More about Art Unraveled

Tues pm: I did not have a class in the afternoon. Marrianna was kind enough to shuttle me around Phoenix. I went to a very cool place called Apache Reclamation where I found some very large lightbulbs for Harriet for her deMeng lightbulb class and one for Michael as well. I could not resist. I found some really cool assemblage items there. I went on to Lonnies where I got some sterling silver sheet strips for rings. Richard Salley had a great technique on how to make rivets easier.


After I grabbed a hamburger, it was on to the Patinas class. I was supposed to take it with Sandy but she ended up not taking it. I wanted to experience it no matter what I heard. I had only signed up for 3 workshops. I wanted to have the "experience" and 2 workshops would not have seemed worth it for the the airfare and hotel costs. When I got there, the door was closed. It was kinda frenzied through the whole thing. It was kinda a rushed feeling. Even writing the check, I felt rushed. The instructor was very warm throughout the whole thing and that made me feel warm. I got a handout for the class. It was not anything special. I could have pulled that information off the internet. I did not feel this class was for all levels. I felt that it was definitely a beginner's class. I could tell that others did benefit, which is always a good thing. We got to do 4 sample patinas by ourselves. The rest were done for us because they were toxic. She forgot to bring some samples with her. There was only one technique offered - aluminum foil with transparencies. I have yet to buy a Xyron and don't plan on it. The samples we got were about the size of my two fingers put together. I thought the class fee was too high. I guess I expected more.

Moral of the story: You can only judge a class by the picts and description of it. You cannot tell if you are really going to enjoy the class or not. Also, people's perspectives are different. Some people may hate it yet others might think it is really wonderful. Guess it depends on what level you are at and what your expectations are. It pays to talk to others during breakfast and lunch to see what they are taking and how they like it. It is also good to see samples of what will be done in class and what others have did while in that class so you can gauge for yourself next year.


I was very excited about Wednesday's class. This was the hinged locket class with Richard Salley. I just went on eBay and got a wood dapping block. I was just at Joann's and I picked up a gizmo for coiling wire. I really learned a lot during this class. He had a lot of great tips. There were some techniques that he used that I have not done before. I will use them in my assemblages as well. I found out that I don't like to use staples even though they are very functional. I will probably get better at it as I do it more. I liked how the wires clamped the washer. He had a great tip on how to use a washer to help you rivet. The other people's lockets in class turned out great. I had to rework the wire a couple of times because I did not like the way it looked. I could not get one part of it to work. I ended up doing it differently because I could not get the swirls to look good. It still ended up looking really good. I was very happy with this class. He was very generous with supplies and very helpful with questions. He had a drill press there for us to use. He had a lot of tools with him. Yes, we were very loud with the hammering.


After the class was very, I had dinner with the girls at Papadoes or however you spell it - seafood place. We have one here in Arlington Heights. Christine from Artist's Nook and her friend, Lynn, joined us. We had a great time. I was tired by this time. The headache was still with me. When we got to our room, I worked on my pewter journal.


I wasn't going to take another class on Thursday because I was not sure what time I was supposed to go to the airport. I did not have to get ready for the shuttle until 3:45 pm. I was debating on whether to take another Richard Salley class or take one from Barbara McGuire. The girls told me that the bracelet in Barbara's class looked fantastic -like ivory. The pict did not do it justice. I ended up taking her class. I am glad I did. She was a fantastic instructor. She made sure I had my stuff done so I could leave. She had a lot of great tips and great demos. I had given up on polymer clay and had even sold all my supplies except for the oven. She told us about the different brands of clay and little tips. I am going to give polymer clay another try. She even showed us how to do something so we could make an extra bracelet with our extra clay. I ended up putting the two ends together to make one wider bracelet because my snakes were not that even. I was very happy with this class.


Some people asked me if I was going to be teaching at Art Unraveled next year. I am going to submit proposals. If I will be teaching ther will depend on Linda. BTW, she was a great organizer, she was very kind and patient with all my questions. Her dh was kind enough to get clay for me since I picked up the class at the last minute. I would definitely recommend artists to got to AU. You might need to make sure you read the descriptions carefully or get recommendations from other people. She puts together a nice venue for the workshops. The only thing I am sorry about missing is the shopping day today. I wanted to be there but I had to go to a mentoring workshop instead.


About the mentoring workshop, I was dog tired and non-functional at the workshop yesterday. My flight was delayed for over an hour. It took forever for the luggage to come out. I did not get home until after 2 am. I had to get up at 6am to get ready to go to the workshop. I could barely keep my eyes open during the workshop.


Overall, I had a great time at the workshops and with my friends. It was great meeting people. Most everyone knew me as crazy art girl or the girl with the blog/website. Thanks to all of you for helping to make this a very fun experience. I will definitely go again next year. Hopefully, as an instructor and not just a student. Now, my summer is almost over. I will have to go in next week to set up my classroom and meet with the new teachers. Sniffle. Sniffle. Whine. Whine. Whine.