Category: color

April 5, 2022

Instructor Call for Entry

If you’re a fiber arts teacher of any kind, you’re in luck. In the Studio (Online) has just put out an Instructor Call for Entry for our next two online Workshop Weeks (WW). The dates are:

Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022

Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023

The original teachers of In the Studio (Online) include: Susan Feller, Karen Miller, Meryl Cook, Beth Miller, and myself. In order to keep our class offerings fresh, before WW2 we began looking for others to join us. We’ve had workshops in: rug hooking with alternative fibers; braiding; finishing your art; combining paints and hooking; design; felting wool sachets; weaving; Chakra color play; pet portraits; needle punch rug hooking; abstract work; landscapes; watercolors;and so on. We are NOT looking for all hooking classes; rather we’d like to see most any type of fiber art and creativity workshops (that work well online) in addition to subject matter and skills that can inform our hooking and other art practices.

While we began WW to fill a need during Covid lock-downs, we’ve found that they remain popular and that our students want us to continue. Workshops Weeks have allowed students to take classes without the expenses of travel. As well, students get the chance to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them. Workshop Week 4 happened in mid-winter. There were nine classes. Eighty students participated with many taking more than one workshop.

(If you search using the words “Workshop Week” here on site, you can see what classes we’ve provided in the past.)

Advertising photo for Workshop Week — Our first In the Studio Workshop Week poster.

If you think you might be interested in joining our group of teachers for WW 5 and/or 6, we invite you to submit a proposal. If you have any questions about the coming or past events, please email me at Laura@highonhooking.com. We’ll be accepting proposals until May 15. You can find the prospectus below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Laura, Susan, Karen, Meryl, and Beth

Click to see In the Studio’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

INSTRUCTOR CALL FOR ENTRY

Teacher Proposals for In the Studio
Workshop Weeks 5 and 6

Deadline: May 15, 2022

In the Studio (Online) announces that its next two workshop weeks will be held:

Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022
Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023

As the last two years have shown, affordable, online instruction is here to stay. In the Studio’s online Workshop Weeks (WWs) have allowed students the chance to take classes without the expense of travel. The students are also able to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them.

Starting with 2021’s WW2, we began to bring in additional instructors who could offer something – not necessarily rug hooking or even a textile art – beyond the expertise of the original In the Studio artists. We look for complimentary/ancillary/supporting arts and skills.

We are now planning WW5 and 6 and again looking to diversify our workshop offerings. We are specifically looking for teachers who conform to our overarching tenet:

Art by artists responding to contemporary events in the world. We invite you to reflect on these responses and consider creating your own art that reacts to our current times.

FYI
WW1 attracted 36 students in five classes. Eighty participated in WW4’s nine workshops. Many took advantage of our non-overlapping schedule to take multiple classes. They “come from” the US, Canada, and even Europe.

PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING

Workshop sessions typically last 2-4 hours but are set by individual instructors.
Workshops are standardized to begin at 1:00 PM or 6:00 PM Eastern.
Fees for all classes are: $50 US for one-session classes and $75 US for two-session classes. Teachers may set additional costs for kits, other materials, etc.
Teachers are responsible for collecting payment from their students and keeping in contact with them regarding classes and other WW information.
Teachers are required to submit their class lists to the WW administrator.
All teachers are required to promote all WW classes in their social media, newsletters, etc. Promotion by every teacher is what makes the week successful. Each teacher will also be required to take over In the Studio’s Instagram account for a day in the weeks leading up to WW5 and/or 6.
There are two additional bonus events (a social gathering midweek evening and a panel discussion) that teachers are expected to attend (dates to be determined).
Teachers must have their own Zoom account to use to hold their class.
New for WW5 and 6! An administrative fee of $50 US will be collected once a teacher agrees to teach with In the Studio (Online). We’ve realized that there’s a need for one person to coordinate social media announcements and calendars, send out group emails, maintain the mailing list, etc.
Participation in one WW does not guarantee that one will teach in subsequent WWs.

