Saturday, July 11, 2009

Not all techniques are for everybody...

Classes.

I’ve come to realize I have no facility for painting. I took a class with Esterita Austin at the Vermont Quilt Festival. I loved her and her work, but I just didn’t “get it.” She even got me started me painted shadows and highlights on my fabric, but as soon as I got back to my table I was flummoxed as to how to proceed. I ended up making a mishmash of it all.

Esterita did say that she’d had art training and that you couldn’t learn to paint on fabric in 2 hours.

That didn’t really make me feel better. I left her class feeling disillusioned with myself. I remember feeling this way after I took a painting class at Quilting By the Lake with Elizabeth Busch, as well as after trying to dye.

Some techniques are just not for us. And that’s okay.

If we’re crafting for fun or for therapy, if we’re not enjoying it than why do it?

1 comment:

Nina Marie said...

I just want to say that I agree totally. That's why I stop taking technique classes when I go to places like QBL. I'd rather take a class that is more like a guided design studio then spend my week trudging through another artist's technique. Besides, at some point you must have enough tools in your toolbox!