Desert, mountains, waterfalls, ancient petrolgyphs and villages long 
abandoned..and thriving native communities, opening up their pueblos and art to us….these are the elements woven into the tapestry of our
tours to the southwest! After many visits to the Santa Fe and Taos regions, I find this one of the most exciting places to offer travel workshops. The landscape is stunning, the light
unlike anywhere else, and the shapes and colors in the landscape resonate long after seeing them. After taking day trips to explore the area, meet with artists and visit galleries, we delve deeply into creating fiber art with our memories, photos, and sketches. Felt making is so “user friendly” that people with all levels of experience can achieve outstanding results. 
With my ceramics and archaeology background I have been a student of rock art around the world, as well as pottery from many cultures. The abundance of both media in Santa Fe and the surrounding areas is truly amazing, and there is no experience quite like gazing at images pecked into rock, or drawn with oxides, and pondering the messages. One can feel the bond between humans, and our need to express ourselves through art. The pottery motifs date back thousands of years, and the rich contemporary traditions make a journey through the regions’ examples so enriching.
Some of the patterns represent natural sites, weather, or animals, while other motifs are sophisticated use of pattern and repetition. On our workshop tours, we bring this imagery back to our hands-on workshop, and hope the art of the ancients will inspire in us new ways to create in fiber.
A visit to Santa Fe would be incomplete without seeing the contemporary art scene, and plenty of time and opportunity will allow strolls through the Canyon Road and Plaza gallery districts, absorbing the interpretations artists are making of life, landscape and culture.
We hope you can join us on an outstanding tour and workshop in April 2016!
semesters in Ireland and Scotland, visiting hidden places and fairy glens with local guides, and absorbing the rich artwork, symbolism and beauty of Irish art through the ages. I would often come back to Wisconsin, and in my studio find ways to explore the imagery and experiences through sculpture, drawing, fiber art and mixed media. 
For example, the raven is a symbol of many things in Celtic tales, and a powerful one at that. Shape shifter, messenger, Morrigan- all of the stories and connections of the bird played with my imagination, and led to many series of artwork like the example here in clay and fiber.
I love combining realism with fantasy or magical landscape, and often incorporate birds, as I see them as messengers and symbols of freedom through flight. the magical qualities of ravens have been noted in stories in cultures around the world. I have created many ceramic sculptures using this symbol to explore the ideas I have read about.
Authentic Travel and Tours, LLC 