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE

The benefit of promotion amongst a collection of well-known teachers. Instructors will receive a “brochure” detailing the WW and all classes that should be shared to their networks.
Support from the other teachers in how to run an online class particularly if this is your first time.
The Workshop Week administrator will send out links to all students for bonus events.

TO APPLY

Applicants should indicate if they prefer to teach during WW5 or WW6. If you don’t, we will assume that you are available for either. (We will plan classes for each WW depending on both subject matter and teacher availability.) Because we schedule WW classes so that they don’t overlap, also indicate if you are unavailable on certain days of the week or dates. Let us know too if you have a preference regarding a 1:00 or 6:00 start time. We strive to schedule everyone to their liking.
Provide a detailed class description of the online class you propose to teach. Please include the following: title; length of class; minimum and maximum numbers of students; materials that students will need (will they have to purchase from you?); what will be covered in the class, experience level of students required; and anything else pertinent to the class. Will it require more than one session?
Include a short bio that includes your experience teaching (if any) and any references.
Please send the above information to Laura@highonhooking.com by May 15, 2022.

PLEASE NOTE

If selected, you will be expected to attend at least one online meeting of all teachers (date to be determined).

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Salamy at Laura@highonhooking.com.

March 31, 2022

Beyond Van Gogh – Albuquerque

The first display of Beyond Van Gogh — What you see as you enter the Beyond Van Gogh show.

After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime (thank you for that, Covid), Tom and I managed to attend the Beyond Van Gogh “experience” yesterday here in Albuquerque. Actually, we tried to go last week but found the building shut down due to some kind of permitting problem. Interesting, as it opened on March 2, weeks earlier. Given that the general manager told us we could come back any time once they reopened, it was no biggie – to us. For those folks who’d come down from Santa Fe or, worse, out of town or even out of state, it was a pisser since they weren’t issuing ticket refunds. I hope it worked out for them all. The tickets weren’t cheap at $40 per person.

I was a tad skeptical given that one friend had gone a few weeks ago and pronounced it MEH. Worse, Tuesday I read a review on some New Mexican art blog. The guy wasn’t particularly impressed, though he mentioned that when the show hit, it hit. I thought it wise not to mention any of this to Tom before we went in. We’d already spent the money. In the end that was a good strategy, because the start of the whole “experience” lacks. But at least I was prepped for that and could then assuage the husband.

Text from initial display of Beyond Van Gogh — Reading in the conga line…

You walk into the darkened building. They check your ticket, and you get into a conga line that snakes its way through backlit panels covered with lots of writing. Well, it looks like lots of writing, but since it’s in both English and Spanish, it’s less than you think at first glance. BTW, New Mexico has two official languages, so I’m not sure if this is the case in all places.

So, you’re walking very s-l-o-w-l-y while people read all these things about Van Gogh and bits and pieces of his correspondence with his brother Theo. (You’re also very aware that you forgot your mask in the car, hence you’re not getting too close to those in front of or behind you. And you wonder why they don’t mention Theo’s widow Jo who is very much responsible for making Vincent as known as he is today.)

Tom and I in Amsterdam at the Van Gogh Museum — Proof that Tom and I were in Amsterdam back in 2019. The Van Gogh Museum entrance is right behind us.

Tom’s getting a little agitated by the slow walkers and readers, AND you can see that there are at least four or five rows of reading material. Will the whole freaking show be like this? I eventually come clean that I read that review and tell him that it’s supposed to get better. (Please, God, let it be so.)

At this point, I have to say that Tom and I were lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam back in 2019. So, we’re reading about only a few of the things we learned during that visit…where we also saw the actual paintings that Van Gogh did. If you don’t know much about Van Gogh before you go to Beyond VG, you aren’t going to come away a VG scholar. At all.

Van Gogh's sketches slowly being filled in with color. — Van Gogh’s sketches slowly being filled in with color and music.

