Saturday, May 1, 2010

A Week Teaching at J. C. Campbell Folk School



I left last Sunday for a week of teaching "Fabricating Nature" at J. C. Campbell Folk School. I always look forward to these weeks. I don't often have a week to teach a class. I get to teach my students so much more during a weeks time.

This week we had only three students. Normally my class if full and I find myself spread pretty thin. However, with only three students I was able to give each much more individual attention. We spent a lot of time talking and getting acquainted. I don't mean by that, that we sat and talk, but we worked and talked.

I felt a real kinship with each of the students that I don't always have the time to nurture.

It is always my goal to have my students go away from this class with two major skill. The first and foremost is look at fabric in a different light. I mean by this that I want them to see the possibilities of nature in a piece of fabric. Usually when a quilter looks at fabric it is to get the correct value and color for a pattern. As a landscape artist we are looking at what might make a great tree trunk, rock wall, etc.

Secondly, I want my students to have the courage to tackle a project on their own and be able to look at a photograph and say "I can do that."

Below is the work of my students from this past weeks class. I hope you enjoy their progression on the journey I shared with them last week.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Marilyn;
    It is surprising that you only had three students!
    Did it hurt your echonomics? I thought all those classes were filled up way in advance usually.

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  2. Hi Carol Ann, almost all of the classes last week were small and I do think it is the economy. Campbell pays one fee no matter how many students you have. Every class I've taught here until this one has been full.

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