Alegre in Spanish means cheerful. And I’ve to say {that a} week on the Alegre Quilt Retreat in Gateway Canyons, Colorado would make nearly anybody cheerful with its beautiful landscapes and vivid, desert sunshine.
Final week’s Half 1—”Eclipse” submit from the Alegre Quilt Retreat launched you to the situation and my first batch of scholars. Half 2 right now wraps up the week with the opposite half of my college students and their collage works, plus closing actions and banquet.
Alegre is a retreat that Katie Pasquini Masopust, a.okay.a. Katie PM ;-), started 30 years in the past in Santa Fe, NM—this 12 months was the fifteenth Anniversary at Gateway Canyons, CO. Katie is certainly one of my artwork and educating buddies I’ve met through the years—that’s her between one other colleague Sue Benner and I in picture above. Yearly, Katie arranges a special group of instructors to affix her in educating at Alegre. This 12 months it was Katie, Sue and I, together with Cat Larrea. Simply that mixture of associates made for an exquisite week, to not point out college students which have additionally change into associates and the majestic surroundings that surrounded and impressed us all.
Making time for morning walks are a given whenever you’re in locations resembling this. The morning that Katie, Sue and I received out collectively, the rising solar caught the towering Palisades at simply the precise angle (beneath) to solid its shadow on a neighboring butte (above).
Mountaineering trails take you to hanging panoramic vistas, however simply strolling alongside the sidewalks from one constructing to the subsequent highlights particulars of the desert panorama, beneath. They could look fluffy however don’t contact the cacti! Extra outside scenic photographs may be seen in final week’s Half 1 submit.
Now I’d wish to introduce you (drumroll please) to the second half of my great class—choosing up the place we left off on our clockwise tour of my classroom, begun in Half 1.
Mary McKay
Mary McKay has been a pupil of mine for over 5 years now, and her expertise construct with every of her many collages. To the left of her show above, is among the completed portrait quilts of her grandson, this one with the brand new household pet, Strider. The collage to the far proper, features a younger grownup Strider, with Mary’s daughter, Murphy.
One objective of Mary’s week at Alegre was to determine the background behind Murphy. Greens look nice, however since “extra is healthier” (my mantra), she added extra greens and extra shade and now Murphy and Strider are in a lush backyard.
Mary’s second objective was to get began on one other household portrait, her son-in-law, Steve. Within the images above, you may see her progress going from “messy scary” (a stage all collages will undergo) to “wow, that is wanting good!”
Linn Jencopale
It’s commonplace for somebody to decide on a pet as their topic, nonetheless the colourful feline you see right here just isn’t Linn Jencopale’s cat, nor any cat she has ever seen. This cat simply caught Linn’s eye on a copyright-free picture web site—Linn wished to study the collage method and she or he likes cats. Sensible. Her cat may now evolve in any manner Linn, and her material colours and patterns, wished to take it.
With an something goes perspective, Linn let her material “converse” to her, and a fantastically patterned and colourful kitty got here to life. Within the course of, Linn had playtime along with her materials and discovered lots concerning the collage course of. That’s the best way to spend every week at a retreat.
Maureen Hendricks
Maureen Hendricks is the one who had the imaginative and prescient to deliver Katie PM’s Alegre Retreat to Gateway Canyons—an ideal match that has promoted a relaxed and creativity supported environment—and retains folks returning to this occasion 12 months after 12 months. And now I’ve the pleasure to incorporate Maureen as certainly one of my college students.
I cherished how Maureen’s thought of a bit reef fish actually grew into an enormous man with a definite persona. I speak lots at school about working in “drafts”—getting one layer down onto the muse material, then including extra curiosity with particulars on high. Within the picture above, Maureen is already letting go of what the fish is “presupposed to be” and going with the colours, values, and patterns present in her materials for the primary draft.
Within the picture above, you may see how Maureen’s second draft particulars—on high of the variation of the underlying layer—have created a fish with contours and depth. I significantly just like the facet fin—created with layers of semi-translucent sheers.
Mac Barnes
To say the least, Mac Barnes just isn’t the same old demographic of people that take my lessons. He’s nonetheless in faculty, majoring in Pc Science and Fiber Arts—already successful awards with his work in material portraiture. He started his fiber life at age 5 crocheting along with his grandmother, and it was his grandmother’s home that he selected as his topic for this class.
Mac actually wished to know this material collage manner of creating artwork, and actually scoured my mind with questions on worth, perspective, and shade. This panel is however 1/4 of the dimensions the completed collage might be, however it’s on his manner and can little question be accomplished sooner relatively than later (there’s already an area created for it over the hearth at his father or mother’s home!). Mac has nice expertise and power and I very a lot sit up for seeing the place he takes his work sooner or later.
