Creative Chick Newsletter-June 2008

Hello Creative Friends!!! I hope you are staying cool if you are in the US, since the temperatures have been close to 100 degrees here in South Carolina. Of course the heat has made me lazy and I haven't been doing any art, but I have caught up on my reading. So, this newsletter is going to be short. I just want to remind everyone of the upcoming classes I have going on at Creative Chick Studios and Joggles.com. Plus, I have an announcement about a new teaching gig.

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Creative Chick Studios Online Classes

Fertile Earth/June 30th-August 4th

Cost $60.00/6 weeks

Anne Lohr-Fertile Earth

Monoprinting on Fabric/July 17th-August 21st

Cost $60.00/6 weeks

CJ's String Leaf Print-Monoprinting

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At Joggles.com this session I will be teaching 3 online classes.

Fear No Color (a short color study workshop)

"Split your Imagination" 2007

This is a 4 week/4 Lesson that is a intro on color theory.

$40.00

Creative Embroidery-Organic Designs (embroidery/mixed media)

Terri Stegmiller-pods

6 Week/6 Lessons

$60.00

Fiber Collage (intro to art quilting)

Caroline Commin-Old Woman

I recommend this class for anyone that wants a place to start. I draw a lot from this class into my other classes. Also, this class concentrates on one piece through the 6 weeks. My other classes usually have one project a week and move pretty fast. :)

6 weeks/ 6 lessons

$60.00

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Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts

I will be teaching a Spring 2009 workshop at Arrowmont April 5-11. I haven't started working on the class description yet, but it will deal with surface embellishment. Arrowmont is located in Gatlinburg Tenn.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is a nationally renowned center of contemporary arts and crafts education. Workshops are offered for one and two weeks in the spring and summer, and one-week and weekends in the fall. Areas of study include: ceramics, fibers, metals/jewelry, painting, drawing, photography, warm glass, woodturning, woodworking, sculpture, and book and paper arts. The public is welcome year-round to visit the school’s five galleries, resource center and book and supply store. Artist residencies, assistantships, work-study, scholarships community outreach, conferences and music programs contribute to Arrowmont’s mission of “enriching lives through art.”

So stayed tuned for updates!!!

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Studio News

Whoopi looking out of the studio door.

That is about it for June's News. I will be teaching the Fiber Collage workshop at my studio in

Taylors SC. in August is anyone is interested in attending. You will find all the info on

www.littlehouseartstudios.com. The cost is 120.00 and it is 2 Saturdays-2 day class from 10-4.

August 16th and 23rd. I am thinking of doing a class August 11th and 18th, that is 2 Mondays

from 10-4....if I can get a group of at least 4 students.

Suzanne's Cat

Also, the class, Beginning Embroidery, I had planned for HelpingHandmade.com has been delayed

until the Fall. One reason is my air conditioning unit went out in my condo and we are living at the

studio. (Which you would think I would be working up a storm, but I think it has upset my

creative rhythm having my husband here-but don't tell him that.) Anyway, we have decided it

was time to renovate the condo, so I will be here at the studio until the end of July. That said, I

do all my photos and embroidery work at the condo because it is a lot more comfortable to sit

and stitch in my big chair. And I have better lighting to work on the videos for the class.

Coming up in July 10th I will be appearing on Greenville's Channel 7 at 10:00 on the Jack and Kimberly Show to demonstrate Monoprinting!! My second TV appearance on their show and maybe I will become a regular. Come down to the Channel 7 Studio on Main Street Greenville and let's do coffee after the demo!

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I have started a new Creative Embroidery Ring

Remember to sign up the Creative Chick Yahoo group for any announcements that don't make the newsletter.

Please use the group to keep in touch with other classmates, ask questions about a certain class, add a link to your website, post your work in a file for others to see!!

And if you haven't joined the Fiber Art/Mixed Media Ning Group, we are now over 550+ strong!

We have members from all over the world and they are posting some awesome artwork! Pass it

on to your artsy friends!!!

