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Friday 10 February 2012

Experimental Collaboration Class Project

As you might know, I'm taking a class at USCAD through a scholarship I so generously received from the Saskatoon Quliters' Guild.  thank you!  USCAD is the University of Saskatchewan Certificate of Art & Design program.  I picked 3 classes to use the funds on: Hand Quilting, Artist's Memoir (a mixed media journaling workshop), and Experimental Fibre Art Advanced.  Right now I'm knee deep in the Experimental class. 

Woah.  It's challenging.  

It's not quite what I was expecting, though I must say that I didn't really know what to expect.  People love felt, and I am not a fan of touching the stuff.  So I went in expecting to work on my own project while trying out new techniques.  Oh... I was waaay off base!  Instead, each student was to bring an unfinished project and give it up to be completed by someone else.  That would most likely mean that I would have to finish someone else's felted work.  My world shrank for a moment and I thought I was in the wrong place.  lol  I stayed, figuring, 'hey - this is a challenge. There must be a reason.  I'm bound to learn many things.'  My contribution was this nest I started.


The women who adopted it LOVED it and it is now all stitched and beaded and even has a different, more compact shape.  Very fun.  I showed up rather afraid of what I might 'get stuck with'.  Out came the felt.  The same woman, Elizabeth, who took on my nest held up a natural grey felted MASK.  No kidding!  "I LOVE THAT!" I squealed across the room.  It was a relief of her own face, though through felting it, the face resembles a much older person.  I saw an ancient spirit.  I'm sorry I don't have 'before' photos.  It was just the face with holes for eyes, and some frayed pieces swooshing off the sides of it.  After a couple of 3 hr classes, here's how I finished it!


Pretty different for me!  There are yarns, crochet cotton, metalics, feathers, wood beads, and the backing is a cut piece of a sweater.  I actually enjoyed felting.  I even own felting needles now.  That was kind of an accident though.  Haha.  I borrowed Emma's felting tool and SMASHED two of her needles after 30 seconds of felting, so I went out to buy her more over the weekend.

Last, but not least, here is proof to my husband that it's not 'duct tape'.  It is in fact, DUCK TAPE!  lol

Come on honey.  Say it!  Say, "you were right dear".  : P

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

love the finish on the mask, monika! what fun, to make your own creative journey based on someone else's beginning!
cheers!
molly

Kit Lang said...

I'm having the most bizarre reaction to this post because as I'm reading it, I keep thinking to myself "I read this blog entry before" and I checked the date and it's today's date and I go on and there are the same words again. lol I don't know how or why I travelled to the future and read this post, but again I say "I love this class you're taking" and "you're so lucky"! :)

And now I think I'm going to go and lie down. lol

deanna7trees said...

love how you did that felted piece. and i think you are both right. you might want to read this:
http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct.html

monika@mysweetprairie.ca said...

haha Yeah I know - it was an ongoing joke for a long time. : ) He always corrects me, so I was thrilled to discover someone came out with the brand name DUCK tape. lol Cracks me up.
~Monika

Christie describeHappy said...

Oh my gosh, I really like your spirit face! So much emotion in the eyes and I can still feel your styling in it. Swoon! A fun accident then, right? Hope you are off to a great weekend!

In stitches and seams said...

great project..... and good on you for getting out of your comfort zone and embracing something new to you
in stitches

Anonymous said...

I don't want to contradict annette but I see you getting into your
comfort zone not out! That's so
exciting and wonderful. (I think we
mean the same thing annette)

queenopearls said...

Oh Monika, I laughed out loud when I read of you "squealing" lololol You are SUCH delight and your art is magnificent. It always is. I am thrilled for and with you. Yay Monika!!!
~Christina in Cleveland
PS still sending tons of healing vibes. :)

liniecat said...

That spirit mask is so mindful of the Green Man of folklore
http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/greenmen.htm
great work!

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