Finally, we make it to the…”experience.” It’s a really BIG room. Music is playing: soft jazz, a little French something or other, and a couple versions of Don McLean’s Vincent, all stuff I like. Now and again someone speaks in French, but it’s a little garbled given the sound system. Still – it’s French, and I have a French degree, so it’s all GOOD. Then you start taking in the changing walls. There must be dozens of projectors in the ceiling aimed at the walls and the floor. First there are artist sketches, Vincent’s; moments later color starts to fill them in. For about a half-hour we watch his paintings and color wash over us on the floor and the walls to music that I would listen to at home. No, it’s not like the thrill of seeing his actual work in Amsterdam, but it’s entrancing nonetheless. It’s an…”experience.”

View of Beyond Van Gogh There seems to be a crescendo of art, music, and quotes on the walls. Is it over? After Vincent’s self portraits surround us, the sketching we entered to starts again. Clearly, it’s a loop that will play over and over throughout the day. Tom’s ready to leave, and I suppose I am too. The novelty had captivated me, but it wouldn’t for too long especially since I’m not yet comfortable around many people who aren’t masked. (NM’s numbers are quite low right now, thank goodness.)

View of Beyond Van Gogh

Scenes from Beyond Van Gogh

Scene from Beyond Van Gogh

Scenes from Beyond Van Gogh

The exit dumps you into the “shop.” We are NOT impressed. Many of the goods available are of rather shoddy quality and are far more expensive than the things we saw and bought in Amsterdam! I don’t need a t-shirt for $36 or socks for $19. Really. That left a bad taste in our mouths.

Chatting on the way home, I said that, while the conga line might have dimmed our expectations for Beyond Van Gogh, I enjoyed the actual show. Tom admitted that he would spend the $40 over again. Drop me over with a feather! This is not a man who opens his wallet for too many art events. If you’re considering going, I’d say that you should. Don’t expect that you’ll learn too much about Van Gogh, but you will appreciate the show and him a lot more if you do a little research before you get there. Then just…revel in the music and the experience.

Self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh at Beyond Vincent — The artist himself. My favorite portrait of him.

If you’ve attended Beyond Van Gogh or any of the similar shows they’ve created, what were your impressions?

February 24, 2022

IN THE STUDIO – Carmen Bohn on March 23

Join Canadian textile artist Carmen Bohn as she shares how her fibre journey opened her eyes and heart to “doing it scared.”

Poster for talk by Carmen Bohn

Be there Wednesday, March 23, as Carmen Bohn talks about how curiosity and courage helped her finally log out of a corporate inbox and leap into the creative unknown of running her own business. She will share how her fibre journey opened her eyes and heart to “doing it scared” and why the story of so much of her fibre art is truly the story of unfinished things. By the end of this talk, she hopes you’ll feel inspired enough to get off your computer and to go make something! Find tickets for this online talk HERE.

Carmen is a fibre artist and creative entrepreneur who lives, works, and plays in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her fibre art focuses on creating colourful and textural art yarns out of reclaimed textiles and household waste on one of her many spinning wheels. She then uses those yarns to make free-form knit and crochet objects as well as woven tapestries. She prefers to make use of items that otherwise would have gone to a landfill. She weaves (literally) the story of these things into her pieces, drawing attention to the issue of consumption and waste.

Carmen officially launched her own creative arts studio called Ply Studio in January of 2021. There and online she offers a range of creative arts workshops (sometimes in collaboration with other makers and artists) with the mission of helping people to feel happy by teaching them to make stuff by hand.

Ply Studio offers both in-person and virtual creative arts workshops. Our workshops will help you slow down, connect with others and create something beautiful. The very act of making stuff by hand is good for us. Go on – give yourself permission to learn new skills or expand on ones you already have. Ply Studio is a place where “no/I can’t/not today” is replaced by “why not?”. Oh, and we also have some well-curated supplies to fuel your next creative obsession.

