My daughter and I traveled to Blowing Rock, NC last week to attend the three-day “Once in a Blue Moon Fiber Art Retreat” led by Susan Brubaker Knapp and Lyric Kinard. Whole cloth painting, beading, seed embroidery, thread sketching – the two of us did it all, learned so much, created while letting the apprehensions fly away, and met new “fabulously friendly” people from NC, TN, VA, FL and even Phoenix, Arizona. If you scroll down on the link above, you will find my daughter and myself working away at our thread sketching project. She was just learning to operate the sewing machine’s many features and succeeded with excellent results and praise from all. The best day for me was the whole cloth painting lesson. It took me all day, with a bit of time after dinner in the evening, to complete the two leaves, using one of Susan’s photographs as a model.
Profab paints on fabric on left Photograph by Susan Brubaker Knapp on right
Blending of the paints to achieve the colors was the most challenging, but now I have the confidence to give it another try…. perhaps with a poinsettia, given the season that is approaching. We were not required to match the photograph’s colors and could focus on the color values in any hue , but I chose to duplicate the colors.
Speaking of colors and paints, the bi-weekly email letter from Robert Genn arrived in my Inbox this morning. I added a widget on the right side of this blog to quickly link out to his musings and those of his daughter. I am a subscriber to his blog, on the recommendation of a friend, and I gain so much from reading it. He gave some insightful comments about “colour” in his blog from December 1, 2006, which is referenced in today’s blog by his daughter.
Prior to attending the retreat, I was busy with home deco and boutique projects. I completed a bed size throw for my son which is of a modern quality with masculine colors. Our local community held a boutique, so I put together a dozen purses, sold some of them and sent the rest as gifts to friends who have hosted or entertained us on our travels. Never a dull moment! I’m excited about new projects that lie ahead so I can exercise the newly learned skills and will show some of them more regularly in the days ahead.
Totes/Messenger Bags sold at BH Boutique Totes sent to friends as gifts ~ Enjoy!
Narrative Textile Illustrations 
When I saw your post on the SAQA YahooGroup, I knew it was my kindred spirit martini friend from Once in a Blue Moon! 🙂 Hope you and had a fabulous holiday!
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So good to hear from you, Fran. I hope the new year brings you many blessings and that our paths cross again soon.
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Love your cloth painting and the quilt that you made for Eric’s bed.
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So glad to hear from you! I hope that your area of Texas is holding in there through these storms. So far, just cold rain here.
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It wasn’t until closely examining your pictures of the leaves and then reading the caption that I realized they were actually different; one painted and one a photograph. You did a beautiful job on blending the colors. How great that Andrea was able to go along with you. It sounded like an absolute wonderful time! You have many gifts!
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Yep. We take a 3 – 4 day trip every fall. This year it was to Blowing Rock. Next year, who knows? Whatever comes up that looks interesting. I’m loving learning to paint on fabric. I think I will try to make some poinsettias on fabric once the lefse is made tomorrow. Andrea is coming by to help with that. Thanks for the comment.
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I was the one in Chicago. I also think your leaf drawing is amazing. Is that on cloth. The whole weekend must have been amazing!
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We had a great time! Blowing Rock has great little artisan shops and wonderful restaurants. I highly recommend it if you travel though NC. There are also some history spots…. Blue Ridge Parkway, Moses Cone Flat Top Manor to tour, and some sites commemorating the Civil War, which I haven’t visited yet.
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I LOVE my tote! I was checking into a hotel in Chicago last weekend. My IPad was in my tote. The receptionist noticed the tote right away and commented. She loved it. Her daughter is an artist. We got your blog site from the info inside the tote. She was looking forward to checking it out!
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You have a “Citrus” tote which is certainly noticeable! Glad you like it. It’s meant to bring you joy!
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