Dragons and Princesses - Rainer Maria Rilke

a photo manipulation of a Sphinx from Delphi, Greece

a montage from Greece

"Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love."
— Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring into Summer Felting Classes

                  Spring Felting Classes

                       Offered by Sharon McFeely

Seven class dates are being offered for Spring.   If the dates do not work for you, think about bringing together a few friends and we will create a class for you. What about having a felting –party-class?   If you live out of town, I can travel, packing my little Honda Civic to the brim.   Register soon to reserve your space. This is the last class flyer I’ll offer till late summer.  I’m hoping to enlarge my studio space this summer.  What fun!

check out  this blog to see samples of projects

Felted Beads  Two class dates to choose from:

Saturday April 9; 9 am till 1 pm  OR Thursday April  21; 9 am till 1 pm

New expanded format! With a little more time, we can learn four techniques for felting beads. I’ll show you how I string them with glass and wood beads.  You could use these beads to embellish a hat, shawl, to make a pin, to put on a purse, along with many other creative uses.  All materials and supplies provided.  4 hour class.  $45.00 Class size 3-6  bring a snack

Nuno Felted Scarf Class. Two dates to choose from:  Friday April 29;  9 – 2 pm  OR  Saturday, April 30;  9 - 2 pm (half hour lunch)  This is so much fun!  A new felting technique of felting wool onto a sheer fabric (we’ll use silk).  As the wool felts, it shrinks and creates interesting puckers in the silk, creating a beautiful draped scarf.  All materials and supplies provided.  4 ½ hour class.  $75.00  Class size 3-4

Felted Flowers  Tuesday, May 3; 9 am – 12:30.  During this class we will create a bouquet of flowers, learning 3 or more techniques for creating flowers, leaves and stem.  $40.00 class size 3-6

Felted Slippers,  Saturday May 21; 9 am till 3 pm During this class you will create a beautiful pair of soft merino wool slippers. $75.00 class size 3-5

Felted Hats, Saturday Sunday May 22;  9 am till 3 pm  During this class you will design and complete a felted hat you can choose to make a hat with or without a brim.  The hat will be made from merino wool with the option of shiny silks placed into the top layer.  We’ll use a combination of needle felting and wet felting techniques to make our hats.  This is so much fun.  $75.00  class size 3-5

Come and felt this spring and summer !

To Register:

1. Give me a call or email, and let me know which class (es) you would like to attend.  Phone: 928-776-8014; email: mountainmonsoon@yahoo.com 

2. Then send me a $25.00 deposit to Sharon McFeely at 515 Oak St Prescott, AZ 86303. . 

With your deposit your enrollment is firm, if you need to cancel,  please give a 1 week notice in order to receive a refund.  If minimum enrollment for a class is not reached, I will contact you and refund your deposit.

Thank-you  Sharon

P. S. 

I’m having an open house on Mother’s Day Weekend;  May  7^th and 8^th from 1-5 each day.

I’ll be showing lots of new work.  I hope you can stop by.  Thanks, Sharon

The Swan - Kabir

Swan, I'd like you to tell me your whole story!
Where you first appeared, and what dark sand you are going
toward,
and where you sleep at night,
and what you are looking for....
It's morning, swan, wake up, climb in the air, follow me!
I know of a country that spiritual flatness does not control,
   nor constant depression,
and those alive are not afraid to die.
There wildflowers come up through the leafy floor,
and the fragrance of " I am he" floats on the wind,
There the bee of the heart stays deep inside the flower,

and cares for no other thing.

Rock Cairns- a Balancing Act



with a few filters; rock and tree



I see an ancient profile here



For some years, along a bend of city road, where the light industrial park of my city is located, there has been someone who regularly builds rock towers, rock cairns.  These are balanced with care and often stay suspended for weeks at a time.  But who built these was always a mystery.  Then today in the late afternoon sun, out on a photo shoot, I came upon the builder.  Wow what a treat.  Driving by these statues of stone, over the last years, I felt how the towers would balance my soul, the heaviness of the rock suspended by various fulcrum points, helps me to reach another layer of balance. The individual who builds these, also experiences this.  Imagine lifting these stones, finding just the place where interconnected balance is achieved.  Imagine seeing light shine through, shadows cast upon the plane of balance.  Imagine the peace that is achieved.  I wonder if the rock begins to speak to you? 

I wonder if patience and understanding grows within you , a gift given back for your effort. 

