November / December 2019 Newsletter
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As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.
John F. Kennedy
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Dear Readers,
At this seasonal time when there is a focus on gratitude, I thought I'd share the quote above. Very wise words.
Speaking of gratitude, I frequently find my heart filled with gratitude over the wonderful students I have the privilege to teach. I received a most generous gift from a student in Utah, Steve Fisk. He learned how to coil from my videos and we've never had a chance to meet in person. Here's what he wanted to share with my readers:
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I would like to send you a small basket as a gift for helping me discover and enjoy coiling pine needle baskets. I thought it might also be useful showing what folks can do just with your videos. I am a mostly retired 77-year old biomedical research veterinarian with a history of so many hobbies they have become a family joke. I have always been interested in knot tying (used to do Macramé) and weaving, so back around 2013 I decided to try my hand at “weaving” reed baskets.
That required working with wet materials and my wife didn’t care much for my covering her kitchen counters with wet reeds all the time, so I started thinking about options. I can’t recall now how I ran across pictures of coiled pine needle baskets, but they intrigued me, so I started researching (another habit) about them online, to see if I wanted to give them a try. That’s when I ran across pictures of Nadine’s work, and her videos. By then I was interested enough that I decided to order both Basket Weaving Essentials and Advanced Basket Weaving. Soon I was hooked (coiled if you will). That was in 2014.
After several times going through Nadine’s videos and acquiring the materials, I was off and running. I tried and quickly abandoned working with a gauge. I just couldn’t insert needles the way I wanted to and keep the ends hidden, and, like Nadine, I found I can control coil size just fine without them. I can also insert needles with the shiny side out (another Nadine suggestion).
I am a woodworker too, so I am using ¼-in thick wood slices I cut and finish myself for my centers. See my website for examples:
www.fiskonline.net
Not only are coiled pine needle baskets historically unique, they allow for lots of variation, which lets them truly become works of art. Pine needle basket coilers are a gifted group of folks that come up with creative ideas that are amazing! Some, like Nadine, take basketry techniques to freeform coiling that makes them “fiber artists.”
Nadine also understands the deep connections that can arise from creating outcomes that involve more than just skill – that tap feelings as well. I never know what a basket I have started will look like when finished. Without exception each one “speaks” to me while I am working on it – often in surprising ways. Sometimes I am listening to music or interesting podcasts that seem to influence what my fingers do. Coiling pine needle baskets is a delightful form of therapy that Nadine has planted in my mental garden. Thanks, Nadine!
This basket in the photo (above) is 6-3/4” X 1.5”. The wood is Mesquite from Texas. It is drilled and wrapped with Kodiak lace and then bound with waxed Irish linen thread. The beads are Czech ponies in turquoise. The rim is black Kodiak lace."
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I was reading a book written in the 1980’s called The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green and Timothy Gallwey. Gallwey has also written The Inner Game of Tennis, Golf and Skiing. The book was recommended to me to expand my musicality, but as I read it I realized the principles can pertain to many things in life, in particular creating art, so I am going to be discussing a few concepts from the book in this newsletter and perhaps in future ones to aid my readers in expanding their creativity. In the book the author uses the word “music”. I will be substituting the words “art", or "weaving" or "basket” so it is more pertinent to our interests.
The first concept is we have two selves:
Self One – a real pain in the you-know-what. Always telling us what we should or shouldn’t be doing, undermining our confidence and spontaneity, constantly judging and trying to get our attention, predicting failure, criticizing, basically it just won’t shut up.
Self Two – “Is the vast reservoir of potential within each of us. It contains our natural talents and abilities and is a virtually unlimited resource that we can tap and develop. Left to its own devices, it performs with gracefulness and ease.”
Which one would you choose to hang out with? Well of course Self Two, but it’s so easy to let Self One dominate and suck the joy out of our lives and squelch our creativity.
When Self One is in charge, we are in our minds, the self-chatter causes us to be disorganized. When we are able to suppress it and relax, we can gain access to the resources of Self Two which is an unthinking state where our creativity can flow unimpeded with full expression. If Self One re-emerges, it tries to criticize our efforts, our accomplishments, instilling doubts and fears.
The author states “The first step in coping with our Self One voice is to recognize that it may not just get up and go away. As it talks to us, we have a natural tendency to talk back, and then we are in double trouble. Not only is Self One talking to us, but our own response is getting in the way of our concentrating on our art. We don’t have to talk back to Self One. We can choose.
A simple distraction from Self One might be to focus on the materials you’re using in your basket or other art, feel the pine needles, their smoothness and length, feel the texture of the thread, enjoy the colors of thread or objects you may be working with, listen to the sound made by the thread as you pull it through the pine needles, inhale the fragrance of your plant fibers. Sense the way your body is involved in the making of the basket, how wide an arc your arms move as you pull the thread, how your hands hold the pine needles, consciously choose to focus on something that is happening right now, in the present moment. When you are present in this way, Self Two has the opportunity to emerge and express itself. Concentrate on the essential elements of your art and ignore Self One’s attempts to get our attention. When you can bypass the critical interference of Self One you unleash the natural power and grace of your Self Two.
An exercise that can help you learn to bypass Self One is to practice Awareness. Notice if there is tension in your arms, neck, wrists or fingers. Wherever you notice tension, see if you can let yourself become more relaxed. Observe your body and feel it subtly shift to a more relaxed state.
Awareness shows us what feels and works best for us. It can even locate specific problem areas, discover solutions, increase options and facilitate instant changes. Awareness can help us through technical challenges and enhance our ability to be swept up in the process of weaving.
