The John C Campbell Folk School

Mill House - our home away from home for our visit.

It's been about a month since I returned from the John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina.  I have thought about my time there almost daily which would mean that it definitely had an impact on me - and a very good one indeed.

This all started about two years ago when friends described their time at the Folk School and I became rather curious. What about this place that was established nearly 100 years ago, in a small town in the southwest section of North Carolina, would be so appealing to be put on my bucket list? The more that I read the more that I knew that I must attend. So, this year with my good friend, Kim in tow, we signed up for a drawing class.  We are both artists (Kim the one with heaps more experience) and felt that the basics of drawing would benefit our watercolor painting.

The newly constructed Black Smithing facility.

We spent 5 days immersed in a culture that neither of us had experienced before and eagerly approached it with our eyes wide open.  The accommodations were simple - including making our own beds upon arrival.  Our day started with "morning song" - fiddle and banjo music complete with a sing along.  Meals began with a blessing and were yummy and served family style - ending with us clearing our own plates. We closed every day with song or dance.  And then it started all over again.  The JCCFS is not a fancy organization but it is rich with good people and good spirit and an amazing culture.

And then there was our class that was led by Margaret Scanlan.  All artists are not teachers and all teachers are not artists.  Margaret is a seasoned teacher and accomplished artist - how fortunate for us.  She approached drawing in such a thoughtful and organized manner.  She asked us to use our right brain in a way that most of us were not accustomed to and the results that we got were down right impressive. At the end of the class we all felt a connection to each other and to Margaret and just wanted more.

Kim and I ended our time at the JCCFS with similar feelings to those we had in our youth when we left summer camp.  We were sad but yet excited to employ what he had learned from Margaret and also knew that our souls were richer because of our experiences at the Folk School.

We wrapped up our remaining time in North Carolina with a visit to Asheville and Blowing Rock.  There was plenty of time to visit lots of wonderful artists, to see the beautiful fall leaves, eat lots of great food and we even managed to do a little painting and drawing.  It was a trip of a lifetime and I cannot wait for a return visit to the John C Campbell Folk School.




 

A follwup up with Creating Fearlessly

As Hollyhock Studio is still in the "let's see if this is a good idea" stage I decided to look at the possibility of having a followup post workshop session.  I presented the idea to the group who attended Diane's Creating Fearlessly workshop and everyone thought it was a great idea.  So, today we met (minus a couple of our friends that were not able to be here) and we shared what we had been working on since we were together last in October.  It was very satisfying to see the work started in the workshop continuing to evolve.  There were even a few new pieces that were presented using the negative painting technique - which is NOT as easy as it looks.

Denise sent these two paintings to Diane for a critique.  Diane provided a thoughtful and extensive response that moved her work to a different level.  Denise was most happy with the suggestions and was very pleased with the outcome.  

We then spent the rest of our time together either creating new pieces or working on old ones.  During that time we drew inspiration from each other and coached one another too.  There was lively conversation about art and we even strayed away to other topics as well.  

At the end of the day we walked away with yet a bit more of what Diane had worked so well to instill in each of us.  I think she would be very happy as to the result of our time together.