Come make stuff with us.
-from Carmen’s website

When she isn’t in her studio, Carmen spends her time with her inspired husband, Chris, and her giggling girls, Everleigh and Maeven. Usually you’ll find them on a ski hill in the winter or near a body of water in the summer.

You can learn more about Carmen Bohn and see her work, or sign up for a workshop with her at www.plystudio613.com, or find her on Instagram @plystudio613 and @carmenbohn_art. She is also on Facebook @plystudio613.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:

The Zoom link for this presentation will be emailed to you the day before the talk (or after you purchase your ticket, if you purchase on the day of the event). If you don’t receive it, you can contact the organizer at info@karendmillerstudio.com.

Tickets will be on sale until 10 am the day of the event. After that time you will no longer be able to purchase tickets.

Please note that the time of the talk is 1:00 pm EASTERN.

FAQ’s

* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?

Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.

* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?

It is very advisable to LOG INTO THE EVENT A FEW MINUTES EARLY to be sure that you have no trouble with the link, and if you are having trouble the organizer can help you out. You can email or message the event organizer up until one hour before the talk on the day of the talk for help. ONCE THE EVENT STARTS, however, messages and emails are not able to be monitored.

* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?

During the event the organizer will put the screen setting on “spotlight view” so that the presenter is the focus on your screen. Depending on your device, you may still see audience members on your screen and changing your setting from “gallery view” to “speaker view” should help with that.

* What Time Zone is the time of the talk in?

The time indicated on all ‘In the Studio’ talks is the EASTERN (EST) time zone. If you live in a different time zone, be sure to check what time you should tune in to ensure you don’t miss the talk.

*I can no longer make it to the talk. Or, I missed the talk. Can I get a refund?

Unfortunately no- the price of the ticket is so low that it is not cost-effective to refund those amounts. If you are unable to make it to the talk and you already have a ticket, or you forget to attend, please do contact me at info@karendmillerstudio.com. I always offer a ticket to the next talk to make up for it. All of the artist speakers receive a portion of the ticket proceeds so we very much appreciate your contribution to supporting artists!

February 8, 2022

Need a Boucherouite fix?

We’re offering a second session of Build a Baby Boucherouite in March.

Boucherouite inspired hooked art — The current Boucherouite I’m working on is all hooked and steamed. Just some hemming to do on it now.

In the Studio’s Workshop Week 4 is in the books now as is my Build a Baby Boucherouite class. We had an excellent turnout too, about 80 students, the most we’ve ever fielded. They came from all over: the US, Canada, and even Ireland! As usual, many took more than just one class, thereby ensuring they have a pile of UFOs sitting in their project baskets to last them the rest of winter. Besides teaching, at least three of us from In the Studio joined the watercolor workshop taught by Jane M. Mason. Now, besides my unfinished fiber (crocheting and hooking) objects, I’m looking at the the kick-ass paints I bought for the class. Must make time, must make time…

The Boucherouite workshop went well. In fact, you can track student Jean Ottosen of Jean Ottosen Studios on her blog as she finishes the piece she created. And it’s not a baby Boucherouite either. Jean went full table runner size. Woohoo, Jean!

There were 15 of us in that class, but others have expressed an interest in another session. Yay! That will take place at 1:00 pm Eastern, Saturday, March 12. Also on Zoom. If you’re interested, please contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com. The workshop typically lasts between two and three hours, but if you need to duck out after two, no problem. Any issues, I’m just an email or phone call away. More info below.

BUILD A BABY BOUCHEROUITE
With Laura Salamy

Saturday, March 12 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Boucherouite inspired hooked rug — Your Boucherouite can be small just to try it out or as large as you’d like.

Course description
Boucherouites are having their day! They’re so trendy that you can’t look at a Better Home and Gardens magazine or watch an HGTV show without seeing them.

The Berber tribe of Morocco have been creating Boucherouites, one-of-a-kind, hand-knotted rugs since the mid-20th century. Traditionally, they’re made using old clothes and other textile scraps. They’re a pretty freestyle form of expression often looking as if the weaver started with one color scheme and pattern, got bored, and moved onto something else. They’re fun in a colorful, spontaneous way and are easily adaptable to rug hooking.

