Sas Colby Workshop
A lot of people have seen the link on my site to Sas Colby's website and have asked me if I have taken a class with her. The
answer is YES and YES, I do recommend her workshops. While I took the class almost a year ago, I thought I'd share my experience with you.
I have admired Sas's work for almost 20 years.
I first saw her work in an old Art Quilt book, one of the first. It's playfulness enchanted me. Then, there was a small blurb about her in Fiberarts and she generously gave us her address and said we could send away for a sample of her art! She mailed me a copy of a sketch and a poem she wrote. The poem was magical - but I didn't believe it. She wrote of turning 40 and giving away her books on life and art - NO WAY, I thought. (I was only 30 or so, and you know how I LOVE books). So she set up some mystery there. I wanted to know what she knew, what she had discovered at 40.
It wasn't until I was 47 that our paths crossed when she came to the Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Center in Washington, DC. I
signed up for the class, not even really knowing what we would be doing, or really even caring - I just wanted to be there. She had said to bring found objects with personal meaning. No problem there. But then she said we had to choose one and DRAW it. Do a series of drawings. Let our drawing take us to new places, new ideas. I got that sick feeling....and that little voice whispered "I can't
draw". I actually felt scared. Now this is ridiculous. I've studied drawing with several teachers. I CAN draw, it just takes me a long time and a lot of courage.
So I drew. We used soft charcoal on gessoed resin paper (a heavy builder's floor covering available at hardware stores). We brushed over the charcoal with acrylic medium to make it flow like paint. I drew my treasured Little Man twig. We had the choice to keep drawing and develop the same image, or flip the paper over and do 8 vignettes for a flip-fold book. Of course, I choose the book, but that meant I had to do more drawing. As the day progressed, I became more confident in my sketches. I did eight gestural drawing of my Little Man and then pulled out my jumbo alphabet stamps for the text.
A final finishing with amber shellac and my book was ready. I felt like I had really accomplished something. I had broken out of the "pretty" box, the realistic rendering box and the working small box that I reside in. It was only a temporary escape, but at least I now know that I can venture out of my boxes and still create.
You see, Sas pushed me out of my comfortable nest and then gave me the wings to fly.
My new awareness was unintentionally chronicled in my work that day. I took an awkward little stick man and made him fly. Or was it me all along?
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