Kaleidoscope Canes and Stamping
I was fortunate enough to attend a Sarah Shriver and Barbara McGuire worksop at the Marin Headlands in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area just north of San Francisco, California. The first day was a labor intensive, action-packed day learning about and assembling Sarah's kaleidoscope cane. The second day was no less driven to learn a lot and create several Barb McGuire stamped items in a short amount of time. The pressure was on and we all loved it! By the close of the weekend teachers and students were fried and happy. The workshop was a resounding success.
Friday, June 14, 2002, the teachers, their helpers and students arrived with the exception of my hostess, Jean Sheppard, and myself. Dinner was barbecued chicken and was just delicious (I sampled some Sunday). The hostel was incredible with a magickal setting. We were ensconced in a two-story building that was converted Officer's Quarters from an old fort. Hardwood floors, a modern and spacious kitchen, claw-foot bathtubs and bunk beds were part of the ambiance. The weather was incredibly cooperative being just a touch chilly with clear skies and gentle winds caressing the landscape on its way up from Rodeo Bay.
Jean and I attended the South Bay Polymer Clay Guild meeting while everyone else was at the barbecue and arrived late at night as everyone was tucking into bed. The sky was a deep indigo with a dusting of stars and the faces of our fellow students and teachers were tired yet as bright as the sun. We joined everyone in slumberland and set our alarm for early morning.
The Marin Headlands Hostel was self-help, so Sarah, Barbara and their friends were the cooks and cleanup crew. Needless to say, they didn't lack for helping hands when it came to cleanup. Everyone who could, pitched in. Sarah and Barb gave their friends their favorite recipes for feeding us and we all ate like queens. I felt very spoiled.
Day one: After a yummy continental breakfast, we learned Sarah's secret for controlling a skinner blend for fine tuning multiple colors. That made the brain hurt right off the bat, but I dusted off the cobwebs and tackled the challenge with great success. If I learned nothing else that day, this alone would have made the trip worth it. Next she taught us how to build the first leg. Oh my!! The beauty of it was astonishing and so simple! Then came the assemblage of the basic portion of the cane. This one required a lot of concentration and hands on help from Sarah and Barb. We were all very grateful there were only twelve of us! Sarah and Barb made the rounds a couple-four times with this step and by mid-afternoon we all had triumphed! From skilled to beginning clayer, all canes were astoundingly beautiful. After dinner we visited, continued claying and enjoyed each others' company. Energy ran out a bit early and everyone was in bed by 11.00pm. Only Jean and I were attacked with the giggles and stayed up tittering helplessly for an extra half hour.
Day two: Barbara started right at 9.00am after a hearty continental breakfast of muffins, milk, tea and/or coffee. She was cramped for time, so she started fast and showed several stamping and finishing techniques for pins and focal beads that were true revelations for me. While moving quickly, she still was very thorough and made sure everyone was able to keep up and understand what she was showing. Then she turned us all loose with our toys and made the rounds to help us individually. She also wore the serving hat and the janitor's hat, so she was a bit torn in more than one direction and balanced them all with remarkable ease. If I had one millionth of her energy, I'd be happy. After lunch, there was a delightfully obnoxious gift game then some went back to claying while others began the cleanup. Sarah and Barbara set up their wares on the glass enclosed porch and we all had the opportunity to acquire some of their work first hand! We should all have been issued towels at the door to cut down the drool factor....
At the end of the day on Sunday, we were all packed and out in the yard by 3.30pm with the house sparkling clean and all little clay bits picked off the floor!!! *grin* You'd never know there was a roar of pasta machines only an hour earlier! Hugs, business cards and addresses were exchanged and we all went our ways with minds spinning, tired to our bones and jazzed.
My sincere thanks to Sarah, Barbara, and their trusted friends who fed our minds, our spirits and our bodies. The weekend was a most remarkable experience and a highlight in my claying career.
Here are the members of the class.
Arline Lowenthal
Director with
Future Vision New Bureau
Rebecca Sobaje
Blue Cat Studio
Jan Molet Evans
Retail Editor for
CNA Magazine
Dale
Jean Shephard
Linda Hicks
Polymer Clay "Joolery"
Della Spurgin
Sally Morgan
Chris
Julie Cresswell
Blessed Beads
Me: Sunni Bergeron
Linda Becker
Linda's Precious Jems
Sarah Shriver
Sarah's Website
Teacher
Barb McGuire
Design Innovations Creative Clay Stamps
Teacher
There are six pages of pictures Jean and I took during the weekend. The pages are slow to load if you are using a modem hookup, so please be patient. Enjoy!!
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Copyright Colleen D. Bergeron.
Last revised: June 07, 2003.