Catherine Stone
It’s no surprise that Catherine Stone was impressed to create a portrait of her grandson holding a coronary heart he had created for her—what a cutie. From the very starting, Catherine had the Muse along with her and moved proper together with what I take into account probably the most tough topics—youngsters—they’re such excellent little beings to be re-interpreting in material.
Catherine did a beautiful job bringing out the sun-drenched qualities of the {photograph}, and mixing these materials and values round to the shadowed facet of his face. And he or she nailed his imp-ish expression.
Heidi Heuerman Smith
This little chook that Heidi Heuerman Smith discovered on an internet copyright-free web site, definitely wants no shade changes—it’s already a hard-to-believe mixture of colours. Kinda underlines the truth that this world comprises an incredible assortment of life.
As an alternative of feather-by-feather, Heidi discovered patterns in her materials that she may minimize out as small “clumps” of feathers. Some present the variation of material patterns extra distinctly than others, however that may result in a extra lifelike wanting therapy, since we don’t see all of the chook feathers in the identical quantity of element both.
Brooke Lengthy
Brooke Lengthy arrived with a pair massive suitcases full of lovely hand-dyed silk yardage. Beautiful material, however not properly suited to the material collage method I educate. Fortunately, there was an onsite pop-up quilt store {that a} good collection of printed batiks that lend themselves properly to collage.
She might not have gotten very far within the course of, however each time I checked, Brooke mentioned she was studying and having fun with herself. She’s one of many Alegre attendees that may chalk up all 15 years on the Gateway Canyons location—she was joyful to be again with associates.
All Good Issues Should Come to an Finish
There have been fairly a number of husbands that accompanied the Girls of Alegre. Frank Sterrett, Mary McKay’s associate (above), was there for the birding specifically. I had met Frank on the top quality Mary took from me, however this time I loved the possibility to hold round him at meals and such. He’s a fairly good man.
An end-of-the-week deal with are the classroom walk-throughs. The images above and beneath are panoramas of my classroom. All attendees, husbands, and instructors tour one classroom after one other, collectively. It’s just like the opening of an artwork present—instances 4. This manner, each pupil on the retreat can shine as they stand subsequent to their work in flip.
At each class I educate I’m certain to get a category picture—apart from this class (and the one I taught final week in MN as properly!)—the top sneaks up so shortly. I did nonetheless, get a photograph of my two class tables on the Friday night banquet, so I’ll simply should make do with the next two images to have a good time my Women of Alegre, together with a number of of their good males.
My Alegre 2024 Class: picture above—clockwise from decrease left—Lisa Charles and Bob, Brooke Lengthy, Mia Glick and husband, Jan Lipsky and husband, Heidi Heuerman Smith, Joe Clark and Nancy Blake.
(A notice to my college students—I added important others’ names if my reminiscence served me properly, if you need me so as to add names the place my reminiscence failed me, simply let me know in feedback part of submit!)
Picture beneath—clockwise from decrease left—Catherine Stone, Mac Barnes, John and Maureen Hendricks, Linn Jencopale and husband, Cynthia Figueroa-McInteer, Frank Sterrett and Mary McKay.
A spotlight of the banquet is the “Auctioning of the Luggage.” Every teacher introduced a bag that that they had a hand in creating, however the classroom baggage have been saved for final. That’s Mac above, modeling the tote (back and front) collaged by my college students. He did a commendable and really entertaining job strolling and speaking our tote on the public sale itself—which was becoming since he performed an enormous half in finishing it—free-motion quilting like loopy—in time. The proceeds of the public sale go to sponsor a younger quilter to attend the subsequent 12 months’s Alegre Retreat. Mac was the recipient of final 12 months’s scholarship, he returned this 12 months on his personal.
Katie, our fearless chief and MC at each Alegre occasion, tried very exhausting to outbid others for the Quilter’s Household Tree altered tote above, created by the Impartial Examine class. Her disappointment was short-lived nonetheless, when the profitable bidder, her buddy Maureen, instantly offered the murals to Katie as a type of royal adornment. All of us love our Queen Katie.
And at last, an enormous thanks to the hosts of this convention (images above): Katie Pasquini Masopust, who started and runs the superb Alegre Retreat; Maureen Hendricks, a supporter of material arts and attendee of Alegre for the reason that starting in Santa Fe, who labored towards the new dwelling for Alegre at her household’s Gateway Canyons Resort in Colorado; and to John Hendricks, former Discovery Channel founder/CEO, who had the imaginative and prescient for and constructed the resort that has (amongst different issues) change into a dream vacation spot for these of us within the Quilting World.
Beneath… a parting selfie, like a submit credit score scene on the finish of a film… Mac, Sue, and myself—prepared to go off on our subsequent mode of transportation dwelling, after catching the identical flight from Colorado to Texas—”cheerful” from a profitable week of creativity, and to have made and renewed friendships, at Alegre.
