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Download the Brochure: Felting the Southwest Landscape

Authentic Travel and Tours presents:

“Felting the Southwestern Landscape”

A  workshop and tour in Santa Fe, New Mexico

April 17-26, 2016

The landscape of southwestern New Mexico is rich in color, form and ever changing light, and beautifully lends itself to interpretation is art. In this workshop we will explore ancient petroglyphs and pueblos where the past and present merge, learn about the history and culture of Santa Fe and surrounding areas, and experience the rich and vibrant art scene with visits to artists and museums. All of this experience will be brought back to our hands-on felt-making workshop focused on “Felting the Southwestern Landscape”.

Felt-making is an ancient art, used for thousands of years to create clothing, shelter and tapestries. In this workshop we will use needle felting to create art by painting with the fiber. Your instructor, Joan Molloy Slack, learned to felt in Ireland, where she has led art and cultural tours for 15 years. After exploring the variety of ways of working with fleece, from Turkish rug making to creating hats and mittens, she became fascinated with the possibilities of using the fiber “pictorially”. She has taught workshops using this technique for over 14 years, and enjoys using symbols, mythology and personal imagery in her landscapes. In the workshop we will bring our experiences in the landscape into our felt-work, and Joan will discuss and demonstrate how to bring a personal, unique and exciting dimension to the landscape format.  

The work shop will be held at the Inn of the Governors, which is our accommodation as   well. Amenities include a lavish breakfast buffet, complimentary afternoon tea or      sherry, computer use and free wi-fi in lobby, heated outdoor pool, and lovely rooms    decorated with a southwestern flair. There is also an on-site restaurant and bar.

Located just 3 blocks from the Plaza, it provides easy access to the vibrant city center,  with shops, galleries, museums and restaurants to explore. (www.innofthegovernors.com)

Local guides will enhance learning the history through a walking tour, and several day trips to surrounding areas will be included. We will make frequent stops for photography and sketching the desert, mountains, gorges and architecture that will be used from inspiration for the workshop projects. Visits to ancient petroglyph sites and pueblos, Georgia O’Keefe country, weavers and fiber artist galleries, and the entrancing Chimayo church and village will be sure to inspire. There will also be time to visit the excellent museums of the area, such as the Georgia O’Keefe museum, Contemporary American Indian Art Museum, and the Museum of Folk Art. A typical day outing will begin with a visit to artist Roxanne Swentzell’s gallery (http://www.roxanneswentzell.net/) followed by the Poeh Center, which provides a visual description of pueblo life as well as an outstanding gallery of native art. We’ll travel the Rio Grande route, stopping in view of the mesa and Rio Grande gorge bridge to photograph and/or sketch. In Taos, we’ll visit the Millicent Rogers Museum and have some time to walk in the plaza and have lunch. Next, we will visit the Taos Pueblo and have a guided tour. We return on the High Road through the mountains (more photo opps!) and will spend time in the Spanish village of Chimayo, a sacred pilgrimage site. Robert at Ortega’s Weavers will demonstrate his art as we wind our way back to Santa Fe. A stop at a local winery for a wine tasting will complete the day.

One of our day trip guides will be Tom Gallegos, who also leads tours for the Story of New Mexico program at the University of New Mexico. He is awaiting publication of his first novel, Secrets to Tell about the early years of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos. Tom is a native of Taos and currently lives in Santa Fe.

In the workshop, we’ll use the inspiration of our outings to begin the fiber “paintings” that we will develop throughout the week. All levels of experience are welcome. Needle felting is not difficult to learn, and one can expect successful results with no experience. However, those with felting experience will find the opportunity to delve deeper into new techniques, exploring composition, light, dimension and symbolism. We will begin with smaller pieces, experimenting with using specific themes, dimension and texture, and will develop these ideas into a large 18 x 24 landscape. All materials and equipment will be included.  If you have questions about the content of the class and tour please contact the instructor, Joan Slack, at 715-277-4224 or joanslack@wildblue.net  Preparatory materials will be sent upon registration. If you enjoy learning and creating while traveling, this is the trip for you!