<>

thank you to Steve, the builder

A Keen Interest

Walking along a hiking path, I came upon a young mother and her son.  He was entranced by a fresh hole in the ground.  Probably dug by a ground squirrel or perhaps inhabited by a gopher snake.  He would drop stones into the hole, peer into it, put his ear to it.  His fascination and attention to this was unending and a simple and pure adventure in exploring nature.  And mother allowed him the time and space to explore.  The ability to attend so completely is a trait to be cultivated. This young child's will, and sensory perception and feelings were all in sinc.  It was inspiring to be there with him.

Martien van Zuilen felting workshops in Tucson,AZ June 25 - July 1, 2011

Pin

Petal Brooch

Mandala



Corded Aqua Necklace



Mandala

 This summer, Sally Hall of Tucson and I are hosting Martien van Zuilen to come and offer two 3-day felting workshops.  Martien is an international felting teacher from Australia.  The workshops will occur the last week in June 2011 in Tucson, Arizona.  One 3 day workshop (June 25-27)will feature making felted jewelry, during the other 3 day workshop (June 29,30 July 1) we will make a felted mandala. The Mandalas are approximately 4 feet in diameter to start with before the felting process begins. Please write to: Mountainmonsoon@yahoo.com for more information on the workshops. Registration is occurring now.

Felting Projects completed from students

Spring is around the corner here, little purple violets are blooming, along with crocuses.  In my classes, beautiful projects are being completed.  One student has finished a pair of felted slippers, to these we've sewn on leather soles.  Another student has finished a turquiose silk nuno scarf with brilliantly felted sunflowers.  It is very satisfying to help develop other's skills as artistic hand crafters.  Working with color and with wonderful fibers is awakening and healing to the senses. There is a point in the work with felting, where the fibers actually start to expand and loosen and you think your whole piece is going to fall apart.  It is then the need for a leap of trust is needed, to keep your felting process going forward, and then another change comes and you can feel there is a transformation taking place as the fibers find a new and refined organization and begin to shrink or full the new fabric. Here are some photos of their work.

Nuno Felting classes and upcoming workshops

Tomorrow I'm teaching a nuno felting class, we'll be making scarves, but with some different touches.  I've learned that onto the silk fabric you can place a fine layer of merino wool and then on top of that place a layer of silk or tencel fiber and felt that all together.  This will give the finished product a beautiful sheen. Its  the second such class I've taught.  I love the technique, I'm going to try making nuno felted flowers for spring, using bright silks as the petals and a touch of merino wool for the center of the flower, the sepals and stem.  This will hold the flower together.  I'll post some pics of these soon.
Saturday I am teaching a felted bead class, we'll make 3-4 different kinds of felted beads.  This summer Sally Hall and I are inviting an international felter from Australia  to teach two- three day classes; one on jewelry making and one on making felted mandalas.  The felted mandalas will employ the technique of making pre-felts. Google Martien van  Zuilen to view her web site, let us know if you would like to know more about these special classes happening the last week in June.  These summer classes will be held in Tucson.

Unicorns sighted in Rare Mountain Snow

It was the last winter storm of the season, building its promise slowly throughout the day, by mid evening a misty dew was drifting downward through the stilled air. In the cooling darkness, this refined moisture turned into the tiniest flakes of snow you could imagine.  And all night it came as if rays of light from distant stars, bringing a feeling for levity, a lilting song from the periphery.  Then to my surprise,as dawn came to our place, the blue of the mountain sky reached a rare clarity and the ancient home of the gnomes made itself seen, and one of its dwellers along with a winter sprite set out on a journey to seek the unicorns who might appear when such a heavenly snow brought its grace to us.

Serendipities and moments miraculous

It is March in these mountains of the Southwest, our latest  snow storm three days ago giving us near a foot of powdery fluff, has already melted. I walk around the courthouse one evening at dust, last colors of the sunset glow peach and magenta,  the courthouse owl hoots, then flies silently overhead into deepening darkness.  I teach some little ones a song about 'one swallow come', then at a drawing class a friend shows me a picture of the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano.  I take a walk along the creek full of snow melt, a first butterfly is fluttering, with camera, I gyrate with its flight trying to take its picture, instead it comes and sits on my trigger finger.  The touch of a butterfly, its wings airing upon my finger.  No picture taken, but a heart has been captured.  Some walkers upon the path point out a great blue heron that has landed behind me.  I retrace my steps, and photograph her, yet she is weary of me and soon will fly away. I walk back and listen to a thicket of 'o ke chees' - the red wing blackbirds are singing in the riparian swamps. So passes the weeks before spring, I am soaring.