Today is a new day.

It's a warm day and I am thankful.  I know winter is coming but it requires mental preparation and I'm just not there yet.  I have been working in the studio, sometimes cleaning and organizing and sometimes creating something new or revisiting something old.  Since it's been so long since my last post, I thought this one could be a reintroduction to the Studio, along with a reminder of what's to come.

Pin weaving in the Studio
 

Pin weaving was one of my favourite classes.  Students created beautiful pieces using a variety of fabrics and then created clay beads to embellish their pieces.



Chickpea Paste resist

 

This next class was born of necessity.  I had promised that we would do a flour paste resist but as I worked out the details I realized that the mess created by a traditional approach would not work, so I began to experiment with other options.  The resulting Chickpea Paste Resist class was a great success and in 2014, Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine published an article I had written on the technique.  You can find it here.

Creative space of guest artist Sharon Chalmers

 Often the Studio would feature guest artists like the lovely Sharon Chalmers (just imagine her, there, in that chair). Having her in the Studio was always a treat!  We were also visited by Donna Funnell and Patricia Beader.

 

Sonja's sweet piece

 

Some days we created pieces in the style of other artists.  Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson inspired the piece above.  These sessions were always a great opportunity to learn more about a number of talented and artistic women.


The Studio is still being worked on, but I do have classes coming up.  I am still teaching for the Milton Centre for the Arts, and the Art Mixer, a weekly art session that can be purchased one week at a time, starts on October 16, 2014.  This fun adult class includes all materials and is perfect for all skill levels.  It runs from 7-9:30 pm on Thursday nights.  For more information on this class or any of my offerings for children, check out the MCA website here.

I have also just started teaching a few classes for Idea Exchange, Cambridge Libraries and Galleries.  I will be teaching a Wednesday evening adult class starting October 1, 2014.  This fun six week session is a non-traditional approach to fibre and printmaking.  Classes run from 7-9:30 pm and you can find out more about them here in the fall/winter brochure.

That's all for the moment.  I hope you are all creating art and enjoying the last bits of summer and the first scents of fall.

Join me at Mixed Minded in May

The holidays have been a wonderful break from routine and while I miss the creative energy that flows through the Studio during my classes, I have been using this time to refresh and renew myself and the spaces around me. I think my students will be pleased.

There is something else that I think will please those of you that share my love of visual art and creative expression...an amazing art conference, Mixed Minded, will be taking place in Kitchener, Ontario from May 27 to 29, 2011 and I have been invited to be a part of it.

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from Karen Ellis of The Art House Studio asking me to teach at the suggestion of my friend and fellow artist, Lois Sander - I was thrilled, and then, Karen tells me, Claudine Hellmuth will also be teaching!!! Absolutely a moment when what I had put out to the Universe had come back in an even better package. My friend James would say "Gratitude rocks!".

Mixed Minded looks like it is going to be an incredible event, with 15 Sessions offered by 7 artists including Donna Funnell and Lois Sander, over 3 days. Registration is already open, so be sure and check it out.