New "Offering": it is finished!

I just put the finishing touches to my new "Offering" , titled "Mumtaz Mahal" and I took a few quick snapshots, which I am sharing here.
In the 17th century, Mumtaz Mahal was married to Emperor Kurram as his 3rd wife and she became his favorite. When she died, he was so devastated that he had a mausoleum built for her, the Taj Mahal. I am just wondering what sort of a woman she was to inspire such a love and become the reason for the creation of one of the wonders of the world. Can you imagine?

So I made this “Offering” thinking of her and used symbols and colors found in Indian art (the red color, the tree of life, and the paisley design, to name a few). Even though the box is not a representation of the Taj Mahal, that incredible building definitely fed my imagination.

After some 240 hours of work, I feel that I have put so much effort into it that I am not sure that I still like it. I know I need to leave it alone and go away from it for a few days before I can enjoy it again!

And now, on to the next thing!

Idea folder

Once in a while, I go through my old magazines (fiber, art, home decor...magazines) and tear out pages that instantly appeal to me. Then I cut the images out and put them in a binder, which I have divided in several categories: lines, shapes,textures, colors, ideas.

Obviously, often some images could be sorted in several categories so I have to make a choice. I have found it a very useful tool: first of all when I am in a "slump", I just leaf through it and most of the time an image will jump start my imagination. And it has also been quite interesting to consciously pay attention to the images that appeal to me (and conversely those that I do not like at all and do not want to cut out) and try to figure out why they appeal or do not appeal to me. It has been most interesting for example to see that I am always attracted to the same kind of color combinations, which curiously I seldom use in my own work. In any case, it is fun to create one's own image book and I think it is a useful tool, that I recommend to my students.

Back in the studio

I really need to be back in the studio and finish the blue piece I have been working on for weeks. I am in the process of beading the top....and why on earth did I decide on doing that? It seems that I will never see the end of it!

Fabric and enamel

I had to try it! I just wanted to play with one of the enamel pieces I did during my class and see how I could combine it with fabric to create a small image. Quite fun!

Campbell School, part 2

After being the teacher, I went back last week to the Campbell School but this time as a student. Two or three years ago while I was teaching, Steve Artz , an artist from California, was teaching enameling. When I went to see what he and his students were working on, I realized that they were doing with copper and enamel almost the same thing as what we were doing in my class with fabrics and thread. I was so fascinated and in awe that I had wanted to take his class ever since...and I finally did


The class, that he co-taught with another great enamelist and teacher, Jackie Spencer, was everything I was hoping for and more. My mind is still reeling at the possibilities and I can't wait to finish what I have to do and the project I am working on to start another one incorporating enamels and fabrics. I think it is soooo exciting


Steve and Jackie were so very generous with their knowledge, creativity, time and materials. Steve had made some beautiful albums that he gave us to display what we made during the week. He had brought many of these books that he had filled in the course of time and I tell you, what a pleasure for the eyes and for the mind


So here I am sharing some of what I did in class and I hope I will have time to work with these techniques and improve my skills. If you ever want to take a great class, there it is!

Campbell School, part 1

From September 16 to 25, I was teaching my "Fabric Pages ©" workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School, in Brasstown, NC (Western-most tip of NC). If you don't know about it, the Campbell school is a wonderful place to spend 5 days and learn about all kinds of crafts, arts and traditional occupations. Classes range from blacksmith to quilting, felting, jewellery making, cooking. dulcimer playing...and building, all kinds of woodwork and pottery, painting...the list is too long to include here. Students and instructors stay on campus, have meals together in the dining hall and enjoy seeing what everyone else is doing.

This is a closed page


And this is what it looks when it is opened

So my class was about creating a sort of fabric envelope, as you can see, that includes photos transfers, embroidery, surface design and other embellishments. The 12 people in my class (which is the maximum) were an extremely creative group and the pages they created were wonderful. The quilting studio at the school is quite large, well lit and a great place to work. Here they are at work.

Our class picture at the student exhibit

On Friday, all the classes gather in the big community hall and there is a student exhibit of all the work which was produced that week. It is an amazing sight, what people can accomplish in a few days and how much creativity there is around when people let it out!

PS: If you would like to find out more about the school or ask for their catalogue, visit http://www.folkschool.org.

Also, a short "pub spot": I am teaching there again in a couple of weeks, starting on November 16 (surface design class called Fiber Fun and there is still room in the class!) and then again from March 29 to April 4, 2009 a class called "hand quilting: old technique, new possibilities". Check it out!