I'm worn out just writing about it!

I have a feeling that things will be like a whirlwind around here in the fall. We have new products in Filigree & more, new tools in the toolroom, new artists in the gallery, some wonderful new pieces in the exhibit (like a new pendant from Libby Mills, three necklaces from Julie Eakes and a fabulous new necklace from Jeff Dever!), and a parade of classes coming up. In September we will have Christi Friesen rockin' the joint! We love Christi (but she wears me out....she doesn't sleep, I'm sure...and she always has a smile on her face...except when she is sticking her tongue out.)

She is going to be sharing her tricks for sculpting and then using resin to capture our sculpted treasures and turn them into unique polymer pendants. Her second class will introduce us to her new product line - Swellegant. These are metal coatings, patinas and dye-oxides that can be intermixed to create  unique metallic finishes. I can hardly wait to experiment with her!
Right after Christi, we have a new class from Lindly Huanani. Just when you thought you knew all there was about color, here comes Lindly with a new way of looking at color and color mixing.She will increase your confidence in combining colors and show you how to combine color shifted stripe patterns. You'll learn new ways to 'audition' color combinations, so you feel confident striking out on your own. You'll work toward creating a 'library' of 12 to 15 color-coordinated canes to work with.
The following weekend we're headed to Savannah for a demo for Polyform at a new Dick Blick that's opening. If you're in the area, come see us and say "hello". The next weekend we're off to Arrowmont for a class with Deb Karash in cold connections, and with Gail Nelson in enameling. It's our annual get smart week! At the end of the month, it's time for Mammoth Cave -- the Kentucky Guild Retreat.
Stay tuned for what's up in November and December. We'll be involved with Synergy3 planning. We hope you are setting aside time to come to Atlanta for Synergy3 in March. The International Polymer Clay Guild is having its biennial conference here in town. We are planning a bus trip out to Buford so you won't miss Creative Journey Studios. http://www.theipca.org/index.php/synergy-conference-mainmenu-108 We have some wonderful pre and post-synergy classes in the works. Watch the blog for details as plans solidify.

Fantastic weekend with Julie Eakes

We had a wonderful weekend workshop with Julie Eakes, teaching her techniques for making face canes. It was an impressively organized and orchestrated workshop. Julie has done her homework in getting ready to teach this class. Everyone got a lot of individual attention, and got a good grasp on caning techniques, in general, as well as creating very impressive face canes. Learning how to reduce a large cane was, in my opinion, worth the price of admission! We discovered our new work bench in the tool room was a fantastic place to reduce the canes. There was a lot of pounding around here--I wonder what the boys downstairs were thinking of the racket!


Julie and Anita deep in discussion.


On Monday, after a farewell lunch at Aqua Terra, Julie headed back to Charlotte, but not before adding to our retrospective collection, "Polymer from the Beginning". We are so excited to have three of her necklaces, including two using her new framing techniques. These have to be viewed first hand to really appreciate the artistry and precision of the layers of frames she has created. I felt like I was viewing the intricate frames around a renaissance masterpiece, housing one of her extruded cane mosaic 'paintings'. They are really amazing!

Creative Journey Studios and the SyFy Channel present Lindly Haunani in “Shape Shifters Attack the Mother Cane in Rural America”…….

Well, maybe not….perhaps it’s just a dynamite new workshop with one of our favorite polymer masters, Lindly Haunani!

This new and exciting two day workshop, “Color Shifting Canes” will increase your confidence in combining colors while exploring combining color shifted stripe patterns. To start, Lindly will guide through the creation of a large “Mother” cane reflective of your personal color sensibilities. Your starting palette may range from super vibrant to deep rich muted fall colors.  You will then learn how to mix a dark that will give your color combination punch, along with strategies for auditioning color combinations to expand your ideas.

Once your “mother” cane is complete, you will be creating five different patterns including: leaves, herringbone, outlined stripes, a pin -wheel quilt block and lined stripes in multiple color-ways.  You will then have a library of 12-15 color-coordinated canes.

Explore using the same graphics at different scales, combining multiple patterns, creating edges and finishes to enhance your designs- while making a series of brooches. Lindly will show you how to make “twigs”, pinch leaves, shape shift your canes and explore finished jewelry design possibilities.

This is a wonderful opportunity to play with color and open yourself to new design ideas while having a fun weekend workshop. Here's a little insight into Lindly--and how her mind works. This is the quilt (www.anneparker.com/gradations.htm) that inspired the development of this class.

Quilt by Anne Parker

Scroll down on the Summer Classes page for more information, pictures and pricing.