around to see how others
are interpreting the new techniques.
By the end of the workshop the people are creating their own
applications and sharing what they developed with their cohorts. They all seemed happy with what they accomplished.
Overall, I’m delighted with how
everything turned out.
I have to thank my hosts for the five days stay, Lura and
Jill. Oh my gosh they were just so
perfect!
We had such a wonderful
time. I’m so incredibly grateful
to them for hosting me. They were
everything from tour guides to wine stewards and baristas. They came with two wonderful dogs, Teddy
and Romie, who took me for walks through the neighborhood each evening. I discovered amazing rock hounding,
learned the names of mountains and plants, and was able to pepper them with
questions about the flora and fauna.
Lura is a fabulous gardener and she always had a thoughtful
answer to my questions about what I observed. She is also a production weaver and creates baby blankets
and chenille scarves and shawls.
Jill spins exceedingly fine yarn.
I think her favorite is silk and wool that she uses to create
lacework. They work with local
cotton growers and are a resource for the processed cotton products in a
rainbow of natural colors. They
are both retired nurses that saw the light and are now both fiber people, which
gave us a lot to talk about. Plus,
they’re just a lot of fun—we laughed a lot.
There is a funny story about how the workshop came to
be. About two years ago Wendy, one
of the workshop participants, saw my work on Pinterest and contacted me about
visiting Tuscon to do the workshop.
The cogs turned slowly but effectively. Roxanne, the workshop coordinator, brought the whole trip
together. I’m very grateful to
both of them for making this all work out. I came home with a brain full of textures, colors and ideas. I’m not exactly sure how that will
translate into my own work but somehow I know it will. I’ve already been hearing from my
friends that I’ll be needle felting cacti and using toothpicks for spines. Everyone has an idea for me.
I came home to a wonderful family with
open arms and lots of hugs. Plus
the house was clean—OMG! It was
terrific to see my family. On
Friday I launched back into SOS (Sounds of South) costumes and I just about
completed the Le Fou jacket. This
is a costume I sketched on a piece of scrap paper as I watched the boys do
Taekwondo before I left.
It would
be done now if the rainy Friday didn’t prevent me from spray painting the
buttons I needed. Oh, and on the
way home I did some sketching for still more costumes. I need to accommodate the new additions
to SOS that auditioned into the group while I was gone. Things are moving along well on the
costumes in progress over the past few weeks, such as completing Babette’s
feather duster gloves.
We riveted
the napkin ring waistband closures and laced up the last of the village boy’s
shirts. And no blog would be
complete without mentioning the pie status, especially on international pie day
(3.14.15). Sadly, the closest I
came was cold, leftover pizza pie with my coffee this morning. Ugh! The fruit fairy really needs to visit soon.
Until next week,
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