Drawing with Hollis

I have been rushing around frantically trying to get everything ready for my 3 day drawing class with Hollis Chatelain. I am very excited about this class. She will be taking us to the exhibit at Duke Chapel with some of her incredible work, and she will also take us to her studio! I am thrilled to be able to see that. And she will have some of her hand-dyed fabric for sale, so I'll need to carry an extra bag, I'm sure.

The retreat is being held at the Avila Retreat Center in Durham, NC. It is run by nuns and owned by the Catholic diocese of Raleigh. It is said to be in a very peaceful and beautiful setting. The rooms are sparse - no TV or telephone, which is probably a very good thing. We are supposed to have an hour's worth of homework each night, so that will keep us pretty busy, I'm sure. I am also eager to meet the other 14 students.

If you are not familiar with her work, please check out her website. http://www.hollisart.com/gallery.php She paints on whole cloth silk and then threadpaints and quilts it.

It's been a very dreary week and weekend here in North Carolina. The dogwoods and azaleas are starting to pop out, but with no sunshine it's not very spring-y feeling. That's supposed to
change this afternoon, I think. Spring is my favorite time of year and I love wandering around the yard to see what's popping up. Like this - these are the Solomon's Seals that I posted last week as small buds. They're really taken off. My Lilies of the Valley are just starting to peek up through the mulch, so in another week they'll have grown a great deal, too.

Well - lots more to do before I take off this afternoon. Laundry, water plants, recheck my list of supplies, etc. I know I'll forget something!

Later!