Class at the Art Museum and MONEY!

(Click on any image to enlarge. Two successful works from a talented stitcher!)

Last night was the final class at the Columbia Museum of Art. It was a great evening full of creativity, good conversation, a demonstration on proper mounting and framing for textiles, and a great deal of admiration for the fabulous pieces created during the past three weeks. One of the best things about the class was that each person brought her own sense of style to the contemporary techniques. The finished works are each successful and absolutely different from one another! Another great thing about the evening was learning that there was another blogger in the room! Bernadette is tracking her fiber arts and TIF challenges here. She also blogged about the class and GAVE ME AN INCREDIBLE BASKET OF EXOTIC THREADS AND YARNS....which is also pictured on her blog! What more I possibly want as a teacher but such a talented group bearing gifts?!!!

(Above: Bernadette with three of her four pieces. She used the fourth as an experimental ground for embellishing. I think there might be a new machine in her future!)

(Above: Student stitching on one of at least two pieces!)

(Above: More wonderful work!)

(Above: Two fiber works mounted with their inspiration, birch bark from Michigan!)

I don't have a degree or any background whatsoever in education, so I'm a little insecure about my abilities to actually teach. To compensate for whatever I lack in this area, I figure that I ought to "work like an artist"....basically....allow those taking the class to see how I approach fibers and stitch as a working, professional artist. Thus, the class isn't a "project" and doesn't have a "kit". The class is taught through demonstrations...while I'm making a piece of artwork using the techniques I want to share/teach. I call the class "HOT" and introduce a variety of heat-activated techniques. I finish every demonstration...into a work that goes into my inventory book, gets priced, and becomes "merchandise". So....here's the three from this class! I call the series "Relics". I used to make them all the time....when I was teaching in the public schools through the South Carolina Arts Commission's artist-in-resident program. I didn't realize that it had been so long since I'd created a "relic". The last one was made in October of 2005! Above is Relic LXIX. Below is Relic LXX and Relic LXXI.

(Click on any "relic" to enlarge. The average size is 5" x 7".)

NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS: The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties is funding CYBER FYBER with $800! The letter just came in today's mail! I'm thrilled of course!