On the Road: Fabric Collage in Bar Harbor, Maine, September 2024—Part 2—Getting Messy and Scary
October 12, 2024
On the Road: Fabric Collage in Bar Harbor, Maine, September 2024—Part 2—Getting Messy and ScarySusan2024-10-12T01:19:32-04:00
I have a phrase for the time in a collage—or any project for that matter—when you’re far enough into it to make a mess, but not far enough to see the light at the end. That’s the messy scary stage and it’s a given for the early stages of almost every fabric collage, including my own endeavors. It’s when you need to just keep at it and have faith that it will turn out alright in the end.
It’s one of the reasons that week-long classes are a good thing. I have my students long enough to get through the messy scary stages to where they can look up from their collages, and smile. In the photo gallery below (click on any photo to enlarge your view and scroll through), there are wonderfully messy scary collages in-progress, and floors accumulating palettes of scraps. There are students sharing their work (on a mirrored demo table), and ones so immersed in their projects they were caught off guard when I had a camera pointed in their direction—but laughed at themselves and said I should include the photos in this post anyway.
This class had a lot of humor, visited and chatted with each other, exchanged numbers and, as I have heard, are keeping the class going through a messaging group since we parted two weeks ago. One of the first messages to get passed around was the comic, below left (very appropriate as this group had much happiness). Our classroom looked quite empty and sad when everyone had packed up and departed, below right.
Screenshot
However, on the last day of class, a plan came together for a “Return to Bar Harbor” in September, 2025. Next year will actually be a new sort of offering—two consecutive weeks with a weekend break in between. Same location, same students, same class—ten days devoted to fabric collage. This year’s students were enticed by the idea. Are you?
If you’re a subscriber to my blog, then you will have received my 2025 teaching schedule as a separate post via email, immediately after this one. It contains dates and further information for all of my next year’s classes—both in-person and online—including the two week class in Bar Harbor, Maine, with MISA
Next year will be my third year at this Maine campus. Here’s last week’s Part 1 post. Here’s what the 2022 “Bar Harbor Inaugural” class was like. MISA’s other campuses are in Tucson, Santa Fe, and Madeline Island in Wisconsin. In April 2025, I will be returning to their Santa Fe campus for another week of class. Information to register for that class will also be in today’s second post. If you miss it, the posts are always available from my website at susancarlson.com.
You can click on any of the smaller photo galleries to enlarge and then scroll through to view.
Donna Konigsberg
Donna Konigsberg of Fairfax, Virginia, has been a presence in many of my online offerings, but not any 5-day class, until now. It was such a pleasure to finally get to meet and work with her. She is a teacher herself, of kindergartners, and had a handy hand-clapping trick for when I found myself at a loss for how to get my own class’s attention! Donna has obviously been paying attention in her fabric collage studies—her purple pup came together seemingly effortlessly, with a wonderfully lolling tongue to go with that happy color and personality.
Barbara Grant
I’ve known Barb Grant of Pacific Grove, California, for years and years. She’s been my student off and on, but mostly a good friend. She’s been telling me of her “Flutter-by’s” for quite awhile, but I finally got to see these beautifully detailed little specimens when she brought them to show-and-share in class (above, and again below). For Barb’s in-class subject she found a design (used with permission) of another artist’s paper-collaged rooster. This time Barb is working with high contrast black and white fabrics, and just touches of color. Her feathered fellow is developing quite a personality to crow about. 😉
Barb Grant’s Show and Share Fabric Collage Artwork
Barb’s Flutter-by’s are such an inspiration to play with our fabrics—rearranging their colors and patterns to create unique and whimsical creatures.
Julie Valentine
Julie Valentine of Garden City, Kansas, traveled to Tucson to take another MISA class with me in January of this year. There, she impressed me with how she interpreted her mostly-black dog with subtle accents of color here and there from patterns in her fabrics. In this Maine class she had a sort of “magical realism” going with how she cuts out and works with finer prints of florals and vines for the contours and values of another special pet.
Julie Valentine‘s Show and Share Fabric Collage Artwork
Lynne Lott
Lynne Lott of Hamilton, Virginia, chose a photo of her “Ellie,” based on her fur-baby’s goofy expression—and she nailed it already. As you look at the in-progress photos below, Ellie seems to emerge from the foundation fabric—step-by-step—with each colorful facial feature added.
In this photo, you can see how Lynn assembles an eye on a separate mini-pinning board—often a more comfortable angle for working. She’s also employing a great use of patterns from her fabrics to give a fanciful flair to Ellie’s beautiful eyes.
Stacey Starr
Stacey Starr from Jupiter, Florida, has a daughter who loves to travel and take photos—the giraffe photo that Stacey is working from is one of them. Her daughter also has a thing for long eyelashes. If you take note in the photos below, the giraffe’s nose and face may be morphing and merging in color and fabrics, but she always has (and apparently, always WILL have) fabulous eyelashes. Stacey is doing a very nice job using her fabric patterns to add visual texture, such as the ridges of highlights on either side of the bridge of the giraffe’s nose.
Sylvie Aguilar
Sylvie Aguilar from Acton, Massachusetts, has been in a few of my classes—both in-person and on-line—and has become a friend as well. She loves color and sets herself learning challenges and goals for each of the animals she has collaged. For this sheep, she wanted to work with clear and bright colors, making the ewe as varied in color as possible.
Before she met Barb in class, Sylvie had already named her yet-to-be-started sheep, Baaaa-brah. The real Barbara may look a bit skeptical, but it’s more about me asking to take a photo of all three of them together. Otherwise, Barbara said she was pleased to share her name with Sylvie’s creation. Baaaa-brah is the second of four barnyard animal portraits that Sylvie has planned. Mooo-nique (pictured both above and below) was the first, created in the 2022 Bar Harbor class.
Sylvie Aguilar‘s Show and Share Fabric Collage Artwork
Sunrise, Morning Walks with Coffee, Outdoor Cafes, and a Rescued Cat in Bar Harbor
I think most of the photos below will be self explanatory enough, being out and about the downtown of Bar Harbor. However, the fellow pictured between Barb and I is Irv, her husband, a great guy and quite fun to be around. The cat at the very end, was scooped up from a busy road as it ran to us on our morning walk—then kept safe for a few hours until reunited with their person. All-in-all, good memories to finish up our week together.
Great work by everyone ; but, I can”t help but notice that one fascinating place with lovely umbrellas, embellished with an aqua vehicle (substituting for tulle, perhaps?), and accented with such a distinguished name!
Great work by everyone ; but, I can”t help but notice that one fascinating place with lovely umbrellas, embellished with an aqua vehicle (substituting for tulle, perhaps?), and accented with such a distinguished name!
I was wondering if you’d notice that, Mary! 😉
Another delightful post! Great work by the ladies and it sounds like there was a lot of fun , too. Congrats to all on jobs well done!
Beautiful work, Beautiful scenery, Beautiful people! Thanks for sharing. Will be anxious to hear more about Maine’s two week workshop in 2025!