Painting with Wool

I am trying out a local venue to see if it is suitable for workshops this Saturday, I think we will have a fun group.  I had planned to copy my daughter, Andi's idea of pairing wine and art.  Andi who is a fine artist and also works at a winery offers workshops that combine wine tasting and painting. 

I'm working on finding an appropriate B&B that would be interested in hosting events so that out of towners could have a lovely place to stay and enjoy all that beautiful Beaufort has to offer and where we could also serve wine, have lunch/dinner, etc., - I love pairing with local businesses so that we can help one another.  In the meantime, this workshop will be held at ArtWorks which is really neat gathering place for artists of all sorts and it is where the fiber guild I belong to, FAB, presents its annual show and sale each November and if it is a success, then I will plan more.  The sip of wine didn't quite work as the complications for me to serve wine were just too much and I want to focus on the felt and students so I was able to get around it by telling students that they can bring their own "sip" if they are so inclined!

Although I do very much love to travel and teach, it would also be so wonderful to be able to offer classes for local people too - I think too often in the South, people think of felting as heavy and wooly and much too warm to wear in such a temperate climate; however, once they see and feel  light and airy nuno, it tweaks their interest and they understand that it is just perfect for those in between days or cooler evenings. 

 

The other type of felting that has great possibilities in this area is painting with wool - it is just perfect for wall art or inclusion for bags and there is no end to inspiration around the low country so that is what we are doing on Saturday - sipping and painting with wool.  Here are a couple of samples - one with a lot of stitching and the other with a minimum amount.  I have found while doing this that it helps to take a photograph during the process to see where interest is lacking.  For some reason, it help focus on the picture better, I don't know why but it works.  I added elements to both of these after looking at the picture and I know what I would do differently next time - a great way to teach students from my own experiences.