June Workshops

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 20:00:47 -0600

In an otherwise quiet summer teaching schedule, Dan will be presenting two workshops this month:
Sat.Jun.19 & Sun.Jun.20: The Cutting Edge, in Concord, NH
Sat.Jun.26 & Sun.Jun.27: Beyond The Blend, in Montreal, QC
Both of these 2-day classes are being hosted by the local guilds in each area, but there are still a few spaces available, and everyone is welcome.
Now in its fifth year as our most popular workshop, The Cutting Edge is an in-depth but accessible introduction to making patterned veneers, building simple and complex slabs, altering and adding to them, then consistently peeling layers from them, to create a unique collection of decorative slices. For more info, and to register, please contact Debbie.
At Synergy I, Dan debuted a deeper approach to creating new colour palettes and gradations with Beyond The Blend. Using classic and complex templates, Dan has defined a language of blending that can yield an infinite number of predictable spectrums. And since that debut, he's gone further, adding 'Blended Canes' and 'Blend BeBop' to the roster. Pattern from precision, or completely improvised, there's now even more Beyond... For more info, and to register, please contact Lynda.

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We're Baaaaack...

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 18:43:28 -0600

Sometimes it's minutes. Sometimes it's months. This time, it's the latter. But no matter. Here we are again. We're baaaaack.
Okay, we know. It's been a while since the last time we posted. In fact, this may even be our biggest stretch of blog inactivity yet. But we haven't been inactive (and we didn't crawl into the TV either).
If you hit the PREVIOUS button, you'll see our last post was titled 'Countdown to Europe.' It was mid-October. Yet suddenly (or so it feels), we've now been to Europe and back, with three passports through seven countries, a Guestbook signed in five languages, and one memory card with more digital photos than we can even count, let alone look at. Thousands of words wouldn't be enough to describe this amazing experience... teaching, learning, making new friends, and availing ourselves of the overwhelming generosity of our various hosts (and their families, and their pets). Our Continental adventure was certainly our biggest and most rewarding teaching trip to date. There's so much more to say, and we'll do some of that soon.
After returning home to Canada in mid-February, we took off again for Synergy II in Baltimore. Our ninth big conference in fifteen years, it was a chance to meet folks new to the medium, to be inspired by the fresh perspective that they bring. But also, it was a wonderful (bordering on surreal) opportunity to see so many of the polymer clay founders, groundbreakers, and mavens that have become our friends through the years. Some we met 'way back in the day' at the first Convergence at Ravensdale in 1996 (no, wait, it was even the year before, at that first NWPCG Clay Camp!). Most are still around, as open and accessible as ever, still converging, and still 'making connections.' Thanks heaps to the newly expanded International Polymer Clay Association, and especially to Team Synergy 2010, for allowing us to re-connect, at what felt more like a laugh-a-minute flashback high school reunion than a conference.
In the weeks since then, we've been focused in The Cutting Edge Lab (almost like crawling into a TV), putting the finishing touches on some new tools. Some of you got to see and try samples, across the pond and in Baltimore, and we thank you all for your positive and enthusiastic 'field test' feedback. It makes us even more excited as we look forward to sharing that excitement with everyone soon.
A whirlwind winter of workshops in Europe. A decade-and-a-half-in-one-weekend in Baltimore. New tools on The Cutting Edge horizon. Even a camel ride in the Sahara Desert (yup, we actually did that). Life is full of surprises. And guess what? The adventure is about to continue, so don't touch that dial...

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Little Ideas

June Workshops

We're Baaaaack...