carolina workshops

As registrations start to come in for my two upcoming Oil and Wax Workshops in the Carolinas, I'm getting more excited about traveling to this beautiful area. The workshops--to clarify, they are completely separate events--are on June 18-20 in Spartanburg, SC and June 26-27 in Hendersonville, NC. Although I have driven through these spectacular mountains in the past, and knew that this area is home to many artists, I decided to ask Carol Icard to tell me a bit more about the area. Carol is the artist who first invited me to the Carolinas, came up with the excellent idea of having two classes on consecutive weekends and has been hugely instrumental in getting venues arranged and getting out the word about my classes. She wrote:

"...We have lived here for 8 years now and have barely scratched the surface for explorations. Going north from here is Tryon, NC, which is an historically documented center for the arts. "Up the hill," as they say around here (about a steep grade into the mountains) is Saluda, NC, and on the way a beautiful stop over is Pearson's Falls....past Saluda is Flat Rock, where visitors can enjoy Carl Sandburg's estate, which is a working goat farm, gorgeous property, now a national park. Hendersonville follows, with an interesting downtown, then one can head west to Brevard or northwest to Asheville which I think of as sort of like a southern Burlington, VT, or even Harvard Square in Cambridge in the 60's! Outside of Asheville are numerous small town destinations, like Black Mountain, Burnsville and Penland, where the nationally known school is located.

The scenery in the mountains, and in the foothills where we live, is both charming and calming. No real big city bustle, but lots going on all the time...Spartanburg and Greenville have renovated downtown areas....Art Walk nights are every third Thursday of the month (meaning that there will be one the night before the workshop--RC.)

...even though we used to live in the culturally rich Berkshires of Massachusetts, where summer especially was abounding with dance, drama, music and visual art, we have never lacked for cultural activities here...and the natural beauty around here and on up into NC and TN, is simply breathtaking."







Carol also provided some websites for more information about the area, and I am including them here for any out of town artists who are considering one of these workshops. It strikes me that coming during June might lead naturally to plans for a little vacation and time to explore the area either before or after the class. www.exploreasheville.com, www.visitspartanburg.com, www.historichendersonville.org, and www.blackmountain.org.

I appreciate that a number of local artists have signed on already and I'm sure we will have a great time! Please click here for more information about the two workshops, and registration information. Photos courtesy of Carol Icard.