My sister and I have started a new and exciting venture. 

Enter Goatfeathers Studio

 

 

 

      Goatfeathers Studio is a mixed media and fiber arts space dedicated to both the creation and sharing of a love for textiles.  The purpose of the studio is to offer a space where artists can come to learn new and exciting ways to work with textiles and mixed media.  A series of workshops will explore textile manipulation, surface design and mixed media applications.     

    

 

The owners, Celeste Beck, and her sister, Merri McKenzie, have had a lifelong interest in textiles.  Both sisters grew up sewing and went on to enjoy careers in education.  Now retired, the sisters have joined forces to share their enthusiasm for their love of textiles and mixed media.
     

     The studio is located in Fort White, Florida conveniently accessible from I-75.  The workshops are limited in size so that each participant can explore the techniques, process, or project that is being offered.  The sisters believe that a small group setting allows independent discovery for each student to explore their creative boundaries.

     Don’t be shy --- take up the challenge to learn new and exciting techniques to enhance your fiber art work.  Your creative journey begins with intention.  Let us assist you in your creative development.  Workshops are offered the second Wednesday of each month.  All supplies and tools are provided and the modest fee includes a light lunch.  Vegetarian menus are available on request.

     Please check the schedule to register for your space to indulge in a personal journey of creation and share the excitement.  We look forward to meeting you and enjoying a day filled with surprises and fun. 
Merri and Celeste

 

Go take a peak at FACEBOOK  https://www.facebook.com/GoatfeathersStudio

   You can sign up for our newsletter.

Look at the top right side of this page and sign up to get all the latest information about the textile and  mixed media workshops

     

Gelli Printing - Taking online class

Let the Gelli Printing begin. 

One must first have a Gelli plate, plenty of paint, paper and lots of room.

 Learning ombre painting. 

 These are ready for additional layers. 

 Kind of look neat just as they are.

 

 Three printing off one set up of paint. 

This is called a ghost print.

 

 

 

When I first started printing I made my own gelli plate from Gelatin.  It was really easy and keeps in the refrigerator for months. 

 

The Newest Crowns

This is a cloth crown made from embroidered fabric from a recycled skirt.  The picture is done with photoshop and printed on fabric.  It will have beads and some embroidery once it is completed.

Queen of Fairy Tales

This crown is made from paper to show how paper can be used first and then you can translate this into fabric. 

Sometimes a Hat Just Won't Do!

Fun times for the Fiber Muse group.  My sister and I deveoped a presentation on crowns.  

These crowns have been made from toilet paper rolls.

Check out previous crowns made on Goatfeathers.

 

No program is complete without crown cookies.

 All the Muses enjoyed a good coronation.

Crowns for the birthday party. 
These will be available soon on our Etsy site.

 Merri makes the artistic canvas crown.

 Madam Sandy reigns over us all.  Wait where is her scepter?

I guess that will be another lesson. 

PS  Is she related to Grumpy Kitty?

The Belle Glade Saga Continues

Dr. Gallon, President of Palm Beach State College asked me
to come back to the college for a short while.

 

  How exciting was that. 

Of course I said yes. 

That was in July.
I am back...........

Nothing like Wellington to enjoy the beautiful sky and great weather.

This is the Pahokee marina on the 500,000 acre Lake Okeechobee.

In almost every canal there lurks the great Florida alligator.
Some can get as big as 13 feet long and weigh over600 pounds. 
At night you can see shining eyes eerily looking at you from the side of the road.

 In the olden days everyone would come by boat  to this trading store. 

 These are beautiful art pieces that are outside the prison in Belle Glade.

 Another great mosaic made by the children in Belle Glade. 

Stay tuned for the visit to Lion County Safari.

I'm Back

I have been gone since July 15- December 19, 2012 on a special assignment with Palm Beach State College as their Interim Provost for the Belle Glade Campus. 

The View from my home in Wellington

The Sugar Shack

Sugar is king in Belle Glade.  They started harvesting the cane around the end of October. 

Subsidence Post

Belle Glade has a sign that says "Her Soil Is Her Fortune".
Her soil is disappearing at a rate of 1 inch per year.  When dirt is exposed to air it disappears.  One of the management practices is to cover the soil with water, hence the use of rice patties when the land is fallow.  Many homes have lost so much dirt that their foundation is exposed and it looks the home was built on tall concrete pilings.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Flags Mixed Media

After taking the Mark Making class and Be Free, Be Free Class
I have moved on to making flags. 

 These are garden flags that have been sewn and then painted.

May the sun shine upon you daily.

Be Present

FOCUS

 I was inspired by Tracy Verdugo's painting and her choice of colors. 

 She is also on facebook and is an amazing painter. 

NAMASTE

Merri made this great flag.  The spirit in me see the spirit in you!!!

Mark Making with Mixed Media

Bring out the paints, glue, brushes, stencils, spay bottles, markers and pens, OH MY!!.

 These are the surface design tools needed to make FAB art.  Instruction was fiven to be sure and collect inspirational pieces along the way as color and pattern is so important in the scheme of things.

I took a class from ruthie Miller from the Fabric Art Shop in Lake City, Florida in exploring surface design techniques.  She showed us how to transform  plain old fabric into quite funky designs. 

 Ruthie our teacher is scratching her head wondering just what do with us!!!!

She said we were her most creative students!!!  I am sure that is what she said.

Joyce wants to know who wants this stencil?

 Merri, my sister always has the best ideas and is creating up a storm.

Joyce still wants to know... who wants this stencil?

These are some of my pieces.
Do you just love the roach on the yellow fabric?  I did all these. 
The blue one is done with a bleach gel pen. 

Joyce finally gave up on the stencil and began to create using a credit card.

  That is all she talked about was how wonderful art was with a credit card. 

I thought shopping was wonderful with a credit card also.

These are my fabric pieces all lined up.  I plan to use them in a fabric journal.

 Merri finished her pieces.  See the little beetle bug stamped fabric.

Love the JUJU in the middle and guess who used the stencil.  Way to go Merri!!!

A week later we came and did a class on using the sewing machine to add embellishments to our already painted fabrics.  Free motion stitching.  Ruthie kept say be free, be free.


I felt so free I made  flags using all that I learned in her class.  Stay tuned for the unveiling of the flags.