Class with Judy Coates Perez

I had a great excuse for not posting last week-I was taking a 2-day private class with Judy Coates Perez. Pinch me! Judy lives in my area now, so a group of 7 art quilters got together and proposed a 2-day class-one day with acrylic inks and one day with Tsukeneko inks. Sandy Wagner miraculously organized the timing so that each of us could attend.

My personal goal was to become comfortable enough with both mediums to be able to confidently use them in my work. I may not make an entire whole cloth piece using what I learned, but I do see that this will add new dimension and interest to my work.

The class was hosted by Schatzi Brimer. I got to know Schatzi at a show at the Shenandoah Winery and through SAQA-we have become fast friends with much in common. Her home is nestled in the foothills of north central California, not far from the Stanislaus National Forest. What that really means is that it is in a beautiful area of California and Schatzi’s home offers sweeping views of the hills and valleys with nary a home in sight. What a setting for a private retreat with Judy!

We worked/played in a sun-filled room with incredible views.

Of course over the course of two days, we filled the room with art, laughter and lots of stuff.

Each day was filled with a variety of techniques and lots of time to play. Some of the pieces we worked on were better….

than others.

Even Judy got to play-isn’t this fabulous?

More class photos:

I learned long ago the “1,000 mistakes” rule: to become good at anything you need to make 1,000 mistakes. The sooner you make them, the sooner you will become proficient. I embraced that one and made lots of mistakes!

Judy provided a calm, creative, encouraging presence. Judy’s creativity seems to have no bounds. It was really intriguing to see how she worked through a piece. Paint in unwanted places became a “design opportunity”. She places layer upon layer to achieve her ethereal imagery. So much of this cannot be put into words. I learned by seeing.

On our last day together Judy asked us to each pick our two favorite pieces, hang them up and then talk about each one. We got to know each other even better as each of us talked about the challenges and successes of our new found talents.

This inspirational piece by Schatzi was up in the room we played in-it’s gorgeous! Schatzi tied for “Best of Show at Art Quilt Tahoe” in 2014. She used textile paint, free motion quilting, dryer sheets (!!), colored pencil and iridescent polyester. There are over 300 blossoms and 16 bees. It is so gently beautiful and ethereal. I hope to get to the point where I too will have many mediums that I am confident in using.

Right now I still feel giddy, like I did as a kid after sleep-away camp!