Jill Berry Blog

living the creative life

The Artists that Show Up

Posted on July 26, 2008 - Filed Under Uncategorized

rosalbalr.jpg Well, I have been gone from here for quite a while! Since I last wrote I have been teaching in three different states, packing and unpacking in between. No computer access in a few of those places, so I am behind and scrambling. Ahhhhh. Most recently I taught in Taos, New Mexico, and have to say that one of the classes I did there made such an impression on me, for a number of reasons. One was that the people who showed up are so fine, so deep and lovely and willing, I appreciated them every single day. The art they made showed all their intentions, and confirmed to me that the ramblings in my head can manifest in just as wonderful results as I had imagined. I asked them to work during the week on their own symbolic language, based on rock art (a tradition in that area) and aboriginal art that I hung on the walls. Here are the papers that a couple of them painted, and the books they then made out of those papers. Aren’t they incredible?maggilr.jpg The class the week after was co-taught by my friend Gwen. She did collage for the first 2.5 days, then I took over and we made structures. Most of the people in this rather large class had never done book arts, so they were mightily challenged. last-roll-133.jpgSome of them almost jumped out the window into the desert after such a hasty switch from right brain to left (my brain swivels, so I have to remind myself that I am “some kind of freak of nature” according to my friend Rosalba) but they stuck it out and I was very impressed with the final show. Here are four of the 15. Wish I had room for all of them! They really were wonderful, and so diverse.  I will be there again next summer teaching in Taos, at the Stables Gallery the week of July 12-17. We have the casitas all set up, and a big room to work in right off the Plaza. If you like that part of the world, and I am now of the mind you would have to be without senses not to, come on down. We had art all day, a bit of rain in the afternoon, and a quinacridone sunset every single night.  

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