Studio Amara: What a Weekend!

The serene surrounds where the retreat was held

The heavens had opened up on Friday morning down in Berrima with snowflakes as large as 50 cent pieces followed by torrential rain.

Of course, I had not packed my car yet, to make the drive down the highway to Canberra where the contemporary craft retreat was being held. Many of the other delegates had also experienced similar challenges with the weather however later that afternoon there was a complete 360 turn and the sun shined down for the rest of
the weekend.

Although the weather would not have stopped any of us from missing these three days!

Over the next 72 hours, the group of creative obsessives that had arrived from all over Australia, consumed a smorgasbord of crafts which ranged from precious metal clay jewellery making, nuno felting, polymer clay, sculpture and doll making. There was so much on offer and only a limited number of hours to learn and play in this 2nd annual retreat. We were all determined to eat, create and be merry.

We all had a ball, meeting up with faces from last year's retreat while making new friends too. I taught two classes, nuno felting and polymer transfers with wire wrapping. In between teaching, I was very fortunate to participate in Pam Annesley's doodling on polymer clay class where I was introduced to zentangles. It involves using repetition of shapes to make interesting drawings. Oh no... I now have a new obsession. They are all the rage in the States at the moment.

All students attended 3 - 4 different classes. At night, after dinner, there were many opportunities to keep learning and working or just kick back. There were many show and tells not to mention the endless array of raffle prizes. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Before we knew it, we were saying goodbye and packing up our cars to return home again.

It will be another year to wait for the next retreat. Until then, here are some pictures from the weekend.