Back in Business
Ever since my old website died, about a month ago, I've been working hard to get this new site up and running.  I'm finally happy to reveal it to you, although I still have lots of content yet to move.   In the midst of all this change, I've taken the opportunity to update the look of the site, as I continue to add new pages every day.  

Gdansk, Poland

Continuing with tales of our Scandinavian trip, take a look at the city of Gdansk, Poland.  As you can see,  it's very reminiscent of Amsterdam, with a similar architechtural style.  Although this area was obliterated during World War II, the people of Gdansk decided to rebuild it to its pre-war condition, which included many buildings dating from the 1600s. Therefore, this "old town" area has a wonderful historic flavor to go along with its beauty. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge, and he told us a lot about the mindset and hardships of the communist era, as well as the current struggles to rebuild the economy post-communism.  One story that he told had

to do with his parents' wait for an apartment, when they were newlyweds (during communism.)  They waited seventeen years for an apartment!  And another six months for a phone.  This sort of story REALLY made me appreciate all the many everyday luxuries that I tend to take for granted. Gdansk is well known as the birthplace of the solidarity movement.  In 1970, shipyard workers went on strike.  This rebellion was put down when soldiers killed 44 striking workers.  In 1980, another uprising took place, countrywide.  This time, the communist regime agreed to the  demands put forth by the laborers.  Democracy began to brew, and in 1989 Lech Walesa was elected as the first president.  The photo, at left, shows a monument to the solidarity movement, and to those who lost their lives supporting it.  There's an anchor of each spike, all of which seem to erupt from the concrete.   Now competing in the global market, Poland is definitely experiencing economic growing pains.  This is evident, in part, by the fact that the shipyards are now almost completely inactive. Initially, we were surprised to learn that many older citizens are having a hard time adjusting to a democratic society.  They have always had a mindset of dependancy, rather than of self-sufficiency.  Although this doesn't fit their current situation, it's very difficult for them to shift away from it.  One more thing to appreciate:  not only living in a democracy, but living in a country that started that way, and has never had to deal with these sorts of issues.

Big news
I'm offering online classes!!!  I'm very excited to be able to offer my classes to people everywhere - in the convenience of their own homes.  When conducting the test class, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much interaction the students and I still had, because of using the class forum.  The students uploaded photos of their quilts in progress, and I was able to draw on them and make comments.  Very cool!  I hope you'll check out this new exciting endeavor here.

Upcoming Events: 

Merritt Island, FL, January 19th:  Workshop "Design Your Own Nature Collage"

Online, February 1st:  Next online class, "Instant Art Quilt".  (Enrollment opens January 19th.)

Orlando, FL, Febrary 7th:  Exhibiting at the Orlando Museum of Art, as part of W.O.M.A.N, a "1st Thursday" event.  This a     one night art party, featuring Florida artists of all mediums.  My pieces Reconciliation, Whispered Prayers, and Security     will be on display.  You can see them in the quilt gallery.  More event information is available here.

Melbourne, FL, February 16th:  Workshop "Instant Art Quilt"

Melbourne, FL, February 23rd-24th:  Workshop "Design Your Own Nature Quilt"

Melbourne, FL, March 1st:  Workshop "Design Your Own Nature Collage"

Online, March:  Workshop "Adventures in Color", exact date to be determined

Miami, FL, March 8th:  Lecture "Playing with Fabric," Workshop "Instant Art Quilt"

See teaching schedule for further details.

New Work I haven't had much time for stitching, but I've been able to create some glued collages.  This one is called Gold Bananas.  You can see a larger picture here.  The companion piece is Gold Pear. Short Lesson In past newsletters, I've mentioned quite a bit about focal point.  I've expanded on those thoughts with a full article.  You'll find it here.  (It's located in the new e-Learning section of my website, where you'll find other interesting resources.) By the way, where is the focal point located on the banana collage, at right?

Enjoy the adventure!
Ellen

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