TAL Blogs

 

Preview: New Classes & Instructors Coming This Season

 

By Anne Prine

NOTE: For the 2025-26 season, class registrations will begin six weeks prior to the start of each class.

Making Colorful Felted Flowers - with Lucy Huckery

Lucy will guide participants in the wet felting method. She describes it as "taking sheep wool primarily, adding soap, water, then agitating (rubbing and rolling) to shrink the fibers together to become fabric!

"Students will get to be as creative as they want in their flower design or use photos of flowers as inspiration. They will be using colorful fibers such as sheep wool, silk, wool yarn, mohair locks and other embellishing fibers to design their flowers.

"In a four-hour class they should be able to make three flowers with stems.

"There isn't too much arm or hand strength required to make the flower, but it does require the student to be able to use their hands to rub and roll the flower to completion.

"And what is really great about this process is that they can continue felting at home with minimal investment! I love to be able to excite someone to take on a new, sustainable art form. Anyone can felt!"

Lucy's class is scheduled for Nov. 1.

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Gourd Art - with Margaret Sullivan

Inspired by the great Southwest, Margaret Sullivan spends hours dreaming up creations on gourd canvases that only nature can create. With the help of pyrography carving, dyes, paints and a cornucopia of beads, precious stones and feathers, her gourds are turned into creations of art.

"Village Gourd Totem" will be the focus of Margaret's December class, the first of two this season. Margaret describes it as,

"A fun, fantastically creative experience for beginner to intermediate. All the hard work has been done, you get to have the fun of creating your very own work of art!

"Five gourds have been cleaned and holes drilled to fit on a dowel that is stabilized in a piece of petrified wood. With the guidance of the instructor, you get to add individual features to each mask using dyes, paint and, ultimately, a headdress of feathers for each of your five masks.

"A finished product that will wow your friends and family, or could be a gift to that special person in your life!!"

Her second class in March will create Desert Gourds Jewel Vessel.

Margaret is a self-taught gourd artist. She shows her art in galleries in Old Town Scottsdale and in Fountain Hills. She has been sharing her love of gourd art with students for 25 years.

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Beaded Bracelets - with Sharon Jenness

Learn the art of making beautiful cuff bracelets with Sharon Jenness.

Sharon says, "I will be teaching the peyote stitch, a very versatile beading stitch that is done with a needle and monofilament thread. (Participants must be adept at threading a needle.)

"The beginning class will learn the basic stitch to create a simple cuff bracelet from start to finish, and all supplies for beading will be supplied.

"The beginning class is scheduled for Monday, Jan 19, 26 and Feb 2. The next class will be an intermediate class, which is scheduled for Mar 3, 10 and 17."

 

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Altered Books - with Karen Crosby

Transform a beloved book into a mixed media masterpiece!

Karen Crosby's teaching philosophy is driven by the belief that everyone has inherent, creative ability, and she encourages you to "come explore and revitalize your creative endeavors."

"In this two-day workshop," she says, "you'll turn a previously loved children's board book into an altered book brimming with creativity, texture and meaning.

"Beginning and experienced participants alike will find ample opportunity to explore a wide variety of techniques, materials and ideas - while inspiring each other along the way. (Turning reclaimed, older or antique books into an altered piece of art will also be discussed.)

"You'll begin by preparing the 'pages' of your board book, then build up layers using mixed media methods including painting, inking, collage, low-tech printing, hand-cut stencils and stamps, dry embossing, creative lettering and more.

"You'll also have access to a wide selection of artist papers and are encouraged to incorporate saved or found ephemera - such as reclaimed postage stamps, security envelope patterns, phone book or dictionary pages, ticket stubs and personal memorabilia.

"The altered book you create will serve as both a finished artwork and a sampler of techniques - a valuable reference for your personal creative practice and future projects.

"And the best part? With altered books, there are no mistakes - just new directions. One technique leads to another, and a new material can spark an unexpected idea. It's all about discovery, play and the joy of transformation. Come explore and create with us in reckless abandon!"

About Karen

Karen Crosby is an artist and educator with more than 40 years of experience teaching elementary, secondary, university and adult education classes.

She has long been fascinated with paper and all things related. She looks forward to sharing her techniques and enthusiasm with students in her upcoming classes in mid-January.

 

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Birds In Blossoms, Advanced Watercolor - with Mona Houle

Mona's enthusiasm and passion for watercolor and her commitment to fostering creativity have made her workshops a great success. Her teaching style is welcoming and encouraging, allowing students to feel confident as they explore their own artistic abilities. About her upcoming classes, she says,

"Some watercolor experience is helpful.

"The beginning class will learn the basic stitch to create a simple cuff bracelet from start to finish, and all supplies for beading will be supplied.

"We will be using many watercolor techniques to create a pair of birds, perched on a blossoming tree. You may choose a different species than the chickadees in my example, if you wish. I will have some reference photos, or bring what inspires you.

"This is an upbeat class with movement and expression. I like for my students to have fun, relax and enjoy the possibilities of this tricky medium.

"We will cover design, tonal values, color selections, wet on wet, glazing, dry on wet, splashing and dripping. Maybe a few more."

Mona Houle is a full time professional artist based in Phoenix. Her artwork is bright, happy and evokes the connection she has with wildlife and plants. Her career began in photography, which served as a catalyst for her love of nature. Mona has been painting since the late 1990s, with the last ten years dedicated exclusively to watercolors. Having participated in several art shows over the years, she achieved Signature Status with the Arizona Watercolor Association.

Mona's class will be offered in late January.

 

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Abstract Acyrlic - with Beth Lindsay

Beth is a contemporary abstract painter based in Evergreen, CO. Her previous career in interior decorating fostered her love for color, shape and form. About her class, she says:

"In this class I will demonstrate and explain some of the techniques I find effective in my mixed media abstract works: mark making and sketching with graphite, crayon and charcoal, layering, collage and successful use of color.

"Everyone will leave with a masterpiece - a completed and framed 8" x 8" work on paper (frame provided)."

Her class will be offered in February.