In this workshop you’ll design your own hooked “Baby Boucherouite” rug and start to hook it with textile scraps you have on hand be they cotton clothing, old bed-sheets, and/or leftover wool noodles. The sky’s the limit! We’ll also discuss how to prepare, cut, and hook with non-wool materials.

Length of class: 2-3 hours

Who should take this course
This class is designed for a student proficient at rug hooking basics, particularly the mechanics of pulling loops through a backing.

Materials needed
Because this is an online workshop, students will supply their own materials. Materials will include those one usually uses to hook a rug as well as a few others. More information will be provided to students upon registration.

Class fee: $45 US
For more information or to register, please contact Laura at Laura@highonhooking.com.

May 11, 2021

On to Ghost Ranch!

Meet up at Ghost Ranch in June!

You know that old saying “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away”? Well, indeed He does. Just ten or so days ago, I wrote about how excited I was to be finally attending an in-person fiber festival up at El Rancho de las Golondrinas near Santa Fe. Then, last week, Cathy and I got word that, due to state or county Covid guidelines, they had to cancel it. Not sure why, as that county is opened as much as anything can be here in NM. And I’d gone to a couple of farmers’ markets that were pretty crowded down here in Albuquerque where we aren’t quite as open. I was so anticipating the festival and chatting folks up about hooking and all things fiber…

But there is some good news. Because, I’m fully vaccinated, I taught a lovely 80-year old to punch last Friday. In person! She’s quite the pistol too. I hope to have pics when the yarn I ordered for her comes in, and I can get over to her house again. And I have a student coming this Friday as well! I’m looking forward to spreading the fiber gospel some more. In person! Thank goodness for the vaccines!

Then there’s even better news. I’d alluded earlier to the fact that I was planning to teach at a “special” venue. It’s finally up online so I can spill it. June 27 – July 2, I’ll be teaching at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiú north of here in New Mexico. Having only driven by and never stopped, I can’t wait to spend the better part of a week there. We’ll be working on both hooking and punching, stressing all the while the use of recycled and reclaimed materials in our work. Think old t-shirts, bed sheets, plastic bags, and so on. The workshop is titled HOOK A RUG SAVE THE PLANET! (Click on the link for more info.) There will be plenty of downtime to hike and explore the Ranch and surrounding area.

For those not familiar with Ghost Ranch,

The landscape of Ghost Ranch—made famous by painter Georgia O’Keeffe and the incomparable hospitality of first director, Jim Hall—encompasses 21,000 acres of towering rock walls, vivid colors and vast skies. People from all over the world come to work together in creation care, to paint, write poetry, to hike, ride horseback, to research globally renowned archaeological and fossil quarries or simply to rest and renew their spirits.
-Ghost Ranch website

Photograph by ghostranch.org.

Georgia O’Keeffe is indelibly and colorfully linked to the Ranch though she only owned seven acres of it. More info on that HERE. The actual owners gifted it to the Presbyterian Church who created the Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center. The Center “fosters well-being and spiritual health through this historic, inspiring southwest landscape.” They do that by offering various activities on the land like hiking, camping, and horseback riding as well retreats and workshops. And that, my friends, is where my class comes in. The Ranch values good stewardship of the earth. An art workshop stressing re-use of materials to make something beautiful and maybe even useful falls right in their wheelhouse. And I couldn’t be any happier. I’m thinking of what it can mean for my own art and then just to have that time away from “home” stuff. Time to talk fiber, time to hike and sketch.

Chile pepper hooked rug — “The Ripening” is all New Mexico. (Old t-shirts; 9.5″x9.5″)

If you’re thinking about traveling this summer, maybe a peaceful, fiber retreat in northern New Mexico, a place filled with our special light and color, is the place for you. Chile peppers always available!