I’ve had a most wonderful and inspiring time at the CFCF conference and Synergy II. I appreciate all the adventurous participants who took my classes and seminars- you all were so inspiring and great fun to be with.
And thanks to the Synergy Team for their hard work and to Kathryn Ottman for the same for her CFCF gathering!
The exhibit at Synergy on Connections/Collaborations was very inspiring. I mad three vessels out of polymer clay and fabric that each contained a polymer “bloom” that was also a brooch.
Another highlight for me was be able to attend the ACC Baltimore show and see the best of the best of crafts up close and personal. I had an epiphany of sorts about a direction I hope to go. More on that as I go forward!
Bonne Annee and Bonjour! I’ll be teaching my workshops in France for my seventh summer. It’s pure delight with instructed studio time, inspiring field trips, visits to local artists studios, great food from our personal chef and lots of Open Studio time too. I strive to make it the perfect mix of art-making, seeing the sights of this special part of France , great food (and wine) and new friendships.
We’ll go to flea markets, the regional Saturday market (which was recently voted one of the 100 most Beautiful in France), Albi- home of the Toulouse Lautrec Museum and a jaw dropping cathedral and other fun places for treasure gathering and inspiration.
I’ve had a couple cancellations and am offering a special New Years discount. Please email me at dayledoroshwo@hotmail.com if you woudl like to join in this summer!
Many creative opportunities abound in Maryland in February. First is the CFCF gathering in Laurel- there is still room in one of my workshops so please visit www.polymerclayfests.wordpress.com for full details.
Right after is the international gathering at Baltimore for Synergy. Info at www.npcg.org. I’d love for us to meet and explore creative ideas together.
I hope 2010 brings all of us wonderful creative opportunities : in studio time, focused creative energy, travel and other inspiration, and a collaboration/ connection of hands, mind and heart as we work.
I hope I’ll be seeing some of you throughtout the year. My 2010 calendar is now posted here on the calendar page.
First up for me is studio time in January, then back east in in February in Baltimore for a week of teaching at CFCF and Synergy.
Here’s a picture of my piece for the Synergy exhibit- Exploring Connections.
I explored the connection and sculptural possibilities of fabric and polymer clay. I also wanted to make a piece that was both decorative (the fabric vessels are 8-15″ high) and wearable. Each flower lifts out and is a brooch. The flowers are polymer clay, fabric and metal parts- wire, metal beads and antique metal parts from the French Flea markets.
PS Come join me in France for 2010 or 2011 and we’ll explore the markets together!
It’s that day after, when as good as the food was, I regret that I had no portion control. This month will probably see a lot of that.
My workshops are over for the year (but hope to see you in 2010- see my recently posted 2010 Calendar) and I have a number of things on my ToDo List for December.
Many family visits, time to regroup and think and a number of creative projects.
Right now I’m working on my Synergy seminar- From Seed to Blossom: Nurturing the Creative Idea. It will be a fun and informative seminar to help you brainstorm, develop and bring into “blossom” those initial flashes of inspiration. I hope you”ll join me in Baltimore in February.
January brings hopefully more personal studio time to work on the new work I am excited about. Hope you have a lovely week- I’ll check in again next week with more news.
I’ve just posted my 2010 teaching schedule and also expect to add a few more classes in the fall of 2010. I hope you’ll join me for a workshop!
On the creative homefront, I’m hard at work on my Synergy Exhibition piece exploring Connections in a number of ways. As soon as I get pics I’ll post some and the full exhibit will also be online starting in January on the Synergy website. You can see the real thing and view all the pieces at the Synergy II conference in February in Baltimore. Please consider joining us at Cabin Fever Clay Festival Feb 21-25 and Synergy Feb 25-27. All the info is in the previous post.
This picture is from my new series: Flowers of Versailles. I’ll be showing the whole series at next years shows and teaching events.
It is a component of my exhibition piece!
Now’s the time to think about coming to Baltimore in Feb 2010. The wealth of classes and seminars to take is astounding and the ACC Fine Craft show will also be going on while we are there.
Please join me at CFCF for my class in polymer clay books (see previous post for full info)- Fold Books:10 Variations on a Theme
Then come to SynergyII right after- it’s just 30 minutes away.
Join me there as we explore- From Seed to Blossom- Nurturing the Creative Spark. You can register for that here.
I’ll be teaching a fun workshop at Clay Fest before heading to Synergy. Please join us!
The CFCF early bird deadline has been extended until 30 October. The CFCF workshops are being taught by Tony Aquino, Maureen Carlson, Louise Fischer Cozzi, Grant Diffendaffer, Dayle Doroshow, Laurie Mika, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Lisa Pavelka, Sarah Shriver, and Ronna Sarvas Weltman have spaces available for you but they are filling fast, so get your registrations in soon. An updated workshop schedule is available at www.polymerclayfests.wordpress.com.
Pre-conference workshops instructors include a 2-day Master class with Jeffrey Lloyd Dever (FULL), and one day workshops from Lindly Haunani (FULL), Nan Roche, Maggie Maggio, Cindy Silas, and newly added Jana Roberts Benzon.
You can find more information on the individual workshops by visiting www.polymerclayfests.wordpress.com. The CFCF auction on Wednesday, 24 Feb. will benefit the American Cancer Society and the Children’s Defense Fund. All donations are welcome.
Nowhere else can you get hands-on workshops from so many talented and experienced instructors in one place in the middle of winter! And a portion of every registration will be donated to the Polymer Clay Project! The Holiday Inn hotel is just 20 minutes from the BWI airport and downtown Baltimore off of Interstate 95! Take hands-on workshops in Laurel and head to Baltimore for the Synergy sessions.
I leave tomorrow for a bit of time in my old stomping grounds. I lived in NYC for almost 10 years and it is truly my favorite city on earth. There’s no place else for me as far as inspiration and the feeling that dreams can become a reality with perseverance and hard work. So it’s a real treat to be able to get back. I’ll be teaching two classes for the New York City Polymer Clay guild this weekend- really looking forward to that.
I pursued a career in theater and dance while in NYC and hope to be able to catch a couple good shows this time. If anyone reading this would like to do a home exchange in 2010 or 2011, I would be interested in exchanging my beautful home on the California Mendocino coast for a place in NYC. Let me know!
This is from the Rockefeller Center Building.
Here’s another drawing I did of a beautiful mirror in one of the bedrooms at La Cascade. It’s all tooled silver with faceted glass. I’m sure it was from one of the Vide Greniers.
Every summer, every Sunday, there are flea markets to go to in the surrounding villages. Not only for great shopping,, but it’s also a great way to explore the wonderful charming villages and usually includes as an added benefit a beautiful drive through the French countryside of rolling hills and sunflower fields.
The Vide Greniers are a combination of people truly “emptying out their attics” and more professional antique dealers. I have found fabulous things from both the regular villagers and the dealers. What they might consider junk from the attic is what we would consider priceless french antiques. It’s a great treasure hunt. And prices are usually very low. Come join me!
