March 18, 2010

Susan Shie, Professional Quilter Magazine’s Teacher of the Year in 2008, will be arriving this Sunday to begin a 5-day workshop. She’ll teaching her “Diary Paintings for Art Quilts” class.

Diary Paintings for Art quilts

March 21 – 27, 2010

All Levels

In this five day class, you’ll explore hand brush painting and line drawing with markers and airpen (optional) on white cotton fabric, to create diary paintings for quilting. Figure one finished painting per class day, and you’ll get some of them “crazy grid” quilted during class. Your paintings will be about the size of a fat quarter, 18 x 22”, give or take a little.

You’ll draw freehand on Kona cotton with black permanent fine tip markers, then brush paint in the colors, and finally use the markers again, as well as airpen (if you want to use it) to write freehand on the surface, creating a verbal texture over the images in the story. You’ll be drawing like you did as a child, in relaxed wonder over your abilities, and writing off the top of your head, just like when you write a letter. No planning ahead. This spontaneity is what makes naïve art and children’s art so appealing to the viewer and so happiness-making for the artist.

The real purpose of Susan’s classes is to bring out your freer inner self, and to get your creativity really flowing out again. She will try her best to get you to ignore rules and just let the ideas come out in a smooth stream of consciousness.

There is still room in this wonderful workshop, so don’t delay!

As a special bonus, Susan is doing astrological charts for everyone in the class.