Teacher Mode

I have been solidly in my teacher mode for the past six weeks. I have 20 students in my on-line class, called Better Art By Design, in which everyone is working very hard on the elements and principals of design. I am so impressed with what everyone is doing. So far we have had four lessons and lesson five gets posted tonight for them. I do a critique on all of the work during the following week so everyone can learn from each other. I really feel it is going well.

I have been sick for two weeks with a horrible head cold. Only two things have been going on besides teaching, art wise...one is shopping on EBay for odds and ends to include in collages, and the other has been the making of collages. I have sent 10 to Virginia for Fiber Art for a Cause and she will be posting one, maybe, in her next blog. I have participated in past years with lots of postcards and also a piece for the reverse auction so this is fun and different. So here is a sampling and I will probably post a few more as the time goes on...to give you a sneak preview.

Two weeks ago the Monterey Peninsula Quilt Guild put up with me a for day of class on design and then a lecture....I coughed a lot and stayed a distance away from everyone and they said nice things to me. I am posting some of the examples of the exercises that we did in the class and that we critiqued at the end of the class. I was really impressed with what everyone did.

All of the students work in a 4x6 format and have strict time limitations...they have to work fast and not over think the exercises...it can be really hard for some to learn to let go like that but when they do, they really have fun!
All of these are in response to directions to do specific things. Each person put up only two of their exercises.
Some of these will be great jumping off points for making full size abstract quilts.
I ask students from my classes to let me see what they have done with the exercises but so far, no one over the years has shared with me...I don't get to see what happens in the end! Oh well.
Maybe this group will be different and show me some finished work!

I really enjoy teaching but it sure cuts in to my time to do my own work.
I am getting to the end of my war quilt and should post it this weekend. I am still trying to figure out the most accurate count of US military dead for this piece...and of course, once I have a figure for now, it will change but the piece is made so I can unfortunately, add on.
I love to see how different students respond to the same directions. Everyone is so very creative and I must say that sometimes I am tempted to borrow someone's design to take further...but then it wouldn't be my work. I do make sure to point out to people when I think they have something really special that calls to be taken bigger.