Have a great day and remember to send me any photos of finished pieces that you have started in any of my workshops. I love to have examples to show other students!!!

cheers,

susan

My online friend Janet Perry is doing a blog tour of her book Bargello Revisited and I am happy to have her stop on my blog to share her wisdom and creativity about needlepoint. I am trying to teach myself needlepoint and am not doing to well....guess I need a teacher!!! I bought a kit and I am trying to make myself sit down and do this!!!!

Please visit Janet's blog for more information about her book and needlepoint.

 http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/

Creating a Bargello

   Sometimes inspiration strikes in the strangest ways, especially if
you are open to being inspired.
   About a month ago I was at that wonderful store for knitters and
dyers, Dharma Trading Company, with a friend. She was buying a kit to
marbleize paper; I was looking around. I was struck by their small
selection of pearl cotton, and especially by this quintessential
preppy combination of lime green and hot pink.

   The colors remind me of Izod polo shirts (that green alligator on
the pink shirt), Madras plaids and plenty of other preppy things.

   When I got home, they sat on my desk, in plain sight, for awhile,
until one morning when the sun must have struck them just right and
they glowed. I immediately threw out all my other plans for the
colors and said "These would make a great Bargello!" Thereby alarming
the cats.
   I could see it in my mind's eye, blocks of the three shades of
pink, setting off lime green lines by lines of white.
   But pearl cotton isn't the best for Bargello, it tends to look
thin, so I needed to find another set of threads. I'm intrigued by
the color changes in hand-dyed threads, so I chose Lorikeet, a
hand-dyed wool from Gloriana. It's interesting that in the skein the
pinks look pretty close to the cooler, harsher colors of the pearl
cotton, but stitched, they are softer and, I think, prettier. More
girly, less preppy.

   At this point I had my threads but I still needed a pattern.
Bargello patterns are limitless (it's part of why they are so fun). I
collect Bargello books. Since most of these were written in the 70's,
they have rather bright color combinations. So I turned to them for a
pattern.
   I wanted a line pattern and one that looked modern. I think
patterns with angles rather than curves have a modern look that I
find appealing. This zig-zag pattern is from Margaret Boyles'
Bargello Notebook and I've charted it for you below.

   I like the way it looks like "W" strung together, although that
wasn't why I picked it. I really love it in these softer colors. I
also like the subtle color changes from the hand-dyed threads.
   You can do this too. Find a color scheme you like. Maybe a print
fabric you love, maybe the colors in a photo or a flower. Pull
threads from your stash as a reference. Either use them or find other
threads in those colors to create your color palette for the
Bargello. Find a Bargello pattern you like, or make one of your own.
I find it easiest if I plan the sequence of colors before I begin to
stitch. Then stitch away!



--
Keep Stitching,

Janet M. Perry
napaneedlepoint@gmail.com
http://www.napaneedlepoint.com
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com - blog

I just returned from doing a workshop for the Maine Crafts Association at Haystack and it was awesome. Not only is Maine a beautiful state, but I think it is a secret from the rest of the USA. There is so much green space up there and the people are really friendly.

 Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is a wonderful place to take a workshop if you ever get the chance to go there. It is tucked away up on the hill on the coast and is surrounded by trees. It was really hard to get a good photo to show you the school...since it is on a slop.

I was there to teach a Mini-Personal Symbols workshop and I had a really lively class. There were only 4 students, but I don't think we could have  fit anyone else in the workspace. We took up the whole room and used every inch. Where the door is opened on the deck was our studio. There are several landing like this one all over the hill with different studios, dorms and cafe. Speaking of cafe, the food was great! They made the "vittles" healthy and there was tofu for us vegetarians.

 Here a couple of photos of my students creating and being inspired!!
 

Cilla is carving away at her rubber stamp. 

 

Peggy came well prepared with art materials and help keep me warm by lending me a down comforter!! I didn't realize it was still that cold up North. I had to drag out my winter clothes that I had packed away.  Plus, she brought me a rain slicker...or I would have been one wet chick.

Creative Chick Newsletter-May 2008

It is the month of May and the flowers are blooming, the pollen is covering the cars and we really need some rain! It is Spring  here in South Carolina and I always get a new breath of creative fresh air when the weather is becoming warmer. I am really jazzed about this month, since I am on the road almost every weekend....and I don't get out much. It is great to meet my Internet friends and share my artwork/classes. Speaking of being out and about......

