DESCRIPTION

• The FOCUS of this class will be on creating strong compositions.
• The FOCUS of this class will push one’s imagination into being more playful and flexible.
• The FOCUS of this class will encourage working intuitively and improvisationally.

• This class is meant to be challenging! It has been developed specifically for students desirous of being far more experimental on an advanced level using machine-piecing techniques.The method of working will be a journey about discovery and will require an attitude of risk-taking and total concentration! The design exercises will stimulate thinking and hopefully help to develop more individual work.

• All participants are expected to gather ideas for creating fresher, more viable compositions! Students will be encouraged to work spontaneously and intuitively with the outcome of their homework preparations which are outlined next.

• HOMEWORK PREPARATION in black & white before coming to class:
Participants must collect together ideas as starting points. Look for photos or take photos in black and white of trees, tree branches, buildings, buildings under construction, magazine pages, art book pages, copies of works by ethnic artists, outsider artists, any artists. File ideas into categories such as: VERTICALS, HORIZONTALS, PATTERNS, REPEAT PATTERNS, GEOMETRIC SHAPES, COLORS, DOORWAYS, ARCHITECTURE, CIRCLES, CURVES, LINES, ETC.

• Next - only in BLACK & WHITE - make “blow-ups” of collected images/structures or parts of images/structures. Double the size or make even larger. Make a variety of sizes/scales. These images must show some sort of structure or geometric element(s) and these images must be usable as starting points for ideas and usable as combined with other images you have blown-up. Bring these - BLACK & WHITE IDEAS - to class. Directions will be given on how to use them once pinned to the wall after cutting and rearranging to find new ideas. Bring many duplicates in many sizes of those you like best as there will be no place to make copies in the barn. To make copies you will have to go to Lancaster or Pickerington.

• Design exercises will be introduced that will rely on the “STRUCTURES” found in the collected ideas/collages above. No matter the results, new compositional experiences will build confidence and better technical skills, and expand one’s ability to handle color and values.

• Be prepared to jog your thinking! Push away mental roadblocks! Step-out! STRETCH! EMBRACE POSSIBILITIES! Embrace NEW possibilities!

NOTE: Any advanced students may bring along fabric sketches done in solid black and solid white but not used before. These will be put through some of the same trials as will be used by black and white blow-ups done on paper earmarked in the homework above. On the other hand, do the homework as it may lead you to new ideas.



PRESENTATION
⁃ Optional but important: Each student should come prepared with a 3-6 actual quilts and be prepared to make a short (3-5 minutes maximum) but articulate presentation about their work including future goals. Digital presentation is also welcome if well-prepared and professional. The Crow Timber Frame Barn provides use of a digital projector connected to a laptop.

DESCRIPTION

This 10-day class has been specifically developed for students desirous of focusing on:
• a more in-depth understanding of composition
• a more in-depth understanding of color & values and how to use them
• a more in-depth understanding of how to construct compositions as a machine piecer.
In addition, students will be required to step outside their comfort zone and be far more experimental as they work through design exercises developed to promote the creation of ideas using geometric ELEMENTS.

Students will be expected to work spontaneously and intuitively with nontraditional quilt-making techniques as they explore design exercises that promote improvisational approaches to composition without benefit of “pre-planning” and “intellectualizing.”

Design exercises will be used as a basis for flexing muscle memory in developing a more fluid approach to cutting improvisationally all sorts of SHAPES and LINES. Emphasis will be placed on forming NEW GROUPINGS that could be used as SUBJECT MATTER of a figure/ground composition. Students will learn construction and engineering techniques.

Color, and the values of color, from light to dark, will be emphasized in all exercises so a great selection of fabrics must be brought to this workshop. Students will be working in SOLID COLORS the entire 10-days so there is no need to bring any printed or marbled fabrics, only solids whether commercial or hand-dyed.

If students want to learn to work more effectively, more efficiently from “instincts” and “intuition” they must come with an open mind and no agendas, ready for growth and for risk-taking!



PRESENTATION
⁃ Optional but important: Each student should come prepared with a 3-6 actual quilts and be prepared to make a short (3-5 minutes maximum) but articulate presentation about their work including future goals. Digital presentation is also welcome if well-prepared and professional. The Crow Timber Frame Barn provides use of a digital projector connected to a laptop.