The Alegre Quilt Retreat in Gateway Canyons, Colorado was solely adjoining to the trail of the full eclipse on April 8 (the primary day of courses), however attendees bought into the spirit anyway, taking time from the top of lunch break to don protecting glasses and revel within the astronomical occasion. And like watching daytime fireworks, we ooohed and aaahed.
The ol’ colander trick. Something that permits the sunshine to cross by way of a small opening could create this similar impact. Means that you can see the eclipse because it occurs by trying down on the crescent shadows it tasks—as an alternative of up—no particular glasses required.
The defining landmark of Gateway Canyons is named the Palisades and is seen from nearly in every single place on the retreat grounds.
As the sunshine adjustments so does the Palisades, making it an irresistible topic to {photograph}—whether or not strolling to class, or on the paths, or as an awesome backdrop for selfies.
The morning of Day One—the lull earlier than the storm of creativity to come back. The Alegre Quilt Retreat is an annual occasion that brings collectively devoted attendees for not solely quite a lot of courses, however for friendships and camaraderie that many share 12 months after 12 months. There’s a type of infectious homecoming environment that’s shared by the “veterans” and “newbies” alike.
Scholar Work
There have been fairly just a few acquainted faces within the total meeting of retreat attendees—some from my Could 2018 Alegre class, others from completely different travels, even from a previous Maine retreat. My class this time round consisted of twelve college students. We met by way of Zoom forward of time for just a little on-line pre-class teaching which supplies me an opportunity to not solely examine their photographs and designs to work with, however to speak about material choice and preparation. Positively helps to get began with some good and assured vitality.
This week I’ll start a tour of all of the whimsical and jaw-dropping work that my wonderful college students created. We’ll begin alongside the left wall as we enter the door, and I’ll introduce you to the primary 5 girls within the first half of the classroom. In subsequent week’s publish, I’ll end up with the opposite seven college students and their work as our tour wraps across the room.
Lisa Charles
Lisa Charles could have been in my class to study “portray” with material, however I used to be launched to her artistry of portray with thread. To see and perceive her completely gob-smacking artistic endeavors, make sure to peruse her web site!
Lisa’s work in thread has a number of colour and whimsy—my job this week was to maintain Lisa reined in to utilizing solely the colour and sample of her materials to inform the story of her child giraffe.
By seeing and slicing alongside the curves of her materials, Lisa might create the full-mouth bulge of this little man’s cheeks and the boney swoop of his brows and brow. I hope to see Lisa’s threadwork added to the material base she’s collaging—I’m positive it is going to be a complementary mixture of strategies.
Cynthia Figueroa-McInteer
Oh so JoJo! Cynthia Figueroa-McInteer’s little corgi acquired the royal material collage remedy. This pup-portrait is already shaping right into a sunny and joyful reminiscence quilt.
Pre-class workout routines gave Cynthia a head-start within the concept of easy methods to mix materials in material collage.
An incredible use of the patterns in Cynthia’s materials so as to add contour and definition to the number of JoJo’s fur—particularly exhibiting off JoJo’s large fluffy ears.
To extra simply get wonderful element into JoJo’s eyes, nostril, and mouth (simply take a look at these little doggy tooth!), Cynthia re-traced these options onto a smaller piece of muslin and created every characteristic as a separate unit that she might then place on the portrait as a complete.
In the event you look carefully at Cynthia’s properly tussled workspace under, you’ll be able to see the mini pinning board for facial options immediately in entrance of the place she was sitting.
Mia Glick
Lucy canine could have been an occasional customer to the classroom however she was full time muse for her particular person, Mia Glick. Mia approached Lucy’s portrait with dabs of cloth and lace as an Impressionistic painter would possibly.
I inform college students actually “look” at their materials to see what they need to say—to let the materials do a few of the give you the results you want. Mia noticed the leafy curves of two completely different materials for the sunshine and darkish values of Lucy’s ear.
Lacy bits are creating the mirrored sunshine on Lucy’s shiny black coat—nevertheless it’s that large ol’ pink tongue that makes you smile.
Jan Lipsky
I simply love the selfie that Jan Lipsky took along with her owl—she appears so comfortable and he appears so good-looking—what extra might a instructor ask for on the finish of per week’s class?
Jan had simply the appropriate mixture of prints with sample and worth -—each mild and darkish—to reinterpret this owl’s fluffy feathers into a material portrait.
There’s a number of black within the beak and mouth of this fellow and sorting it out into quite a lot of darkish materials was the large job of the week. However Jan and her good friend got here by way of with flying colours. 😉
I completely love Jan’s addition of mossy greens for the heat of his sun-dappled chest feathers—an ideal push of colour, together with yellows and oranges, for a realistic-with-a-twist portrait. Word his bits of sparkle on brow, ears, and beak.
Nancy Blake
Nancy Blake started this portrait of her daughter, Chenoa, in 2018 at Woodland Ridge Retreat. The time had come to transcend her face and neck.
Chenoa’s exuberance comes by way of within the unique photograph, and after years of concepts percolating in Nancy’s head all of it got here collectively in a beautiful portrait of magical realism.
Nancy started the week by taking a deep breath and slicing into the unique chiffon-like shirt that Chenoa was sporting within the photograph. The rearranged batik patterns created a base for including and tucking plenty of feathers and petals, and arms, to recreate that burst of exuberance.
Nancy’s husband and partner-in-art, Joe Clark, spent his days at Alegre wandering trails and discovering topics to color in watercolor. Towards the top of every workday, he’d examine in with Nancy. Earlier than lengthy he was serving to out, slicing extra feathers and petals for Nancy to drag from so as to add to Chenoa’s wings.
Joe is (professionally) a raku artist, however has been impressed by Nancy to turn into a material artist as properly. Joe introduced alongside his completed crow collage quilt for show-and-share, “Homicide on the Seventh Inexperienced,” begun in a 2021 class at Woodland Ridge Retreat.