The opening at the Beet Gallery in Charlotte, NC May 2nd was awesome!

My husband thinks we had at least 200 come by the gallery and view my fiber art.

John acting as my agent.

The gallery crawl was huge!! Charlotte's NoDa art group is really popular and they have an awesome selection of galleries and shops to check out. There will be another gallery crawl May 16th from 6-9:30. My work will be up until June 1st.

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May 10th-Southern Highlands Craft Guild Fiber Day

I will be at the Folk Art Center in Asheville for Fiber Day on the 10th. This is a great way to meet a lot of the fiber artists that you read about in magazines and you see their work in books.

Last year they had sheep and other critters to show the public how different fibers are collected to card and spin. This is a great activity for the kiddies too!!! (if you don't have any, borrow a one from a friend and you can use that as an excuse to come and spend money) :)

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Personal Symbols Mini Workshop-Haystack Craft School May 15th-18th

If North Carolina is too far to road trip and you live up North, I will be in Maine teaching a mini workshop. I am soooo excited about this!

This is my first time at Haystack and being asked to teach this workshop is  HUGE honor. To read more about the class I have included the Link Here!

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Online Classes at Creative Chick

If you refuse to drive or fly because of the high soaring gas prices, my online classes will be starting up at the end of May. Go to my website to sign up. You will find all the info on the classes and Paypal links for payment. (Also, this is a great way to spend that "stimulus" money we are getting from Uncle Sam) ;>

I will be teaching my Personal Symbols class this month for all of you that can't make my workshop at Haystack.

Personal Symbols/May 20-June 24th

Cost $60.00/6 weeks
 

Caroline C. Personal Symbol print

Fertile Earth/June 30th-August 4th

Cost $60.00/6 weeks

Una's Fungus-Fertile Earth

Monoprinting on Fabric/July 17th-August 21st

Cost $60.00/6 weeks

Diane Elaine Frottage Rubbing-Monoprinting

A great big thank you to all of my students that have sent me photos to include in my newsletters and websites. I know future students love seeing what is being produced in my classes and I love sharing what you guys have created!! To be included in future newsletters, please send me projects that you have created in my workshop to my email addy sorrell@creativechick.com. (And if I get your name wrong on an example, please send me an email...I try and keep everyone straight)

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Other Online Classes

I also teach online classes at www.Joggles.com and Helping Handmade , if you don't see one on my website that is being offered right now.

At Joggles this session I will be teaching Fear No Color (a short color study workshop), Creative Embroidery-Organic Designs (embroidery/mixed media) and Fiber Collage (intro to art quilting). My Joggles workshops start May 27th.

Helping Handmade is a new website and they don't only offer craft classes for the beginner, but give part of the class fee to help the environment! I am offering a class for anyone interested in learning beginning embroidery. The class is called Intro to Creative Embroidery and we will be working on a large embroidery piece with all of the basic stitches. I am basing the design on the artwork of Joan Miro! So, don't worry if you don't have a drawing background. ;) This workshop begins June 30th and it is a 4 lesson/4 week class.

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Classes at Little House Art Studios

Check out the class listings at Little House Art Studios.

I will be teaching a Funky Felt Pin Class June 14th from 1-4 and a Fiber Collage Class August 16 and 23 or 11 and 18. (these are 2 day classes/10-4)

You can sign up on the website!

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Creative Inspirations Tips Online

I have started a new sideline at www.tipzu.com. Creativity has always been a "hobby" for me. I love reading about the creative process of other artists, writers, dances and creators. I thought I would start this site to pass on creativity tips and articles from other creative beings.

If you would like to contribute to Creative Inspirations, please send me your article/tip with any visuals you have to sorrell@creativechick.com. You will be given full credit and remember to add any websites or blogs to your information, so I can post at the end of the article/tip.

Also, I will be putting together a Free E-book of all of the creative tips, so help me make the book a thick one.

http://creativeinspirations.tipzu.com/

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Remember to sign up the Creative Chick Yahoo group for