Coupeville, WA

Let me start by saying I would move to Coupeville, WA tomorrow with no regrets.  My experience of place was one I will always remember.  Long walks every day allowed me to really explore the island within my walkable distance.  The island also has free bus service to areas outside your walking comfort zone.  The B&B owners picked me up from the airport shuttle stop on the island so I did not need a car the whole week I was there.  Being car free enhanced my experience as you see so many things you would not notice in the confines of a car.

The island is very green even though it is in a rain shadow of the mountain and therefore does not get all the rain like Seattle.  Flowers, trees, and animals are in abundance.  The coolest thing though was that in June while I was visiting the sun doesn't set until after 9 at night so I was able to take long walks both in the morning and after class.

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I can't say enough about my stay at The Blue Goose Inn.  It wasn't overly fussy and the rooms were a nice size.  The owners were overly accommodating in transporting me to and from the airport shuttle stop.  Every morning the guest were greeted with a phenomenal breakfast that was included in the cost of your room.  I am a Pescatarian and another guest had dairy aversion and the owners worked within the limitations and came up with dishes above and beyond expectation.  They used local produce and a extensive mix of ingredients to fashion lovely meals each morning.  

I did not have a bad meal the entire time I was in Coupeville.  All of the restaurants had options for a Pescatarian.  Being from North Carolina, I can assure you that is a rare experience for me.  Also, the Chardonnays from the Pacific Northwest were wonderful.  I was surprised that even the "house wine" was really good at the restaurants.  Everyone says you have to try the mussels on the island.  I thought they were good but it didn't blow me away.  I'm not a huge oyster person either though so I may not be a good judge of mussels.

Moving on to the reason I was in Coupeville, WA................The Pacific Northwest Art School is a fabulous hidden gem.   It was an intimate facility with all the basics for various art classes.  It was especially nice for a fibers class as they had numerous wash sinks, clotheslines, a fabric spinner, a washer, and a dryer.   The space could be divided in half for two smaller classes and there was also teaching space at Fort Casey.  In reviewing their class listing, it was obvious that a lot of time and thought had been put into selecting known teachers and including a mix of disciplines.

Having graduated from a Design School (NC State College of Design) I was aware of the impact of being in a collaborative classroom environment.  Working alone in my studio I have really missed the input of other artists.  So much can be learned from just bouncing ideas off each other or talking about each persons varied experiences.   Techniques, books, vendors, products and info about other artists to check out gets discussed while in the working environment.  In North Carolina, it has been hard for me to find advanced classes offered in fiber arts.  Most local classes are either in other disciplines, too Intro, or not the avenue of fiber arts I am interested in.  Quilting, Weaving, Knitting, and Felting comprise the majority of Fiber Art classes in my area.  On my list of To Do's is to try again to find classes available closer to home.  In my next post, I will go into detail on my class at Pacific Northwest Art School. 

Go West

Go West

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We will start this journey with my trip to the Pacific Northwest.  My husband, my biggest critic and my biggest supporter, granted me the chance of a lifetime.  I flew out to Whidbey Island to Coupeville, WA for a week long class at the Pacific Northwest Art School.

I will talk about the class in detail in a subsequent blog.  For now, I want to talk about the experience of place and how it changed me.

Every morning, I awoke early to walk along the beach while enjoying my first cup of coffee of the day.  I always took my camera along with me to document anything and everything that I found interesting.  Most people return from trips with tons of pictures of tourist stops.  I returned with pictures of moss, bark, mussels, seaweed, sand patterns, pebbles, birds, insects, wood, flowers, and anything else that influenced my experience of place.

Having graduated from Design School 18 years ago, I know how to look at the world through a different filter.  However, over the years I had forgotten to stop and look at the world through this filter.....to really look.....  For me, finding that again was the most important part of this journey.

So, I challenge you to start your day tomorrow really looking at the world.  Pay attention to the little things: 

• the patterns in tree bark
• all the different varieties of moss or mushrooms growing in your neighborhood
• the darker patterns in the road cracks after a rain shower
• shadows on the side of a building
• the lines of the veins in leaves
• peeling paint
• rust patterns on old metal

Look at ordinary things and find the beauty in them the colors, the lines, and the textures.  The more you practice this the more often you will find yourself automatically "seeing" and enjoying the world around you.  This will translate into your art and if not will at least improve your day and your experience of place.

“(Go West) Life is peaceful there

(Go West) Lots of open air

(Go West) To begin life new

(Go West) This is what we’ll do”

— Go West by the Village People

Experience of place was a saying used often in my Architectural Design classes in college.  It refers to your psychological, emotional, or biological response to a place or room.  As I prefer the outdoors, I think of experience of place more outside the boundaries of four walls.