Meeting Time: 10:00 AM, Monday, January 13, 2020
San Antonio Garden Center 3310 N. New Braunfels Avenue, SATX 78209.
Come at 9:30 for creative networking!
Guest Speaker: Sherry Christensen
Sherry writes:
I’ve been an artist as far back as I can remember. As a child I often wrote my own children’s books and then illustrated them. Very primitive, but after all, I was only 7. During summers I stayed with my grandmother in a small North Dakota town. The library there offered art classes once a week, and I made it a point to be at each one. I remember the classes well… doing watercolors of a vase of flowers, working from source even that long ago. It’s no surprise that I became a public school art teacher for 35 years. Drawing, painting and printmaking were my favorite outlets while teaching on the secondary level. I remember taking printmaking and life drawing classes from what was then McNay Art Studios in a back building on the grounds.
My current obsessions are both time consuming relief Fiber Pieces and abstract paintings. The fiber pieces are constructed with foam core in various thicknesses, handmade papers, yarns, and hand sewn beads. These take months to design and put together. My breaks from them come in the form of abstract painting which can be completed in a much shorter period of time. So, I win in both areas…my fiber passion and my abstract release. My works have been shown in Savannah, Georgia, Corpus Christi, Texas, and various galleries in San Antonio. They are also in private collections across the US.
I’m not sure how I got started with my fiber pieces. Something I saw sparked an idea and I’ve always loved handmade papers, beads and yarn. I went to a FASA felting workshop with a friend and FASA member years ago, and when I retired from teaching, it seemed a logical place to hone my skills. One thing I learned from teaching is that there are so many possibilities, and I can jump into anything I want to do…the “Power of Positive Thinking” lets me go way beyond what I can do and know at any given time.
On the day of the FASA meeting, I’m going to offer an afternoon “workshop” on decorating and personalizing a small gift box. Miriam Webster defines “workshop” as “a class or series of classes in which a small group of people learn the methods and skills used in doing something.” To me, the expression “make and take” is way too craftsy. We’re going to be intensely creative and produce works of art on small gift boxes. The workshop is free to all who wish to attend. I do request that each participant bring a scissors and glue. The glue I prefer is Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue. Optional items that you may wish to include for your personal use are small beads, old small pieces of jewelry, and buttons. It would also be helpful to you if you bring a tweezers to handle small beads. I’ll provide everything else.
I look forward to our January meeting.
Sherry Christensen
