Autumn Retreat Wearable Art Retreat on Whidbey Island
October 12-24, 2011
Classes with Beverly Ash Gilbert and Guest Felt Artist: Arlene Watson
Wearable Art workshop retreat on beautiful Whidbey Island near Seattle, Washington. Get your creative juices flowing and join us for a week, or a day, filled with beads, felt, color, wine and food.
Registration is now closed for the 2011 Retreat
The Autumn Retreat has come and gone - a whirlwind of creativity, color and inspiration. Lots of laughs shared as well as food and wine (38 bottles worth!) and what a treat to have Arlene Watson join us with her fabulous, colorful felt work.
Thank you to all of you lovely souls who joined us for a day, a week, or the entire retreat!
Your kind words warm my heart...
“All
we can say is, thank you, thank you, thank you! It was an amazing week of
wonderful instruction, fabulous food, perfect location, lots of laughs ... what
more could anyone have possibly wished for? I pity all those who could not
attend; they missed a wonderful time with you.”-
Leigh Steiner & Jan Scully
“I
just wanted to thank you for being such a gracious host and fabulous teacher.
Your beach home is lovely, the food was yummy, and the classes inspiring. I so
enjoyed being there!” - Marlene Brannen
“I just want
to drop you a line and tell you how much I enjoyed your Autumn Retreat, such a
special time to be around so many creative people. I have your classroom photo
up on my screen saver, so I get to relive this fun time a number of times
during the day and have told my girlfriends all about each project and the
wonderful healthy menu that you served each day.
The time that you gave me is entered in my Journal
of Life Time Memories.” – Barbara Jo
Wander with Color 2-day workshop
Wednesday October 12 (10:30-6:30) - Thursday October 13 (10:30 - 6:30) (includes lunch, wine, hors d'oeuvres and dinner)
What better way to play with color than in making bead soups? Just as a painter mixes different pigments on her palette, you will learn how to make bead soups that contain depth and movement. We will focus on single palettes of color then explore ways to wash them together. You will apply what you learn by designing and making a color wash piece that glows!
Wanderlust Bracelet 1-day workshop
Friday, October 14 (10:30-6:30) (includes lunch, wine, hors d'oeuvres and dinner)
Wander with a purpose! Play with color, texture and form to create elegant, wearable art using freeform vertical netting. Create an open and airy piece or crunch and embellish to add depth and intrigue. You may incorporate focal points such as bezels or large stones imbedded in the design or simply use the positive and negative spaces of the stitch as your point of interest. This class will experiment with free form style and ‘bead soups’, and encourage you to break rules... but always with an end design in mind!
A Day at the Beach 1 1/2-day workshop
Sunday October 16 (10:30-6:30) - Monday October 17 (9:30 - 1:30) (includes lunch both days; wine, hors d'oeuvres and dinner Sunday)
Colors flow into each other as organic strands of beads and gems wind in and around metal and sea glass found after a day at the beach. Using bead soups, freeform beadweaving stitches, beach finds and antiqued metal, create a necklace that glows with color, texture and memories of the beach.
Queen of Unfinished Projects 1 1/2-day workshop
Monday October 17 (2:30-7:30) - Tuesday October 18 (10:30 - 6:30) (includes wine, hors d'oeuvres and dinner both days; lunch Tuesday)
If you are like me, there’s never enough time to finish all that I start. The end result? Drawers and counter tops filled with creative starts – a treasure trove of Unfinished Projects (UFP). Here is a great solution! Gather up your UFP’s – anything from beadweaving bits and wirework to resin-filled baubles and gorgeous one-of-a-kind beads. We will create individual designs, then use color flow techniques and freeform beadweaving to pull the solo bits and pieces together into a beautiful symphony. For all of you Queens of UFP’s and collectors of beautiful bits, come join me for a day and a half of pure fun... and a project you will be inspired to finish!
Cornucopia of Gems 1/2-day workshop
Wednesday October 19 (9:30 - 2:30)
(includes lunch)
Create a dazzling piece of jewelry with a profusion of gems, pearls and other treasures. Pull together exciting color combinations and with basic wire working techniques make a necklace, bracelet and earrings that will attract complements wherever you go!
(I'll provide the transportation, all you need to buy are your meals)
For
those staying on the island, join us for a tour of Whidbey
(or pop over to Port Townsend on the ferry only 10 minutes from our
place). Details of the tour will be forthcoming, but are dependant on
weather - if sunny we can hike up the bluff at Ebey's Landing, if rainy
we will spend more of our time perusing shops in Coupeville and
Langley. Make sure to bring good walking shoes and your camera!
Tour
is complementary
Felt Series (Day 1) - Nuno Felt Basics
Friday, October 21 (10:30 - 6:30) (includes lunch, wine and hors d'oeuvres)
Join renowned felt artist, Arlene Watson for a colorful day of creativity! Learn how to combine fabric and fiber to create the scrumptious cloth known as Nuno Felt. Using simple and direct techniques, this class is designed to move the new felter quickly and easily through the process of ‘felting’ and ‘fulling’. You will walk out of class with pieces of nuno felt from which to fashion a pillow cover, wall hanging or folded clutch bag... add beads for pizzazz! Limited space available.
Felt Series (Day 2) - Scarves and Ruffles
Saturday, October 22 (10:30 - 6:30) (includes lunch, wine and hors d'oeuvres and dinner)
Create stunning, wearable works of art alongside felt artist and instructor, Arlene Watson in Day 2 of her popular Nuno Felt class series. Using the skills you learned in, “Nuno Felt Basics” you will make two scarves. The first is a charming nuno felt ruffle, made on silk. The second is a free form scarf made on cotton scrim cloth. Using wool and cloth to create drape, and movement will show you the magic and possibilities of nuno felt. Prerequisite: Nuno Felt Basics
This class is designed for the beginner as well as the seasoned Beads on Metal student. No matter your experience, you will be pushed into new designs and new techniques!
Felted Ropes, Cords and Beads
Sunday, October 23 (10:30 - 6:30) (includes lunch, wine and hors d'oeuvres and dinner)
A stunning marriage of felt and beads! In this colorful class by felt artist and instructor, Arlene Watson, you will create fun felted cords which can be worn as bangles, formed into necklaces or used as purse handles, belts and more... You will learn a quick and easy way to make felt ropes and cords, with and without wire cores, as well as felted beads. Create one-of-a-kind wearable works of art that you can leave plain or embellish with beads!
Stringy Thingy 1-day workshop
Monday October 24 (10:30-4:30) (includes light refreshment)
I fell in love with this playful mix of felt and fibers by fiber artist and instructor, Arlene Watson, and begged her to stay another day to teach what she affectionately calls a "Stringy Thingy". We will sandwich a selection of novelty yarns and ribbons between layers of embellished wool roving to create a piece full of color and texture. The perfect flexible accessory – wear it wrapped, draped, hanging long, or pull the ends through the strings for an entirely different look. You can even tie it at the waist for a fringey belt.
Some kind words from the 2010 Retreat:
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!
It was an amazing week. Wonderful instruction, great food, perfect location,
lots of laughs... What more could we possibly have asked
for? Looking forward to Autumn Festival
2011." -JQ
"Thanks
Beverly! Whidbey Island is so beautiful, thanks
again for giving us a tour.Also thank you for cooking all of those wonderful meals, the chocolate,
the wine, the laughter... it was all wonderful" - SL
"How can I even begin to thank you for the opportunity you offered last week. It surpassed even my wildest dreams... thank you for your patience and encouragement and sharing of your lovely home. Oh... and how could I possibly leave out the gastronomic delights at each and every meal!" - PP