“What’s important is we should choose a focus for our awareness in the PRESENT moment, something happening RIGHT NOW, and not wander off into the past or future. When we are aware of what’s happening in the present moment, our concentration develops and things often seem to improve almost effortlessly. Place your concentration on sight, hearing, touch, feelings and understanding.
Another suggestion is to give yourself Permission to Fail. Once you release yourself from the fear of failure, you can focus on making your art and Self One won’t have as much power over you.
Hope my article contains a spark for you to take the next evolutionary step in your creative journey.
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If you belong to a group, or just a group of friends, who might be interested in holding a 1, 2 or 3 day workshop, please contact
me
for options and details and possible dates for 2020. You can customize the class to the specific needs of your group.
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I’m happy to announce I will be returning to teach a 2-Day Workshop at the Borrego Art Institute (January 2020) and a 1-Day Workshop at the Ilan Foundation (April 2020), both in southern California. Borrego is in the desert, and Ilan is in the Julian Mountains perched high on a mountaintop with extraordinary, vast views. Fabulous and inspiring locations to learn how to make baskets! See all my workshop locations below.
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WORKSHOPS
ONE DAY WORKSHOP
April 4, 2020
Julian, California
I’ll be returning to the Ilan Lael Foundation to teach a 1-day pine needle basketry workshop. The location is the amazing property and home of environmental artist James Hubbell in Julian outside San Diego. My students have the rare privilege of freely wandering the property and exploring the extraordinary buildings and artwork set atop a mountain that has an expansive view of peaks and valleys.
Students will learn how to coil a basket using a stone as a beautiful and unique center and using the swirling basic stitch that lines up on both sides of the basket. Students provided with all materials including a mounted stone (plenty to choose from!), a large spool of Irish waxed linen thread and washed/prepared pine needles. Depending on time, some students may also learn how to make handles, using beads and much more. All levels welcome. Repeat students invited to attend to learn more advanced techniques.
http://ilanlaelfoundation.org/
The charming town of Julian has many inns and B & B's from which to choose if you want to make it a weekend getaway.
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TWO DAY WORKSHOP
January 25 & 26, 2020
Borrego Springs, California
Borrego Springs Art Institute
Students will learn how to coil a basket using a stone as a beautiful and unique center and using the swirling basic stitch that lines up on both sides of the basket. Students provided with all materials including a mounted stone (plenty to choose from!), a large spool of Irish waxed linen thread and washed/prepared pine needles. Depending on time, some students may also learn how to make handles, using beads and much more. All levels welcome. Repeat students invited to attend to learn more advanced techniques. To register or for more information see
http://www.borregoartinstitute.org/Workshops
or contact me personally if you have any questions
info@nadinespier.com
A trip to Borrego Springs can be much more than taking a workshop! There are endless miles of trails throughout the 600,000 acre state park, the second largest state park in the U.S.! Borrego Springs is home to very rare Bighorn sheep, 130 amazing, larger-than-life metal sculptures scattered about the desert (see
link
for more information), take a hike in a Palm Canyon where a stream flows from melted snow from craggy mountain tops and ancient palm trees line the banks, sunrises and sunsets that defy imagination as the sun paints the desert with colors of pink, lavender, yellow, reds and more. Nothing brings out the magic of a sunrise/sunset more than the desert! There are several hotels and 2 campgrounds all within two miles of the Art Institute.
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HOME WORKSHOPS
Workshops in Nadine's home (about 25 minutes north of San Diego in Olivenhain)
$60 plus $40 materials (optional). Time 10 am - 4 pm. The price for home workshops will be $70 starting in January 2020, however if you enroll now for 2020, you can pay the current price of $60.
2019
November 16 (FULL)
December 21
2020
January 11
February 8
March 28
My home workshops are limited to 6 students, so everyone gets plenty of instruction. All skill levels welcome - beginners come to learn how to make a basket, and experienced coilers attend to take their skills into exciting new territory such as learning how to make Teneriffes, lids, footed bases, handles, beads between coils, creating patterns with sheaves, using objects with holes such as black walnut slices, how to create free-flowing sculptural pieces, and much more!! I will also teach how to coil on gourds (contact me so we can discuss before class). To inquire or register, email me at
info@nadinespier.com
or call (760) 533-1000
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December 7, 2019
1-Day Workshop
9 am - 4 pm
California Center for Creative Renewal
Students will learn how to coil a delicate basket around a lovely polished stone. It's an easy way to start a basket and makes a beautiful center. Students will learn to coil so their stitches are identical on both sides of the basket. Pine needles and Irish waxed linen thread are provided, but the coiling technique can later be used to weave many other plant materials.
Pine needle basketweaving is a wonderful way to recycle from the environment and it's a portable project - so you can take it anywhere to work on!
The workshop will be held at a garden retreat located in the coastal hills of Encinitas, southern California. The Center’s 1.5 acres include a fully-equipped Craftsman-style art studio and relaxed, informal meeting spaces, meadows of flowers and scented shrubs, a fruit orchard, a garden labyrinth, and a short canyon walking trail. Native and exotic plants flourish along meandering paths. Meditation benches provide privacy for reflection and expansive views of Southern California’s coastal hills. Breakfast provided.
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Wishing my readers a joyous and healthy holiday season filled with love and special memories.
Happy weaving,
Nadine
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Nadine Spier
Contemporary Pine Needle Basketweaver
Basket Weaving Classes and Basket Art for Purchase
1084 N El Camino Real Box B184, Encinitas CA 92024 (760) 533-1000
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