HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What a busy month! Almost missed a blog posting in October when I should have had 2! yikes! and oh well, c'est la vie! And what a vie, feasting now on the great quantity of winter squash that 3 little vines turned out. And all the teaching this month. My Taos Wool Festival class was full and successful. Judy(below Teri) Margy and and Teri (above)rented looms from the Festival

and were able to finish their pieces.

I recommend the rental method , especially if the student has a floor loom with a beater bar they want to use at home to do their tapestries. I teach this method exclusively, a line by line technique instead of the build up method. I teach students to embrace the grid rather than fight it, at least initially, and I teach a design method of getting the most impact for the least outlay of technique, time and material.

The other 2 students brought their collapsable ( so cool) rigid heddle looms, because that was what they will be using at home initially. Yes, you can weave tapestry on a rigid heddle, not so easily and the tensioning is not as tight as I like but it works. The festival treated me well, putting me up right where the classes were, feeding me breakfast and letting me use their microwave for my cheap dinners in my room zoning out watching HBO. A fun working vacation that I'll try and do again.I encourage all you students out there to come to Taos next year for a great experience.

Then home again to a month of frantic weaving to get ready for my biggest show of the year the WEEMS ARTFEST, this year November 12-14, a beautiful show chock ful of high quality art for those of you who might be here then, at the State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque.

Here is a pic ,of a new "Fractured Square" piece , which will be 72"x 40" and hopefully finished tomorrow, what a way to start a month! . I'm feeling the pressure of needing to remain chained to the loom as so many of the new "Fractured Squares" have sold.

But first I must conclude the class that has been here at the studio, every weekend of this month. Again , students, this is based on my other classes, minus the full day of warping as work ( still line by line) and is done on my 6' Shannock upright . 2 students can work at the same time, which is happening right now behind me, so buddy classes are very popular and remember B&B's and hotels are moderately priced and ABQ is close to good skiing and sight seeing, might as well throw a tapestry class in, as I am available with a flexible schedule, week days as well as week ends, moderately priced, and can tailor to individual levels, beginning to advanced.

Next month I 'll try and keep up and post pics of this class as well as the Weems show.

But now it's, scarily enough, Back to the Loom!!!