What an incredible time I had teaching at Asilomar last month! The students blew my socks off with what they accomplished in such a short time. Most of them have not done this time of improv work before, but they dove in and went for it.
Here is a sampling their work...
I ask that you PLEASE DO NOT PIN ANY OF THE CLASS WORK ON PINTEREST.
I have to say that Lynne impressed me so much. She's not piecer - she has always prefered to fuse in the past, but she took to it so naturally and is creating a very dynamic piece.
What I really enjoyed was seeing how different each person's work was. I loved what (the other) Sheila was creating.
Elaine and Judy took to this like fish to water...
Lydia dreamt about her piece and had a vision of the direction she wanted to go - that's a really good sign! :)
Heidi chose a palette that I would have never considered, and it's really lovely...
It's so wonderful to watch individual styles starting to take shape. Lynn and Tina have a very delicate feel to their work.
This was the very first exercise we did, using a limited palette with the focus on value. This is a very soothing piece by Jenny - the movement and the colors are lovely.
Diane blew me away with her sheer enthusiasm. (Which is pretty obvious in this photo) What's really cool is that she is not a quilter and had only sew "curtains" in the past. I can say there wasn't a quarter inch seem to be seen, but it didn't matter, she's on her way to making her first quilt top!
And wow, did I love the colors and the whole vibe of Cristin's piece. (She and Diane are friends, obviously)
When you are doing improv work, you can go simple or super complicated, and Shelley went the complicated route. That's why I love to piece - to create complex challenges that I have figure out somehow. This is a great piece.
Cinda was one of five friends that were the wild and crazy bunch in class. Each one of them had a little (what looked like Mr. Potatohead to me) face on their design wall! Cinda's work is intense and I could clearly see a point of view right away.
It was so exciting to walk around the room and see all the wonderful colors and patterns that were emerging.
Pam was creating some exciting work!
I managed to get to the beach at least one day. This is a truly amazing place to take a workshop.
I could go on and on showing the work, it was really wonderful to witness each student's point of view unfolding.
This was a really large class, 24 students, and I was told by a few ladies that is should be listed as a "Master Class" because it's super intense and challenging. The reason I disagree is that a person could have been a quilter for 30 years, but really struggle when it comes to letting go. My workshop is all about letting go, and that can be very uncomfortable for some.
As a teacher, you have do deal with many things, including expectations of what students think they "should" be able to do after taking your workshop. What I hope to do is lead students down a road, and they can decide if they want to continue the journey.